Sitka and Spruce – http://www.sitkaandspruce.com/
House Sourdough
Our Yogurt, Honeycrisp Apple, Roasted Seeds, Rosemary Honey
Peregion Beans, Hedgehogs, Spinach on Toast with Fried Egg
Gateau Basque with poached figs and toasted almonds
Buckwheat Canele with lemon curd
Salted Caramel
If one had to raise any complaint about Sitka & Spruce it would be just how self-aware of its “Seattleness” the restaurant is; the rustic location inside the Melrose Market, the stripped down interior with heavy woods and exposed brick, and an open kitchen where chopped wood, hanging pans and cutlery, and an open pantry provide the only decorations while Chef Dillon and his team lightly pair and prepare Northwest Ingredients into simple plates that cost more than they seemingly should – at least until you taste them and realize that no matter how uncomplicated the plates appear the ingredients are of the utmost quality while the preparation is that of a man who understands exactly what he is doing to show precisely how high that quality is.
Having missed out on the restaurant (along with Canlis) during my first visit to Seattle thanks to airline issues my first stop after driving from Portland would find me seated along the wall, starring out the window onto a rainy sidewalk while a polite and efficient server presented an $8.50 appetizer of yogurt and apples followed by a $16 entrée of beans, eggs, and mushrooms plus house made sourdough followed by a $5.50 Canele and $8.50 slice of butter cake with figs and almonds over the course of less than forty five minutes. Unassuming yet refined, ordinary but assertive, and above all incredibly fresh and delicious each and every plate worked beautifully, particularly the earthy beans and a superlative custard cake that paired beautifully with a rich Americano; comfort food in a comfortable setting as the chilly grey sky on the other side of the glass brooded on – the whole thing felt very “Seattle,” and I guess that’s the point.