Date Night! -- Part 2

Tonight was a bit like coming home.  Tonight we returned to the place that sort of inspired it all.  Only this time, we were simply there for the dessert.

Restaurant name: Poppy
Food type:  "Thalia" (your own tasting menu on a plate)
Category:  Repeat customers
Location:  Seattle, WA
Reason for dining out:  Date Night... dessert 
Bonus features:  Rock star chef sighting! 
Food ordered:  Sweet Thalia for Two
Items of inspiration: None
Chance of repeat visit:  More than likely

Poppy.  I love this concept!  Why didn't I come up with it?  A few bites of a bunch of things.  I didn't even know I had a restaurant concept until I met this place during Seattle Restaurant week.

I first heard about this place by watching Top Chef Masters and seeing chef/owner Jerry Traunfeld compete.  I make a mental list of places based on chefs I've heard of from TV shows and have a side hobby of seeking them out.  This is how we found Susan Feniger's Street when we were in LA and Cafe Juanita/Holly Smith.  During Seattle Restaurant week we opted to go to Poppy and found the original inspiration for the creamed chard and roasted cauliflower mentioned in the first post of this blog.  We decided at that time that we needed to return sometime specifically for dessert.  Tonight was finally that night.

Upon arriving the first thing I noticed was the herb garden!  Compared to our initial visit back in April, there was a veritable bounty overflowing.  It has this way of making you feel at home in an amazing way.

Then we walk in and see the kitchen.  I could honestly just set up a camp chair in any restaurant and just STARE at the kitchen and all the activity that goes on there. It's a live showing of the food competition shows I adore.  Better reception than hi-def as well! 

But then it's time to actually get a table and become paying customers.  We're behind this super swanky group of young 20 somethings who all look like they read about food more... very quintessential Capitol Hill Seattle folks.  But all of a sudden I catch a glimpse of a young guy (who is much shorter than I expected) who looks quite familiar... and I whisper to The Critic "That's the guy!"  I ask the server if that's the chef/owner and she says "None other!"  Oh I wanted to snap a picture on my phone.  I just love it.  I've got to become an autograph hound for these people some day.  I'm not sure what it is about the whole scene that I love so much... but I admittedly (here) do.  I think it's so fun when I know someone like that, especially when others don't.  It has this odd way of making me feel like I arrived.

And so we had arrived... at eating.  The dessert Thalia for 2 was quite fun.  We picked the malted milk chocolate pudding with carmelized bananas, the hazelnut coffee butter crunch ice cream, and also enjoyed our lavender shortbread, nutter butter squares, passion fruit pâtes de fruit, and salted caramel truffles.  All was quite tasty with the passion fruit pâtes being quite the surprise.  I was also pleasantly pleased with the tiny bit of salt added to the banana brulee.  But after an incredible meal beforehand as well, I still found myself needing the "adorable box" to take home a few extra bites. 

I recommend this place to people who like to share.  And do come sometime for the dessert Thalia for 2... it makes for a sweet date night (oh har har har... what a caramel corny joke).