My interests in the food industry occasionally spark the idea that I should start doing restaurant reviews for some of the places we frequent here in Seattle (and during vacations). As if this would be some sort of step towards being a celebrity chef (my fantasy land vocation, now that professional athlete no longer seems feasible). However, if you ever read any of the ridiculously brief "product reviews" on my possibly-now-defunct website, you're likely aware of my inability to articulate the pros and cons of such things, beyond a general thumbs up/thumbs down rating. Elementary school teachers acquainted with my book reports will attest to this as well. I was always more of a math guy.
That being said, for the benefit of those of you who may find yourself in Seattle looking for a proper place to dine, I'll mention a few places around town.
Pair: Pair is a tapas (or "Small Plates" for those of you afraid of foreign sounding things) restaurant near the University District. Personally I loved this place primarily because I was able to sample about 5 or 6 different dishes. All we're great, especially the fondue, and the amazing
culatello (thank you Mr. Batali). It is a rather small place, tucked in to an old brick building, so if you're squeamish about sitting to close to your neighbors you may want to sit this one out. Three and a half stars.
See, even that short paragraph was more effort than I care to put into such an item.
I definitely recommend checking out Tom Douglas' restaurants. We recently visited Lola and Palace Kitchen, and both were impressive. The vegetable Tagine at Lola didn't quite hit the spot for me, but the pita & spreads were to die for. Palaca Kitchen's burgers lived up to the hype, but I'm still not ready to crown Best Burger In Seattle (If you have any suggestions, let me know!). Three stars each.
Crush, unsurprisingly, gets four stars. I decided to be adventurous and try a Pepper Tart that was offered as an appetizer. It was simply amazing, a perfect combination of textures and flavors. My entree was similarly impressive, complete with a variety of veggies. Even the drinks were creative and delicious - my Summer Sage Somethingorother was very cool and refreshing. Like pair, Crush is located in an old house (I believe there may even be seating on the second floor). That provided ample opportunities for entertaining up-close people watching: The guy who spent twenty minutes working over his cheese platter arguing with himself over which was his favorite, the nerd/hipster at the bar with the date who seemed old enough to be his mother, etc.
That's all for now!
