Ready to be Crushed

It's Restaurant Week here in Seattle and that means plenty of eating out. 3-course dinners for $25 at some of the area's finest restaurants? There aren't enough days in a Week! I've been to Mistral Kitchen, Canlis, and just last night, Crush. I had such a great experience at Crush the only other time I've been there that it had a lot to live up to for my second visit -- and it was again wonderful.

My friend S. and I had our server give us recommendations, and I thought she generally did a very nice job. S. also ordered the Crush wine pairings to go with his meal, while I had a cucumber Dry soda (and an Americano during dessert).


Amuse bouche: Warm gougeres (French cheese puffs).


First course: Crisped pork belly on a bed of creamy white grits and drizzled with a bourbon sauce. The couple next to us were exclaiming over the deliciousness of the stinging nettle soup they both got. The pork belly was amazing, but fairly similar to the second course I chose, so in that sense I wished I'd gotten the soup or salad to start.


Second course: Painted Hills flat iron steak cooked medium rare, on a bed of Yukon potato puree, with baby carrots and a parsley truffle oil sauce.


Dessert: Crispy buttermilk donuts with a Spanish coffee sauce and powdered sugar.


Mignardises: Bite-sized madeline cookies and nut brittle. Unfortunately the sun was going down toward the end of dinner so the light wasn't as good for this or the last photos, hence the blur and grain. :/

Crush, never change!