Bateau

For our latest date night, we dined at Renee Erikson's celebrated restaurant, Bateau.  Every little detail was pronounced and unique.  From the large and artsy lighting fixtures, to the change of plate-ware between courses and the dehydrated orange slice in my Sidecar, no detail was forgotten.  Yes, Bateau is special and I haven't even gotten to the food.  It's all about the beef here.  This contemporary steakhouse on Capital Hill features butchered and dry aged beef done in house.  The quality of beef is very high and is from grass-fed cows.  You can select which cut you'd like from the large chalkboard which the servers make changes to through out the evening.  The service is refined, yet friendly, as I find most restaurants in the area to be like. 

We each started off with drinks-an Old Fashioned for my husband and a Sidecar for me.  We got the bread service which was from Sea Wolf Bakery in Fremont and it came with whipped butter that spread like magic and tasted so creamy.   An Amuse Bouche was then presented to us.  Two small Potato Croquettes with Coffee Aioli.  The Coffee Aioli was bitter with a bite to it, like a strong sip of espresso, and the potato bite was starchy and savory.  Our appetites were awoken and we couldn't wait for our next course.

We shared everything that night because then we could try more dishes.  We had a nice salad, the

Chicories—peregion beans, fennel, cured beef belly, hen’s egg & green goddess.  There was so much care and work put into this salad.  Every bite had to be savored and I knew I'd never be able to pull of a dish like this at home.  The cured beef belly was a nice surprise as we'd never had it in a salad before.  The flavors were salty and deep and balanced nicely with the produce, eggs, and sauce.  I also ordered a Cosmo cocktail and thought the small glassware with the gold rim was lovely and memorable.    

By then I could have called it a night, I was already happy.  But then it was time for the Buttery Mashed Potatoes and the Steak and I knew I had to make some room for the beef.  We shared a cut of the six ounce Bavette.  It's a little thicker of a cut and it was cooked medium rare.  It was basically perfect and it was topped with a Preserved Lemon and Brown Butter sauce.  It was seasoned just right and every bite was wonderful.  The mashed potatoes were soft, silky, and buttery with just the right amount of garlic. 

We wanted to end the meal on a sweet note so we took a glance at the dessert menu.  The Mont Blanc jumped out to me and I knew we had to order it.  I first tried this French dessert in Paris in 2011 and loved every bite.  It was from Angelina and was so rich and decadent I slowly ate it though out several days, it staying cool in our small fridge.  The Mont Blanc had chocolate and chestnut paste and had a depth to it that most French desserts do.  The one at Bateau was different as it was made with white meringue and had pears and contained just a touch of chestnut paste.  But it was light and refreshing and ended up being just the right thing to conclude out dinner.  And if that wasn't enough, they presented us with complimentary chocolate mint meringues for just one last little perfect detail to send us off into the night with.