Rima Z.
Yelp
Chic, modern interior. High backed booths are comfy and intimate, with plenty of room to spread out and order multiple courses to share. Friendly hostess and a professional and engaging wait staff. The bathroom has calming lighting and heated seats (always a nice touch).
Complimentary focccia with slightly warm, slightly spicy pesto oil dip, bread was pillowy with a great chew. The Pinot Grigio was well chilled and minerally, which complimented the grilled octopus beautifully.
The octopus... simply delicious. Perfectly cooked, and accompanied with à sprinkle of broad beans, and a lightly spicy chili oil and unctuous purée of cilantro aioli. Had to sop this up with bread!
The braised short rib comes with polenta and lightly sautéed baby spinach, with a few shiitake mushrooms draped on top. The plate was WARM at lunchtime - almost unheard of.
Polenta had a light skin on it, likely from the heat lamp, but was tender and creamy. The sauce was piquant, reminiscent of a barbecue sauce; which was good but not my first choice. The spinach is delightfully lemony. The short rib was a good sized piece and cooked well - the perfect balance of tender and shreddable, without being dry.
A meal this good, in such a beautiful setting, demands dessert! There is a great selection. I went with the lavender citrus panna cotta and a simple espresso. Wow.... This required à moment of silence; it was that good. Even the espresso is perfectly brewed (which is saying something in this town).
The panna cotta had the perfect consistency, and à whisper of lavender. The raspberry coulis added just the right amount of tartness.
I visited during Seattle Restaurant Week, which advertised two courses and a glass of wine for $20. The restaurant pricing reflected $35, which is a bargain for this level of quality. No complaints here.
Chris, my Sherpa for this culinary experience. was an absolute delight. He brought the rating to the top tier.
And to cap the meal off, Chris suggested a chamomile grappa. What a beautiful flavor profile. So smooth and warm; this is what you want to drink next to a crackling fire while it's snowing outside.
I will be back...often with friends.