So as per usual with days off I started off immersed in boredom. Cleaning the house and doing stretches and in home exercises while listening to Brody Stevens podcasts. I walked some junk down to Goodwill and kept moving without a clear idea of what to do. I considered hitting up Millers Guild but nothing seemed terribly appealing and I didn't feel like getting punished by large charred pieces of beast. Stopped by Pike Place Market hoping I would be inspired by ingredients but it was about an hour from closing and I just got a few items.
Looking for an opportunity to try something new I thought about checking out Loulay. Had a quick chat and espresso to the Monorail and went a block up to check it out.
Sat down at a small bar most likely used to give people a place to sip a cocktail while waiting for a table.
Place seemed like they get hotel guests and tourists, probably some local business people who fancy themselves as having a palette.
I ordered some wine against my normal inclination for a spirit oriented cocktail like a Manhattan or Negroni or Old Fashioned.
Started off with a glass of Malevois red wine. I believe this was a blend of a couple of others and it was incidentally cheaper than some of the others per glass. It came with a small carafe like a metal pitcher that comes with milkshake. I had no desire to choose a specific profile of wine as I have little mental inventory of the wines and regions I know of.
I usually order small to medium plates just to navigate the menu and see how much effort a place puts in on the modest plates. And if its good I go back or order entrees and proteins.
I had the sweetbreads. Smaller than expected. Had a couple of turnips and together with the sweetbreads served in a jus. Side of grilled brioche. Id wanted to try the sweetbreads because as offal crazy as places seem to be I never see them. Id love to say they were mindblowing but no flavor was very forward and they seemed underseasoned. For some reason I got judgmental about the bread being cut slightly crooked but thats probably reasonable as Im sure the chef expected a rather perfect size and shape.
Also got the crab beignets. Relatively expected. Harissa aioli accompanied and a small garnish of dressed micro greens. I feel like if higher end places (although this is supposed to be a casual version of the restaurateurs previous establishments) tend to let down with fried foods. Something about ordering fried food in a somewhat fine dining environment doesn't satisfy the same way as having those foods from a food truck or shit shack brew pub or something.
All in all decent food. I recycle the experience of trying places and being underwhelmed. I would like to re iterate that there are some places that I can drop a dollar on that feels worth it in experience and flavor and blah blah. Location here was a little to close to downtown stuff. IE Hotels, shopping, 9-5 crowd, etc etc.
Id like to hit up one the originals like Luc (although im pretty sure Rovers is gone) and maybe change my tune a bit.
Im noticing some trends in dining around here that rub me the wrong way.
Overuse of certain ingredients. Vadouvan Curry. Agnolotti. Harissa. Pork Belly. Oxtail. Random offal. Blah blah.
I could really compile a large list. I would like to get a sense that whoever is writing the menus and running the kitchen seems inspired and excited about the food they are creating. I understand learning in different kitchens that you may pick up certain chops and get caught up with certain trends or recycle items from previous jobs. But I get excited when I feel the excitement on the other end. I like seeing new ingredient pairings and techniques. Using something other than 10 ingredients every one else is quickly depleting every produce or meat or they call in. Anyhow Im boring myself with a half baked commentary on an impomptu meal.
Looking forward to some good food in San Francisco and LA soon. And Portland actually. As much as PDX and SEA seem to rival I think Portland really nails it with ingenuity and enthusiasm for good and unique food. I think Seattle needs to create its own identity and stop trying to appeal to people who are just learning how to dial in their palette.
PS
I ended up making a quick dinner of charred green and white onion and jalepeno, julienne snap peas and beet stem. Added some sliced filet left over from work and avocado on top. Finally pureed the smoked Serrano chilis i had cooked and stored in vinegar. Blanched and cooked broccoli sauteed with garlic all up on some rice. Made a salad with organic red leaf and sliced radish with bacon vinagrette. This made up for whatever was missing and cleared my fridge out a bit. Looking forward to making up some stuff in the next couple of days off. Hopefully keep some of this money in my bank instead of drink it into oblivion or whatever.
