There's no sign outside, no street number, just a Vespa on the sidewalk below a fluttering Italian flag. Welcome to Tavolata, the long-awaited Belltown outpost of Union's Ethan Stowell and business partner Patric Gabre-Kidan. Neither has clogs-at-the-forno experience in Italy, but that didn't stop them from creating an upscale, "modern Italian" restaurant in Belltown.
Now, before you start reading accolades from folks who can't get a seat at 8 o'clock, consider this: at midnight, bracketed by the brightly lit kitchen (open till 1 AM) and the dimly lit bar, Tavolata's dark and dismal dining room is a galaxy of gloom; it feels like an opera set without the scenery. The stark, empty room must have the worst accoustics in Seattle, rendering conversation impossible when the joint is full, swamping conversation with ill-chosen music in the wee, small hours. Sound pulsates off the exposed concrete walls and polished wood floors; the tables wobble and the uncomfortable wooden benches vibrate.
In fact, Tavolata gets its name for a massive table (with seating for 24 to 32) running down the center of its shoebox space. Mini booths run along the south wall (perfect for feeding one's date), but what morsels to pass across the table? Surely not the bitter clams, or the minestrone filled with severly undercooked beans. Veal carpaccio, perhaps? Excellent meat it is, transluscent but tasteless, drawing its flavor from white anchovy strips and Parmigiano-Reggiano shavings. A bit of grilled octopus, then, with a tangy dressing. Chew well.
Consensus favors brains over brawn, veal brains to be exact; they stuff the delicate agnolotti, swimming in sage and brown-butter. Rigatoni are underdone, though, with sausage too spicy for the fresh tomato sauce. A whole branzino (European sea bass) gives up only a fraction of its moist and tender flesh. Why? Apparently, somebody in the kitchen scraped off the scales before putting the fish on the grill, so most of the flesh sticks to the skin. The double pork chop is perfectly done but its bed of cheese-flvored polenta tastes like it came out of a Cream of Wheat box--surprising since chef de cuisine Randy Whiteford even grinds his own wheat for the house-made pasta.
The wine list is solidly Italian, with a particularly lovely bottle from the south coast of Sicily, Cerasuolo di Vittoria based on frappato and nerello grapes. It's always a good sign when restaurants expand beyond "safe" varieties like sangiovese and merlot.
Best for last, at last: the zeppole, tiny, lemon-flavored donut holes. That's one of the signature desserts at Dahlia Lounge, where Patric used to be the pastry chef. We gobble them down, and allow the red glow from the gritty but authentic Rendezvous across Second Avenue to guide us back out to the Belltown sidewalk like an honest beacon. That Italian flag? Nah, not really.
Tavolata, 2323 2nd Ave. Seattle, 206-838-8008
Wouldn't have believed it! Tavolata has wiped my reservations off the Chowhound board entirely! It's as if my comments had never existed. I'm shocked!
Posted by: Ronald at February 15, 2007 4:07 PMInteresting. Chowhound censors. An entire thread where a certain restaurant owner for a certain new restaurant called a critic a jerkoff and the subsequent firestorm has been removed by them, lol.
Ron,
Everyone has detractors, even Jesus. When you receive messages, e.g. from Truly Honest, please respect the fact that he is in a different world. Don't let people like that light your fire, you handled it, but ignoring his/her comments might be suggested. The people that read your comments know and respect your wit, skill, knowledge and persona. Ignore the rest. When you put others down, you join their ranks and give them credibility. Just a thought ;-)
Message for Truely Honest: Many thanks for your thoughtful commentary. I wish you knew how to spell your own name, and I wonder what you mean by "it's" [sic] target market. More than anything, I wonder if Nordstrom knows you're hijacking their server to send snarky comments. Still, thanks for contributing to the debate. My view, to be explicit, is that rocky service in a new restaurant is forgiveable, but when you start charging people serious money, you'd better serve more than "solid" food.
Posted by: Ronald at February 5, 2007 2:37 PMYou are truely a tasteless boob. Your thoughts are worthless and you have a the palate of a bitter, pitiful loser. I have eaten there twice, and thought the food was solid, given it's target market and price point. I'm sure if some big name chef opened an italian place, you would have your leech-like lips firmly attached to his ass. Why don't you do some good and just stop writing.
Posted by: Truely Honest at February 5, 2007 1:37 PMI am glad you call them as you see them. However, you may need a body guard. Jay
Posted by: Jay Conte at February 5, 2007 10:19 AMBoy, Ron, I could not have said it better myself.
I made the mistake of selecting the restaurant for
dinner last week with a friend. The only things
that tasted good were the Scotch and wine. Both my friend and I could not believe how bad the food was. I know they just opened a week ago, but considering Ethan has another restaurant that is so well regarded I expected more than what we received.
Betty
Posted by: Betty Frost at February 4, 2007 3:35 PMRonald, you call 'em like you see, smell, taste, feel, and hear 'em.
I wonder how many dogs have pee'd on the pipe to the right of the Vespa...
The dogs have the same opinion, si?
Posted by: morgy at February 3, 2007 5:18 PM