upon arriving in seattle this evening, i was feeling tired and hungry -- and late! of course, i wasn't truly late, but rather running up tight against a last-minute reservation i'd made last night. i'd originally booked crush (http://www.chefjasonwilson.com/crush.html) for my first dinner in seattle. but when i checked out their menu last night, i really wasn't feeling it. (a testament to how much mood can shape experience.) plus, i really wanted something close to my hotel in the queen anne district -- the inn at queen anne (http://www.innatqueenanne.com/). based on menus, recommendations, and reviews, i decided to go w/canlis --a restaurant that's known to be the birthplace of northwest cuisine.
in addition to being on a plane for several hours (which in and of itself wasn't heinous), walking around in high heels (which i almost never do), and misinterpreting my car pick-up location, i ended up running into BOTH a draw bridge and a train crossing during my mere 20-25 minute ride from the airport. (talk about heinous luck!) i already knew the skies would be grey, but two delays in one ride just made me grumpy. thankfully, my driver agreed to wait while i dropped off my bags at the hotel, before taking me over to the restaurant, which was a mere 10 minutes away.
as soon as i arrived at the restaurant -- w/its lovely stone facade -- a valet opened the car door. and because i was still paying the driver, he was all ready to close the door so i wouldn't get cold! i mean, isn't that considerate? better yet, as soon as i walked in, i was greeted by the maitre d' (or the director of service, as i learned from his business card at the end of the night), and i was walked to my table by the OWNER of the restaurant, chris canlis. yes, folks, the OWNER. a lovely older gentleman who commented on my "winsome" smile, and then apologized quickly in case i felt he was presumptuous. (of course, i told him i appreciated the compliment.) it was quite the treatment, i must say, quite the treatment.
as if all this wasn't enough, i was seated at an amazing table for 1, where i had the loveliest view of lake union and the twinkling lights of the city. actually, the first thing that came to my mind as soon as i walked into the restaurant was the fabulous contrast b/w the dark wood of the room and the amazing light coming through all the windows. after being seated for a while, i noticed the piano playing in the background -- a fabulous blend of old favorites (e.g., as time goes by), musical melodies (e.g., les mis), and popular hits (e.g., bruce springsteen). it was all quite entrancing.
to my delight, i was offered a drinks list that actually had THREE yummy-looking, non-alcoholic cocktails. based on my main server's recommendation, i went w/the cape doctor, which involved grenadine, egg whites, and ginger ale. it was a great blend of flavors, and thankfully not too sweet! as i'm sure i've mentioned before, receiving an amuse-bouche is a definite sign of fine dining. and tonight, i received a delicious potato and garlic soup w/a garlic chip and a bit of parsley in a sake cup. even though i normally don't like potatoes b/c they're so heavy, this soup was nice and light, and infused with yummy garlic flavor. while i was waiting for my courses to arrive, i was also offered various breads (i love choices!): pain du lait, oat bread, and rosemary bread w/sea salt. i decided on the pain du lait b/c it looked like brioche. to my surprise, it actually tasted lighter! i also picked up the oat bread b/c one of the servers suggested that it'd be good for sopping up the cream sauce on my plate. it definitely didn't taste very oat-ey, but the server was correct in his suggestion. (you could see the white of my plate.)
for my first and second courses, i decided on the canlis salad and the peter canlis prawns, both of which bear the canlis name. my main server, ryan, informed me that anything bearing the canlis name has been on the menu since the restaurant opened its doors in 1950!! and when i tasted these two dishes, i definitely understood why. the canlis salad was their version of a caesar salad, w/great lemon flavor, salty bacon pieces (WAY better than bacon bits), and itty bitty croutons. but the highlight of the night was most definitely the PRAWNS. (yes, in CAPS.) most people know that i really don't like shrimp very much. (in fact, i used to only eat shrimp wrapped in those noodles they served at dim sum!) so for me to say what i'm about to say is a BIG deal: the peter canlis prawns was THE best shrimp dish i've ever had in my entire 30 years of existence. (i'm sorry, eri, but even the best walnut shrimp couldn't beat this.) the prawns were fairly sizable, butterflied perfectly, cooked JUST through, and sitting in a delicate cream sauce. the combination was IMMENSE. the texture was spot on and totally not chewy. and the prawns soaked up the cream sauce w/o any trouble. (the rest was left for my oat bread!) the dish has totally made me re-think shrimp forever. seriously. no joke.
for my main course, i went w/the sable fish, which is synonymous with (or at least close to) black cod. i decided to go with something light so that i wouldn't be sleeping on a full belly. plus seattle is so well-known for its fresh seafood that there was no way that i'd let myself miss out! i must admit that i was a little disconcerted when my dish came out covered in foam w/very little color contrast. i mean, what would i find underneath?! that being said, i wasn't disappointed. the foam was a curry lemongrass foam, that was layered over the sablefish, that was layered over mushroom quarters and green apple cubes, sitting in green fennel puree. the fish pretty much melted in my mouth, but still retained a nice bit of chew. the mushrooms were delicious, but the apple cubes really gave the dish a great bit of acid.
to finish off the night, i decided on yet another light dish, the standing cones. once again, this dish came out extremely pale w/almost no color. i was a little concerned. then again, it was dessert. there wasn't very far to go! plus i'd already been nicely surprised by the fish. and of course, it was delicious. the dish consisted of pink grapefruit sorbet, pineapple ice cream, and coconut sorbet, each in wafer thin sugar cookie cones, which were attached to the plate w/the smallest bit of white chocolate. i went from left to right: the grapefruit was light and fresh (a great palate cleanser), the pineapple was nice and creamy (it might seriously have been my fave), and the coconut was this fascinating combo of rich coconut flavor with light sorbet texture.
and with my check came a lovely pink raspberry mango marshmallow! what more can i say?
OK, well, i WILL say that i LOVED the service. i loved the valet who opened my car door. i loved chris canlis who walked me to my table. i loved all the servers who delivered and cleared my dishes, filled my water glass, and checked on me throughout my meal. i loved ryan who swung by regularly to chat about himself, his family, and his experiences in NY, SF, seattle, etc. i loved david who gave me the name of the maitre d' at tilth. i even loved the servers who IRONED the tablecloths after guests departed. and the girl who warmed up coats by the fire before passing them off to diners on their way out! canlis's attention to detail is immaculate and impeccable -- i'm so glad spontaneity brought me to canlis for my very first seattle meal!
canlis
http://www.canlis.com/
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