As I mentioned, one of the highlights of my Seattle trip was dinner at Canlis. Run by the 3rd generation of the Canlis family, this is fine dining at its peak, in a beautiful setting with floor to ceiling windows overlooking Seattle. We arrived a bit early to have a drink in the bar, which we also learned is a great, more affordable way to experience Canlis as they have a small menu of bar bites and snacks. The piano player was fabulous, playing everything from Justin Bieber to Elton John and everything in between.
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| The drinks at the bar are true works of art! |
We settled in for dinner with a perfect table facing out over the dining room and the views beyond. We opted for the tasting menu and put ourselves in chef’s hands. We chose one classic wine pairing and one somm pairing so we could truly experience all they had to offer that night.
First bite: the famous Canlis Salad
Wine: 2011 Chateau Carbonnieux, Pessac-Leognan, France
Followed by a selection of amuse-bouche: shishito pepper with lardo, buckwheat cracker with nasturtium, and an oyster.
Heirloom tomatoes with tofu and dehydrated beef fat
Wine: NV Mathieu-Gandon, Rose de Saignee Extra Brut, Baslieux-sous-Chatilion, France
Chanterelle mushrooms with prawn broth
Wines: 2008 Mitchell, McNicol Riesling, Clare Valley, Australia
2012 Punta Crena Mataossu Vignetto Reine, Colline Savonesi, Liguria, Italy
My favorite dish of the night: summer squash with Dungeness crab and basil oil
Wines: 2009 Vodopivec Solo MM9 Vitovska, Venezia-Giulia, Italy
2011 Walter Scott Cuvee Ruth Chardonnay, Eola-Amity Hills, Oregon
Another infamous dish “Cabbage Pierre” – named for the restaurants founder and his original dish of “Steak Pierre” which he thought was much better than “Steak Diane”
Wines: 2013 Chignard, Fleurie, Beaujolais, France
2005 Bodegas Ontanon Gran Reserva, Rioja, Spain
Aged duck breast with barley porridge, plum and shiso
For the main course of the tasting menu, you get to choose. We had one of each:
lamb saddle with green tomato and yogurt + dry-aged beef with cucumber and romesco
Wines: 2011 Betx, La Serenne Syrah, Yakima Valley, Washington
2009 Inglenook Rubicon Cabernet Sauvignon, Rutherford, California
For the pre-dessert, a delicious savory granola with figs.
Followed by the real dessert: coconut semifreddo with lime, saw leaf, and cucumber. I don’t even like coconut flavored things but could not get enough of this! The saw leaf is native to Central America and is similar in flavor to cilantro, it added just the right note to this dish!
Wine: 2010 Domaine Bru-Bache, Jurancon, France
We couldn’t fit another bite, but they twisted our arms with these earl grey and s’mores macarons.
It’s hard to believe Canlis doesn’t have any Michelin stars, the food, service and experience certainly rival some of my better dining experiences (it’s been quite a year as seen here, here, and here). If you find yourself in Seattle celebrating something special, or looking for a perfect dining experience, don’t hesitate to book here!
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