Dining Advice, Tips, Recommendations, and News
PrintMario Unclogged: A Great Meal at Seattle's Steelhead Diner
I was in Seattle for a funeral—a crappy one—one for an 18-year-old nephew. Went to the potluck and did not eat, headed out to the hotel, and stopped into a new place called the Steelhead Diner just off of 1st Avenue near Pike Place Market.
It ruled. Real dungeness crab cake with the big pieces of crab and no visible filler, served with sauce Louis from the '50s, but perfect. A plate of my dad's bresaola, perfectly sliced, dressed with great olive oil and fresh peaches. Wow ... fuck figs.
A slice of caviar pie read like an old chestnut but was perfect, aioli, sour cream, and mascarpone formed into a little panna cotta–style base topped with odd and crunchy American caviars, the most interesting one with beets and saffron; the least with truffle infusion (? yeah, uh huh). Great sammies like the fried chicken sandwich with coleslaw dressing and Crystal's Hot Sauce rouille on the side, heirloom tomatoes on crisp bread with mayo and black pepper, Uli's sausage po' boy–style, "dressed."
This place serves comfort food from my dreamy stoner days and also offers half portions of the real main courses, like local king salmon and the traditional Nobu knock-off of kasu-marinated cod—all washed bown with a killer southern Oregon Albariño for $30 something a bottle. The chef, Kevin Davis, and his wife, Terresa Davis (pictured), run the fun ship, and the wait staff is hip and awake, unlike at many Emerald City hot spots, so there's a little pep in the step here.
Two thumbs up.
Steelhead Diner
Address: 95 Pine Street, Pike Place Market, Seattle WA 98101 [map]
Phone: 206-625-0129
Photograph from the Steelhead Diner
View other entries from Mario Unclogged.
About the author: Mario Batali has created a thriving restaurant empire and has established himself as a top restaurateur. Together with his partner, Joe Bastianich, he operates seven New York City hotspots. Mario splits his time between New York City's Greenwich Village and northern Michigan with his wife, Susan Cahn, of Coach Dairy Goat Farm, and their two sons. More Mario: mariobatali.com.
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9 Comments:
Sorry for your loss, Mario. Sounds like a great restaurant.
Christina at 1:07PM on 09/18/07
Mario, I'm glad you found some comfort at such an awful time. I'm sure I echo the thoughts of many in extending my condolences to you and your family. Your warmth, wit and talents are truly gifts to the world. May you know no further sorrow.
mrsdebdav at 1:52PM on 09/18/07
Man, I guess this proves that restaurants can really kick things into gear when they're serving someone who they want to impress. We ate at Steelhead recently and had a terrible meal.
Despite a promising menu packed with foodstuffs from local purveyors, the half-empty Steelhead took nearly 45 minutes to deliver disappointment on white plates. The fish portion of our fish and chips was pretty good, but the chips absolutely sucked. Eggs Ellenburg — a Sysco-style chicken-fried steak topped with (broken!) fried eggs and a stodgy sausage gravy — was stunningly bad.
anitaepler at 1:54PM on 09/18/07
Sorry for your loss, Mario. Glad you found a good place to eat... though I agree that I find foods with truffle infusion disappointing a lot of the times... they seem to show off-y, to dependent on the truffle oil, and other flavors are sometimes suffocated.
clumsycook at 3:57PM on 09/18/07
I'm so sorry to hear of your cousin's death. That sounds like a spectacular diner. I'm from New Jersey, arguably the best place for diners in the US, and I'm sure I couldn't get anything like that there. Now I live in the midwest and LONG for the beauty of an all-night diner that serves breakfast 24-hours a day.
mskilgore at 5:34PM on 09/18/07
mskilgore, unfortunately it's only a "diner" in the "calling it a diner is quaint" way. Had it opened two years ago, it probably would have been the "Steelhead Bistro" or "Steelhead Lounge"... Not saying that's a bad thing, it just can't be compared to a real east coast diner.
I have yet to eat there, as I've been a little put off by the touristy location, but have heard good things about it. And they have what is apparently the latest trend in Seattle comfort food: Poutine made with cheese curds from Beechers.
daryn at 6:39PM on 09/18/07
I'm so glad that great sammies made up for your family loss. And even happier that you shared it with all of us. Your dad must be so proud. His son comes to town for a funeral and ditches the family in favor of a po'boy and a bottle of Albarino.
DioCane!
Neroda at 9:22AM on 09/22/07
The poutine is just ok, only because the fries at Steelhead are really weak. The fried grit cakes, on the other hand, are about as good as it gets.
admich at 2:45AM on 09/23/07
Hi Mario… I’m sorry to hear the reason you visited the Pacific Northwest.
It’s exciting to hear about your experience at the Steelhead Diner and the “killer” Abacela Albariño. They’ve pioneered the varietal in the Northwest and I suspect have found it hard to get the varietal noticed. It’s great to get feedback from someone with your palate that enjoyed it in a setting that almost begs for this type of wine. Kudos! Paula
PS. Their website shows 2006 still available.
Paula at 2:47PM on 10/03/07