Sitka & Spruce

Thursday morning, thanks to the good jetlag, we were up early enough to go out for lunch at an entirely reasonable hour.  On the recommendation of a local friend of Adam's, we headed to Sitka & Spruce in the Melrose Market.  It turned out to be the perfect choice prior to the dinner that brought us to Seattle.

We started with the yogurt with poached rhubarb -- the second excellent use of rhubarb of the trip.  A simple but tasty, slightly tart, twist on Greek yogurt with fruit.  Having passed on cheese the night before, I couldn't turn it down now, but I can't remember what the varieties were -- one soft triple creme, one firm, both nice.  Bread had to be ordered separately, but the butter was delicious and many of the dishes begged for bread.

our yogurt with sesame,  olive oil & poached rhubarb
Pacific Coast farmstead cheeses & honey
bread with soft butter & Oregon flak salt

The chickpea puree was one of the best dishes of the delicious lunch.  Reminiscent of a deconstructed falafel platter, it was fantastic, and the cilantro added a nontraditional, bright flavor.

chickpea puree with harissa, kohlrabi borani & pumpkin seed

The marinated prawns had the soft texture of ceviche, and the hazelnuts added a nice crunchy contrast.  With the sliced mushrooms and the bok choy, it was basically a light, summery salad, good but not my favorite dish of the meal.

marinated prawns, shaved Boletes, bok choy & hazelnuts

The emmer (another name for farro) was also essentially a salad, but it, on the other hand, was excellent.  I loved the combination of textures -- soft puree on the bottom, crunchy nuts, chewy farro -- and flavors -- nutty, creamy, minty, arugula spicy.

emmer, arugula, cherry tomatoes, walnuts & tarator

The salmon, like all of the salmon that we had in Seattle, was great.  Its pairing with the sweet strawberries and creme fraiche was unexpected, but totally worked.

king salmon lox, creme fraiche & pickled strawberries

The almond cream cake a fitting end to lunch -- moist, light, and delicious.

gateau Basque with poached apricots & toasted almonds

Despite a bit of over-ordering, the food was all light enough that we didn't feel overwhelmingly full.  We walked to a nearby Molly Moon's, where we managed a few bites each of their Beecher's Flagship Cheddar (interesting but not as cheddar-y as I'd hoped) and Honey Lavender (sweet and flowery -- a bit too flowery for me, as I often find lavender desserts to be).