Conscious Choice Seattle: Tilth Cultivates Organic

May 2007 | Local Food

Tilth Cultivates Organic

Eco-Chic in Wallingford

By Amy Pennington

The buzz has been hard to ignore. Tilth (certified by Oregon Tilth) is only the second certified organic restaurant in the whole U. S. of A. With signage the size of a fresh spring pea (read: small), I rode past twice before actually spotting it. That I whizzed by on my bicycle, being eco-fabulous, also may have contributed to my missing it. But how better to make my eco-entrance to a certified organic restaurant than with bike helmet in tow?

Located in a small house on the west end of 45th Street one must walk up a homey porch and through the front door to gain entry. Hand poised over the doorknob, this solo diner took note of a packed house (pun intended). I could feel the energy from the dining room and thought to myself, “I am never going to get a table.” Luckily, as soon as I stepped inside I scouted the “bar”—four stools at a countertop with front row seats to the busy kitchen. I wove my way through the small, densely packed dining room and successfully grabbed a seat.

It only took moments before a handful of Tilth employees made me feel at home. One server set my place setting, another handed me a menu smiling and the host took my drink order. The wine list sets the tone, offering eco-friendly sustainable selections. Presently, there are not many organic wines on the market, but a lot of wineries are doing good things for the earth in their vineyards. These wineries are conveniently highlighted on the menu with a small asterisk. Sipping on my Mediterrana, I read the menu.

At first glance, I noticed several words underlined—“Spot Prawns,” “Salmon” and “Sea Asparagus.” Are these extra tasty items?, I wondered. Actually, they are the handful of foods on the menu that are not organic. It should also be noted that wild food, like nettles and mushrooms, cannot be certified organic—hence the underlining. All menu items have two prices, for the tasting portion or the entrée. I was grateful for the choice: It gave me the opportunity to order more variety.

I began my meal with the Local Baby Lettuce Salad ($6), which arrived promptly after I ordered. Currently, standard item on most menus, I often find greens boring and bland. At Tilth, my salad greens were crisp, bitter, and sweet! Paired with wilted cucumber slices, spiced almonds and a sprinkling of feta, it was such a nice departure from the usual ho-hum greens that I actually smiled while I ate. Next up, I had Sylver Fishing Spot Prawns ($13). I’ve learned from eating out too much that you should always order Spot Prawns when they’re on the menu as their taste is incomparable. These prawns—perfectly fleshy and sweet—arrived on a slim, white rectangular plate atop a spattering of sea asparagus and too-buttery-for-me celery root purée, accompanied by a traditional pairing of crispy and fresh celeriac slaw.

To finish my meal, I ordered one of two pastas offered, the Fromage Blanc Tortaloni ($11). I love it when pasta is served in a bowl and this Tortaloni was particularly lovely in a shallow bowl covered in lemony wild chanterelle mushrooms and a foamy (and fancy!) sherry emulsion. A sheet of pasta lightly folded around a fromage blanc filling and covered in butter, it was super tasty, but super heavy, so I had a few bites and packed the rest to take home for later.

My bill, brought to me with a spoonful of sweet maple panna cotta and grapefruit preserves, left me nearly elated to have to pay for such a fine experience. All the little touches—a carafe of water left at the table, an amuse-bouche to start the meal, an attentive host—left me feeling taken care of. I felt like a guest in a home, which in this case, I guess I was.

Three nights later on a second visit with friends, we ordered half the menu. Noteworthy items include: the Skagit Valley Ranch Lomo ($6), a cured pork loin, much like prosciutto, but thickly sliced and gamier. I’d like to think that gamey taste comes from animals fed off the land and not fattened up by grain feed. Mini Duck Burgers ($13) are fun to eat, their buns slathered with fig purée and homemade ketchup. Grass Fed Beef Short Ribs ($14) were everyone’s favorite, mostly because of the silky tender tasteful beef. I personally fell in love with the Ozette potatoes with stinging nettles. Local Full Circle Farms working with Slow Foods Seattle have brought back these potatoes, a RAFT (Renewing America’s Food Traditions) food preserved by members of the Makah Nation in Neah Bay. If that’s not local, I don’t know what is. All this hubbub over a simple tuber made it the most delicious potato I’ve eaten in a long time.

Everything I ate at Tilth—and I ate a lot—was flavorful, well prepared and can best be described as food with a conscious. Each server and kitchen member knows where the food came from, how it was raised and why it tastes the way it does. While this local movement has thankfully taken root in restaurants around the city, Tilth is doing it with aplomb. Now if only there were a bike rack in the front yard…

Amy Pennington is an eco-friendly eater who goes out of her way to shop at farmers markets or PCC for her groceries. She is currently planting a vegetable garden with RAFT foods for summer harvest.

Recommend this page to a friend

Top Ten pages recommended to friends: