Joule

This past Friday, we had the pleasure of eating at Joule, a Korean fusion steak restaurant in the Fremont area of Seattle. I had been been eyeing their menu for years, but just hadn't gotten around to eating there yet. My interests were piqued after going to its little-sister restaurant, Revel, a few months ago (and loved it!).

Joule recently re-opened their restaurant in an old warehouse in Fremont, sharing a space with The Whale Wins (hopefully coming to the blog soon!). The space is very open, with a hint of Asian feel with turquoise colored, flowered wallpaper and an open kitchen/bar area. Very minimalist feeling; not much artwork to be seen. The noise volume of this place was rather deafening once the crowd filled in.

As I went here with my extended family, we ordered quite a few items, and everything blended together at the end. I'll do my best to recall the details, but please enjoy the pictures otherwise. :)

Starters/Appetizers
Salmon caviar dip, yuzu creme fraiche
Opinions at the table were mostly favorable (some, calling it their favorite app of the night). For me, it was a little salty and too runny. The creme fraiche did a nice job of cutting the salt, but maybe not enough? I also didn't get the hint of yuzu at all. Very pretty dish, however.

Beef tartare, Asian pear, spicy cod roe aioli
I preferred this appetizer. Nice bite-sized pieces of meat. The hint of sesame was pleasant, while not being overpowering. The Asian pear was in the smallest cubed pieces I've ever seen, almost undetectable in flavor. I really appreciated the pine nuts for texture. This was not served with crostini, however, and was missed. Very nice texture overall.

Pork belly ham, salted shrimp, chili oil
So this was another appetizer we meant to order at the beginning of the meal, but forget. We subsequently had it during the entree portions. Due to its cold nature, the flavors were a little lost compared with the entrees. In any case, this reminded me of some Chinese flavors I've had before. Again, I definitely tasted sesame. The pork belly being sliced/cooked in "ham" took away from the pork belly. I really prefer it served warm, and in chunks. The flavor was still nice, but perhaps a waste of pork belly? (Just serve ham instead?) The bottom was swimming in chili oil, and I was too afraid to mix it completely (especially given there were serrano chilis hanging out in the bowl as well). I'm not sure I got much salted shrimp flavor either. The sprinkled sesame was attractive. I'm on the fence over whether it detracted from the simple texture of the pork, versus adding interest.

Smoked tofu, honshimeji confit, soy truffle vinaigrette
We ordered this after reading some positive reviews online. The flavor was definitely interesting and had a lot of umami. Not a ton of truffle flavor. I am not usually a mushroom person, but the mushrooms added nicely to the dish, giving some more flavor and texture to the dish. The texture of the tofu itself was a little strange, almost grainy? I prefer a more silken tofu, but this was probably a byproduct of the smoking.

Noodles
Manila clam, fennel pappardelle, salted black bean
This was probably my favorite of the night (and Evan's!) The clams were tasty, and had a hint of that Chinese black bean flavor. (Do Korean's cook with black bean too? I only know Chinese from home-cooking growing up). The wide noodles were perfectly cooked and silky smooth and delicate. I didn't get much fennel flavor from them, however. Perhaps the menu meant the sliced fennel on the side? It was a little vinegary-sweet, but yummy combined with everything else.

Veg
Creamed swiss chard, wild sesame salt
This was fantastic! Think of creamed spinach, but with none of the bitter-irony flavor that annoys the teeth! I think there was a little celery in there as well, but it was so well melded, I couldn't distinguish the flavor.

Entrees
"That" short rib steak, kalbi, grilled kimchi
Another dish I had read about in a review somewhere. The steak was perfectly tender, just the right amount of char on the outside. I didn't get a lot of kalbi flavor. The grilled kimchi on the side added a nice amount of acid, without being spicy. There was a small amount of orange sauce on the side, the flavor of which was, smoky? I'm not sure what was in it, as my taste buds were becoming over stimulated at this point. A little spice on the dish overall. I was a little disappointed, as when I hear the word "short rib," I expect meat to be falling off the fork. The steak was good for "steak," but unexpected for "short ribs." Probably my own bias, really.

Octopus, bok choy, hot bacon vinaigrette
This dish was also wonderful. The octopus was cooked perfectly! No rubberiness here at all!  There was also a nice large amount of octopus to cut off pieces as you willed. The bacon vinaigrette came with small pieces of fried pork belly. Overall the dish melded very well, without having too much of a bacon flavor. Second favorite dish of the night. A touch spicy!

Pork chop, date molasses, charred apple slaw
This dish was cooked well, no dryness at all. I think the pork chop must have been brined prior to cooking. There was a nice thick layer of fat on the top to add juiciness as well. I think I would've liked a little more intrinsic flavor, without needing to dip in the spare dish pan juices on the plate. The apple slaw with brussel sprout leaves was a great addition on the side, adding a little creamy sweetness that complemented the pork well.

Dessert
Sticky toffee pudding cake, date, pine nut streusel
I had high hopes for this dessert. Sticky toffee implies sweet and crunchy. Unfortunately, the cake was too grainy and dense, and lacking in flavor. The streusel on top was nice and crunchy, with a touch of saltiness. I couldn't get over the texture of the pudding cake, however.

Clove macarons
These were complimentary. Too clove-y for my tastes, but made well. Evan loved them!

Overall, we were pleased with Joule, but I'm not sure we would go back again. There were some stellar dishes, but others just didn't follow through well enough with their concept. I found myself wondering where the bowl of steamed rice was to help soak up the flavor. This would be a great place to go for carb conscious people! I would've liked a little more sauce with some of the meat items. Disappointing dessert. Go to Revel instead!

Anchovies & Olives

So here is my inaugural foodie blog post. What can I say, other than I love food...therefore, I am. We were so happy to return to Seattle and discover so many new restaurants had popped up! Some of our favorites so far have been helmed by chef Ethan Stowell. His style tends to be a mix of Italian, NW cuisine, and seafood.

Please excuse the lack of pictures, further restaurant/chef background, and knowledge base from which to actually discuss food appropriately in all further posts. I don't really want to sit and take notes while I eat, so most of this is from memory.

Appropriately, I forgot to take a picture of the outside of the restaurant or the inside (Google is your friend). But the feeling was hip-casual (as Capitol Hill tends to be), slightly upscale metal meets wood. Like many of Stowell's other restaurants, Anchovies & Olives has an open kitchen, visible to the diners while the cooks prepare amazing food. I love that half the wall is comprised of wooden bench seating; it worked great for our son Evan to snooze on, and slowly wake up from. The musical background was oddly a mix of 80's songs, chosen wisely enough and played at a low enough volume so as not to totally detract from the ambience.

I can't really comment on the wine list, other than there were quite a few bottles with grape varieties we didn't recognize. We asked the server for some recommendations on something bright and crisp, apple undertones, without being a Sauvignon Blanc (our go-to grape). She did a great job of recommending a 2011 San Gioavanni 'Il Lugana' (100% Trebbiano).

Our first thoughts, it was a huge bottle! It looked like it was a fifth of some sort of hard alcohol. We had just been so used to the long skinny bottles of Sauvignons and Rieslings. The wine had a surprisingly full body, with exactly what we asked for (crisp, bright, very subtle apple flavor). No floral or oaky taste here. As we are not overly fond of too many Chardonnays, it was nice to taste something that had a similar fullness, but less harsh flavor. Looking up Trebbiano grapes, (according to Janis Robinson's Oxford Companion to Wine), they are supposed to be "low in character, only good for providing acid and volume to basic vino bianco" However, Trebbiano grapes from Lugana are in fact Verdicchio grapes, providing more roundess. In any case, it was good. We will order it again.

The menu was divided into Crudo, Appetizers, Pasta, and Entrees. We elected to try a sample from each. Like most of our favorite restaurants, the menu is ever-changing.

From the Crudo section, we started off with two oysters each: Barron Point Oysters with a Kumquat Chili Ice and Eagle Rock Oysters with Chili Vinegar and Chives. (Evan was still waking up at this point, playing with the ice after he woke). The Barron Points were a small, slightly sweet bite, with a mild citrusy/kumquat after taste at the very end once theflavored ice melted quickly on the tongue. (David's favorite). I preferred the Eagle Rocks, a medium-sized oyster that was again, slightly sweet, with a fair amount of mineral brightness... melded well with the surprisingly mellow and smooth chili vinegar throughout. I made sure to slurp the remaining juices left in both shells and wish we had ordered more. Who needs tomato-y cocktail sauce that hides a lot of the oyster flavor, when you can have fresh oysters with interesting toppings to enhance the flavors?

Next, we had the Spanish Mackerel Crudo, with celery, pinenuts, and smoked sultanas. Another fantastic dish. The most interesting part this course was the smoked sultanas. (These are a fancy name for golden raisins.) They were a little sweet punch, yet had a smoked salmon taste to them. The mackerel came in nice bite-sized chunks with a pleasant, fresh flavor. I am always a sucker for celery, which in thin cuts with the pine-nuts gave a nice textural interest. The parsley was a little strong, but mixed well in larger bites of other components. The side of the dish held small drops of a honey-vingar like reduction.

Oh, I forgot to mention the bread! A chewy, baguette from a local bakery (forget the name), offered with a slightly green-tasting, full and flavorful olive oil with a sprinkling of sea salt. I love bread. I often hoard pieces at the end of a meal so the server can't steal them away from me.

Next, off the appetizer section, Smoked Fish Crostini with capers, oil cured olives, and aioli. These were so good, I forgot to take a picture until there was only 1 left. We're not quite sure what type of fish was included in these. They appeared to be mostly comprised of salmon, judging from the light pink color and oily, yummy, familiar taste. So rich and good. I couldn't really taste the olives, but I'm sure they added to the distinctiveness... breaking up the monotony of luscious fattiness. The crostini were cooked perfectly as well, still with a little chew, but crisp, not overly crunchy. (Evan liked these. Yay!)

Next came the Grilled Octopus with Controne beans, celery, pickled red onion, and smoked chili oil. We ordered this mainly because we had tried Stowell's grilled octopus at one of his other restaurants (Tavolata) and had fallen in love. This dish wasn't quite as successful, due to the slightly overcooked and chewy octopus. The octopus was charred a little too much, taking away from its delicate flavor, and broken up in too small chunks. In retrospect, I think this dish was supposed to be more of a salad than an appetizer. The dish came with the same celery-parsley mix we had seen earlier with the crudo. And while it was good, it was more of the same. The beans were quite good, adding some fullness to the dish. The pickled red onion combined with the light sweet and sour like vinaigrette were the highlights of the dish. David and I argued over whether the vinaigrette had chili oil in it vs paprika (we no longer had our menus at this point). The waitress was nice enough to check with the kitchen and proved us both right.

On to pasta. We opted for something Evan-friendly and got the Linguine with Manilla clams, arugula, and Meyer lemon. The noodles tasted house-made, al-dente and abundant. The clams were cooked to perfection, probably the best I've ever had. Not too chewy at all and seasoned perfectly. The arugula seemed more of an afterthought, barely present in the dish. The Meyer lemon zest was a nice zing when it was present in the bites. However, the dish overall was a little dry, needing more olive oil. Still enjoyable.

Lastly, we ordered the Branzino entree. This came as a whole fish, grilled with fennel, topped with Taggiasca olives and Olio Nuovo ("New Oil" the freshest, first extra-virgin olive oil off the press, notable for its vivid flavor). The fish was a little overcooked, making it a little more grainy than desired, as well as slightly over-charred. The inner pieces proved much better. The server filleted the fish for us, table-side, and unfortunately left quite a few bones. This made it much more difficult to eat than we had hoped, especially with a young child accompanying us. Fennel and olives always produce a nice pairing together (as we often make a chicken dish at home with those two ingredients). Overall, nice dish... but one we are not sure we'd order again.

When it came time for dessert, we opted to pass. The table next to us looked like they had a yummy affogato. The menu sported some other fine desserts, but nothing jumped out at us. Instead, we opted to travel to nearby Dilettante Chocolates for some chocolate torte cake with chocolate mousse, raspberry preserves, and truffle glaze. No picture of that one. Sorry. (Carrot cake for Evan!)

Overall, a very enjoyable evening. We will be sure to return to Anchovies and Olives again in the future, especially before oyster season ends.

Note: We had another wonderful dinner here a few weeks later, and went all out for my brother's birthday. Was too lazy to take pictures and blog, but everything was even better the second time!

Introductions

Hi all.. how about some short and sweet intros and then we'll get right to the foodie posts. I am a thirty-something female, raised in the Seattle area. I love food. It is one of my favorite things. I have a wonderful husband and almost 4-year old son (Evan) whom I love going to restaurants with and cooking for at home. We try and get out at least once a week, exploring restaurants in the Seattle area. We had a short stint in Milwaukee the past 3 years (not exactly a dining mecca, but close to Chicago - which is!), and are very happy to be back home. The back log of amazing restaurants is being approached slowly over time. We were sad to see some of our favorites go, but new favorites have popped up in their place.

I would love to hear any comments people have about the restaurant scene here or nearby. I am always on the search for new flavors and experiences. I would also love any recommendations for a blog title! Something Pacific NW related perhaps?

I imagine this blog will be mostly restaurant reviews. However, I do love cooking when I can find the time, and will probably post some food porn from home occasionally as well.

I don't presume to be an expert at anything. I just know what I like and am willing to try almost anything. I'll try my best to be somewhat informative and educational, however it's likely to be mostly "yumm... that was good" and "look at this poor quality picture I took from my phone!" I primarily just wanted somewhere to write about the restaurants we've been exploring and promote conversation.

Also, though I don't take criticism well, please let me know if something I say is wrong (in a nice way!) I also realize that the entire blog is criticizing others, but you can't really get around that with a restaurant review.

One last thing, all opinions are different. What I might enjoy, you might hate. These are just my opinions.

Enjoy!