Spur Gastropub Goodness

Spur Gastropub, in Seattle, is probably the best culinary experience I have had in the United States. Yes, these are strong words, but, my oh my, was this a divine dining experience. YUM.

Sitting at the bar, Jeff and I perused the menu, drooling over the possibilities. Unable to make any sort of choice, the only choice we could make was to each order a 5 course tasting menu with wine pairing. To begin, Foie Gras Terrine - rhubarb, rose, sorrel. Heaven on a plate. The darker dots are rose hip ash...wow.

For my second course, Endive and Treviso salad - fava bean, spring onion, creme fraiche. Perfectly balanced and so very fresh and crunchy.

Jeff's plate: Warm asparagus salad - truffle, crouton, chive. The best use of truffle oil I have ever experienced. Normally, it takes over...here it complemented the perfectly cooked and served warm asparagus. Beautiful little edible flowers added an elegant touch. Bravo!

Third course, which we each chose. This, my friends, is corned duck. Yep! You read right. Corned duck breast - sunchoke, brussel sprout, apple. Sigh.

Jeff's fourth course: Slow cooked pork cheeks - nettles, spring onion, guanciale. Piggy goodness.

My fourth: Wagyu Sirloin - cauliflower, baby artichoke, almond gremolata. Wagyu beef is grass-fed beef with beautiful marbling. Of course, the meat was cooked medium rare and the combination of all the flavors together was unlike anything I had ever eaten. The almond gremolata was amazing with the extremely flavorful meat. Drooling, drooling, drooling as I write...

Jeff's dessert: Corn & Blueberries - whole milk, ice cream, meringue. Holy sweet corn goodness. The amount of corn flavor packed into this dish is insane. Light as air and once again, the balance is spot on!

My dessert: Lavender Sponge Cake - yogurt, white peach, chestnut honey. The most spongey sponge cake with lavender essence, but not so much that you think you are eating air freshener, as often happens when chefs venture into lavender combinations. They have fun in their kitchen using molecular gastronomy in creative ways that don't scare away the diners.

Amazing. Go there. Now. That is all.
I just realized that I didn't even mention the spot on wine pairing that went along with all this! Terrence, the bartender, knew his stuff. These weren't your boring, typical, predictable pairings. I enjoyed a Gruner Veltliner with my endive treviso salad! I wish I had written them down, but I barely took photos since I was enjoying the experience so much. Take my word for it, they were amazing.

Spur Gastropub is located at 113 Blanchard Street. Check out their website: www.spurseattle.com or their blog: http://www.spurseattle.blogspot.com. And get over there!!
Check out their cocktail joint which has now been open two years: www.tavernlaw.com, which was voted one of the 25 best bars in America by GQ magazine! We weren't able to go and are definitely going next time we are in Seattle, which will be sooner than later...I am already craving Spur!

Below: Me and the Chefs - Dana and Brian. They were eager to meet these two happy diners and even took us on a tour of their new space, Coterie, which will be opening soon. They will serve Brunch and lunch there and I personally can't wait!! Their passion is vibrant and real and you can see and taste it in their culinary creations and when they speak to you. Did I mention they are considered part of the Top 5 Rising Chefs by Gayot?! And many more accolades, but their big goal is a Michelin star.

Elliot's in Seattle

Okay, so August is not oyster season, but we couldn't be in Seattle and not have an oyster! We ordered the Celebration Platter at Eliot's on the waterfront, seen below, with two types of local oysters, Dungeness crab, snow crab, and shrimp. The crab was the best part. Eliot's is your typical touristy spot so don't expect any culinary masterpieces. They have great local beers on tap and apparently a great oyster Happy Hour. The location is quite fun, being able to sit outside and watch the boat traffic and all, the ocean air in your lungs.

The Cioppino was quite good and loaded with seafood goodies. The broth tasted very fresh, tomato-y, and like it was made with a seafood broth as well. The sourdough toast on the side was delightful to dip into the soupiness.

For "dessert", we had picked up fresh, organic blueberries and blackberries at Pike Place Market (for $5 - a steal!). Are you drooling? Because I am! What delicious beauties!

Sunny Seattle

Pike Place Market

 

I am recently returned from a visit to Seattle. The weather was quite wonderful and it hardly rained! Very lucky indeed. I have included just a sampling of the photos taken during my time there. I will be doing separate posts for my restaurant experiences, which were very delicious. So please stay tuned...

Look at that salmon! Wow!

Nice catch!

View from Olympic Sculpture Park

Locks

Gasworks

Dinner on floating home on Lake Union...glorious.

Pratt River Trail, off the i-90.

Strangest thing in Seattle - a wall of chewed gum...

Mount Rainier

Fig-errific Summer

As seen Chez Eve - Fresh figs wrapped with prosciutto, sliced fresh mozzarella, a drizzle of olive oil, and a sprinkle of Italian herb blend. $4.50 a basket for those figs, but the price is soon forgotten when you eat one!

 I love those intense colors!

 And then the more subtle coral-y pinks.

An heirloom tomato, a peach, a plum, and some figs = summertime.

Craving this pizza so badly, I went down to Olio Pizzeria and sat at the bar by myself. I enjoyed my Moretti beer and this gorgeous Margarita D.O.C. pizza. It has "special" mozzarella on it...much creamier than the normal stuff! The tomato sauce is incredibly fresh and flavorful and the dough is amazing. I sprinkle a little oregano on top and sometimes drizzle a little homemade chili oil (even if it is a bit on the hot side for my palate). So, so, so very satisfying!

Home Cookin'

In the mood to make up a recipe, I seared a half a local, well-treated and fed chicken in my Le Creuset pot (which used to be my Papa's), threw in some shallots, carrots, thyme, diced Yukon potatoes, white beans, and a bit of white wine, lemon juice, and chicken stock. Each of those ingredients had their own moment in the pot so as to build layers of flavor. A couple lemon slices and some thyme on top of the chicken and into the oven the pot went for 45 minutes. Voila!

--------------------------------------------------------------
It may have taken 3 pans to make my dinner-for-one, but it is worth it every single time! 2 Dover Sole filets ($1.75 total!) pan seared in butter with a little lemon juice and white wine. Steamed some Swiss Chard ($2.50) with salt and a little olive oil. Cubed and sauteed one Yukon potato (I threw in some mustard powder just out of curiosity and it added a lovely, earthiness to the potato and a subtle kick).

And ta-da! Dinner is served.

Sunbursts

Lately, at our plentiful Santa Barbara farmer's markets there have been these amazing, wildflower filled flower bouquets. I finally cracked and bought one last week for $7. Money well spent! Aren't these furry sunflowers fun? I can't help but smile every time I see them. Here's a little photo series so you can enjoy them too.

 Almost like flames...