Conscious Choice Seattle: Eating Out…at the new Matt’s in the Market

September 2007 | Local Food

Eating Out…at the new Matt’s in the Market

By Amy Pennington

The first time I ate at Matt’s in the Market it was years ago and I was on a date. I can’t remember the details of what he wore or even his name, but I can remember that I had a melt-in-your-mouth lamb shank with a wine reduction. I can remember sitting at the counter in front of the very small kitchen watching the crew at work – plating up meals with finesse and without the ease of a proper stove. They worked solely off butane and a small oven. I left impressed and full.

So when I walked in the front door of the newly remodeled (and long awaited) “new” Matt’s in the Market, I had high expectations. Calling ahead, I nabbed the last two seats in the joint at—you guessed it—the counter. I’m a big fan of counter seating as it lets you check out what’s happening in the kitchen and allows you to salivate over all the things you didn’t order. Matt’s counter is made of old subway tile—very much an homage to the Market’s architecture. It’s blue, white and black instantly smacking of a diner, so right away it’s easy to feel at home. The counter is also backlit, which cast a glow over my place setting and added a bit of urban-chic to the whole vibe.

Matt’s has one of those menus where everything sounds delicious. I couldn’t decide, so my date and I played the narrow-it-down game where I choose three dishes and he selects one. To tide us over after ordering, we decide to have a taste test with the absolute legions of hot sauce bottles lined up in front of us. There were 13 in total within hands reach, more if I had it in me to get up and pick and choose. There were sauces from Barbados, Texas, Louisiana and Trinidad and when I asked our server what gives, she responded “It’s for our lunches where we serve paella.” It’s quite a collection and one worth the diversion to try. Between hot sauce taste-testing and the plate of bread brought over with fennel-scented olive oil, we had a nice little appetizer going.

A Northwest standard, I seldom order steamed clams, but that night they called my name. The Steamed Clams Piri Piri ($10) came bathed in a spicy beer broth. Piri Piri is a very small and very spicy African chili pepper and it spiced the broth nicely. We didn’t have enough bread for sopping up the leftover liquid (refills, please), so we indulged ourselves and drank it from spoons.

Salads were generous. The Smoked Catfish Salad ($10) with toasted pecans, tree fruit and smoked chili vinaigrette is flavorsome. Served like a chop chop salad, the catfish is smoky and moist. There is plenty of everything.

Fennel and Arugula Salad ($11) with pancetta, pickled red onion & duck cracklings along with apple cider vinaigrette had a nice bite to it, naturally, as arugula is a spicy member of the mustard family. Duck cracklings, which are fried crisps of duck skin, were a nice touch, especially for a meat eater like me. They gave a gamey and heavier flavor to an otherwise light salad.

There was a long delay between the salad course and dinner, but when it finally arrived, the Grilled Carlton Farm Ribeye Steak ($32), from a farm in Oregon, was ordered medium rare and came up medium rare. The requisite sautéed vegetables were nothing to write home about, but the steak itself was a winner. Ditto for the Surf and Surf ($29), a combined plate of large prawns and scallops. Both of these fish were done to perfection, which I consistently have trouble imitating at home. The fish showcased Matt’s ability to not over season or fuss over a dish. This dish came with the same vegetables as the steak, a bit disappointing in the end. Food here is simple and straightforward.

A solid dinner aside, Matt’s did have some misses. The music was pretty darn loud and for the dinner hour, it’s nice to not have to yell over a horn section. Service was pretty darn cold, as was the cool breeze blowing in through the big beautiful window overlooking Pike Place. A sweater fixed my chill, but not the service, and we were left having to contend with a late-arriving and wrongly ordered dinner. Everything was tasty, and the kitchen was hospitable, righting the wrongs to the best of their ability.

And really, what better way to spend an evening than in the night air of the Pike Place Market, perched above the cobbled streets and tucked away at a communal counter? What lacked in service was made up for by ambiance and location. Looks like a smart remodel, after all.

Amy Pennington is having a love affair with the Pike Place Market.What else could look so good at the tender age of 100?

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