 |
St. Clouds adds to Madrona dining legend
Friday, November 17, 2000
By MICHAEL HOOD
Madrona is a friendly, upscale neighborhood that for the last decade has had a great restaurant scene.
ST. CLOUDS
The latest example is St. Clouds, housed where the late lamented hangout Cool Hand Luke's used to be. Though named after the orphanage in John Irving's "Cider House Rules," the resemblance to anywhere institutional ends with the name. The orphans drive Beamers and Volvos to this airy open dining room with its cozy bar where live music plays nightly.
For starters, we had the portabella pizza, with a luscious whole mushroom as the "crust" and loaded down with smoked mozzarella and a choice of chicken apple sausage or red peppers. Vegetarians have lots of delicious options here. Like the Caramelized Onion/Grilled Pear and Goat Cheese Bruschetta, a goaty crunch of warm, cool, sweet and salt.
The corn flour dusted calamari was dry-fried tender and served with a fiery yellow-pepper sauce. The marinated sauteed shrimp with summer salsa was a martini glass filled with a light and tangy "salsa" of black beans, mango, avocado and crunchy jicama. The shrimp hanging off the sides of the glass were flavor-free and a little rubbery.
There's a tradition in this neighborhood of mixing the imaginative with home-cooking. Cool Hand Luke's had cinnamon rolls side by side with Szechuan eggplant and the late, great Plenty Fine Foods across the street had glamorous takeout and casual Southern dinners.
St. Clouds continues that with their dinner menu split between "Home for Dinner" or "Out for Dinner." Happily, either is a good choice. The homey side offers herb-roasted chicken and mashers; a rice bowl with ginger-steamed vegetables or slow-roasted ribs with corn bread and collard greens.
Going "Out" has some surprises, too. We had the pan-roasted market fish, which changes with fish availability. We had it with halibut, which was cooked perfectly, topped by a peanut, soy ginger sauce and served with sauteed whole spinach and a "lemon grass noodle salad." The latter was not a salad at all but a pile of soba noodles spiked with the citrousy herb and permeated with the juices of fish and sauce. It was sensational, a great collection of flavors and textures.
Another winner was the Hoppin' John Supper, griddle cakes of black-eyed peas with a lemon goat cheese aioli, an assortment of grilled vegetables, another good vegetarian choice. The Tandoori-Inspired Grilled Chicken was boneless breasts marinated in lime and chilies, broiled and served over a fragrant jasmine rice.
I ordered the Chinese 5-Spice-Rubbed Flank Steak rare and it came that way with a tangy sesame orange sauce served with a couple of delicate corncakes and a little heap of beet puree.
The wine list is pretty basic but with a few interesting choices like the '96 Beringer Howell Mountain merlot and the '97 Dominie Venetie Amerone Classico. My party and I were pleased that there was a cabernet offered by the glass.
The dessert menu is brief, but paroxysms of joy were heard over the macadamia nut brownie and vanilla ice cream drizzled with mango-caramel puree.
Lunch has sandwiches and salads and some of the dinner items with lunch prices. Weekend brunch brings the Madrona natives out with their toddlers. Try the scrambled eggs with collard green pesto and pancetta or the homemade corned beef hash. Or the Cool Hand Luke's Imperial Mix-up, the semilegendary gingery jumble of rice, Portuguese sausage (or tempeh) and green onions, which, it's reported, stayed on the menu by threat of neighborhood revolt.
There's pastry baked on the premises -- we loved the white chocolate scones and the sour cream coffeecake.
And St. Clouds is a kid-friendly place. Seattle restaurants aren't always. There are kids' menus with stuff like chocolate chippancakes, macaroni and cheese, spaghetti and meatballs, and burgers. The prices are moderate enough that you can bring a family or eat here often.
Warning: The service is good but very, very friendly -- just on this side of being annoying. I've never understood that criticism of Seattle that it's too nice. Would the critics prefer the alternative? If you're one of those that would, St. Clouds is not for you. Otherwise, you must go there at once.
SPECIAL TO THE POST-INTELLIGENCER
Along 34th Avenue, there's been an incestuous tangle of chefs and owners, sometimes trading places, but somehow keeping high quality for a neighborhood who appreciates it. I'm happy to report that it's perpetuating itself deliciously. RESTAURANT REVIEW
PHONE: 206-726-1522
PRICES: Lunch starters $3.50-$4.75; entrees $7.00-$9.25; dinner appetizers $5.75-$7.50; entrees $8.75-$14.25.
HOURS: Lunch: Monday, Wednesday-Friday 11:30 a.m.-5 p.m.; Dinner: Wednesday-Monday 5-11 p.m.; Brunch: Saturday-Sunday 9 a.m.-2 p.m.; closed Tuesday.
BAR: Full
SMOKING: No
RESERVATIONS: Recommended
PAYMENT: AE, MC, V
ACCESS: No obstacles.
PARKING: Free on street
BEST BETS: Portabella pizza, $6.75; Caramelized Onion/Grilled Pear and Goat Cheese Bruschetta, $5.75; Hoppin' John Supper, $9.25; Chinese 5-Spice-Rubbed Flank Steak With Sesame Orange Sauce, $13.75; Pan-Roasted Market Fish, $16.
**
· Drink Up: Sparkling Ginger Lemonade
· Cook It: Pasta with Sugar Snap Peas, Asparagus, Ricoota & Brown Butter
· Author warns about seafood industry
· Drink Up: Maritime Pacific Imperial Pale Ale
· Coconut Lime Shrimp
· What Are You Drinking?
· Stay In CD: Craig David
· How To: Create flower beds
· Stay In Dinner: CRAB AND LOBSTER BURGER
· Cook It: Moroccan-Style Chicken Breasts
· Drink Up: Pink Drink
· Drink Up: Lemonade Float
more
101 Elliott Ave. W.
Seattle, WA 98119
(206) 448-8000
Home Delivery: (206) 464-2121 or (800) 542-0820
seattlepi.com serves about 1.7 million unique visitors
and 30 million page views each month.
Send comments to newmedia@seattlepi.com
Send investigative tips to iteam@seattlepi.com
©1996-2008 Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Terms of Use/Privacy Policy
