We stumbled onto Morris’ Fireside after Bill’s Brew House didn’t have any available seating. And I’m glad that they didn’t, because this was a good food experience. The log cabin interior was cozy and felt like a Northwest Seafood restaurant should. The only thing that didn’t quite work was the large neon fish outline mounted on the wall over the kitchen, but it added to the overall NW feeling – we want to be grown up and trendy but we just can’t shake our duck boots heritage… The large rock fireplace open to both sides of the dining room was apropos and worked as a substantial centerpiece to wrap the dining room around.
The foyer entry seemed awkward – a sign said that we were supposed to wait to be seated but there was no host station and it was enough separated from the restaurant to feel disjointed. Once we were spotted, however, we were greeted warmly and it took about 6 minutes for our party of 12 to be seated.
The menu was what you’d expect to find on the coast but also inspired enough that the chef is obviously in touch with quality food trends. My first course was black bean w/ bacon soup - served with a scoop of sour cream – very flavorful. The salad looked fresh and was put together with care, in a little haute cuisine kind-of-way.
The salmon was tender and fresh and the garlic mashed potatoes were thick and chunky with clumps of real potato. The broccoli on the side was the perfect balance of crisp and tender, but not very well seasoned. The bread was crispy on the outside and a deep yellow color. The inside was light and airy and it looked and tasted as though it may have been baked in a brick oven – maybe an egg bread of some kind. I tasted a few bites of the Shrimp and Scallop Carbonara (wonderful) and eyed the halibut sitting on the plate to my right, which appeared perfectly cooked: browned and beautifully flakey. If he’d of looked away for one second, I’d have helped myself.
Service was friendly but not especially fast – in fact we decided to order wine after our initial drink order but our server didn’t ever stay around long enough for us to ask for it. Prices for dinner were on the higher side, most entrees were in the $20 - $34 range. The wine list was short but decent, with a couple of regional bottles that I would’ve liked to have tried. Overall, though, it was a good experience. I would love to go back and try some other dishes (especially that halibut!).
Rating: Inspired menu, top quality fresh ingredients. Just below outstanding.
No comments:
Post a Comment