Review: Union Restaurant, Seattle

My recent trip to Seattle was quite fun. The first night there, we went to Union Restaurant in downtown Seattle. It was only a short walk from our hotel, which was very nice for the walk back after dinner. I love a walk after dinner.

Since we were a party of 8 and the restaurant we originally had a reservation at did not tell us until 2 days before that their restaurant was closed for a private party, we had limited options. We ended up at Union Restaurant with a 6:30 pm reservation (no, we’re not 70, but at least there was a 2 hour time difference so it felt like 8:30pm).

The restaurant was pretty empty. Sure, it was 6:30pm. But by the time we left around 9pm, it was still pretty empty. It was a little suspicious, but maybe Wednesday night isn’t a popular going out for dinner night in Seattle. Also, with so many great things written about this restaurant, I couldn’t help but think, “Where is everyone?”

First off, our server was an idiot (more later). She was terribly unconvincing. She also spoke much too softly; I could barely hear a word she said. She had zero personality and no confidence. Her recommendations were also not the best.

They change their menu daily, and they do so with care. The food was excellent. For a starter, I had the Fluke Crudo with olive oil, cucumber and fresh ginger. Fluke is flounder. The server described it (from her notes) that it is rich and buttery. I disagree. It was very fresh and crisp, but not an oily fish (like toro or mutsu – those are rich and buttery fish). I couldn’t taste the ginger, but the cucumber was a nice accent to the fish.

I also tried the Dungeness Crab appetizer. It was very good, but a very different flavor than the Fluke Crudo. The crab was tender and fresh, with basil oil and frisee. The flavor was bright and earthy, very fresh with a hint of lemon.

For an entree, I had the Ahi Tuna dressed with extra virgin olive oil and fresh lemon juice. The “side” dish served with the tuna was a little bizarre: small cauliflower pieces, green olives and parsley. The tuna was easily the best I’ve had. I didn’t know ahi tuna could be so delicious. It’s unfortunate that Minnesota cannot get tuna that fresh or good. It was perfectly seared – just a few millimeters of seared crust. The simple dressing of extra virgin olive oil (good quality too) and fresh lemon juice was so easy but so perfect. I will remember this dish for a long time.

I also tried the Pork Chop served with Fresh Chanterelles and Polenta Gnocchi. Ok, this is where the server really started to annoy me. It was clearly not gnocchi. It was polenta squares sauteed in a lot of butter. When we mentioned to the server that the menu said “gnocchi,” she replied, “Gnocchi is just a word to describe a lot of things.” It was painfully obvious that she had no idea what she was talking about. The dish was very rich. The chanterelles were the clear winner of this dish. They had excellent flavor and were very fresh. The pork was very tender, but a little too done for me (it was cooked medium well).

The wine I had was outstanding. I have to remember to look for it in the local shops. I had a glass of the 2005 Domain Lafond Lirac Blanc. It’s medium bodied with a floral bouquet that led into a deliciously dry and crisp finish. It paired very nicely with the Fluke and was fine with the Ahi.

Dessert was also very good. I had the Almond Cake with Fresh Blackberries and Ginger Ice Cream. I’m not a big fan of ice cream (yeah, call me crazy) but this ice cream was out of this world good. It was made with fresh ginger and it was the perfect amount – any more and it would have been spicy. My friend had the Butterscotch Creme Brulee. It was good, but she said it was cold at the bottom. The coffee was also good, but nothing special.

Union Restaurant
1400 1st Ave
Seattle, WA 98101
206.838.8000