Troiani

[tsquare]

They've been open for dinner since the beginning of the month - and no posts.

We're going later this week - what should I order?

dinner menu

(and forget it - I'm not having sweetbreads.)

[tighe]

Holy crap! That's one expensive menu, especially for an Italian restaurant. I'm not usually one to get sticker shock, but I wonder if they can really make that work here in Sea-town. Anxiously awaiting any reviews....

[tsquare]

Yeah, good thing I'm not paying. Hey, it's brought to you by the same people as El Gaucho. Those are dry aged steaks and all that jazz. FYI, there is a bar menu with small plates, and smallish prices.

[reesek]

i've always wanted to tell people what to eat... or ala the splendid table give someone ingredients to cook with...

i'm a sucker for spanish anchovies, so i'd definitely have those. otherwise - grilled calamari sounds potentially delicious or disasterous...if i ate meat - i'd be all over the duck...as i don't - i'd be curious about...hmm - nothing. i might have 3 apps or the lobster pasta.

[Schielke]

Basil cured tuna with potato caponata and Ligurian olives

Ricotta gnocchi with parsley pesto

Rosemary pressed rib chop with olive oil, sea salt, preserved lemons and parsley

I would opt for the rib chop since they seem to be putting their weight on the aged meat crutch.

[LEdlund]

Grilled escarole salad with warm pancetta dressing, aged ricotta and quail egg

Crispy duck with duck confit, corona beans, and sauce of dried figs, plums and cherries

Braised spicy winter greens

This is a fun game!

[MsRamsey]

Yeah, I'd be all over the duck too.

[tighe]

Yeah, I'd be all over the duck too.

My new favorite expression:

"I'm all over that like MsRamsey on duck confit!...."

Edited December 15, 2003 by tighe (log)

[Coop]

Prior to coming to Seattle last month I checked out the web menus for El Gaucho and The Met (and it's offshoots). Do people really pay $40+ of thier own money to buy these steaks? Are they worth it? Are most of the customers there on expense accounts? Do they die young?

[reesek]

Do they die young?

hee hee!!

maybe...i've never liked the Met - it's weird. el gaucho is very retro cool - you/anyone can do sooo well there sharing an awesome caesar salad and bananas foster.

at least i imagine so. i've never actually had the moxie to do it.

[tighe]

Do people really pay $40+ of thier own money to buy these steaks?

Yes

Are they worth it?

No

Are most of the customers there on expense accounts?

Many

Do they die young?

Only the good die young....

Edited December 16, 2003 by tighe (log)

[Schielke]

Aging prime meat costs big bucks. I don't think that these steak places are ripping people off that much. My personal preference, however, is to not spend that much money on a hunk of beef.

[tsquare]

Do people really pay $40+ of thier own money to buy these steaks? Are they worth it?

Yes, people buy these - the steak houses continue to do great business. Some people I've spoken to (like a native of Italy) prefer steak when they eat out - so they go for these. Others, justify it by trading off their overtime hours for the splurge. And some, well, money just isn't an issue.

I'm not much for eating slabs of beef, but I had one of the filets last year at the Tacoma El Gaucho. It was unlike any steak I've ever eaten. My Mom loved filet, so it was not uncommon in our house way back when. I'd say it is the difference between the best sushi and what you find at a supermarket. A single piece for $4 or a six pack for $4. The math is similar, but it depends on what you value.

The rest of the prices at these places aren't that out of line with the rest of the high end restaurants we discuss, are they?

Oh - and thanks for the menu suggestions - duck seems to be leading the pack...despite the fruit pairing (!) - actually, that sounds pretty good to me.

Edited December 16, 2003 by tsquare (log)

[Schielke]

I dont think the prices are all that out of whack... they seem to have pretty lofty aspirations with their menu and the prices follow suit. The steak prices are just that...prices for good steak.

Tsquare, if you like the filet, you should try a rib cut of some kind.

Ben

[thelastsupper]

I'd agree that the prices don't seem out of step with Seattle's top restaurants. Especially as beef is getting pricey these days.

[LEdlund]

We're going later this week - what should I order?

Have you gone yet? I just got a call from some friends who want to meet there for dinner on Monday and I'd love to hear what you have to say before I make my reservations.

[tsquare]

not yet...

[tsquare]

I was going to wait for LEdlund to try it before posting, but here goes:

4 ½ hours later…

Had a great time.

Cocktails, wine – something red and Italian.

Appetizers for the table includes scallops with orange pepper sauce, spiedini of bread, mozzarella and white anchovies (skewered and grilled?), and grilled escarole salad (I want a plate of that for myself.)

Pasta course – a taste of each of: the light and fluffy ricotta gnocchi, the trofie (hand made in Italy) with a slightly sweet veal sugo, and the house made pasta with spicy lobster sauce. Would have licked the plate for any and all (funny how you resist the temptation in company.)

Entrees – split the duck and the rib chop (that went home with me…) The duck was great – the leg confit was salty but moist, still quite plump and very tender. The loin wasn’t really crispy, but a little crackly napped by a luscious sauce with just a hint of dried fruit. The corona beans were grand and toothsome. The chop, good flavors, but still basically a big ol’ slab of beef. Sides for the table included amazing whipped potatoes – ah the wonders of pine nuts!, spaghetti squash (eh, why bother), and faro – a bit bland for me, and beets. Had this part of the ordering been in my hands, I would have selected the other 4 dishes – or at least some changes would have been in order.

Dessert – I did get a taste of 3, no digestive for me…the chocolate semifreddo was the best, and excellent in its own right.

There were a couple of musicians playing guitar and mandolin.

The noise level was a bit high – the place was crowded and we were right by the open kitchen, by choice.

Hadn’t been in Flemings, but I understand the wood ceiling was theirs, as well as most of the dark wood paneling.

So, please notice:

The new bar with the very cool blue glow, the mosaic tile top and great bar roll, and the remarkable matching of the carpet where the two colors meet – a big curve.

The renovated restrooms – very handsome.

The custom wood tables in the dining room – they are reclaimed redwood from casks and barrels.

The groovy wall dividing the main dining room from the private dining on the West side – towards 2nd Avenue.

There are probably other details I’m forgetting, but that’s what I liked.

(Disclosure – associated with the designers of this place, though I wasn’t involved.)

[Schielke]

Great, thanks for the review. I will have to check it out in the hopefully near future.

Ben

[LEdlund]

Great review! We're going there tonight, so I'll have mine to post in the next couple of days.

I'll make a point of noticing the decor when we're there!

[LEdlund]

We had a fabulous dinner there last night. There were five of us and we tried much of the menu.

We started off with cocktails and a couple of appetizers. There was the grilled calamari with cherry tomatoes (which were also lightly grilled) and mint sauce and the speidini of bread and mozzarella and white anchovy. I was very impressed to see that there were five pieces of each on the plate so we didn't have to cut things in half to share. That was a nice touch.

Next was the pasta course. We tried the trofie with the veal sugo. I loved the touch of nutmeg in it and the pasta was the most perfect size and consistency. All of the pastas except the trofie are made in-house. Next time I will try the ricotta gnocchi. It sounded wonderful.

Each of us had a different entrée. One friend, who doesn’t eat meat, chose to have the pasta in spicy lobster sauce for her main course. That was the only disappointing dish of the evening. The pasta was way, way overcooked – to the point of being mush on the plate. And the sauce was too fishy for my liking. We also had the duck, the beef rib, the veal chop and the braised pork. Evidently all the grilling is done over coals, which gives the grilled dishes a wonderful sweet smokiness. All these entrees were fantastic but the standout in my mind was the pork. I’m a sucker for braised meat anyway and this was perfect. Sweet with carrots and savory with spices. I’m having the leftovers on my salad for lunch today. We also shared two sides: the braised greens and the roasted beets. Both were very good.

We then had three cheeses which were all good but I have forgotten what they were.

For dessert we all shared the walnut torta. It has a nice warm spice to it, but was unremarkable.

I know I’m not a good judge of what is considered expensive because I am willing to spend more for food than I probably should. But, for all that food, cocktails and a couple of bottles of wine, it came to $70.00 per person including a 20% tip. I didn’t think that’s out of line, is it?

I have to admit, I didn’t pay as much attention to the décor as I meant to. Although one of my friends loved the soap dispenser in the restroom so much that we all had to go check it out. A Nicole Miller design in case you are interested!

It looked like they were doing good business for a Monday night. Most tables were full. A conversation with Walter Pisano confirmed that the business has been better than anticipated. All in all it was a very nice dining experience and I will definitely return.

[malarkey]

you/anyone can do sooo well there sharing an awesome caesar salad and bananas foster.

at least i imagine so. i've never actually had the moxie to do it.

what? just order the caesar & bananas foster? They wouldn't mind, you know. They like business, no matter how much you spend! I'm not sure I'd take a table on a Saturday night and do this, but that's just me.

Here's what I would want to see on the table if I went:

Grilled escarole salad with warm pancetta dressing, aged ricotta and quail egg

Spiedini of mozzarella and white anchovy with Sicilian rosemary olive oil

Grilled calamari with baby tomatoes and mint vinaigrette

Large raviolo with ricotta, spinach and egg yolk in porcini broth

Wild salmon with fennel salt and braised fennel bulb

Sage roasted rib and loin of veal, black truffle sauce with suppli

Crispy duck with duck confit, corona beans, and sauce of dried figs, plums and cherries

Rosemary pressed rib chop with olive oil, sea salt, preserved lemons and parsley

Preserved lemons are fabulous with meat. Even better with lamb than beef.

[syd-vicious]

Interesting...the reviews here sound uniformly good so far. My folks went the other night w/some friends and, while I don't remember now what they said they had, they were a little disappointed w/their experience, sort of underwhelmed I guess. I think one of the entrees arrived cold-ish and they sent it back. There were more comments - I'll have to ask my pop again. Sounds like maybe they hit the kitchen at a funky time or my folks just didn't love it there. Sounds like an investigative job for syd-vicious

Edited December 24, 2003 by syd-vicious (log)

[tsquare]

Roger Downey checks in with an astoundingly good review (if you skip the pre-opening party!)

Troiani review in The Seattle Weekly

"simply but grandly appointed" - not much to say on decor.

I think I need to try the lunch.

[tsquare]

Prettiest and tastiest pork shank I've ever eaten. Fine wild mushrooms too - and a big pile of them to boot.