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Seattle’s Fish Club and Six-Seven Restaurant & Lounge

by Arie Boris, CruiseGourmet.com Editor-in-Chief

With every new Alaska cruise season, Seattle becomes ever more popular as “the” port of embarkation for cruise fans heading for the Inside Passage and beyond. This city is just a delight and deserves serious consideration for a pre-cruise stay. Top quality hotels abound in every category and price range. Coffee is king here with local places like Tully’s and Seattle’s Best, giving Starbucks a run for the money (word of caution, ordering decaf in this city might be considered a misdemeanor!) You can visit Boeing’s Museum of Flight and walk through an original 747 circa 1969 and the Concorde. Elliot Bay is beautiful and you can catch one of many commuter ferries across the bay for magnificent views of the Seattle skyline. When it comes to dining, this city has it all, along with an incredible array of surprisingly impressive wines from the Pacific Northwest Region.

For more photos (scroll over photo’s for captions):

Six-Seven Restaurant & Lounge

I just loved Six-Seven from the moment I walked into the restaurant’s lounge…Floor to ceiling windows with spectacular views across Elliot Bay, the warm fireplace and quirky faux forest interior with chandeliers is truly one of a kind. The staff is genuinely friendly and every table has a wonderful view of the brightly lit marine traffic as ferries, cruise ships and freighters glide by. Housed in the Edgewater Hotel, an icon from the sixty’s which was noted for guests fishing from hotel room windows, the property is fully renovated, modernized and now a part of the Noble House chain of boutique hotels.

Artfully managed by Rich Troiani, the true star of Six-Seven is Executive Chef, Hans Reisinger. A local native of Seattle, his family is originally from Switzerland and he spent five years working at some of Switzerland’s most prestigious restaurants. He has brought his classical European training back to Seattle and applies it with a creative, almost playful, interpretation of Pacific Northwest cuisine.

Imagine Fresh Salmon Belly mixed with Horseradish and Pomegranate, or chilled Maine Lobster with Avocado Mousseline paired with a 2004 Novelty Hill Conner Lee Chardonnay, Columbia Valley Washington! The Hawaiian Opakapaka (snapper) was presented with Sunchoke Puree Heirloom Potatoes and Piemontese Black Truffles. A delectable Roast Lamb Chop was served on a bed of Beluga Lentils, Tomato Confit with crunchy Pea Vines along with a strong full bodied 2004 Isenhower River Beauty Syrah from Horse Heaven Hills Washington. A 2004 St. Innocent Seven Springs Pinot Noir Willamette Valley Oregon perfectly complimented Grilled Alaskan Salmon served with a Fall Washington Mushroom Sauté.

Dessert could have been quite elaborate with selections like Roast Banana Cheesecake or Lavender Ice Cream. We settled for a refreshing plum sorbet. The meal was as memorable as the view! Unique and unexpected combinations paired with thoroughly enjoyable regional wines, along with great views and reasonable prices make Six-Seven a winning choice. For more information and reservations log onto www.edgewaterhotel.com.

The Fish Club

Extraordinary is the adjective that best describes our experience at this relatively new addition to Seattle’s hot dining scene! This latest manifestation by Todd English, the Hollywood handsome, award winning chef and television personality, is a culinary dream (www.toddenglish.com). Having dined in the Todd English restaurant onboard the QM2 (the best dining venue on the Trans-Atlantic ocean liner), I had high expectations and was not disappointed.

I knew we had found “the place”, with the first luscious bite of a made-to-order Israeli Flatbread, freshly baked in Fish Club’s spacious open kitchen by Sherrie Hahn, a true spice & herb authority (she is known as “Saucy Spice” and moonlights at Seattle’s World Spice Merchant, www.worldspice.com).

The menu features an array of no less than five gourmet flatbreads all made-to-order. The Israeli combined zah’tar (an Israeli oregano), garlic, extra virgin olive oil with a salad of fresh cilantro, parsley, shaved red onion and baby tomatoes presented on a crusty pizza thin bread served right out of the oven. Other variations include Fig with Prosciutto, Shrimp with Yellow Mole, Roasted Mushrooms with Herbs and “Todd’s Classic”, a very rustic version of pizza Margarita.

Fish Club was inspired by the fishing traditions of the Mediterranean. Fishermen gathered after their days at sea to trade stories, share food and drink and celebrate the harvest and their livelihoods. This stylish, informal venue is conveniently located at the Seattle Marriott Waterfront, just steps away from the Pike Place Market and the Seattle Cruise Terminal. The Fish Club maintains a country club casual atmosphere with a menu focused on fresh Northwest produce, seafood and regional wineries (More than 60 of the 150 wines on the restaurant’s wine list are from the state of Washington.)

We enjoyed a 2005 Seven Hills Oregon Pinot Gris with the flatbread, then a course of Tuna Tartar with 2005 L’Ecole 41 Semillon Washington, followed by an exceptional Squash Soup “Maciatto”. The restaurant’s signature Paella Verde was truly unique and perfectly paired with a Distefano 2003 Meritage-Columbia Valley. The Apple Fig Crisp Dessert with sweet oat crumble, green apple jelly topped with cinnamon whip cream was pure comfort food!

Expertly managed by Matt Shea, Fish Club’s Executive Chef, Chris Frothingham is a long-time collaborator with Todd English and has really added his own signature to make this one of the most exciting culinary experiences in the country.
With reasonable pricing and great service, the Fish Club is a restaurant you will want to keep coming back to! For more information, log onto www.fishclubseattle.com.