The restaurant’s website urges you to take
the full nine-course tasting menu with wine flight option and who were we to
argue? After all, this place started life as a supper club run by brothers
Dustin and Derek Ronspies, so it seems fitting to let them take control of what
we eat. It also felt like we were eating in an extension of chefs’ living room,
which added to the supper-club atmosphere.
It all started out with a 'hidden course'
of cured local salmon and a crisp cava. This course was enough to make me
stupidly excited, so much that I was actually barely able to sit still.
Sensing my anticipation, our incredibly
affable waiter quickly followed with a refreshing golden beet and melon
gazpacho - a gorgeous combination of sweet and tart flavours, set off with
chili oil and a chive crème fraiche.This was paired with a beautifully fragrant Gewurztraminer from Oregon.
The next course was The Big Salad - a wonderful salad course of heirloom tomatoes, chevre, olives, rocket puree and
other yummy fresh things. Divine.
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| The Big Salad - it was very dark... |
The dish that followed was described as a
‘flan’, which is the term commonly used for a set custard in the US. The
corn-based savoury custard was topped off with a deeply flavoured lobster
mushroom broth and a parsley Parmesan pesto. This was an extremely interesting
dish, but mine was slightly lacking due to the absence of the smoked pork
consommé, which, I’m told, really made the dish.
The fish course was the star of the show
for me. The wild king salmon was served with a ratatouille, olive-oil poached
tomatoes, olive puree and preserved lemon vinaigrette. The salmon in this part
of the US is by far the best I’ve ever eaten. It has a dense texture and a mild
flavour, making it very different from the flabby farmed fillets I often cook
at home.
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| The King Salmon |
Other courses included a haddock and dill
fishcake with homemade pickles and rye bread and a moist olive-oil cake served
with poached peaches and huckleberry compote.
It’s hard to criticise a place like Art of
the Table, and this could be why it currently has 100 per cent on its Tripadvisor
reviews. The restaurant's ethos is clear and it never compromises on its mantra of local and
sustainable. These are terms bandied around a lot here in the UK, but these
guys really prove that it’s possible to have ethical sourcing dictate a menu
and still offer the ultimate fine dining experience.
Art of the Table
1054 N. 39th Street
Seattle, WA 98103
www.artofthetable.net
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