Saturday, May 03, 2008

VEIL in Seattle soars to stratospheric culinary highs

I arrived in Seattle yesterday and prior to the opera headed to the nearby Queen Anne neighborhood, home of VEIL Restaurant (www.veilrestaurant.com) where Chef Shannon Galusha owns and runs the kitchen. Last night Mr. Galusha was nowhere in sight, but his Chef de Cuisine Johnny Zhu was so totally in charge of the spectacular cuisine, that I would never have known had I not been told.

The superb staff (Lindsay, Mima and Leslie at the bar) all took care of the diners in the small dining area that has 9 tables for 2 and two more for 4. There is also one large "communal" table that is raised and has high black leather bar chairs surrounding it for up to 18 people. The large bar area is more like a 70's living room with small square ottomans and cushy sofas and also serves the full dinner menu. The key color at Veil is WHITE: tables, walls, leather banquettes, chairs, columns, etc. Even the sheer "veils" that adorn the windows of this unassuming storefront location are white; only the black floor contrasts.

I was greeting with a complimentary glass of Cava Brut and when the amuse arrived I knew I was in for a treat: HALIBUT CEVICHE with corn and tomato was dressed with JALAPENO Foam and Black Lava Salt. The menu was exciting and large and it was very hard to decide, but Lindsay offered much help and gave me three courses that I will always remember:

GRILLED LAMBS TONGUE was an adorable whole tongue trimmed and served over a slash of PAPAYA Mustard with a White ANCHOVIE (I was not sure why the menu spelled it this way)-ARUGULA SALAD with SHALLOT PAPER and SMOKED PAPRIKA. The dish was gorgeous and simply brilliant. The mustard was not sweet nor too strong for the meat and the salad was a nice foil with tasty little chunks of anchovy. A glass of NOVY SYRAH 2005 was a pretty full bodied red that I have had in other years and is a great wine in itself that goes with so many types of food. The tasty simple breads were walnut, potato and baguette served with coarse rock salt and creamy butter. The wine was also perfect with what had to be the best PORK BELLY I have ever had perfectly cooked and truly fatless with a crunchy seasoned crusty top to die for, served with a salsa of CHARRED TOMATILLO and CILANTRO and an AVOCADO Puree with Red Pepper Syrup (a slash of chili oil). As I heard other diners ponder whether they wanted to order this dish, I wanted to yell out across the dining room that they HAVE TO!

I must mention the all white individual unisex toilets that have floor to ceiling smoked glass doors with votive candle lighting making a very relaxing mood (not to mention the TOTO toilets; I love them!)

I switched to a white ALBARINO from Fillaboa 2006 from RIAS BAIXAS whih had an intense fruity nose and a balanced acidity since I had ordered the SEARED SAILOR GIRL DIVER SCALLOPS. I asked about the term "sailor girl" which must be a brand, but find they come from Long Island, NY and sure are tasty. Three large (but not huge) scallops were served with a CORN & JICAMA HASH that included black eyed peas, onion, green beans and crunchy tasty bacon. A JALAPENO COMPOTE with CHILI OIL and Corn Sauce rounded out the dish giving several sauce options. It was a light dish, which was what I needed, but another brilliant coup from the kitchen!

I had to skip dessert as I was full and had a long opera to follow, but this long weekend has given me so many options that I know VEIL is where I will head straightaway on my next visit to Seattle!