Conscious Choice Seattle: Swanky Times at Tulio

June 2007 | Local Food

Swanky Times at Tulio

We head to 5th Avenue for unforgettable Italian

By Amy Pennington

From the outside, it looks like a small European bistro. Inside, it’s like an elegant step back in time. Tulio is located at the crest of Fifth Avenue, on street level of the Hotel Vintage Park. It’s not immediately on my mind when I ponder where to go out to dinner, mostly because it’s not the hot new place in town getting all the attention. Tulio is a mainstay and has been for years.

Each table is covered in crisp linen. The service staff is consistently one of the most professional and polished in town. And the food has been described as some of the best Italian in the city.

I came for the House Cured Meat. Pink and fleshy—the fat melts on my tongue. Delicious.
My appetizer arrives just as I’m taking my first sip of Vermentino wine ($7.50) from Sardinia. I love when rustic food is presented, well, rustically, and the meats do not disappoint. Dropped at the table on a worn, wooden cutting board, the House Cured Meats ($10) are presented alongside cured olives. White Pepper Sopressata, Hot Coppa, and Finocchiona (salami flavored with fennel seeds) are piled high and glistening. Each bite has chew and that’s a good thing. It’s not for everyone, but these meats hit their mark and whet my appetite for more. Burrata ($10) comes next, alongside a house favorite, Sweet Potato Gnocchi ($10). Burrata, made from mozzarella and cream, looks like a ball of fresh mozzarella, but once you slice into it, broken down cheese and salty cream oozes onto your plate. It’s heaven in every silky bite, especially with basil salt and tomato jam as accompaniments. The tomato jam is bright, bright red, so red that I initially mistook it for salmon roe. The basil salt is a prominent green, with a mild tinge of pickled fennel. It’s a very pretty dish and my dining companions and I oooh and ahhh before digging in. Fuggedabout those meats—I think the Burrata is a plate not to miss.

Dinner comes in waves with everyone sharing bites. The Dungeness Crab Tortelli ($18) is a simple dish with butter and herbs. Each tortelli is filled with a fair amount of crab, allowing the sweetness to shine through the butter. I love when you order crab and you actually taste the crab—the simple herbs complete the dish. The pasta sheets have a nice hardness to them and the whole dish has hints of citrus and lemon. Next, a whole branzino ($29), a Mediterranean fish, lands stuffed with sprigs of thyme and topped with big bread crumbs. The fish sits in a thick and spicy brodo, or broth, and its flesh is soft and delicate. The brodo, mixed with rapini, croutons and a bit of fish makes for the perfect bite. Grilled Spice-Rubbed Lamb ($27) is cooked to a nice pink. String beans accompany this dish and are shiny with butter. Ditto for the artichoke hearts, which are delicious and nutty. The ciabatta in the bread basket is baked in house each day. Our basket empties as we use bread slices to wipe up the juices and leftover butter from the lamb dish.

After so much food, it’s often hard to justify or find room for dessert. I make a concession for the Pistachio Semifreddo ($8). For some reason, I tend to think pistachio is the be-all-end-all of flavors. I order it eagerly. It arrives in a small dish, nearly melting and absolutely loaded with nuts. It’s pretty to look at and tastes airier than most ice cream. The Budino di Cioccolata ($8) is highly recommended by our server. Budino means pudding in Italian and the cake is just that—pudding cake. It’s soft, oozy and warm with a heap of toasted meringue on top.

Full and tired, we spill onto Fifth Avenue through the vintage glass revolving door. A classy way to leave a classy joint, I think, as I hail a cab and head home.

Amy Pennington is a big fan of cured meats. She once drove to Cle Elum for the sole purpose of buying beef jerky. It was worth the trip.

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