Sitka and Spruce

Date night!  The Critic picked the places.  Sitka and Spruce was the first spot.  This is the same owner as The Corson Building, so a similar concept.  It's located in the back of an almost oddly placed market on Capitol Hill.  I had to check several times to make sure I was in the right place.  When you go ALL the way to the back, there is a little kitchen with tables right there so you can watch all the cooking action.  I swear this is my favorite type of thing to do, but I feel bad for the guys in the kitchen.  Always some foodie watching your work in the kitchen... I am likely exactly the person they roll their eyes at.  Oh well.  I have fun and they get paid, so that's a win-win, right?

The food was okay.  Some things are even to "foodie" for us.  As The Critic put it, the foodie in me rejoiced, but the need for comfort food in me was sadly under served.  It is a balance.  I'm posting this on a delay and have very little idea what the food was.  Pretty to look at but, with one exception, hard to mention and sometimes, hard to finish!

 This bread was delicious!  The spread it came with was kind of like spreadable ham.  So, um... fancy spam?  It was good, but the bread was better served later.

 Hmmmm.   A grilled vegetable thing.  I had high hopes because it had roasted broccoli and cauliflower listed.  I know.  I don't see them either.  What we did get was a LOT of radicchio.  Very bitter.  Occasionally you'd get a zip from some meyer lemon peel which was nice.  This didn't get finished.

 An interesting dish.  The tarte on the left was nice, a bit too buttery, if such a thing is possible.  The shame of this was the eggplant.  WAY undercooked.  We tried.  

 Ahhhhhh... the shining star!  And the answer to that comfort food dish we needed!  Without the delicious lamb dish, we really probably would have needed to head elsewhere for our "meal".  The standout of this was the AMAZING heirloom tomatoes that even The Critic raved about.  So many delicious flavors going on in this dish.  And all that sauce?  Yep.  That's where the bread came back into play!

 The expeditor and likely head chef for the evening.  This poor guy has to deal with people like me every night, but hey!  He chose to work here, right?  He can cut herbs like nobody's business!  So fun to watch people cook in the kitchen!!

A sous chef and a grill master.  That fire is where the lamb was cooked.  This is also where a lot of the prep was done so we could watch the dishes get their finishing touches.  And yes, they often cleaned plates with a towel before calling for service.

Overall, I don't know.  The food might just have been to "foodie" for even me.  But it was a fun experience!  I liked The Corson Building better.