TILTH

She says:
Tilth is the kind of restaurant that you still talk about years after dining there.

Our dinner at this Seattle newcomer was a highly anticipated event. Ever since Frank Bruni, the New York Times food critic, selected Tilth as one of the top 10 new restaurants in America in 2008, Downtown Boy has been pining to go. I was also eager to eat at a restaurant committed to using only local, organic ingredients, which is exemplified both by its name (“tilth” refers to nutrient-rich soil) and the fact that it is one of only two restaurants in the country to receive organic certification from Oregon Tilth. Housed (literally) in the renovated first floor of a small Wallingford home, Tilth accommodates only 40 people at a time. This charming intimacy is enhanced by the waitstaff, who offer intelligent advice about the menu. Our waitress helpfully pointed out that it was common for guests to strategically order several half-dishes to maximize the number of entrees they could try. This is just what we did.

He says:
The simply-named "Hor d'Oeuvres" appetizer was anything but -- rather, it was simply marvelous. A gumdrop-sized ball of homemade mascarpone cheese sat on a crisp parmesan cracker, garnished with a fresh slice of fig. The ensuing synthesis of creamy, salty, and sweet notes had the entire table breaking into spontaneous smiles. This might have been the finest appetizer I've ever had.

My first half-entree, the smoked heirloom bean cassoulet, was surprisingly excellent. A bean stew rarely gets me excited, but Tilth's version came with wild mushrooms, truffles, and oven-dried tomatoes. An incredible, smoky earthiness infused every bite of this dish -- I never imagined such intensity could be wrung from such humble ingredients. The rich porcine flavors of my second entree, the slow-cooked pork cheek, were less unexpected but just as wonderful. The chefs at Tilth have mastered pork, retaining its subtle gaminess and keeping it tender enough to split with a fork. I mopped up every last piece in the pancetta-parmesan broth.

Last but not least came the Alaskan sablefish, a type of cod, which had been cooked sous vide. For those who do not know, the sous vide method allows for pressurized cooking at very low temperatures, which preserves the delicate texture of meat. For me, Tilth sets the standard for this kind of culinary magic. My first bite of sablefish literally melted on my tongue. My second bite, accompanied by a fennel salad and picholine olives, was even better. At this point, I was becoming convinced that this restaurant could do no wrong.

She says:
I agree, that sablefish was incredible. My other favorite, as odd as it sounds, was the cauliflower flan. The truffled flan was so rich you'd never guess that it was made from cauliflower. Drizzled on the side was a puree with meyer lemon, capers, and tarragon. I have seen many restaurants use artsy drizzles of sauces or purees to make their dishes appear fancy, but these usually don't add much to the dish. On the contrary, this puree provided a tart contrast to the creamy flan. In fact, each bite got progressively better as the various flavors fused on my tongue.

Less noteworthy was the sockeye salmon tartare. It's not that the mixture of raw salmon (of the quality you only find in the Pacific Northwest) with cornichon, endive, and dijon wasn't delicious ... it was just less impressive than the sablefish and flan.

As we ordered desserts, our waitress once again came to the rescue, insisting with surprising assertiveness that we include the cheesecake. Her advice was spot-on. It was unlike any other cheesecake I have seen or tasted... far less sweet, with the freshness of the cheese standing out. The little balls of sweet fromage blanc sitting atop a tiny crust of feuilletine had us all fighting over the final bites. We also had to try the avocado mousse, for novelty sake. I don't think it'll be replacing chocolate mousse anytime soon, but once again the unique combination of fluffy, lightly-sweetened mousse, candied ginger, and cilantro syrup had our palettes spinning.

He says:
The cheesecake was indeed on its own level of awesomeness. The almond brown butter cake paled in comparison -- it was too plain -- but the blood orange creme brulee held its own. Uptown Girl found it too sweet, but the rest of us swooned over the candied citrus rinds and silky custard.

We say:
Many other restaurants focus on local, seasonal fare, but Tilth takes it to new heights. With startling flavor combinations and top-notch service, Tilth is truly one of the best restaurants in America. We can't imagine having a better meal this year.




Tilth
1411 N 45th St, Seattle, WA 98103
tilthblog.wordpress.com

PIROSHKY PIROSHKY

He says:
Several years back I found myself in a ravenous state while exploring Seattle’s downtown for the very first time, and I headed into Pike Place Market desperately seeking a cheap, hearty snack. As luck would have it, I stumbled right into Piroshsky Piroshsky, a tiny shop that sells the small, stuffed pies that gives the store its name. The Russian word for “little feast,” a piroshky is a handheld pie that can contain anything from beef to mushrooms to fruit. The array of sweet and savory choices in Piroshsky Piroshsky’s display case is dazzling.

On our latest jaunt to Seattle, I ordered the cheddar cheese piroshky for nostalgia’s sake, and it’s just as delicious as I remember it. Thick wads of cheddar are baked right into the golden spirals of the moist, oily bun. Every bite must have been at least 200 calories – no matter, it’s totally worth it.

Uptown Girl ordered the chocolate-cardamom piroshky, which looked sweet and filling. Yum!

This isn’t fancy food by any means … just street food at its best.




Piroshsky Piroshsky
1908 Pike Pl, Seattle, WA 98101
http://www.piroshkybakery.com/

KISAKU

She says:
In Seattle, there exists a little-known neighborhood called Tangletown. In that small neighborhood, you can find all the Pacific Northwest basics – an independent coffee shop, a brewpub, a donut shop, and, of course, a sushi restaurant.

Kisaku means “frank and easy going,” and is clearly striving to be a true neighborhood joint… no more, no less. The restaurant is much nicer than your typical hole-in-the-wall, but it also avoids uber-trendy touches, so in terms of ambiance, it lives up to it’s aspirations as a friendly neighborhood haunt.

He says:
Since sushi dinners often leave me hungry, I usually order the largest platter possible. On this occasion I opted for the Sushi Combination M, 8 pieces of sushi (tuna, salmon, yellowtail, white fish, shrimp, scallop, surf clam, and octopus), a tuna roll, and miso soup. Aside from the shrimp and octopus, which I found slightly rubbery, the fish was very good. The tuna was easily the best, packing the freshest flavor in each morsel.

She says:
My mom and I sampled several of the rolls, although none of them wowed us. The spiciness of the spicy tuna roll overwhelmed the actual flavor of the tuna; similarly, all I could taste in the Kisaku roll (consisting of scallop, crab, mayo, and flying fish eggs) was the mayo. The Alaska roll, with grilled salmon skin, didn’t come with high expectations, so it was fine. The best, and most balanced, was the Green Lake roll, since none of the ingredients – including salmon, fish eggs, asparagus, avocado, and marinated seaweed – dominated the roll.

We also sampled two types of nigiri. The eel was sweet and tender. The Otoro (very fatty tuna) tasted like a big bite of fat. I think that’s the point, but neither my mom or I were into it – we wanted to taste the tuna flavor, which was notably absent.

He says:
I agree, Kisaku’s Otoro didn’t carry enough “tuna-ness” to balance the fat. I have had excellent Otoro in other sushi restaurants though, and believe me, when that fat melts and mingles on the tongue … all I can say is “Wow!”

We finished dinner off with two desserts. The first was sweet potato that had been pureed into a thick, orange custard and deep-fried in wonton shells. Served hot with ice cream and red bean paste on the side, this was an innovative and delicious dish.

The second dessert was a bland cake roll, filled with fruit and whipped cream. You can find this type of cake in any mediocre Chinese bakery… what such a disappointing dish is doing in a Japanese restaurant beats me.

We say:
If we lived in Tangletown, we’d definitely stop at Kisaku for some nigiri and warm sake. Just skip the cake!



Kisaku
2101 N. 55th St. #100, Seattle, WA 98103
http://www.kisaku.com

RED MILL BURGERS

He says:
It seems every major city has at least one legendary burger shack, and in Seattle that place is Red Mill Burgers. Red Mill occupies a cozy, two-room space on Phinney Ridge, where the only decoration in sight (aside from the first-aid poster on how to help choking victims) is a famously bad painting of a red windmill that looks like it was salvaged from a junk yard. Like most of the best burger restaurants in America, Red Mill doesn’t worry too much about its decor. That’s because their food more than makes up for any deficiencies in interior design.

The double bacon deluxe cheeseburger I ordered was sublime. The two quarter-pound patties were greasy and delicious, with the salty crunch of pepper bacon, the ooze of American cheese, and the smoky flavors of the “secret” Red Mill Sauce all coming together in a gastronomic union far exceeding the sum of its parts. To top it off, the bun is toasted; it’s a small touch I always appreciate.

The only drawback, in my opinion, is that the burger patties are thin and thus not cooked to order. I asked for my hamburger rare and it came out medium. The patties were still plenty juicy though, so this is a minor quibble.

She says:
The trip to Red Mill Burgers, if you couldn’t guess, was for Downtown Boy’s dining pleasure. (Don’t worry – we have an equitable relationship… following Red Mill, we toured Seattle’s fabulous new chocolate factory, Theo Chocolate.) There’s just not that much to say about veggie burgers… they’re either disgusting, or pretty good. There’s not a lot of “gastromonic union” happening with veggie burgers. So the verdict on Red Mill’s veggie options – pretty good.

I will rave about the milkshakes. Thick, creamy, and made with real ice cream, my chocolate milk shake improved this dining experience ten-fold.

He says:
My Oreo shake was delicious as well. The onion rings are too donut-like for my tastes, but they round out an artery-clogging meal quite nicely.

She says:
Good burgers, but not nearly as memorable as the chocolate factory.



He says:
Head to Red Mill Burgers for some of the greasiest – and best – burgers in America.



Red Mill Burgers
312 N. 67th Street, Seattle, WA 98103
http://www.redmillburgers.com/index.htm

COUPAGE

She says:
My first visit to this charming restaurant in Seattle’s Madrona neighborhood was in early August, to celebrate my dad’s birthday. Following a fabulous dinner, I knew that I had to take Downtown Boy back. I was sure that he would love it as much as me (and GQ magazine, which recently named it the restaurant to dine at on a weekend getaway to Seattle). Luckily for us, the stars aligned…

The restaurant itself is delightful. The cool blue walls are warmed by booths the color of red wine, and a black and white mural covers the upper half of one wall with Parisian-style sketches of couples in a swirling café. It’s a small space, and both times I was there it was relatively empty, which made it feel all the more intimate.

Coupage is French for “blending,” which is exactly what the chef, Thomas Hurley, does with his flavors (largely Asian) and cooking techniques (mainly French). The result is a menu full of unique and delicious items.

He says:
We started dinner off with the pumpkin custard crab cakes. The freshness of the crab came through easily enough, but I had difficulty registering the pumpkin. Perhaps the palettes of those with finer sensibilities can glean the pumpkin flavor in the custard, but I couldn’t. To me it simply tasted like a pretty good crab cake.

She says:
On my first visit, I had roasted duck breast that was cooked to perfection – juicy and tender, with a slender line of fat bordering each slice of meat. The details of the rest of my meal are hazy to me now, but I remember being incredibly impressed by the side dishes as well (look at the picture and use your imagination to fill in the details).

My second time around, the menu had changed with the season, and I have to admit to being rather disappointed. It seemed heavily weighted toward beef and pork, neither of which I eat. Even the duck dish contained venison sausage. In this situation, I would normally choose a fish dish instead, but the offerings included Chilean sea bass, which is a big no-no according to the venerable Monterey Bay Aquarium.

Fortunately, my mom agreed to split the Apple Wood mesquite smoked chicken, which serves two. As far as chicken goes, this is probably as good as it gets. The meat was incredibly soft and not the least bit dry, and was saturated with complex smoky undertones. The chicken liver fried rice that came with was a little overpowering, mainly because I don’t like the taste of liver.

He says:
I ordered the famous “Coupage burger,” a freshly ground short rib patty served with seared foie gras, red onion kimchi, and tomato confit on a kaiser roll. It also comes with three different dipping sauces. I’ve had chichi burgers in the past, and this is one of the best of that fashionable genre. The meat was perfectly grilled, and the kimchi’s bite offset the richness of the foie gras – an excellent pairing. Still, when it comes to burgers, I believe simplicity rules. At the end of the day, I prefer a bold, juicy cheeseburger from Red Mill or Bartley’s over the subtle elements of a “glamburger.”

She says:
Over the course of my two visits to Coupage, I managed to try five different desserts, all of which were very good. My favorite was the opera gateau, whose distinct orange flavor, combined with rich chocolate and light layers of cake, really made it stand out.

Dinner at this enchanting neighborhood spot is not a cheap endeavor, but it’s worth the splurge. Although the menu could use some fine-tuning to be more environmentally friendly (not an unreasonable request in Seattle), the food itself is fabulous.



He says:
Without question Coupage has got it going on. But I’d need more than a fancy hamburger to give it five forks.



Coupage
http://www.coupageseattle.com/
1404 34th Ave, Seattle, WA 98122