Conscious Choice: Bennet’s on Mercer Island

October 2007 | Local Food

Bennet’s on Mercer Island

Pure Food, Pure Flavor

By Amy Pennington

It’s not often that you open up a menu and find a mission statement. Or should I say, a mission story. Such is the case when you arrive to this unexpected bistro on Mercer Island. It’s a catchy little tale of “…freshest most authentic ingredients we can offer” and “…..(producers who) share our commitment to whole foods.” The story continues on each page of the menu, reading like a who’s who of any local and sustainable party. Fruits from Okanagon? Check. Fishes hand caught off our coastline? Check. Local artisan cheese? Check. All this and more lead me to Bennett’s Pure Food Bistro, where I happily dined on one of the last warm evenings of summer.

Bennett’s is the most recent incarnation of prolific Seattle culinary beacon, Kurt Dammeier, who also owns Pasta & Co and the Pike Place Market hotspot, Beecher’s Handmade Cheese. Not only are these businesses alive and well, 1% of their total sales are dedicated to a non-profit set up under the Flagship Program. Started in 2005, today trained volunteers (Dammeier included) operate the Pure Food Kids Program, a no-cost workshop for schools in the Seattle metropolitan area. Pure Food Kids is aimed at fourth through sixth graders with the sole goal of educating about the addition of food additives and the benefits of eating healthful foods. Children not only prepare a whole-food recipe, but have a dedicated two and a half hour lesson to learn how to read food labels, differentiate between whole and processed foods, and even to recognize the glossy marketing targeted at kids on food packaging. He’s a man who knows his food, especially within the regional community, and this translates to the menu at Bennett’s.

Standout dishes? A simple and surprisingly delicious (ready for this?) iceberg lettuce salad. Billed as The Tip of the Iceberg ($7.50), it’s a large enough portion to share. It’s not slathered in dressing, but rather sits in a pool of lemon-y blue cheese, and I don’t say lemon-y lightly.

Toasted hazelnuts and local tomatoes are scattered about on an already flavorful plate. Another sure bet is the Grilled Hanger Steak ($19.50), which is marinated in lime and house-made Worcestershire for god-knows-how-long and then served, char-grilled with creamed grits and seasonal vegetables. It’s hard to say what’s tastier—the cut-it-with-a-fork steak or the perfectly done grits with fresh corn. Grits or polenta can often be over-salted and loaded with butter, but these were neither and smacked of the real thing. Citrus marinated steak is also easy to get wrong, as the acid tends to cook the meat and makes the odds of getting the grilling temperature just right. Ours was ordered medium rare, came out medium and was delicious nonetheless. There were other notables, including a short cheese course of local artisanal cheese ($4 per piece), a slightly overdone but well accompanied (by whole Atomic Red carrots) halibut with dill and parsley ($19), and two spot on desserts. One, a Basque Cake ($8) served a bit too chilled, but nearly perfect tasting in spite and a Lemon “Leo” ($8) – sponge cake atop lemon curd. “I think this is the best lemon curd I’ve ever tasted,” said my dining date, an ex-pastry chef. Now if that’s not a nod of approval, I don’t know what is.

Another, and very big gold star goes to the exceptional service. Our server paused when asked a question about the wine list, unsure about the answer. Rather than make it up along the way, she excused herself and promptly came back with the answer. Shear professionalism. She was pleasant, well versed on the menu, engaging, prompt and polite…everything you could hope for in a server—as service is as equally important to a memorable night out.

All in all, eating at Bennett’s is worth the trip over the water for us city folk and an even better find for those living on the eastside, with a healthy fear of traffic, no doubt. Their menu will and should consistently rotate with the seasons. They are deeply committed to supporting producers in the Cascadia region. They are passionate about handmade fare. Sounds to me like a perfect ending to their mission “story.”

Amy Pennington is a food writer, radio food show producer and organic vegetable gardener in Seattle.

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