Seattle is a foodie’s paradise: it offers everything, from the fantastic fish tacos of Pike Place Market, to fresh Pacific North-Western oysters, seafood and pretty much anything you want to try. And you’d be forgiven for exploring the local restaurants rather than delving into a hotel to find your dining venue of choice. Yet, it’s fruitful to note that the restaurant at Seattle’s only waterfront hotel – the Edgewater Hotel – is exceptional, and well worth visiting.
As well as featuring some of the most delicious food I’ve tried in Seattle to date, the restaurant, Six Seven, has probably the best views you could get whilst staying here. Set on the waterfront, with cascading huge windows and a terrace literally on the water, this is a restaurant with an unbeatable panorama of the ocean. Offering Northwest Cuisine with a comprehensive seafood menu, it’s easy to feel right at the heart of the Pacific Northwest, as you eat out on the sun-blazed terrace, looking at the Olympic mountains in the distance beyond the ocean, tucking into fresh local cuisine and sipping delicious local wine from Washington, Oregon and Northern California.
We arrived at 5.30pm for a very early dinner and were taken to our table, which was situated by the window with the most magnificent view, by our kind host. Our kind and generous server for the evening, Lee, promptly arrived to introduce himself and brought us the menus before talking us through their offering. The menu is extensive, featuring large sections dedicated to specific meats, as well as segments for first courses and mains. Starters included such local, seasonal options as Mushroom Bisque, Pan-Roasted Clams & Mussels, and Arugula & Endive Salad. Lee recommended that we try the Burrata, which came with roasted beets, beet purée, pistachio, citrus, lemon olive oil, griddled fig bread, and the Gnocchi, topped with goat cheese & winter squash fondue, foraged mushrooms, roasted delicata squash, red wine jus, reggiano, fried kale. I also insisted we try the Artisan Breads with sea salted butter.
The breads arrived warm and fresh, crusty on the outside yet soft on the inside, with delicious salted butter that we tucked into as we sipped our first cocktail of the evening (an absolutely fantastic Old Fashioned for me, and a Negroni for my guest). Lee then brought us the Burrata and Gnocchi, both of which were exceptional. Being a Burrata fiend (see my other reviews…), my standards are high, and I’ve heard many awful things about America’s access to good quality real cheese. Those stereotypes were evidenced to be completely false, though, by this dish. The Burrata was presented beautifully – a mound of thick and creamy cheese, in a shallow bowl of beetroot, topped with crunchy hazelnuts and tangy orange segments. Indeed, the accompaniments gave the creamy cheese an interesting fruity twist that I’d not seen before with the more common tomato and basil combinations, and proved divine. The Gnocchi were also unbelievably good, a delicious bowl of gooey, moreish little chunks of carbs nestled with the wholesome, earthy flavours of chunks of squash in a slightly sweet and tangy red wine jus. To drink, Lee recommended a bottle of Chaleur Blanc, a mix of 68% Sauvignon Blanc 32% Semillon Sauvignon Blanc from Columbia Valley down the road. A vibrant, lightly golden wine with aromas of grapefruit, apples and pears, zesty citrus notes, and an undercurrent of warm, sweet, honey and vanilla tones, this was just lovely – a crisp Summer wine that would easily rival the more historic vines of the Old World.
For the main, one could choose an array of options, including the protein driven ‘Simply Put’ menu options of Sautéed King Salmon, Sautéed Diver Scallops, Filet Mignon or Ribeye served lean with just roasted tomato and chimichurri, the ‘By Land’ section for meat options, and the ‘By Sea’. Though Lee highly recommended the Roquefort-Crusted Filet Mignon which came with mushroom ragout, silky potato purée, roasted tomato, asparagus, cabernet demi-glace, my guest preferred seafood and so he advised we try the Miso-Glazed Black Cod and Alaskan King Crab Legs. Both recommendations were stellar.
The Crab Legs came with sautéed vegetables, garlic-roasted spinach, thyme beurre blanc, and grilled lemon, and came as a giant metallic bowl of prepared crab legs ready to be dug out with the right tools at hand, with the vegetables in quaint little pots on the side. The meat was tender and juicy, and surprisingly easy to get out, enabling us to finish the dish cleanly and embarrassingly quickly: it was really, really very good. There were no carbs with this meal so one might want to order a side, though the portions were significant enough to fill two very hungry stomachs. Sides include Silky Potato Purée, Roasted Spinach, Maine Lobster Mac & Cheese, Foraged & Cultivated Mushroom Ragout, Roasted Asparagus, and Classic Baked Potato. The star of the mains, though, at least for me, was the Miso-Glazed Black Cod. Presented immaculately, this came with crispy enoki mushroom, a moreish sticky rice cake, wilted spinach, fermented cucumber & radish salad, and lay on a bed of black sesame butter. Akin to the classic Black Cod of Nobu’s and the like, this was a star performer and very much worth ordering for the freshness of the fish, and the quality of the delivery.
For dessert, Lee brought us his two recommended dishes: the New York Cheesecake, which came with strawberry curd and was topped with fresh berries, and the Honey-Lavender Crème Brulee. Both were subtle and delicate, neither too sweet nor too tangy, and actually very easy to finish (neither of us are big dessert fans). The restaurant does an excellent job of creating elegant desserts it seems, that focus more on the accompanying flavours than the sugar. To drink, Lee brought us a glass of Taylor Fladgate 20 Year Tawny, Portugal and Taylor Fladgate 10 Year Tawny, Portugal. As Ports go, these are fairly classic and safe bets, adding a pleasant sweetness to the dainty desserts. Full and happy after a really quite fantastic meal, the sun was setting outside over the water, and we decided to stay for another drink to savour the warmth and beautiful view. The restaurant was busy and full of a positive, glowing energy as diners like us, looked out across the bay and, probably, like us, felt happy and peaceful. Six Seven proved itself to be a wonderful venue for our one night in Seattle and we both agreed that, thanks to the delicious dining experience, and wonderful hospitality of our new friend Lee, we would definitely be returning.
Six Seven Restaurant
2411 Alaskan Way
Seattle
WA 98121
USA
