Veil (thin)

[Ling]

Just wanted to add that Veil has a Happy Hour menu that started about two weeks ago!

[dandelion]

Is it the kind of happy hour with special prices on drinks, or more like the happy hour at Union, where a cocktail is still $8, but there's a special food menu?

[Ling]

Drink specials too!

[dandelion]

Great, thanks for the tip! Maybe I'll hop off the bus a few stops early after work today and give it a try.

[hhlodesign]

for those of you curious about Veil's Happy hour:

[Marc Olson]

Last night four of us dined at Veil. When we arrived at 6:30 the sunshine was streaming into the dining room and the place was quiet. By the time we left (around 10:30), the bar was packed and in the main dining room only the communal table was full.

It was our first trip, and we ended up ordering and sharing all nine of the items from the appetizer menu (including the one app special).

Foie Gras 'burger' with peanut butter was an interesting twist. The guys liked it, the girls didn't. I thought the bun was a bit on the stale side, but the foie was well cooked. The special was a layered mousse with foie gra, rabbit, aspic and a icewine gelee. The consistency was a little on the thin side. Girls liked it, guys wanted another foie gras 'burger'.

Beef cheeks with tomato confit were tender and delicious. Along with the beef we had the lobster mac 'n' cheese. Sauce was tasty, lobster perfectly cooked and we were split on the noodles, which were similar to spaezle.

Next up was the spring onion soup with rabbit rillette--fantastic--and the asparagus tasting menu. The soup is a must have; the asparagus was interesting but not something I would order again.

Tuna 'two ways': seared with ramps and a garlic sauce along with a tartare and mint aoli. The tartare was my favorite.

The two salads were next. Beet salad was good, but better was the goat cheese salad. The goat cheese was fresh and served on the bottom of the bowl, lightly dressed lettuce leaves, pickled grapes and toasted hazelnuts. A nice transition to our entrees.

We shared two entrees: flatiron steak with brussel sprout and potato hash. The meat was very good, some of the brussel sprouts were on the crunchy side. The other entree was a Spanish sea bass served with a pickled fennel salad and chickpeas/chorizo. The skin on the fish was crispy and the fish well cooked.

For dessert two of us had the salted peanut butter ice cream (yum) and also the chocolate Mousse tower (!!!) and the strawberry/rhubarb sorbet.

Our server was great, keeping up with new plates and silver service as we went through these courses. As we were leaving he said that if we call in advance we could arrange a tasting menu (as many courses as we want), so we'll be back to try that route soon.

[scarlett]

A friend and I headed out for drinks before a function on Friday. I'd been meaning to check out Veil and had a dim memory of their new happy hour. They didn't have the happy hour specials listed on the website (and I forgot about the post here), so I sent them an e-mail. A quick response from the restaurant sealed the deal...we were headed to Veil.

They have a great list of specialty cocktails, all $6 for happy hour. My friend ordered a champagne drink with lavender honey. Delish. Next up we ordered the lamb burger. That's actually three mini burgers, all identical, on brioche. Cooked to perfection, the burgers were so juicy, with the first bite, juices were running down my hand....They were so tasty, I didn't care!

We lingered for a bit, enjoying our drinks and made plans to come back again. Dinner plans elsewhere, prevented us from indulging further. But then the bartender said, "Have you tried the beef cheeks? They're amazing." Okay, we decided to try them (off the regular menu). They were meltingly delicious!

Sarah, the bartender, was personable & it was great talking with her. Everyone we met--from the host, to the bartender, and other servers were really friendly.

With the lamb burgers and beef cheeks haunting my memory, I'll be making a return trip to Veil soon!

The only drawback...I would like to see some other offerings at happy hour. With 6 choices, two of them being salads, it's not my kind of kickback-after-work-with-a-drink kind of fare. But as long as those lamb burgers are on the menu, I'll be back, even if the rest of the menu is limiting.

[Ling]

I just heard about a wine dinner at Veil on Monday night. Here's the info:

********

DUNHAM CELLARS WINE DINNER AT VEIL RESTAURANT & LOUNGE

Local Wine Maker Eric Dunham joins Chef Shannon Galusha for 6-Course Wine Dinner

Seattle, June 28, 2006 – Veil Public Relations proudly welcomes on Monday, July 17th, Eric Dunham and Dunham Cellars for an intimate five-course seasonal dinner at Veil Restaurant, carefully prepared by Chef Shannon Galusha to pair with Dunham’s world-class wines. Using grapes from some of the finest vineyards in the Walla Walla, Yakima and Columbia Valleys, Dunham Cellars has established an award-winning reputation for their Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah. When Eric’s first vintage, a 1995 Cabernet Sauvignon was released, it was deemed one of the finest wines made in Washington by Wine Enthusiast Magazine. Dunham Cellars Syrah is also earning high marks with wine writers and consumers alike. Eric shows his artistic side by creating original artworks for all of Dunham Cellars vineyard designated and special bottlings.

Dunham wines featured will include the Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Trutina (a Bordeaux style blend), Chardonnay, Rose, and an Ice Wine.

Cocktail reception to commence at 6pm. Dinner to follow at 7pm sharp.

The restaurant will be closed exclusively for this event. Space is limited to 45 guests. Cost is $110 per person excluding tax and gratuity. Reservations can be made by calling Veil directly 206.216.0600

Menu

amuse

bread salad, spanish chorizo and parmigiano reggiano

wild striped bass tar tare / Rose 2005

french green melons and pickled oysters

smoked salmon carpaccio/ Chardonnay 2005

jumbo asparagus and parsley

hoffman farms quail / Syrah 2005

confit leg, bramble fruits vinaigrette and foie de canard

smoked ham knuckles / Trutina 2003

braised legumes, pole beans and trutina vinaigrette

intermezzo

lemon and thyme sorbet

roasted “best end” of venison / Cabernet Sauvignon 2002

beets, sultana and wild herbs

goat cheese sherbet / Ice wine

cold hollow apricot salad and pistachio praline

[a2k]

Rumor has it Veil is going to start serving brunch. This could be good...

[Ling]

We went to a birthday dinner at Veil last weekend.

Started with champagne and gougeres

We had wine pairings with each course, but I seem to have misplaced my notes. I'll post them later if anyone's interested in seeing the pairings.

tuna carpaccio

scallop, eggplant puree, heirloom tomatoes

-this was probably my favourite dish of the evening...really enjoyed the eggplant with the scallop

salmon, fava bean puree, corn puree

-fish was overdone, but the fava bean puree was very tasty and left quite coarse so it gave the dish a bit of texture

I don't quite recall the sorbet that arrived at this point--I think it was grapefruit, with orange supremes underneath. I thought the sorbet was too sweet for a palate cleanser...the sweetness level would have been more appropriate before the dessert course.

(Sorry about how dark it is, I forgot to lighten this picture in Photoshop.)

Wagyu flatiron, wild mushrooms, potato puree

-this dish was also very delicious, and the potatoes had an interesting smoky-sweet flavour to them

cheese course with onion jam

-I asked about the cheese and was told it was a goat's cheese

I made a Valrhona chocolate dome cake which the kitchen plated with their famous salted peanut butter ice-cream. I love this ice-cream, and the combination was like a Reeses peanut butter cup all grown up.

[Adiabatic]

I just heard Veil is closing........anyone know if this is true?

Della (using Greg's log-in)

[hhlodesign]

I just heard Veil is closing........anyone know if this is true?

Della (using Greg's log-in)

←

From the owner's mouth, "No, we are not closing!"

Where did you hear this?

[Adiabatic]

Della (using Greg's computer again)

It certainly wasn't meant to be harmful and the person that asked me if I had heard anything was sincere in their asking. I am glad they aren't closing........sorry to be the reason anyone is upset.

Della

[it's 5 pm somewhere!]

went to Veil on Friday night. We were there from 7 to 8:30 and there were only 3 other tables taken. The bar was more empty than full. The food was good, and the service was lovely. I would eat somewhere else the next time I want $25-30 entrees, though.

[noambenami]

Went out to Veil last night with a few folks. The place was fairly busy, with a constant stream of dishes coming out of the kitchen.

The started us out with an amuse of brunoise-sized croutons with panchetta, lemon juice and herbs. Terrific, if a bit clumsy to eat.

Appetizers included the goat cheese salad, which was a beautiful pile of lettuces with hazelnuts, grape halves and hazelnut oil. Just nice. The sweatbreads, though, were outstanding, even better than those at Crush, which was my previous standard. Served with grits and mushrooms.

A butternut squash soup with brussel sprouts and bacon looked fine and the plate was licked clean.

The mains were a black cod with roasted baby beets. It was pronounced amazing. The chicken with bacon, mushrooms, and corn was fantastic - smoky and so juicy it may have been carefully brined. My dish of duck with farro was great, although I'm not a big fan of figs and handed the roasted instances thereof to someone else.

We finished with, of course, the salted peanut ice cream with the "nutter butter" base. It did not disappoint - fresh from the pacojet, quite well balanced, one of the folks at my table called it the best ice cream she had ever had.

The decor is very minimalist, bordering on cold, and the lighting inside is far too bright for the proximity of the tables...but I'll come back. This is delicious stuff coming out of one of the most skilled kitchens in Seattle.

Its also a damn sexy kitchen. Where Crush's kitchen looked a little greasy and a bit messy, this kitchen is in a whole different league. Peek in when you go.

[Ling]

We went to the Leslie Sbrocco event last night--4 courses with paired wines. Although this was the shortest tasting menu I've had at Veil, it was by far the best.

roasted petite beets with red onion cream and horseradish

mussels with fregola sarda, chorizo, oven-dried tomato

roasted Muscovy drake duck with farro, fig and saba

big island coconut sorbet with vanilla roasted pineapple and warm tapioca

The two stand-outs for me were the barely poached mussels with the hearty fregola, and the dessert was easily the best dessert I've had for many months. The flavours were well-balanced, and the texture of the tapioca with the sorbet (not to mention the temperature difference) made for one pretty damn sexy experience.

[mukki]

I've heard so much about the peanut butter ice cream at Veil that I thought I'd mention that the recipe was in Bon Appetit's Sept 06 issue as part of Veil's "Peanut Butter Shortbread with Peanut Butter Ice Cream and Peanut Crunch."

[Ling]

^It is...but it is an interpretation done by Bon Appetit. Apparently they (Veil staff) tried the Bon Appetit version after it was published and it was...interesting. So you'll have to go to the restaurant for the real thing.

BTW, I did some stuff at Veil today. Like garam masala truffles.

[mukki]

^It is...but it is an interpretation done by Bon Appetit. Apparently they (Veil staff) tried the Bon Appetit version after it was published and it was...interesting.  So you'll have to go to the restaurant for the real thing.

BTW, I did some stuff at Veil today. Like garam masala truffles. 

←

Well, that stinks. Why'd they do that? I take it the recipe isn't worth trying, then? It sure sounds good.

[Foodie-Girl]

^It is...but it is an interpretation done by Bon Appetit. Apparently they (Veil staff) tried the Bon Appetit version after it was published and it was...interesting.  So you'll have to go to the restaurant for the real thing.

BTW, I did some stuff at Veil today. Like garam masala truffles. 

←

***And they were delicious, Lorna !!

Char & Richard

[Ling]

Glad you liked them! I made chai truffles yesterday.

Well, that stinks. Why'd they do that? I take it the recipe isn't worth trying, then? It sure sounds good.

←

Probably because most home cooks don't have invert sugar in their cupboard. (BTW, I apologize in advance but I can't divulge the real recipe.) I think Bon Appetit was trying to make the recipe appear more accessible, and taste was a secondary factor.

Edited November 18, 2006 by Ling (log)

[WarblyTremolo]

I ate at Veil in august. Having worked previously with Galusha at 727 Pine I was, needless to say, quite excited to have his food again since I moved to Chicago when 727 closed. My "date" disappeared off the face of the earth the day of the reservation, so I snaked another former 727 employee to go with me (against his will).

In a word: Delicious.

Having watched Shannon prepare a new dish, taste it and then throw it in the garbage after one bite has helped me to realize how seriously this man takes his food, so I know that when he puts an item on a menu, he's dead serious about it being what he wants it to be.

As good as the restaurants are in Chicago (and there are some GREAT restaurants here), none of them really please me the way that Shannon's food pleases me. There are days when I feel like flying back to Seattle for dinner at Veil...

I meant to take photos, but, being on vacation, I had been drinking before dinner and forgot my camera. Oh well, maybe next time.

[Dianabanana]

Rumor has it Veil is going to start serving brunch. This could be good...

←

Went to brunch at Veil this morning. A sad experience.

We waited many long minutes for anyone to notice we were there before being brusquely seated.

My simplest questions were answered by our waiter reading my husband's menu over his shoulder.

My black tea was so astringent as to be undrinkable, having been prepared with over 1/4 cup of tea leaves to a small pot of water. Although delicious, my husband's ricotta pancakes with blueberry anise compote were insanely overpriced at $13 for four silver-dollar sized pancakes, a tablespoon of compote, a tablespoon of butter, and a tiny pitcher of syrup. Meanwhile, for only $15, I got a perfectly prepared crab and artichoke omelet and smashed potatoes that was more than enough for two, and made with a generous amount of lump crab meat. Bizarre.

Finally, the hushed, minimalist atmosphere just feels dreary at brunch, and not only to us, apparently. Although there were lots of families with small children and mixed groups of friends, there was no cheerful bustle, no laughter and clink of cutlery--just somber conversation in the gray light.

[tsquare]

It had been a long time since we were last at Veil. With dining companions headed to the opera, a wedding reception scheduled at Crow, and a Saturday supper needed, we chanced it.

It was that hot May night. The air conditioning wasn't up to the task (later in the evening, someone realized opening the side door would create a good, old fashioned breeze) but a menu with plenty of cool starters was inviting. A fancy herbal and rum cocktail set me in the mood for relaxing.

Hits for starters included: "green salad" a lovely mixture of legumes artfully arranged and accompanied by lemon foam and dots of herb reduction, a dual colored beet salad on a bed of pistachio vinegrette, warm lamb tongue, and aspargus soup poured at the table into the bowl hosting a poached egg.

Entrees like tagliatelle with truffle butter and english peas, lamb foreshank "the essence of lamb", painterly plates of giant sea scallops, and a trio of mini lamb burgers quckly disappeared.

The desserts, the famous salted peanut butter ice cream, a log of semi frozen chocolate filled with caramel atop a bed of chocolate soil, and a lime curd architectural deconstruction accompanied by a sour cherry sorbet left us in a bit of a stupor, but happy.

Service was not too formal; they carefully watched the time for us, and we were quite pleased.

[Shalmanese]

I went to Veil last Friday with my father. We had the lamb burgers to start and then I had scallops and he had a halibut. The food was tasty but from 7:30 - 9:00, there were only 2 or 3 other tables full in the dining room. The bar was decently busy though.