At the time I began thinking out my review of Steelhead Diner in Seattle's Pike Place Market, Seattle Weekly had just done their piece, and while we are speaking of the same restaurant, I generally take things differently, in both positive and negative ways.
This makes me both someone who wants to look at things with clear eyes, as well as a person with the desire to get it all right.
In any event, Smallie and I decided to visit on a Sunday.
Matts in the Market was not open on Sundays, and ironically, this is the second time we've gone to the Market and not been able to make Matts.
No, thats not Steelhead Diner.
The video above is of Pike Place Fish, which is also in Pike Place market, but it gives you the idea as to the spirit of the market, part farmer fresh, part side-show.
So, with that in mind, walking into Steelhead Diner is a calm respite from the storm outside.
Steelhead Diner 95 Pine Street Seattle, WA 98101-1530 (206) 625-0129 Steelhead Diner I'll be honest, Smallie and I have very different ideas as to how to prepare to blog for a restaurant.
She likes to take pictures of everything, with an eye toward remembering the zeitgeist at the time.
Me, I prefer to slide in, under the radar, with minimal preparation.
The theory is kinda a bastardized version of the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle in that if a restaurant thinks you are a reviewer or a blogger, they will treat you differently.
They will give you better service, perhaps look after the food slightly better.
Taking pictures of each dish for twenty minutes tends to make wait staff take notice, but I have to admit that it helped get several splendid shots, and pre-emptive resolution of issues (see below).
so on reflection, there is something to lugging a camera everywhere, taking pictures of everything, even if the food starts to get cold because of it.
The interior of the space was modern and airy, with the kitchen open to the dining area, something particular to the Seattle area, as far as I can tell.
Well, at Steelhead, its become something interesting.
Seating for one Not that there aren't tables and booths, just something I thought remarkable for something this...
upscale, but since it is called a...
diner, sure why not.
Smallie (my travelling companion for this trip) and I grab a booth in the back, where separating booths are display cases that show flies as art (not the insect kind, the type used for fishing flycasting), some of which are quite good.
The food here, as I quickly glean is Americana diner food with Northwestern and New Orleans flair.
As I understand the owners of the establishment, Kevin Davis and his wife, are both native of the Crescent City.
Change is good, but some changes strike an ominous note, like when trying to integrate a style of food known for bold flavors and spices (like New Orleans) with the staid-ness of the simpler Northwest foods.
Lets face it, the pacific Northwest is not a hotbed for anything, um, Hot and Spicy, with the exception of some hot sauces that are 'burn your butt off from the inside' hot, which never seem to land in restaurants, Many in the Pacific Northwest tend to be spice-averse.
Perhaps this is the one thing that bothers me living out here, as opposed to my native New York City, where spiciness of some foreign style foods can rival the original on other continents.
We came in at lunch and ordered off the combination menu, both to get a good idea of the food, and because, frankly, a fear of the large portions in most restaurants.
Our first course, an appetizer was a salmon rillette.
Salmon Rillete For those who do not know, a rillette is generally a forcemeat (I think they call it forcemeat even when its not meat) made into a pate like paste and served as a spread for bread or whatever people spread things on.
This reminded me of a salmon mousse, and in a good way, except for the chunks of salmon.
I commented this to Smallie, who responded that this is why its a rillette, it would be way too lumpy for salmon.
I like salmon, I like mousse, and I like salmon mousse, when done well.
This, while a rillette, and not a mousse, was done well.
The next dish, is what they called a Sequimbled Egg.
That first word a portmanteau of 'Scrambled', and a local town in this area, Sequim (thats pronounced 'Skwim'), known for the large spit at Dungeoness, and the Crabs named for it.
Sequimbled Eggs The menu calls this 'Poached Eggs with Jumbo Lump Dungeness Crab & Sauce Hollandaise' I called it simply sinful and delicious, and my mouth waters just looking at the pictures again.
If this set the tone of the meal, then I would gladly recommend this diner far and wide.
Alas, it was not to be, for while the next dish, A vegetarian dish with local ingredients (stinging nettles, which based on my visit it to Tilth earlier in the week), made me hankering for more.
Nettle Pesto, a great idea (at least in theory) We decided that a nettle pesto was a great idea in theory at least.
The problem, alas is that split between New Orleans and Seattle.
Since we were in Seattle, a decision was likely made to make the flavor more subtle, and unfortunately, after the bold flavor of the rillette, the seasoning was just not there.
The waitress, realising something was wrong, talked to us, seeing Smallie's camera, and probably thinking us reviewers or bloggers or some other kind of foodie, ended up compensating us with a house specialty, "Theo's Chocolate Pecan Pie", a pecan pie, with chocolate nibs and bourbon creme.
While neither of us is fond of Pecan Pie in general, and Smallie refused to touch it specifically due to her aversion to sugar, we accepted it nicely, and I put it aside.
Finally, along with the dessert we didn't order, was the one we did, a Creme Brulee, done Bananas Foster style, with a cookie on the side.
Creme Brulee I used to have a boss who simply loved Creme Brulee, and to be honest, for that sort of thing, it was quite nice, not too heavy, not too sweet, and quite banana-y.
All in all I had a good time at the Steelhead Diner, and while the food was not entirely consistent, by and large the food was excellent.
This makes me both someone who wants to look at things with clear eyes, as well as a person with the desire to get it all right.
In any event, Smallie and I decided to visit on a Sunday.
Matts in the Market was not open on Sundays, and ironically, this is the second time we've gone to the Market and not been able to make Matts.
No, thats not Steelhead Diner.
The video above is of Pike Place Fish, which is also in Pike Place market, but it gives you the idea as to the spirit of the market, part farmer fresh, part side-show.
So, with that in mind, walking into Steelhead Diner is a calm respite from the storm outside.
Steelhead Diner 95 Pine Street Seattle, WA 98101-1530 (206) 625-0129 Steelhead Diner I'll be honest, Smallie and I have very different ideas as to how to prepare to blog for a restaurant.
She likes to take pictures of everything, with an eye toward remembering the zeitgeist at the time.
Me, I prefer to slide in, under the radar, with minimal preparation.
The theory is kinda a bastardized version of the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle in that if a restaurant thinks you are a reviewer or a blogger, they will treat you differently.
They will give you better service, perhaps look after the food slightly better.
Taking pictures of each dish for twenty minutes tends to make wait staff take notice, but I have to admit that it helped get several splendid shots, and pre-emptive resolution of issues (see below).
so on reflection, there is something to lugging a camera everywhere, taking pictures of everything, even if the food starts to get cold because of it.
The interior of the space was modern and airy, with the kitchen open to the dining area, something particular to the Seattle area, as far as I can tell.
Well, at Steelhead, its become something interesting.
Seating for one Not that there aren't tables and booths, just something I thought remarkable for something this...
upscale, but since it is called a...
diner, sure why not.
Smallie (my travelling companion for this trip) and I grab a booth in the back, where separating booths are display cases that show flies as art (not the insect kind, the type used for fishing flycasting), some of which are quite good.
The food here, as I quickly glean is Americana diner food with Northwestern and New Orleans flair.
As I understand the owners of the establishment, Kevin Davis and his wife, are both native of the Crescent City.
Change is good, but some changes strike an ominous note, like when trying to integrate a style of food known for bold flavors and spices (like New Orleans) with the staid-ness of the simpler Northwest foods.
Lets face it, the pacific Northwest is not a hotbed for anything, um, Hot and Spicy, with the exception of some hot sauces that are 'burn your butt off from the inside' hot, which never seem to land in restaurants, Many in the Pacific Northwest tend to be spice-averse.
Perhaps this is the one thing that bothers me living out here, as opposed to my native New York City, where spiciness of some foreign style foods can rival the original on other continents.
We came in at lunch and ordered off the combination menu, both to get a good idea of the food, and because, frankly, a fear of the large portions in most restaurants.
Our first course, an appetizer was a salmon rillette.
Salmon Rillete For those who do not know, a rillette is generally a forcemeat (I think they call it forcemeat even when its not meat) made into a pate like paste and served as a spread for bread or whatever people spread things on.
This reminded me of a salmon mousse, and in a good way, except for the chunks of salmon.
I commented this to Smallie, who responded that this is why its a rillette, it would be way too lumpy for salmon.
I like salmon, I like mousse, and I like salmon mousse, when done well.
This, while a rillette, and not a mousse, was done well.
The next dish, is what they called a Sequimbled Egg.
That first word a portmanteau of 'Scrambled', and a local town in this area, Sequim (thats pronounced 'Skwim'), known for the large spit at Dungeoness, and the Crabs named for it.
Sequimbled Eggs The menu calls this 'Poached Eggs with Jumbo Lump Dungeness Crab & Sauce Hollandaise' I called it simply sinful and delicious, and my mouth waters just looking at the pictures again.
If this set the tone of the meal, then I would gladly recommend this diner far and wide.
Alas, it was not to be, for while the next dish, A vegetarian dish with local ingredients (stinging nettles, which based on my visit it to Tilth earlier in the week), made me hankering for more.
Nettle Pesto, a great idea (at least in theory) We decided that a nettle pesto was a great idea in theory at least.
The problem, alas is that split between New Orleans and Seattle.
Since we were in Seattle, a decision was likely made to make the flavor more subtle, and unfortunately, after the bold flavor of the rillette, the seasoning was just not there.
The waitress, realising something was wrong, talked to us, seeing Smallie's camera, and probably thinking us reviewers or bloggers or some other kind of foodie, ended up compensating us with a house specialty, "Theo's Chocolate Pecan Pie", a pecan pie, with chocolate nibs and bourbon creme.
While neither of us is fond of Pecan Pie in general, and Smallie refused to touch it specifically due to her aversion to sugar, we accepted it nicely, and I put it aside.
Finally, along with the dessert we didn't order, was the one we did, a Creme Brulee, done Bananas Foster style, with a cookie on the side.
Creme Brulee I used to have a boss who simply loved Creme Brulee, and to be honest, for that sort of thing, it was quite nice, not too heavy, not too sweet, and quite banana-y.
All in all I had a good time at the Steelhead Diner, and while the food was not entirely consistent, by and large the food was excellent.
SHARE
