Conscious Choice Seattle: West Seattle’s Blackbird Bistro

April 2007 | Local Food

West Seattle’s Blackbird Bistro

Flashback to the days of lingering lunches

Having a day job can really do a number on one’s social life. Gone are the days of the Three-Martini Lunch, reminiscent of old movies and ’40s pin curls. These days I, like much of the working force in this country, can be found having lunch at my desk. Gulping down a turkey sandwich on wheat over my ever-dirtier keyboard. I spend my lunch hour at work simultaneously taking calls and breaking bread. I recently decided to break this pattern and take a birthday girl out to lunch. With visions of eating slowly and having a cocktail, we saddled up and headed out of the downtown core across the West Seattle Bridge to Blackbird Bistro.

Blackbird arrived on the scene a little over a year ago with a bang. West Seattle was just beginning to happen, and Blackbird was on the cutting edge of this culinary movement “out west.” I wasn’t sure what to expect when I walked into a sunlit dining room with dark wood and private booths. The kitchen, flanked by high stools, offers front-row seating at the chef’s table. We tucked into a deep booth and ordered some herbal tea to take the chill off. Spring may have just arrived, but it was cold outside and we were happy for the warmth of the dining room.

After contemplating a menu based mostly on the prerequisite salad, soup, sandwich assortment, we took it slow and ordered a Market Salad ($7.95 for two, less for one), the Crostini Plate ($12.50) and glasses of organic Bonterra wine. The shared salad arrived with poached pears, not too sweet with some bite left, dark greens and honey-heavy pecans that stuck in my teeth but added a nice balance for the bitter radicchio. While visually not exciting, the Crostini Plate, ended up the winner. With three spreads smeared on heavily buttered and toasted crostini, it’s hard to go wrong—with this dish the kitchen had it all right. The first bite of herbed goat cheese with prosciutto surprised me. Working with left over prosciutto ends, thick bits of the ham are layered atop the cheese where thin slices would normally lay. This may have been a product of stretching the last scraps from a cured leg, but it ended up making the dish. Each bite had a nice gamey, chewy feel and I mean that in the best of ways. Another surprise was the sun-dried tomato and hazelnut pesto. Sweet tomatoes from time in an oven were chopped up with nuts and some other delicious herb-y flavor. I couldn’t quite tell what that extra note was, but is was a perfect undertone and it resonated with the birthday girl who took one bite, raised her eyebrow and proclaimed “Now THIS is good.”

For our meal, the “Le Dip” sandwich ($9.95) arrived with a side of potato salad, which I didn’t order. I had hoped for the chicken and wild rice soup ($1 more for a soup substitution) but ended up forking big mouthfuls of the baby potatoes. Pecans made another show in the potato salad, which was not overly dressed…just as I like it. The dip sandwich had a modest amount of roast beef, brought in from Painted Hills in Wheeler, Oregon, piled on an organic demi baguette from local Essential Bakery. The birthday girl cleverly ordered the B.L.T. & C. (8.95), a traditional bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich with the addition of crispy cucumber slices. One bite and I knew they were on to something by adding those cucumbers…smart, smart, smart. The white bread (again, an organic loaf from Essential Bakery) was a bit too buttery, but when has too much butter ever been a real problem?

Two hours after we started, we had to abort the mission and pass on dessert, but there were a few notables on the menu. A sundae for lunch? Bring it on. Vanilla Snoqualmie Ice Cream is topped with house-made mint-infused chocolate sauce, a tough one for me to pass up. Another interesting dish consists of seasonal fruit atop a nut crust of pecan, almond and hazelnut and is billed as a gluten and sugar free vegan dessert. I may not have added a sweet this time, but next time I go back over the bridge I think it’s safe to say I might not make it back to work for those afternoon meetings.

Amy Pennington can often be seen sneaking off to a quick bowl of pho for lunch in the ID, but is now contemplating a career change to accommodate her demanding eating schedule.

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