Once I have narrowed it down to a short list, my criteria usually focuses on highlighting local ingredients, or places that represent the apex of a region's gastronomic specialty. Examples include visiting: Tadich Grill in San Francisco for their legendary cioppino; Vancouver's Blue Water Cafe for incredible Pacific Northwest seafood; or someplace as simple as Katz's Deli in New York for classic corned beef.
And yet, there are times when I pick a place that resonates with me because of other factors. Case in point was selecting tonight's dinner at Cascina Spinasse. Led by Chef Stuart Lane; "his team creates simple, refined dishes grounded in authentic techniques from Piedmont, while incorporating the products of artisans and small farmers from the Pacific Northwest." As it turns out, I was just getting geared up for a trip to Italy in the end of September, with a week in Piedmont. Whether it was coincidence, or divine providence that dropped a restaurant offering both a glimpse of my future travels along with highlighting local ingredients; I made the reservation and that was it.
Spinasse is located in Seattle's Capital Hill neighborhood, just off of Madison on 14th street. For those staying in downtown Seattle, it is walk-able, but please allow for extra time as there are hills. I took a car from my apartment, and was let out in front of a modern brick and steel framed building. A beautiful wood and glass door contrasts the modern vibe of the outer façade, inviting patrons to suspend their reality and take a trip to Piedmont. Let's see what we find!
The inside of Spinasse is a small, U-shaped space featuring a counter on the far wall with a view into the kitchen. White walls are accented by light wood framing, accented by a potpourri of artwork. I was led to a small two-person table located near the entrance, and was greeted by lovely member of the stuff with the evenings menu. After a few moments of reflection, I placed my order, and was rewarded with a gift from the chef.
Two pieces of bread, one covered with rabbit pâté and balsamic vinegar, and the other with ricotta and basil olive oil. This dish is one of contrasts: one piece features a beautiful pairing of rich and gamy flavors of the rabbit, balanced by nice acid from the balsamic vinegar; while the other offers rich and creamy ricotta mated with herbaceous oil notes. Such a simple and delightful dish, and a great start to the meal.
Following up the rabbit pâté, and the first of my four selections, is a sardine dish featuring sardines in two fashions. First, sardines are tightly rolled featuring chopped hazelnuts. Second, some sardines are dressed with a salsa verde and olive oil. The plate features a nice dollop of aioli, and crostini.
I started to notice a pattern here with this and the previous dish: the use of contrasting flavors to provide a complex and delightful flavor profile. In this case, the touch of brine from the sardines contrasted nicely with both the sweet of the chopped hazelnuts, and the fresh herbaceous notes of the salsa verde. Crostini added a nice texture differential, while the aioli and olive oil lent some richness to round out each bite. Excellent.
Batting third tonight is a beef tripe dish. Beef tripe is sautéed with cubed potatoes and herbs, very much akin to a take on corned beef hash. Finally, seated atop of this delicious mix is a lovely piece of seared foie gras.
The hallmark of a good corned beef has is balance between the rich meaty notes of the meat, toasted starch of the potato, and herbaceous notes of the various herbs used in the dish. This dish is no exception, with incredible balance between the tripe, potatoes, and herbs. Finally, the foie gras acted like a crown, lending a rich decadence that takes this dish over the top. Bravo!
The inside of Spinasse is a small, U-shaped space featuring a counter on the far wall with a view into the kitchen. White walls are accented by light wood framing, accented by a potpourri of artwork. I was led to a small two-person table located near the entrance, and was greeted by lovely member of the stuff with the evenings menu. After a few moments of reflection, I placed my order, and was rewarded with a gift from the chef.
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| Gift from the chef: rabbit pâté with balsamic, and ricotta & basil olive oil 2017 Cascina Spinasse. Seattle, WA |
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| Two sardines with crostini 2017 Cascina Spinasse. Seattle, WA |
I started to notice a pattern here with this and the previous dish: the use of contrasting flavors to provide a complex and delightful flavor profile. In this case, the touch of brine from the sardines contrasted nicely with both the sweet of the chopped hazelnuts, and the fresh herbaceous notes of the salsa verde. Crostini added a nice texture differential, while the aioli and olive oil lent some richness to round out each bite. Excellent.
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| Beef tripe has with seared foie gras 2017 Cascina Spinasse. Seattle, WA |
The hallmark of a good corned beef has is balance between the rich meaty notes of the meat, toasted starch of the potato, and herbaceous notes of the various herbs used in the dish. This dish is no exception, with incredible balance between the tripe, potatoes, and herbs. Finally, the foie gras acted like a crown, lending a rich decadence that takes this dish over the top. Bravo!
Good Italian restaurants need to have good pasta options, so I decided to make entrée number three to be a pasta dish. Thankfully, while doing my research on the place, I came across rave reviews of their signature pasta: Tajarin con burro e salvia - fine hand cut egg pasta with butter and sage. Tajarin is the Piedmont name for Taglierini, and is primarily paired with butter and famous Alba white truffles.
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| Tajarin con burro e salvia - fine hand cut pasta with butter and sage 2017 Cascina Spinasse. Seattle, WA |
The beauty of this dish is its simplicity. Butter offers creamy elements, while a touch of cheese adds some earthy notes. This is complimented by herbaceous notes from the fresh sage. These subtle flavors were just wanted I needed after the strong flavors from the preceding rabbit pâté, sardines and beef tripe.
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| Arctic char, with walnuts and cranberries 2017 Cascina Spinasse. Seattle, WA |
Tonight's final entrée is arctic char, served atop a healthy portion of carrot purée. The char is topped with chopped walnuts, and cranberries. From an aesthetic perspective, I love the shades of orange and red offered by the various elements of the dish.
The arctic chart itself was cooked perfectly, with a nice crust on the skin, along with moist and flaky flesh that offered subtle saline notes. Walnuts lend a delightful nuttiness, while both the carrot purée and cranberries offered nice sweetness. The carrot purée continued with earthy notes, while the cranberries provided acid to keep the palette fresh. Excellent!
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| Tiramisu 2017 Cascina Spinasse. Seattle, WA |
Moving on to desert, I decided to go with something more typical of an Italian restaurant: tiramisu. Spinasse's take was presented in an individual serving canning jar, along with a healthy dusting of cocoa powder. While traditional tiramisu does not contain liquor, Spinasse's variation features rum cream in the cheese/coffee mix.
With the first bite, I marvel at the lightness of the mascarpone and vanilla cake combo, with the mascarpone providing a balance of creaminess and earthy notes. The balance continues with the sweetness of the cheese mixture, savory from the espresso, and decadence of the rum notes.
Cascina Spinasse offers one the ability to suspend reality for a few hours, and transport themselves to a meal in the heart of Piedmont. The aspect I enjoyed most of my time here is the use of balance, from the menu selections, to the dishes themselves. The menu offers a nice balance between traditional Piedmontese dishes and Piedmontese-inspired dishes showcasing Pacific Northwest ingredients. In execution, dishes offer an array of flavors and textures that are in balance to provide for an excellent dining experience. Combine that with a delightful atmosphere and excellent staff, and one has a must-visit place for those who love Italian food.
Inside one is greeted with a medium sized space, offering tables, couches and booths in the front and left wall, while the right wall features an impressive bar. Ceilings are roughly 12 feet, which allows for towering bar shelves of various spirits behind the bar - they tout 4,000 labels and counting in their collection - that requires a rolling ladder to reach to the top.
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| Toucan Gin Fizz 2017 Cannon. Seattle, WA |
Tonight's second cocktail was the Campfire in Georgia, featuring mescal, peach-habanero shrub, fresh orange juice, cinnamon french oak and bitters. The peach-habanero shrub lends sweet heat to this drink, buttressed by nice smokey notes from the mescal. Cinnamon offers earthy flavors, OJ provides both refreshing acid, and some fruit notes, and finally the bitters balances out all the flavors. I highly recommend this drink for anyone who loves mescal.
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| One of the large format drinks for two: Transfusion 2017 Cannon. Seattle, WA |
While I was enjoying my Campfire in Georgia, the couple next to me decided to order the Transfusion. One of Cannon's large format drinks, this mixture of cognac, bourbon, creme yvette, ancho reyes, raspberry, fresh lemon and bitters is served in an IV bag. After mixed and hung in a custom IV holder, patrons dispense their own drinks by using the IV roll clamp. I did not have a chance to try the drink, but the presentation was just excellent!
While marveling at my neighbor's selection, I followed up my second drink with the Foie Old Fashioned, which is Cannon's take on the classic Old Fashioned. In this case, we have fat-washed bonded apple brandy, smith & cross, barrel-aged vanilla maple syrup and baker's. As the name suggests, the fat-washed bonded apple brandy offers overt fatty foie gras tones that I have never experienced in a cocktail. This paired nicely with sweetness and overt vanilla flavors of the maple syrup. The overall cocktail was incredibly smooth, and a delightful take on the classic cocktail. Just excellent.
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| Bitter petals 2017 Cannon. Seattle, WA |
An incredibly balanced cocktail, the bitterness of the campari is offset by sweetness of chocolate and the herbaceous flavors stemming from the gin's botanicals. Combine the balanced flavors with incredible presentation, and Cannon has created yet another awesome cocktail.
The three drinks I tried tonight are only a fraction of the menu, and given that as I write this the menu has changed, I suspect that faction to be even smaller. Considering the tools at their disposal: crazy spirit concoctions, funky bitters, homemade extracts, etc.; Cannon demands multiple visits. Combine their creativity with a chilled vibe, and wonderful bartenders, and Cannon is easily a top-echelon cocktail bar in the United States with flavors for all palates.
Visit date: September 3rd, 2017
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