Seattle is hurtling rapidly toward elegance, but in our race to the top, we’re forgetting that dining out is supposed to be not just fancy but also fun. It felt more like a plea for parties-long, boozy dinner parties followed by dancing and drinking and smoking and talking. It didn’t feel, as some pop-ups do, like a plea for their own restaurant. They hope to have more attendees in the future, and at least make a little something for their efforts, but they’re not exactly looking to get rich here. The painstaking attention to detail, along with Wilcenski’s revelation that they took a loss on the evening, confirmed my suspicion that this was more a labor of love than a fancy side gig. And the after-dinner coffee even came with a trio of amaros to match the three desserts-a surprisingly fun, choose-your-own-adventure take on pairing. Holy Mountain’s oaked saison went surprisingly well with fish, despite its rich, funky, brett flavor. A glass of Westland’s American single malt whiskey served with the rib eye made me feel like a very fancy miner. It was a perfect counterbalance to the light, silky chicory, Gruyère, and quince gratin that came alongside with it. A cider aged in rum-soaked-bourbon-barrels from Sea Cider was everything I thought cider could never be: dark, rich, and insanely complex. When your parameters allow you to choose from about a bajillion different Northwest beers, wines, and ciders, how do you pick only a few that will really shine? You probably drink a lot, and you probably also do a lot of research. I was especially impressed with the variety of booze. Rough Draft didn’t really have one, beyond “the seasonal local vitality of the Pacific Northwest.” But out of the vast sea of swirling possibilities that is the Pacific Northwest food scene, they picked the exact pieces they wanted, and created a cohesive menu of the exact dishes and pairings they’d envisioned.
Many prix-fixe dinners stick to a theme-cider and pork, tacos and tequila, or some such.
While everything tasted amazing, right down to the fennel and lemon sparkling water, I was most impressed by the level of discipline involved. The apertivo paired with it was just as well coordinated: a mix of Copperworks gin, currant, orange, rhubarb, and fennel (a nice nod to the fish), served in one of those insufferably cute mini bottles. It was one of those rare dishes that tries to do a lot of different things and actually does them all. It moved rapidly into the eating, which commenced with a rockfish crudo sprinkled with delightfully briny olive salt, shaved fennel, fennel pollen, and fig quarters. The dinner started, as all good winter dinner parties in Seattle should start, with a glass of something sparkling and a convenient place to hang wet coats.
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