It’s been on my list way too long, Spur Gastropub

So I’ve been to Tavern Law  and the drinks and food far exceeded my expectations.  Brian McCracken and Dana Tough  have won more awards and accolades as chef innovators than I am able to have the attention span to research and reiterate.  They’re cool and they like to make food change shapes and taste and feel good.  When I first met them, they excitedly explained the difference (with edible examples of course) of the textures and flavors of a braised pork belly and the same pork belly cooked sous vide. They recently have opened another spot, The Coterie Room  in the former home of Restaurant Zoe.

I am about to embark of a few weeks of work travel that will bring me to a number of states in a smaller number of weeks and thought that it would be a good idea to spend some time with my lady and throw a few dollars into my own areas economy, and  my belly.  I take a glance at my Seattle Belly Wish List, and decide to get our asses over to Spur Gastropub because it has been on my list for just way too long, and was excited to have some food from some modern thinking doods.

So, here’s how dinner plays out…

5 course tasting, mandatory

Amuse bouche a pickled grape on house mascarpone and other goodness

For me, Foie Gras Terrine with Huckleberry and compote  The little sticks on top taste like they figured out how to make Lucky Charms Shmellows…

For Maiya, Spot prawns with olive like substance, celeriac flan, frisee, brown butter sand, and (oh yes) crispy pork skin (chicharones). Somebody doesn’t share, so my one small bite of this made me want to take the plate away from her.

Segundo

I felt I needed something to break up the string of animal parts that was about to enter my gullet, so I went with the “Baby Lettuces”  maybe should have stuck to my instincts with the Lamb Tartare.  But my body thanks me for the baby ruffages. 

The Lady’s second course tops me again, with a Pear and radicchio salad.  There were fresh and pickled pears, blue-ey cheese-ey stuff, and goodness

Next course please!

Can somebody do me a favor and fry me up some sweetbreads, lay those tasty little bastards on the top of some delicious chard and butternut squash puree, dice up some perfect cubes of butt-nut and apples, top those glands with little apple circles, and then make some sort of cylinder out of squash and fill it with a gelatinous volume of demi-glace?  Oh… thanks. 

Maiya had the Smoked Gnocchi.  Tastes like there’s bacon in it, but there’s not.  I wanted more. 

More food arrives.  Let me tell you a few things about this dish:  pork cheek that is all crispy outside, pink inside, falls apart when ANY eating utensil touches it.  On beans cooked with guanciale (more pig face).  Food Porno.

Maiya has the Olive Oil Poached Hamachi.  

I’m like full and stuff.

I go for chocolate and beets and Maiya has the Almond Crème Brulee

Inside of my o box was a beet sponge cake were little chocolate meringues.

I'm ack shoe ally full now.  After a dinner like that, it seems right to open this bad mofo