sitka & spruce bar

a bit of an uphill walk from the hotel, sitka andspruceis on capital hill in seattle. sitka andspruceis tucked into a large, renovated warehouse space containing a butcher shop and full blown wine and liquor store as well as other boutiques. sitka andsprucedefines the open kitchen concept, almost as though you walked into someone’s home. there are a range of choices from simple, bread, butter and jam to ful medames, a dish i haven’t had since i returned from egypt. everything is farm fresh or baked that day. as i spied plates coming from the kitchen, nothing looked boring, everything had color and vibrancy.   of course i was going to order the ful, it looked too good to pass up, plus the nostalgia factor of a fond memory in north africa. the ful medames was delicious, with deep flavor and a wonderful soft boiled egg. for some, cold, heavily spiced lentils with fresh herbs isn’t breakfast, but to me, absolutely fabulous. i actually got a half order of ful and a full order of bread

sitka &spruceis back. it's as good as it ever was... maybe even better. as much as i adored the randomness of the old location, the restaurant finally has a remarkable space to match its food.

i’ve only been to sitka andsprucefor weekend brunch and their food has always surprised me — because the menu always changes. situated in the back of the melrose market, sitka andsprucefocuses on using local ingredients and serving their food as a work of art. whether it is some pastry that is sweet and yummy or a savory dish with baked eggs or forest foraged mushrooms, you will always get something interesting at sitka for brunch

with a hipster, unique atmosphere and deliciously shared entrées, the sitka &sprucebar was a great little place to enjoy a nice meal, with a cooking show thrown in. we were seated at a bar right alongside the countertop where the chefs prepared our food, so we were mesmerized by their flair as they chopped, diced, sautéed and plated our dishes. the chefs were easy going and were quick to answer all of our questions and strike up a conversation as they cooked. served family-style, with each member of our party getting a small plate to pick and choose, you get a good variety of dishes, depending on what you order. the food was beautiful to look at- plating was superb with a taste to match. flavours popped and danced on your tastebuds, as there's no beating the locally grown fresh foods used by the sitka &sprucebar. i would recommend for a light meal and a good time.

sitka &spruceis a pacific northwest restaurant in capitol hill. option for a private room upstairs if you are planning something intimate intimate ex. wedding proposal. the front of house and staff are more than happy to help execute this romantic moment.

to say that my meal at sitka &sprucewas an extremely satisfying one would be quite an understatement. having food like this is certainly a lifechanger as this is the first time in quite a while where i've felt that i actually ate wholesome food as it is essentially the complete opposite of the processed foods i'm used to eating back home. everything i put in my mouth felt natural for my body to consume not only for nutrition but also for pure enjoyment. i hope that me writing this post can justly negate the comments of the food at sitka &sprucebeing "extremely weird, small in amount, very overrated, and food only for hipsters".

when bread is as good as this it deserves a special mention. wood-fired sourdough always floats our boat and the stuff at sitka &sprucewas nothing short of exceptional.

sitka andspruceis one of seattle’s influencers in locally sourced fare. also the sitka andsprucespace is one of the most amazing rustic open kitchen restaurants in town located at the historic melrose market. if you’re looking for a top tier seattle meal experience, look no further than sitka and spruce. the menu is seasonal obtaining the freshest from washington state. fair warning the menu is subject to change, what i might’ve ordered may not be on when you’re at sitka and spruce. but don’t worry the food is beautifully cared for and executed to pop the most flavors one can from produce. to start we went straight to the cannelle, i just thought why not. for our meal we had a generous serving of beets topped with yogurt, toasted walnuts, yogurt, cilantro and cows curd that had me cheering team veggie. i also cheered on for the slow cooked pork shoulder with fava beans, cilantro and chicharrón. you ought to know the protein game is strong at sitka andsprucetoo. don’t sleep on you

outstanding. i "live" my year in four of the great food cities: new york, paris, melbourne (aust) and seattle. seattle's fare features heavily at the top of my favourites and reliables list of dining anywhere in those four places, and sitka andspruceis tops of that tops! it's seattle at it's best, and if you want to take someone somewhere to explain what seattle foodie is, this is one of those places that does that: the difference fresh local produce makes; the marriage of different flavours and textures; original ideas that don't run over into silliness. last meal i had was brunch. i was skeptical about the canele, but the buckwheat version doesn't disrespect the french original, and was possibly one of the only canele i've had outside france that wasn't a disappointment. the lavender in the cream was perfectly measured. also had the beetroot salad. judging by the bowls of it at every table, it is a firm favourite. i counted at least 3 different types of beets? perfect execution with the roasting: teeth slicing consistency, but not at all mushy. the texture mix of walnuts and goats cheese distracts from the volume of the beets and the choice of cider for the roasting means it is not too sweet, not too vinegar. i stopped there, stomach satisfied, but from previous occasions, can easily recommend the scallops, the duck and the leeks with dried egg.

my advice is to take a walk in pike place market, then walk up the hill to sitka andspruceto see what amazing things can be done with that amazing pnw produce.

warning: this is not a place for carnivores. there is one meat, one chick so you are not out of the ball game, but the menu is seafood and vege-heavy..like i said, perfect seattle ambassador.

a slightly disappointing pilgrimage. i am an die-hard locavore and while planning a trip to seattle made reservations at at sitka andspruceto see if the reality jibed with the national hype they've received for their northwest-based cuisine. after an evening meal on a rare and beautiful seattle summer day, i came away somewhat disappointed at the bland fare offered at prices commensurate with the height of the nearby space needle.

the physical space for the restaurant had all the cool hipster vibe that one could hope for: a converted brick industrial building had a series of small, food-oriented businesses nestled within including a butcher shop and a soap store. sitka's and spruce's physical space was small but beautiful with lots of window and a roaring wood oven to provide ambience. the wait staff was casual, intelligent, and attentive. so, all the externalities were in place to make this an exceptional experience.

but the food.... our smoked salmon app was probably the highlight of the meal, and it was just very good, not mind-bendingly great. the sourdough loaf served with the meal had a nicely toasted crust, but the soft core was relatively tasteless. what was billed as a $28 roasted free-range chicken entree was revealed to be a fairly scrawny quarter (drumstick and thigh), and truth be told i can cook more flavorful and tender chicken at home. a $36 halibut and prawn order yielded relatively tasteless chunks of cold halibut and some nice fire-roasted prawns (the only other notable food in the entire meal). there were plenty of fresh veggies almost shining with their earnest organic appeal, but they were cooked in a way that failed to elicit their earthy flavor.

in short, it was a meal made memorable only by the gulf between expectation and reality. a few tweaks and twists would go a long way toward making this food taste much better without violating the commitment to locally grown produce and meat.

on those monday nights chef alvaro candela-najera transforms sitka andspruceinto one of the finest taquerias in seattle. how this fact remained unknown to me is a tragedy.* i am fully determined to make up for lost time from here on out. the suadero is going to be seeing a lot of me in the future! first, let's talk about just how gorgeous the new location at melrose market is for sitka and spruce, because it is absolutely beautiful! the market houses a butcher- rain shadow meats, a cheese shop - calf and kid, a wine bar/shop - bar ferd'nand and much, much more. it's a beautiful space with a lot of tall, stately windows, exposed brick and open beams. it warrants a future review of it's own, but for now let's talk tacos! after settling down and getting our drinks - which were chiefly consisted of victoria beer and margaritas ( very tas

sitka &sprucehas been around the block in their four years on the seattle restaurant scene; and not just figuratively speaking. late last year, the eastlake restaurant closed their doors only to put down new roots inside capitol hill's johnnie-come-lately, melrose market. in its previous location, devotees looked past the run-down storefront and paid attention to the food. chef and owner, matt dillon spins local ingredients into inspired dishes the way rumpelstiltskin spins straw into gold. and he does so with conviction, highlighting seasonal local foods and routinely incorporating the exceptional meats, cheeses and produce found just outside their doorstep. when i first walked through the doors of melrose market, i found myself inexplicably drawn to the rear of the building where sitka andspruceinhabits a freestanding structure within the market. the reincarnated space does not sparkle with shiny newness. it feels like an old friend, weathered and familiar. soft light streams thr

maybe a bit too.... sitka &spruceoriginally opened a couple of blocks from my home and we were irregular regulars until they moved to their current location. it was a cozy, locavore venue with a communal table and very good food. having visited melrose mareket a number of times to lunch at homegrown (their outstanding neighbor) we finally had a chance to enjoy sitka &sprucein their new digs.
as always, the food was creative, the wine list excellent, and the service outstanding. we shared a variety of plates including the grilled chicken, chickpeas and greens; crepe with spiced pumpkins and labneh; roast vegetables with hen's egg and bagna caoda; sformatino of kurt's cheese with sunchokes & mustard; a mezze of three salads with syrian mountain bread; and beer fried smelt. except for the smelt, which none of the five of us liked, the food was very good--but frankly, unremarkable. here i am the next day and i can't recall a single dish i am dying to go back for more of. maybe i'm just getting too pedestrian in my tastes, or lack an appreciation of the subtleties of their flavors, but i feel like the restaurant took a step up in ambiance by moving, yet moved too far towards 'preciousness' in their menu choices.

the sun had come out, but the cool northwest breeze charged up the streets of capitol hill, nipping us in the shady stretches. one last meal in the city, and i'm so glad nicole decided to take me to the very special sitka &spruce, nestled into the corne

recommended, with reservations. we ate at sitka andsprucelast night. beautiful space, though we were seated at a bar with a lovely view of a concrete pillar in front of us. i had called a few days ahead for a reservation and they didn't have anything, but said to walk in because they only reserve half the restaurant. the guy said that if we come before 7 we'd be ok. well, we came at 6:30 and didn't get seated until after 8. holy crap. it was ok because there's plenty to do nearby, including the wine bar next door. service was adequate once we finally got seated, but nothing special. food was good but they're a bit too fond of the sea salt. salad was over-dressed (i like it that way) and some bites were unbearably salty. spot prawns were a tad overcooked, served with the best chanterelles i've ever had in a delicious cognac-spiked sauce, with 2 pieces of inedible burned toasted baguette on top. burned! how such a thing leaves a professional kitchen i have no idea. braised goat was delicious, maybe a bit dry, but really a nice alternative to pork. served with house-made yoghurt. really quite good. they only had 2 dessert items on the menu but were out of one of them.

overall a mixed experience. i'd recommend it, but definitely don't go without a reservation unless you get there right when they open or have lots of time to kill.