Seattle

Brunch At Sitka & Spruce

in

Sweet stick bun

A wintry champagne brunch with my good friend Brandon. We began the meal with a sweet sticky bun covered in almonds and butter. The subtly sweet and buttery appetizer was warm and perfect for the nippy weather. 

Food

The food overall was very fresh, unique and tasty. Every dish embodied fresh ingredients and interesting new play on of traditional dishes—such as the savory bread pudding with lamb sausage. The baked eggs were no ordinary baked eggs, even visually it resembled a very Zen forest filled with beautiful chanterelles. Each bit was accompanied with wild berries that added a twist of lemon flavor. 

Quality

Excellent. Fresh and high quality. 

Savory bread pudding

Decor/Ambiance

The restaurant is located in the back of a market type place with various vendors. The space is wide open with tall ceilings and a rustic homey design.  The large gridded windows give it a cool loft feel. 

Price

Very reasonable. For brunch I'd budget about $30-35 per person to include 4 dishes and a drink each. Dinner will be slightly higher.

Reservation

Brunch was relatively easy to get a reservation and walk-ins seem probable. I believe that dinner on weekends would be busier so perhaps a reservation would be wise. 

Baked eggs

Baked eggs

Frittata 

 

Serious Pie & Biscuits

in

Serious Pie serves some of the best pizza and is surprisingly located in Seattle. There is something about the dough that is really unique in my opinion. I've had my fair share of pizza in New York, but I honestly prefer the dough at Serious Pie. Don't get me wrong, for $1 you can get a solid slice of pizza in NYC. However, regardless of price, I think Serious Pie has some serious pie. This restaurant is under the umbrella of Tom Douglas. They also serve the coconut cream pie from Dahlia bakery that is to die for. It is so good. It may look like it's been injected with sugar, well it probably was, but it is not too sweet and tastes very light. 

I recommend the following:

1) buffalo mozzarella, tomato sauce, fresh basil

2) sweet fennel sausage, roasted peppers, provolone

3) roasted seasonal mushrooms, truffle cheese

4) coconut cream pie—note that this is not on the menu, but if you ask for it, they will have it.

Ambiance

The Pike and Virginia locations are much smaller. It has a very casual feel with cozy vibes and warmth. 

Price

Each pie is pricey ranging from $16-18. But if you go during happy hour, which I believe is Monday to Friday from 3pm - 5pm, you can get mini pies for about $6.  

Reservation

Unfortunately, they do not take reservations. They have 3 locations. The ones on Pike and Virginia are the most popular. Wait can be as long as one to two hours during peak times. I would recommend calling in advance to get a feel of the wait time. I found the Westlake location to be the least populated. 

Fennel Sausage

Margherita

Mushroom with truffle cheese

Coconut cream pie

daily select of ambrosio gelato

Serious Biscuits

The Westlake location is the only one that serves biscuits. Biscuits are served only for lunch/brunch. Very reasonably priced at $9-$13 for a dish. Most of them are pretty good, it just depends on your mood. The most popular is the fried chicken black pepper gravy.

Fried chicken with black pepper gravy

Cascina Spinasse

in

I absolutely love this place. It is probably my favorite Italian restaurant in not only Seattle but also North America (by North America I am really only comparing Seattle and New York). Obviously I have a skewed sample size but of the places I've been, this is my favorite. I'd choose it over places like L'artusi, Scarpetta, Osteria Morini and Ai Fiori. My main obsession with this restaurant is really the handmade egg pasta with butter and sage. It is divine. Too bad it's located in Seattle and I don't have access to it at all time. But if you ever find yourself in Seattle, it is imperative that you try this place. I'd like to know your thoughts. 

Ambiance

Cascina Spinasse has a cozy, warm and rustic vibe. The seats are spacious with wooden accents and dime lighting. The chandeliers that hang above give it a slight vintage Renaissance feel. 

 

My favorites

1) Insalata di burro di lattuga - butter lettuce with pears, oranges, pomegranate topped with vinaigrette

2) Prosciutto di Parma - it is usually is served with apples or melons. The prosciutto is very fresh. 

2) Tajarin al Ragu o Burro e Salvia

3) Any of the pastas really...

4) Mascarpone Cheesecake

5) Torrone Terrine

 

 

Food

The food is amazing as I've already raved about. Almost everything is delicious. You can't go wrong with any of the pastas. My absolute favorite is the "Tajarin al Ragu o Burro e Salvia", you can order it as a ragu or with butter and sage. I recommend the later. Sometimes they also serve it with truffles. But the butter and sage handmade egg pasta is unreal. This is the one pasta that I dream about where ever I am. The menu changes regularly so the pastas are not always the same, but the Tarajin is always available. It is a stable and a must get. The entrees are solid but I think they do pasta very well and would stick to that. The agnolotti is also very good. Better than the one's I've tried at Scarpetta, L'artusi and Osteria Morini. I find the pastas at Osteria tend to be over seasoned with too much salt. (I don't know if I should be comparing New York pastas to Seattle pastas...) You can taste the freshness of the handmade pasta. It was perfectly cooked and seasoned. The tagliatelle served with mushrooms was also very well prepared. You can taste the elasticity in the pasta. 

The desserts are delectable. They change from time to time as well. The previous time that I went, I had the Mascarpone Cheesecake and Torrone Terrine - both were phenomenal.  The cheesecake was very well made with nutmeg, lemon shortbread and cinnamon. It was light, fluffy and perfectly balanced. The Torrone Terrine was my favorite. It is basically a mixture of gelato and nougat. It has accents of honey, tuile and nougat. I highly recommend.

I have to say that the espresso served in the Stovetop Moka Espresso Pots is not only picturesque but quite good as well.

 

Prosciutto di Parma

Tajarin al Ragu o Burro e Salvia

Agnolotti dal plin

Scallops with lentils

Tagliatelle al sugo di finghi

Torta di formaggio (Cheesecake)

Quality

The quality is excellent - no doubt. You can taste the freshness with every bit. All pastas are freshly handmade. 

Price

This place is considered on the more expensive end in Seattle at about $45-50 per person including tax and tip for a full meal that includes starter, pasta, entree and dessert. But it is a steal if you compare it to New York prices.

Reservation

I definitely recommend reservations for large parties. They have a lovely counter seating for walk-ins which I recommend as you can see them prepare the food right in front of you.

Torrone Semifreddo