Archive
Ballard Restaurant News – End of March
Po Dogs officially opened on March 23. Eater Seattle and My Ballard has the scoop.
Voracious talks beer at Urban Family Public House.
Seattleite Magazine Sloopersizes their Happy Hour at The Sloop.
My Ballard and Seattle Magazine’s Sauced blog talk to the owners of The Gerald.
My Ballard has more information about the renovation of Zak’s Burgers.
The Counter unexpectedly closes. We will really miss their Parmesan French Fries.
My Ballard, Voracious, and Sauced all have pieces about our newest coffee shop, Ballard Coffee Works.
Mike Seely at Seattle Weekly waxes nostalgic about Hattie’s Hat.
Voracious has a nice look at Staple & Fancy during its slow times.
Nosh Pit has a list of places for Easter Sunday brunch which includes Ray’s Boathouse and Belle Clementine.
Speaking of Belle Clementine, Seattle Weekly reviews the food … and the communal dining experience.
Sauced visits Ballard’s newest small distillery, Captive Spirits.
The Stranger’s Chow Bio features MacLeod’s Pub.
Also at The Stranger, Bethany Jean Clement urges you to try Le Gourmand before it closes on June 2 and Nosh Pit gives some hints at what might be served at Le Gourmand before that fateful day.
In their on going list of favorite 100 dishes in Seattle, Voracious includes the chips and salsa at Senor Moose and the beef fat fries at Golden Beetle.
Ballard Restaurant News – March – First Half
Voracious gives one of my favorites, El Camion, a try.
Voracious also reports on Ocho’s happy hour.
RoRo BBQ opens in Zestos old building. The food was certainly a step up from what Zesto’s had served.
Wow. Class Magazine names not one, but four Ballard bars (Bastille, Copper Gate, The Sexton, and Macleod’s Pub) in their list of Seattle’s 12 Best Bars.
Voracious has MacLeod’s Pub serve up a Singapore Sling.
The Seattle Weekly reviews The Sexton. Not that I agree with them about the food.
Seattleite goes the La Carte de Oaxaca and The Amber Den.
Ballard’s outpost of Po Dogs to open soon.
The new restaurant review show, “Check Please! Northwest”, featured Golden Beetle on their inaugural episode.
Voracious talks to Greg Bye, the owner of Ballard’s newest food cart, Streetzeria.
Seattleite discusses pairing food with red wine at Ray’s Boathouse.
Ballard Coffee Works, located next to Cupcake Royal, has softly opened according to Eater Seattle.
The Amber Den – 2/25/2012
Location: 1556 NW 56th St
Hours:
Mon-Sun: 2pm-10pm
Happy Hour:
Mon-Sat: 4pm-7pm
Sunday: All day
Open only three weeks, The Amber Den has used its small space well, making it a much needed spot to relax and enjoy a drink at the east end of Market Street. On the corner of 56th and 17th, in a space that has seen a couple of coffee shops come and go, The Amber Den is the type of place to go for a glass of wine and a few small bites before seeing a movie at the Majestic Bay.
The comfortable space has a mixture of tall bar stools and tables and groupings of couches and chairs that invite hanging out. There is an extra loft space that overlooks the main space with a few more tables, chairs, a couch and a bookcase with an eclectic array of donated books. With free wi-fi available, The Amber Den is an interesting alternative to the typical coffee shop, inviting you to stay a while.
Their small menu consists of a variety of small bites that range from meat and cheese plates to stuffed mushrooms to harissa spiced meatballs. They serve local beer and wine along with various non-alcoholic options. The most interesting thing about their wine list is the four choices of Washington State wines on tap.
The Service:
Our server was very friendly and full of suggestions about the best wines and food. When J’s choice of wine came from a nearly tapped out keg, she brought a glass with the last bit, gratis, before bringing a glass of wine from the new keg.
The Drink:
J chose the Proletariat Bordeaux Blend. He found the flavor difference between the end of one keg and the new keg very interesting. The end of the keg wine was stronger with more tannin while the first glass of the new keg tasted far milder.
I had the Hard Row to Hoe Pinot Noir, a fresh and bright red with a bitey finish.
The Food:
We ended up ordering nearly their entire menu. First was the Crostini Trio, a small plate of three homemade pestos (basil, tomato and chimichurri) and bread. The plating was very clever, offering three pestos and six thin slices of baguette. We both felt that the baguette slices needed to be toasted just a bit more. It was a little soft for crostini. The basil pesto was bright with a strong basil/olive oil flavor. The chimichurri was a little too grassy tasting for us. It needed a hit of citrus and/or salt to counteract the green flavor. The best of the three pestos was the tomato, with its rich, caramelized taste.
Next we decided to try the Den Fries, lightly seasoned potato pieces served with chipotle catsup and an avocado aioli. The potatoes could have been a bit crispier and done with some more seasoning … perhaps salt or lemon. The nearly flavorless avocado aioli could have done with the same extra hit of seasoning as the potatoes. The winner of this small plate was the perfectly spiced chipotle catsup. J remarked that they should bottle and sell it since it was so good.
The Albondigas, beef and lamb meatballs in a homemade honey-harissa glaze, were awesome. The little, slightly charred meatballs tasted unlike any meatball either of us had ever eaten. Perfectly cooked with a sweet-spicy sauce. Delicious. We would go back to The Amber Den again just for these meatballs alone.
Then came the Blue Cheese ‘n Bacon Mushrooms, mushroom caps stuffed with a blue cheese, bacon, and date filling. So tasty. The addition of the date to the filling helped to cut the sharpness of the high quality blue cheese. We could have eaten two or three more plates.
Our final small plate was the perfectly Garlic Shrimp tossed with garlic and chorizo. The addition of the hard, salty chorizo gave this dish a spiciness that uplifted what could have been a bland dish. The only issue I had was the odd, floral aftertaste of the garlic and J thought the portion was a little small. Otherwise it was quite good.
The Price:
Proletariat Bordeaux Blend: 8.00 (7.00 Happy Hour)
Hard Row to Hoe Pinot Noir: 6.00 (5.00 Happy Hour)
Crostini Trio: 5.00 (4.00 Happy Hour)
Den Fries: 4.00 (3.00 Happy Hour)
Albondigas: 7.00 (6.00 Happy Hour)
Blue Cheese ‘n Bacon Mushrooms: 7.00 (6.00 Happy Hour)
Garlic Shrimp: 7.00 (6.00 Happy Hour)
The Verdict:
The Amber Den was a neat, little place with a creative menu, good wine, and nice Happy Hour deals. The friendly staff and inviting atmosphere encourage lingering over a glass of wine and the tasty small plates. I can imagine J and I going back before seeing a movie or a show in Ballard and if they were open later, it would be the perfect place for a nightcap. We’ll be returning for the stuffed mushrooms and meatballs at the very least.
Ballard Restaurant News – End of February
Will Louie’s be closing? Who knows? My Ballard has the news and the not so clear clarification on what’s going on.
Turns out that the Ballard Pizza Company, which is going in next door to the Ballard Loft, is the brainchild of Ethan Stowell of Staple & Fancy fame. Nosh Pit reports it will serve New York style pizza.
Ethan Stowell and Staple & Fancy are up for a James Beard Award as Best Northwest chef.
The Daily Meal names The Walrus and the Carpenter one of its top 101 restaurants in America for 2012.
Sauced blog suggests trying one of La Carte de Oaxaca’s rotating aqua frescas if you’re looking for a tasty non-alcoholic drink.
The Gerald, a Mad Men inspired bar located on Ballard Ave down by King’s Hardware and MacLeod’s Pub, is tentatively scheduled to open at the end of March. Nosh Pit has more details about The Gerald.
Bon Appetit magazine declares the Bacon, Oatmeal, and Raisin cookies from Hot Cakes (coming soon to Ballard Ave) as one of their Best Coffee Bar Desserts in America.
According the Ballard News-Tribune, Ballard Coffee Works is scheduled to open on March 24th in the old Tully’s space on the corner of Market and 22th.
The Stranger takes a look at The Fat Hen and the small island of restaurants on 15th and 70th.
Ballard Restaurant Project 