By Chris and Nancy Johnson, special to the Blog.
Our sneak preview of the new Greenwood American Bistro on the corner of 85th and Greenwood at their soft opening was a rainy night delight.
Although parking can be a challenge until you get the lay of the land in that busy heart of Greenwood, once you enter you are greeted by friendly knowledgeable staff. The room is large but pleasantly lit, spacious but still cozy. And even at capacity, the sound level allows for conversation.
Service is attentive and swift, and the team seems to know their menu well. The menu is approachable and familiar yet creatively unique. And moderately priced for an upscale experience. Chef Grant Rico uses local, fresh ingredients from Land (like chicken, lamb, beef) and Sea (including oysters, salmon, rockfish, black cod, albacore) and are all accompanied by creative house-made sauces. The menu is divided into sections with salads, sandwiches, sharable plates and mains, which they call ‘grandes’.
Our server recommended a great way to start, an amazing Pita bread (infused with sugarkelp!) baked in their Italian dome oven, and served warm with ‘carrot shmoo’ and ‘salsa macha’ sauces for dipping. We enjoyed many delicious dishes and the wines we tasted were outstanding as well.
By the grand opening, their wine list will be just as creative and complete as their other beverage offerings. And their pastry chef will (hopefully) be baking by then so I’m sure there will be plenty of tempting desserts to complete your meal.
We’ll be back soon to try more of the menu and end our visit on a sweet note, if we remember to save room.
The starters, sharables and mains our party tasted and loved…
Starters
Sugarkelp pita served with carrot shmoo, salsa macha, marcona almonds
Gem Salad with chicken breast, goat cheese, espuma, apple
Sharables
Oysters from Baywater half Sweets and half Indigos from Thorndyke Bay Hood Canal
Crudo kelp-cured rockfish, aguachile, cucumber, red inion, cilantro, radish
Heirloom bean dip with herb oil, pickled mushroom, spices, crudites
Flank steak skewer butternut squash puree, tare, scallion
Grandes
Seared black cod farro, chorizo, oyster mushroom
Salmon bowl ‘dirty’ rice, braised seaweed, aioli, cilantro, scallion, furikake, poached egg
Braised lamb black garlic mole, charred allium relish, baby potato
Bistro steak potato, braised kale, chimichurri, bearnaise
