Union in Seattle

[tighe]

Penelope Corcoran reported in the P-I last week that Union "now offers a three-course tasting menu at lunch. For $20 per person, guests may assemble their own prix fixe from the a la carte lunch menu, which changes daily. Lunch hours are 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., Monday through Friday. Reservations are accepted." Sounds like a great deal to me; I'm looking forward to my first visit to Union.

Thanks for the tip on lunch Laurie, sounds like something one might even be able to do with a baby!....

I truly hope that the curse of that location isn't going to bring them down. My hopeful side says that restaurants in Seattle with no outdoor seating and/or view all tend to be slow in summer and things will pick up once it cools down...

[Really Nice!]

My hopeful side says that restaurants in Seattle with no outdoor seating and/or view all tend to be slow in summer and things will pick up once it cools down...

Ah, good point. I hope that bodes well for this place.

One thing I forgot to mention... Jim Drohman, of Le Pichet, was hanging around for a couple of hours last night in 'traditional' street clothes.

I wonder what he was up to...

[LaurieA-B]

You also forgot to mention your meal. What did you have? How was it?

[tsquare]

One thing I forgot to mention... Jim Drohman, of Le Pichet, was hanging around for a couple of hours last night in 'traditional' street clothes.

I wonder what he was up to...

Eating? I've seen him do that at Matt's too.

[ScorchedPalate]

Cam and I had dinner at Union last night. Sprung for the tasting menu (including wine pairings, despite it being a school night... oof!) and were well glad we did.

The restaurant was about half-full all night long, which isn't terribly bad for a weeknight during the summer. The staff told us that their summer business has been pretty steady and consistent, which we were pleased to hear.

[i'm doing this all from memory, so bear with me!]

Amuse 1:

chilled cucumber puree/soup drizzled with fruity olive oil, served in a demitasse

- tasty, a bit heavy on the salt

Amuse 2:

Smoked haddock over a stack of sliced baby golden beets and horseradish creme fraiche

- this went down -way- too fast

Starter:

Smoked scottish salmon

- big sashimi-style hunks of fish, lightly smoky and ever-so-slightly chewy

Soup:

Cauliflower and saffron soup with a seared scallop

- easily the favorite of the night

Fish:

Softshell crab over oven-roasted tomatoes

- never had a softshell crab this small, soft, and tasty before. Our waiter said they were maryland blue crabs. YUM!

Extra course:

Fried fresh smelt served over roasted red and rellow pepper dice

- imagine the best fish sticks you've ever had

Meat:

Seared duck breast (perfect as usual)

Cheese:

Pierre Robert with frisse and raisin-walnut bread

- as usual, perfectly ripe, perfectly kept, perfect temperature

Sorbet

lychee sorbet with (ummm...) syrup. Very subtle and refeshing.

Dessert 2:

chocolate espresso pot de creme with (unsweetened) vanilla whipped cream

- cam said this was the best chocolate dessert ever; I think merely on this continent. (Having had a chocolate puddng pot at St John served with cream

Alas, I can't remember any of the wines we had -- their names, that is... I do remember they were all fabulous, interesting, and perfectly matched, just as they always are. A steal at $40 for what were very generous pours, close to a full glass for each course -- we started giving up our glasses at the end of a course, empty or not. Still, we drank way more than we intended. Rainier said that Union was just named one of the 10 Best New Wine Lists by Food+Wine, and that Wine & Spirits also recently recognized them.

I'm making a commitment to eat at Union at least once a month. I'd do it more often, but I am constitutionally incapable of ordering anything except the tasting menu.

~Anita

Edited July 30, 2004 by ScorchedPalate (log)

[Really Nice!]

You also forgot to mention your meal. What did you have? How was it?

Sorry for taking so long, Laurie. I couldn't recall everything so I wanted to go to the restaurant a copy the menu, but dang if he hasn't changed it already.

It was once again, right on the mark. There were four of us and I'm missing some of the dishes...

First plate

Mixed garden greens with goat cheese and toasted almonds

Chilled tomato soup with avocado crab salad

Heirloom tomato salad with cold poached halibut, basil

Foie gras with figs and sauce saba

Second plate

Sweetbreads with chanterelle mushroom ragout with potato puree and veal jus

Seared sea scallops with sauce pesto and oven dried tomatoes

Braised pork breast with herb spatzell and rosemary jus

Chicken breast with polenta and basil(?)

I know we had more dishes but this is all I can remember.

[tsquare]

How was lunch Laurie A-B (and Matthew)? Did you order the "tasting" menu?

[mamster]

It was quite tasty, tsquare. Laurie is going to post the full lunch menu later (it may well change tomorrow, of course), but here's what I had:

Oxtail terrine with microgreens and horseradish cream. A mercifully modest portion (cut into a perfect square) of chewy, beefy goodness.

Seared sea scallops with fresh corn polenta. The scallops were perfectly cooked and nicely crusted, but the corn was the best part of the whole lunch. There was as much butter in it as corn, I think, not that I'm complaining.

Espresso chocolate pot de creme. Impeccably smooth and chocolaty, with real espresso flavor. Worthy of all the accolades.

The cheese plate was not so great, I thought, though Laurie liked it better than I did. There was gorgonzola dolce, lancashire, garrotxa, and a washed rind cheese I'm blanking on. I'd had them all before, and the lancashire was in pretty dire shape; it had gotten translucent and spongy in parts. The pecan bread served alongside is too sweet.

We liked the room a lot. It was not very busy at lunch, but there were a few other tables include one fairly large party, eight or ten people. I'm especially looking forward to going back in the winter, since winter food is my favorite kind.

[LaurieA-B]

How was lunch Laurie A-B (and Matthew)? Did you order the "tasting" menu?

tsquare, how did you know that we ate at Union on Tuesday?

Here's the complete menu, which may tempt you to lunch at Union. I think it's a great deal. I enjoyed the meal very much. The menu does change daily; by coincidence, Judy had lunch there Wednesday and there were several different items. Though you will recognize certain themes from our lunch and the dinners described in this thread.

Union Lunch (August 10, 2004)

Choose one from each course for $20

All items available a la carte

First

Mixed garden greens with toasted almonds 8

Chilled tomato soup with avocado and Dungeness crab 8

Heirloom tomato salad with buffalo mozzarella, aged balsamic, Serrano ham 10

Oxtail terrine with micro greens and horseradish cream 10

Grilled lamb tongue with baby beets and frisee salad 10

Second

Seared ahi tuna with artichoke and olive salad, saba 12

Fluke in brioche with romano beans, lemon and capers 12

Grilled squab with baked figs and balsamic 12

Grilled beef loin with roasted baby onions and shallot sauce 14

Seared sea scallops with fresh corn polenta, basil oil

Dessert

Assorted cheeses with pecan bread and frisee salad 10

Chocolate espresso pot de crème 7

Affogato 7

Fresh berries with tarragon sabayon 7

My lunch was the tomato soup, fluke, and cheeses. The soup was a lovely presentation and very, very delicious. A generous circular mound (there's a culinary word for this shape that I can't remember) of shredded crab and ripe avocado is in the middle of the soup plate, into which the waiter poured the luscious cold tomato puree. He said there was also a layer of tomato gelee beneath the avocado. Wonderful textures and the tomato flavor was fabulous.

"Fluke in brioche" is fluke very lightly breaded with brioche crumbs. It was placed on a bed of sliced green beans and topped with capers. I loved the flavor combination of this dish. The fish itself was very mild; the lemon-caper worked well with it and the beans.

As Matthew mentioned, the cheese plate was slightly disappointing; they were a bit too cold and exteriors a bit too dried out, the Lancashire in not good shape. But it was a lovely presentation with a tuft of lightly dressed frisee, generous portions of cheese, and I especially liked the gorgonzola dolce on the pecan-fruit bread.

Service was very good and I thought the room attractive (too bad the windows are facing a construction site right now). I'd like to see it at night with the oil lamps burning. I hope we'll make it to Union for dinner this fall or winter.

[LEdlund]

How was lunch Laurie A-B (and Matthew)? Did you order the "tasting" menu?

tsquare, how did you know that we ate at Union on Tuesday?

Walked by while you were away and Mathew was busy talking to the staff.

Seattle is such a small town, sometimes I just have to laugh.

[heyjude]

I had the tasting lunch yesterday which was similar to what Laurie posted, but I had rare muscovy duck for an appetizer and the corn with the scallops was fresh(and splendid). Union is not nearly as crowded as it deserves to be. I'd love to go back if anyone wants to make a plan.

[vengroff]

I really can't get enough of Ethan's cooking. Lately I've tended to find myself in a seafood mood when I've been there. This has led to some really excellent experiences.

First, the soft-shell crab mentioned above. It's a staple in the Mid-Atlantic states, but we don't see it so much out here. With the exception of Nectar in DC, this was the best I've had.

Next, grilled eel with tomato, olives, and supremes d'orange, topped with a sprig of (I'm guessing here) chervil. The skin of the eel filets was beautifully crisp. I long for this texture when I order unagi nigiri, but I rarely get it. The sweet/salt balance of the olives and oranges completed the dish fantastically. Our waiter warned that the portion would be small, but I found it perfectly acceptable.

Finally, the butter-braised Maine lobster. Fresh corn, whose essence infused itself into the sauce, made this dish.

Aside from seafood, we also had some lovely al-dente elephant ear pasta with rabbit and morels. It was a bowl of rich gamey satisfaction.

From the cellar, we've really liked the Alphonse Mellot Sancerre, and after dinner I am a sucker for the Domain DuPont Calvados.

[tighe]

Last Saturday, being a fairly monumental birthday for me, scrat arranged for us to stash the munchkin with friends and go to Union for dinner. My mother-in-law, in town to meet said munchkin, shares my birthday, so it was two, two, two birthdays for the price of one….

I think I’m in double figures in the number of meals that I’ve had at Union and this was the best so far. We considered the tasting menu, but decided to order a la carte and share.

We started with cocktails, quite a rarity for me I’m afraid. I chose one called ‘Montmartre’, equal parts Grey Goose and Lillet with a twist. Tasty!

Amuse:

Cauliflower soup

A small teacup of cauliflower essence, or so it seemed; talking with the chef after dinner, he explained the technique he uses for vegetable soups to preserve the flavor: put the soup in an ice bath immediately after pureeing it to chill it.

Firsts:

Loup de mer tartare with ginger, celery root & spoonbill caviar

Beef tartare with capers, cornichons & brioche

Avocado and Dungeness crab salad with chilled tomato soup

To me the fish tartars that Ethan does are the best expression of his talents. They always feature some unexpected combinations of flavors that turn out to be a revelation. The celery was pureed and was a perfect foil to the ginger. This was the second time I’ve had the beef tartare at Union and it still surprised me with the freshness and brightness of the flavors. Admittedly I’ve never had it elsewhere, so I don’t have much to compare to. The avocado and crab salad was good, but the highlight of the dish was the soup, perfect pure tomato flavor.

Seconds:

Seared ahi tuna with red pepper marmalade, micro greens & basil oil

Soft shell crab and pistachios with fingerling potato, pistachio salad

Braised pork cheek with herbed spaetzle & braising juices

Finding ahi preparations that aren’t Asian influenced is a nice change and the red peppers gave the right sweetness to compliment the tuna. The handful of times I’ve had soft shell before, the shell didn’t seem that, uh, soft, and I felt like I spent the whole time crunching with little flavor payoff. This however was very crisp with great flavor, due partly to the excellent crust of crushed pistachios. The pork cheek was, quite simply, braised meat nirvana. It had that texture that is the reason to relish braised meats of all kinds and it retained distinct flavoring. The spaetzle was the perfect vehicle to sop up the jus.

Entrees:

Grilled squab and sautéed foie gras with baked figs & aged balsamic

Wild sturgeon with chanterelle mushroom and shallot ragu

Grilled hangar steak and braised short rib with potato puree, bull’s blood beet greens & shallot sauce

Impossible for me to choose which of these was the best, all had their particular strengths and no particular weaknesses. The baked figs were glorious, not to mention the foie. The sauce with the sturgeon was an all-timer and the fish was perfectly cooked. The short rib was so tender, I could have spread it on bread. A good night for braised meat.

We splurged on wine and got a bottle of Chassagne-Montrachet (Burgundy) that did remarkably well along side such an eclectic menu. This was the first time I had Burgundy where I really understood why serious wine people get so excited about them.

Dessert was the cheese plate (sorry, don’t remember the specifics) and a fig and blackberry tart with cream filling to die for.

My final indulgence for the evening was a glass of Bas Armagnac. I was happy to see the restaurant completely full with a good buzz (the restaurant, not me).

[Really Nice!]

Kriste and I went to Union last night to celebrate our anniversary. I made arrangements with Jason, the bartender at Union, the night before.

We started the evening at our place to re-create our first dinner: Rover's scrambled eggs and caviar with creme fraiche (recipe is in KCTS Seattle Cooks Volume III), Roast chicken and Potatoes Anna.

Then we walked down to Union, stepped inside, and sat at a table by the bar. Kriste didn't know what was happening as we just had dinner at our place. Jason walked up and said, Happy Anniversary! <This was classy!!! Thank you Jason!>

We had desserts, Kriste had a Lemon curd tart with berries on a brioche. I had Creme fraiche mousse with port-infused figs. As per our prior arrangement, Jason brought us a bottle of 1994 Chateau D'Yquem. It was lovely, amazing, and fabulous!

This 375ml bottle was only $100. This was a steal as acknowledged by Jason. The retail price of it is generally in the $110-150 range. He said they originally had it for $140, but no one was interested so they lowered it to $100.

So, when is the next Egullet dinner there?

[tighe]

Can I pry and ask for details on the port-infused figs? Were they as tasty as I can imagine them to be?

There's a piece of my brain that prevents me from being able to think of a bottle of wine over $100 as being "a good deal". I need to have it surgically removed because I know there are many cases, such as this one, where it's true.

[tsquare]

FYI - recipe from Union for Panna Cotta in today's Pacific Magazine.

[white lotus]

Greetings. There was just me and Dubkat. We both ordered the tasting menu. I have to say that our serving person (tall guy with glasses, name?) and Hans (sp?) a person in a black suit were very nice. A number of the items we were served were not mentioned on the tasting menu. They were quite generous with us. I am hoping that Dubkat will fill in where my faulty memory has left off.

Amuse 1

sashimi (maguro maybe) tatare w/pickled sweet onion shavings on top.

Amuse 2

lobster salad surounded by cucumber puree with drops of orange oil

Starter

ginea hen terrine wtih port poached figs

Soup

corn with porcini crusted sea scallop

Fish

grilled hamachi with avocado mousse, orange reduction and shaved fennel

extra Fish course

wolf fish with a delicate saute of leeks, very small tomatoes and other veg (somewhere in there, i think, was some very sweet carmelized tiny onions)

Meat

grilled squab and sauteed foie gras with passion fruit and aged balsamic

(since Dubkat didn't want her foie gras, the server brought me hers prepared in an incredible fig sauce, so I had 2 foie gras courses)

Cheese

Tomme de savoie (pasteurized cow's milk from Savoie) with frize salad, poached dates (what, I have forgotten) and raison walnut bread

Dessert

golden rasberry sorbet with fresh berries

Desset 2

vanilla panna cotta with roasted plumbs and basil syrup

Dubkat, thankyou for a wonderful evening of conversation. This restaurant will see my face again. white lotus

[tighe]

(since Dubkat didn't want her foie gras, the server brought me hers prepared in an incredible fig sauce, so I had 2 foie gras courses)

←

Note to self....schedule more dinners with people who don't want their foie gras course!

[little ms foodie]

Greetings. There was just me and Dubkat. We both ordered the tasting menu. I have to say that our serving person (tall guy with glasses, name?) and Hans (sp?) a person in a black suit were very nice.

Did the waiter in glasses have dark hair and dark glasses rims, a bit of an accent?? I've had him too and he is also very nice.

In the 3 times I've been to Union I have always been given tastes of things or sent little extras, mainly from Jason the bartender who rocks!!

[dubkat]

This was definitely a real treat.

I had a few favorites but I am happy to report that there wasn't a thing that I wouldn't gladly order again.

Soup

corn with porcini crusted sea scallop.

This was such a perfect combination with the delicate corn soup poured around the scallop which was cooked perfectly.

Cheese

Tomme de savoie (pasteurized cow's milk from Savoie) with frize salad, poached dates (what, I have forgotten) and raison walnut bread

The combination of this cheese and the dates was perfect. I didn't eat any of the bread with it because I didn't want anything to interfere with it. The dates were prepared with white wine and vanilla.

Dessert 2

vanilla panna cotta with roasted plumbs and basil syrup

This was the most interesting flavor combo to me. The basil syrup was hardly sweet and very delicate and combined with the creamy panna cotta dreamily. I used the plums for contrast in between bites. I think all three together worked well too but the basil alone with the panna cotta was out of this world.

I must agree that our service was excellent. We appreciated the extra treats that were offered to us as well. But I also must say that I don't think our server had glasses. My reciept says his name is Bradford and he had light hair and no accent.

Thanks White Lotus for a great evening. It was my first trip to Union and I am glad I didn't miss it.

[DRColby]

Cathy and I would have to agree with all the praise of Union.

We visited rfor the first time, did 3 plates and share a desert. The food waws remarkable and even more amazing were the wines (by the glass) and knowledgable staff.

We have been to Cascadia and Lark in the recent months; I would put Union in the "not to miss" catagory.

The only problem we found was we arrived at 5:30 Saturday and had a 7:30 event so couldn't do the tasting menu.

Exiting quickly the door the host said, "make sure you don't miss lunch. It's a real deal." We won't.

dave

[Coop]

Wine Spectator has a great article on Seattle restaurants. They too love Chef Ethan and Union. They also love Lark and Troiani. A pretty good article if you ask me.

[Really Nice!]

Wine Spectator has a great article on Seattle restaurants. They too love Chef Ethan and Union.

←

Next thing you know, I'll be posting, "Hey, remember the days when no one was there and you could just walk in and get a table?!"

[ScorchedPalate]

Next thing you know, I'll be posting, "Hey, remember the days when no one was there and you could just walk in and get a table?!" 

←

All the more reason to make friends with the good gents there NOW!

Gourmet recommended Union (along with Lark) and -- quizzically to me and presumably to anyone else who's eaten there regularly -- dinged them heavily for their service!

All that keeps Union from soaring even higher is the amateur service in the dining room.

That's the kind of thing that makes me go "HUH??" Were they at the same Union we go to?? I could, and have, found a couple of nitpicky things to say about Union, but the service is definitely not one of them.

[Foodie-Girl]

Yeah, I don't get it.

We've been to Union twice and had poor service both times.

Now I KNOW many others have gone and had GREAT service.

We'll go again...maybe third time will be the charm and the service will reach the level of the food.