Thanksgiving weekend and the Pike Place Market is bustling. But just off its epicenter, a narrow staircase leads to an oasis, one of Seattle's most romantic little restaurants: Place Pigalle.
Place Pigalle's steamed mussels, flavored with bacon, celery, shallots and balsamic vinegar, are legendary. The roasted beet salad with walnut-coated goat cheese and arugula is enhanced with a tangy Dijon mustard vinaigrette. Their wine list is extensive and well-organized. The presentation of some dishes, though, can verge on overly fussy: salmon filet, fresh and perfectly cooked, was topped with a sun-dried tomato relish; the sturgeon was garnished with a saffron-flavored chanterelle, and both plates came with a ghastly, bitter slaw of red cabbage and endive. Desserts were downright leaden: a dense pot-de-creme and a chewy dried-apricot tarte.
Then again, we had a magnificent view of stately ferries plying Elliott Bay, a fine bottle of Pouilly-Fume, and some of the best fish in town. So shut up and quit whining, already.
