What's all this fuss about "small plates," anyway? Three or four people ordering five or six items, the dishes arriving at your table at the kitchen's whim. Can be fun, sure; can be fatal, too.
At Belltown's venerable Queen City Grill, they've come up with an alternative to small plates, basically an update on family-style: call it the Platter Experience. Everyone's order is served at the same time, but on a single, elegant platter along with individual sets of serving implements. Share or hoard, it's your call.
Platter of appetizers: shrimp cocktail, tuna carpaccio, grilled quail, foie gras on brioche.
Midweek visit. Brick building, Miles Davis, dark wooden booth. Cocktails. Genial GM Robert Eickhof (Il Terrazzo, Rosellini's 410, Il Bistro) sends over bottle of Pommard 1er Cru. Fabulous wine list, moderate prices. We divvy up appetizer platter; favorite is generous nugget of seared foie gras with lush currant & star anise sauce.
Caesar salad follows, with freshly made garlicky dressing. Entrees next, including grilled lobster tail with saffron butter, New York strip loin, and uhu (fancy name for Hawaiian parrot fish).
Entrees & vegetables: lobster tail, Hawaiian uhu, sirloin strip, squash, sprouts, spuds.
Desserts: pear tarte, espresso-chocolate flan, Key Lime pie.
Desserts also arrive platter-style, along with after-dinner drinks. Kudos to chef Alan Davis, who's been part of the Queen's kitchen since it opened.
Queen City Grill, 2201 1st Ave. 206-443-0975
The International Kitchen
Cooking school vacations in Italy, France & Spain.
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