Down Home French -- The Painted Table Sends A Clear Message: Stellar Eating That Lets You Relax With Every Bite
THE BREAD WAS ON THE TABLE. Literally. Not on a plate on the table. Not in a basket on the table.
The waiter, who looked as if he knew what he was doing, brought the freshly baked half-loaf of bread to the table, took it off the plate he was carrying it on, and plunked it down in the middle of the table, cut side down.
On the tablecloth.
I looked at the waiter, as if to suggest that there may have been a slight oversight.
Enjoy, he said.
Before you get the idea that the Painted Table is some kind of gastronomic quirk - because of the uncommon placement of the bread - please be advised that the four-star rating I am giving this relatively new restaurant in the Alexis Hotel is the highest rating I have ever given any Seattle restaurant.
Now, there was a small tub of chilled butter. There were small bread-and-butter plates. But there the loaf sat, sliced part-way through, on the tablecloth in the middle of the table. The implication became clear.
If the two of us (the companion and I, not the waiter and I) were going to eat bread together, we were going to have to literally break bread together. This we did.
Bread crumbs flew in all directions.
The table top looked like hell - but with an undeniable lived-in appeal. Besides my leg, just what the heck was the Painted Table trying to pull?
It turns out that Emily Moore, who is the new executive chef at the Alexis Hotel, which houses the Painted Table, was intending to send a message about her main dining room:
Folks, it's real food and real good, but it's not formal. Loosen up and enjoy; the linens are formal. The bread and the eating are not.
Moore is quite possibly the most exciting new talent in Seattle in recent years - except that she is not really new to Seattle. She started out here as a self-taught cook several years ago. She then went to Paris to study for her certificate de cuisine at the Jean Ferrandi Institute d'Alimentation.
Unlike the somewhat fancier (and more expensive) Parisian cooking schools - La Varenne, Cordon Bleu or the Hotel Ritz - the Jean Ferrandi is an official vocational tech program of the city of Paris educational system. It costs about $11,000 a year. Some courses are available in English - but usually it's French.
How well Emily Moore learned French I do not know. How well she learned to master classic French techniques and apply them to the universe of foods, there is no question.
"I am not a trendy cook," she said. " ... I believe in getting back to basics, rather than fancy food with lots of geegaws. If we are going to serve you duck, it is going to be a great duck - but with my take on it. The depth of flavor in the sauce will be very intense, but we won't call attention to it. It may not even be mentioned on the menu. What we are looking for is an elegance of feeling and of taste, not what you hear about from a waiter or read on a card."
The bread in the middle of the table (remember?), partially sliced, was an apt metaphor for Moore's kitchen. It was freshly baked, with a dark brown glaze. We pulled at it and it gave off slight evanescences of rosemary and an even slighter trace of roast onion.
"If you can sit down with someone, or even with yourself, and break bread," she smiled, "you are already part-way there."
The rest of the way was even better.
The menu, surprisingly inexpensive, starts off with seven appetizers, priced from $5 (for Tempura Calamari and Prawns) to $9 for Griddled Dungeness Crab Cakes. In between are such morsels as Grilled Smoked Chicken Sausage with Sage Mustard ($5.95), Marinated and Grilled Shrimp with Spicy Sauces ($6.95) and the House Cured Smoked Salmon with Arugula Pesto on Warm Onion Bread ($5.95).
Take the least ornate-sounding of these, the grilled shrimp, examine what goes into the dish and onto the plate, and you will have some idea of how Moore conceives and executes her art.
The prawns are marinated in their shells, which are split to allow the marinade to penetrate; they are then briefly, incompletely grilled, adding a touch of smoke. The shells are removed, and finally they are steamed in the original marinade (composed of pureed sweet red peppers, dried chilis, jalapeno peppers, garlic, rice vinegar, black-bean sauce, cilantro, lime juice and salt).
Served with them are three sauces: green tomatillo, fermented red bean and red ancho chili.
The results are not simply good, nor even wonderful; the dish is transcendent. The prawns remain moist and even a touch rare, yet they are infused with an incredible embellishment of potent flavors - and this is important - all of which work.
The Painted Table derives its name from the hand-painted plates set on each table. They are for sale (between $40 and $65) but not for eating off of. Fret not, they do bring you regular plates underneath the food.
A typical soup du jour ($2.95): Curried Crayfish was more of a bisque than a soup. A light, creamed fish fume and blended shellfish. It was garnished with sprigs of fresh rosemary and diced jicama, boldly seasoned, and carried a tint of saffron.
"It's a wonderful saffron color," my friend marveled, "and a very, very fine soup."
Entrees begin as inexpensively as $8.95 for an aromatic Risotto of Wild Mushrooms, Roasted Shallots and Herbs, which lately featured shiitakes and some exquisite, vertically halved morels.
A sumptuous serving of Cambozola and Mascarpone Cheese Ravioli with Wild Mushrooms (wait, there's more) was arrayed over a heady nest of Angel Hair Pasta, sauced with a Balsamic vinaigrette.
The idea of two layered, competing pastas was novel in itself; the juxtaposition of two intermingling, sharply contrasting, sauces was even more so. It was a daring dish that went together beautifully.
The price for all that artistry: $9.95. After all, it's only pasta, right?
In a way, so was the Penne Pasta ($10.95). But it was a world away from macaroni and cheese. The penne were tossed with tender strips of lightly smoked chicken breast, saut(acute)eed shiitake mushrooms, roasted tomatoes, aged ricotta cheese and scoops of a mild chevre and sprinkled over the top with pine nuts. It was, very simply, a creation.
Grilled Breast of Chicken ($10.95) is served on wilted greens with three corn cakes. Three slices of smoked chicken sausage (made by Moore) are rimmed to the side. The breast itself was slightly dry, but fully flavored with a stunning sauce of Dijon mustard, cracked black pepper, minced apples, shallots and a rich chicken demi-glace.
The Black Pepper Rum Roasted Loin of Pork ($13.95) was accompanied by an unusual Rosemary Bread Pudding and dark, carmelized onions. The lean pork loin had been densely coated with crushed peppercorns and mustard seeds - perhaps a bit too much of both (of course, you can always scrape them away). The dish is unusual in that the loin is gently brined before roasting (as a salmon would be before smoking). It is presented perfectly medium rare in a sauce of the carmelized onion, dried cranberry and a Washington State Riesling. As for the rosemary bread pudding, you will completely revise your childhood notions of bread puddings.
I don't usually eat desserts after full dinners, but I defy anyone to deny an attempt at the house milkshake, the Chef's Shake ($4.25), "chocolate and otherwise." The shake that day was a vertical arrangement of chocolate and mango ice cream milkshakes, so rich and thick that they stood independently vertical in the same tall glass. The chocolate ice-cream recipe, "the best damn chocolate ice cream in the world," is from Harry's Bar in Venice.
Perhaps even better was an exquisite Espresso Creme Brulee with Hazelnut Shortbread ($4.50). Made with fresh espresso, it is a bowl of the most silky, seductive and invigorating custard ever devised. You may choose to skip the coffee.
The Painted Table has moved into an awkward, two-tiered dining space with a history of failures, and has somehow been transformed into a unity of food, concept and human interaction. I could not rate it more highly. Seattle has - and is - a winner.
XXXX The Painted Table, 92 Madison St. Breakfast ($4.50 to $9) 6:30 to 10:30 a.m. Monday through Friday; 7 a.m. until noon Saturday; 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday. Lunch ($9 to $14) 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday. Dinner ($9 to $19) 5:30 to 10:30 p.m. nightly. Lounge, full bar. Major credit cards. Nonsmoking area. Reservations: 624-3646. Complimentary parking..
-------------------------------------------- SMOKED CHICKEN AND ROASTED TOMATOES WITH SHIITAKE MUSHROOMS AND PENNE PASTA 4 SERVINGS -------------------------------------------- 15 roma (plum) tomatoes, cored 3 tablespoons minced garlic, divided Salt to taste 1 pound dry penne (mosticciole) pasta 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1/3 to 1/2 pound shiitake mushrooms, stems removed, sliced into 1/4-inch strips 2 tablespoons minced shallots Freshly ground black pepper to taste 1 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup white vermouth 2 tablespoons minced fresh herbs (such as parsley, basil and oregano) 1 cup unsalted chicken broth
3/4 pound cooked, smoked chicken breast, cut into thin strips, about 1 1/2 inches long 6 tablespoons creamy goat cheese
1/2 cup grated pecorino cheese .
Chopped parsley for garnish
1. To roast the tomatoes: Bring a large pan of water to the boil, add the tomatoes and time 30 seconds to 1 minute, until the skins start to crack. Drain and rinse with cold water. Peel and chop the tomatoes. Grease a baking pan lightly with olive oil. Spread the tomatoes in the pan and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons chopped garlic and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Roast in a preheated 450-degree oven for 30 minutes. When the tomatoes begin to brown around the edges, remove to a bowl and let cool. (This can be done up to 3 days in advance; store in refrigeration.)
2. Bring a pan of salted water to the boil, add about a tablespoon olive oil and the penne pasta. Stir well. Cook according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water. Drain again. Toss with about 1 tablespoon olive oil and refrigerate, covered, until ready to cook final dish.
3. Heat a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil and add mushrooms. Let cook until wilted and golden, stirring often. Add 1 tablespoon minced garlic and the shallots, stir 1 minute. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper; stir in the tomatoes.
4. When the tomatoes start to bubble add the wine, vermouth and chopped herbs. Cook 5 minutes, or until the sauce begins to thicken. Add the chicken broth and cook 10 minutes. Add the smoked chicken and cook 2 minutes. Adjust the seasonings.
5. Stir in the pasta. Heat briefly until all the ingredients are hot and the flavors are combined.
6. Divide between 4 plates or broad bowls. Garnish each with the goat cheese, pecorino and parsley.
(Copyright 1992, John Hinterberger. All rights reserved.) .
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John Hinterberger's food columns and restaurant reviews appear Sundays in Pacific and Fridays in Tempo. Greg Gilbert is a Seattle Times staff photographer. Cece Sullivan of the Times Food Department tested this recipe.