The Walrus & The Carpenter

The first restaurant by local Chef Renee Erickson and partners, this is a quaint spot tucked in the back of what appears to be an old, converted warehouse.  The restaurant touts itself as an oyster bar and the selection is fresh daily and ever-changing.  On this particular evening we selected the Eagle Rock, Barron Point, and Hove Cove oysters.  I have to say my experience with raw oysters in Seattle has been extremely elevated after growing up on local Florida oysters.  The Pacific Northwest selections have a more clean and bright briney taste and are much larger with a more firm, meaty texture.

The other selections here were excellent as well.  A dish of olive oil marinated Castelvetrano olives and warm, locally baked crusty white bread with butter made a nice amuse while we perused the menu.  We settled on the French Onion Soup which was done classically with a beef broth base and gruyere and it was delicious.  The Octopis was grilled and very tender and topped with fresh parsley.  The saltiness of the squid ink balanced nicely with the sweeter more mild octopus.  The Salmon Belly was served skin on over a root puree and topped with shaved radish and parsley.

The cocktail menu is a great compilation of varying spirits, unique mixers, and the use of herbs and fruits.  We selected the Schoolhouse Buck which consisted of bourbon, apple shrub, and then topped with ginger beer; great flavors.  The Mustache Ride was another bourbon cocktail along with cynar, lemon, allspice dram, and a touch of maple.