It was a given that The Astronomer and I would dine at one of Tom Douglas‘ restaurants during our stay in Seattle. With six acclaimed eateries to choose from (Dahlia Bakery, Dahlia Lounge, Etta’s, Lola, Palace Kitchen, Serious Pie), the difficulty was narrowing the list to a manageable number. We met up with The Astronomer’s sister Rosalind at Dahlia Lounge for our first dinner in the city.
The first of Chef Douglas’ restaurants, Dahlia Lounge put Northwest cuisine on the map by embracing the region’s bounty while incorporating global flavors and styles. Even though Chef Douglas’ newer ventures currently have more buzz surrounding them, a meal at his twenty-year-old flagship seemed essential for understanding his culinary philosophy.
Our party of three was seated straight away in a booth toward the back of the restaurant. As we were skimming our menus, a waiter stopped by and dropped off a plate of oysters on ice. As luck would have it, the resident shucker had jumped the gun, and as a result, we enjoyed half a dozen Kushi oysters from Taylor Shellfish Farms ($15) on the house. The petite oysters were wonderfully sweet and tasted even better with a drizzle of daikon mignonette.
A loaf of Dahlia Bakery’s crusty white bread with salted butter arrived after we placed our orders. Rosalind took a particular liking to the combination.
To start, we shared the restaurant’s signature Sea Bar Sampler ($21). The selection of five “little tastes” included a Pacific octopus ocean salad with toasted almond and chili oil; Dungeness crab with pickled rhubarb, cucumber, and tarragon; Dahlia smoked salmon with hot mustard and sesame; King clam sashimi with pickled beets and fresh horseradish; and Ahi tuna with yuzu kosho, avocado, and tobiko roe.
All of the dishes were fresh and beautifully composed, but their flavors didn’t pop. The Astronomer felt that every dish contained one offbeat ingredient that held it back from fully mesmerizing our taste buds. The best of the bunch was the steak-like smoked salmon that was delightfully salty, while the worst of the pack was the floral-infused Ahi.
While we didn’t score with the starter, we certainly did with our entrees. Rosalind’s rotisserie roasted five-spice duck with mushroom fried rice, gai lan (Chinese broccoli), and pear jam ($28) hit all the right Asian-inspired notes. The serving of duck was so generous that it bordered on intimidating. The pear jam balanced out the slightly over-salted meat superbly.
Even though my head said to order something quintessentially Northwestern like salmon, my heart was set on the handmade pappardelle with black trumpet mushrooms and buttered Lacinato kale ($19). Each noodle was luxuriously long and perfectly al dente. Sprinklings of toasted bread crumbs and Parmesan Reggiano brought some lovely texture to the plate. Who knew venturing to the vegetarian side of the menu would be so delicious?
The Astronomer loved his lemon-scallion Dungeness crab cakes with curried groundnut squash, peanuts, and greens ($29) through and through. The plump little cakes were full of meat and not filler, while vegetables offered an ideal complement to balance out their richness. Rosalind and I liked the lemon-scallion sauce quite a bit.
The highlight of our meal came at the end. Even though The Astronomer and I had eaten doughnuts for breakfast at Top Pot earlier in the day, we could not resist ordering more for dessert. Fried to order and dusted with cinnamon and sugar, the doughnuts ($8) were unbelievably pillowy. Truly, the lightest doughnuts I’ve ever eaten. We generously slathered each one with rhubarb jam and vanilla mascarpone.
Our meal at Dahlia Lounge got off to a slow start, but by the end we were completely smitten—the transformative powers of fresh noodles and fluffy doughnuts cannot be underestimated.
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Dahlia Lounge
2001 4th Avenue
Seattle, WA 98121
Phone: 206-682-4142
Super-sized duck and donuts? Oh yes, I could get down with Dahlia Lounge! Sounds like I need to find a reason to go to Seattle!
Eating is a good enough reason, right?
i used to walk by that restaurant everyday since I lived up the block…but I was a poor student then never ventured in!! Now I know what i missed.
Hong – Aw, poor boy! If I had known, I would’ve eaten an extra doughnut for you 😉
Diana – Right! Can’t think of a better reason to travel, really…
You’re making me hungry — again! =)
Gastronomer! You are in my neck of the woods – I really hope you had/have many more culinary adventures up here. I love love LOVE your blog and am glad to see you up here. I’ve many suggestions if you need any – otherwise, I hope you enjoy your time in Seattle.
Seafood and Donuts…sounds like a place in heaven. Your writing and pictures are fabulous.
Jackie – I think it’s going to take me three weeks to write up everything I ate in Seattle! I had an amazing time and was well fed every single day 😉
That is a sexy looking piece of duck!
Freshly shucked oysters on the house? They must have known you guys were food lovers the minute you walked in the door. =)
oOh my…. on my last trip to Seattle I ended up at all of Chef Douglas’ restaurants except for Etta’s… we ran out of time! The bakery… ooh..mmm… I think I need to go back!
Hi Gastronomer,
Nice review! I’ve been meaning to try one of his restaurants (any of them). 🙂 Which of Chef Douglas’ restaurants is your favorite? Thanks.
EK – That’s a tough question! I’ve only tried three of his places—Dahlia Bakery, Dahlia Lounge, and Serious Pie. Serious Pie was seriously GREAT. I’d vote that one my current fave.
Donuts with mascarpone AND rhubarb? In TweetSpeak, #reasonstogotoSeattle!
the pappardelle looks amazing. i ALWAYS end up ordering any pappardelle dish on the menu…and this one for sure!
Next time you go to seattle you should go here: http://www.anchoviesandolives.com/
Sheryl – Thanks for the tip! Anchovies and Olives was on our list, but the mood for small plates never hit. It turned out that all I wanted to eat while in Seattle was pizza and doughnuts 😉
Seattle is a possibility for this year of traveling. Those donuts are pushing me in that direction for sure! 🙂
Marie – I hear Seattle is gorgeous in August! I can probably hook you up with a sweet hotel deal if you need it—just let me know.
oh my, they’ve got really good coconut pies at this place – you’ve got to try it out if you are still up there!
anh – Sadly, I left Seattle without a slice of T. Douglas’ famous coconut pie in my gullet. Too much good food and not nearly enough time 🙁
Beautiful photos! Next time I’m up in Seattle I’m using this post as a guide! Can’t wait! Thanks.
The sea bar sampler looks so good, how disappointing it sounds… but pillowy donuts slathered with jam and mascarpone make up for it. Twice in a day, it’s a good thing you guys are runners!