Captivating Crush is haute without the hauteur
Crush, open since February, all but hides on a tree-lined street that wends its way into the heart of Madison Valley. Here, chef Jason Wilson and his wife, Nicole, have seamlessly bridged the gap between fun dining and fine dining. Time was well taken, money well spent. And a year and a half after buying a century-old ruin of a house, they've transformed it into the greatest of Seattle's latest dinner destinations.
Though the interior design is contemporary, the classic lines of this regal restoration make for a compelling visual effect as spare as it is feminine.
The comfort level is increased by the service staff: confident, exceedingly warm professionals who introduce you to appealing cocktails, unfamiliar wines and "Modern American Cuisine" as gorgeous as it is good.
The details lift Crush above the crowd of neighborhood bistros. Lovely Laguoile steak knives for your meats, varietal-matched Reidel stemware and curvaceous Villeroy & Boch dinnerware add elegance to simple white tabletops devoid of linen. (You won't find salt on those tables, but you will find grains of fleur de sel lending a surprising shock to one of the exquisite housemade chocolates offered as dessert.)
With 41 seats — seven at the curved counter fronting an open kitchen — Crush often lives up to its name. Seated in two small and excessively noisy dining areas, patrons table-hop and name-drop, chatting about the merits of Sun Valley versus Squaw Valley, Italy over Spain. But lest you pigeonhole it as a pit stop on the rich man's circuit, think again: Few places offer this level of food for Crush's average entree price of $20.
On recent visits, Alaskan halibut ($20) arrived dressed like a Northwest fashion statement and tasting like a walk in the woods. Deftly seared and offset by a vibrant nettle puree, it came paired with morels, fava beans and a single artichoke trimmed and grilled with care.
Proving salmon isn't the only fish meant to share the limelight with pinot noir, sautéed black cod with trumpet mushrooms rests on braised greens in a pinot-spiked sauce ($18). A thick fillet of "crispy skin wild salmon & cured lemon" ($18) floats on a cloud of salt-cod potatoes tasting only mildly of dried, salted cod. Topped with shaved fennel and radish, the salmon is sublime, despite a skin that's not quite "crispy."
Short ribs with potato gnocchi ($21) is the chef's signature dish, deservedly so. Slow-braising allows the well-marbled beef to render its fat, leaving behind sticky sweet edges of richer-than-rich meat and a sauce, enhanced with truffle oil, perfect for gnocchi-dredging. Lamb chops share a plate with chubby corona beans and long-simmered lamb's tongue: daring and delicious ($26). And a juicy breast of chicken ($18), crisped with lavender and honey, supports a bouquet of organic vegetables — spring onions, artichokes and asparagus among them.
A dozen starters range from a simple snack of oil-cured olives ($3) to a symphony of riches defined by a large luscious lobe of foie gras ($19). That gently sautéed liver layered over foie-sopping brioche, is bedecked with tiny huckleberries and a pear-and-endive salad.
Hazelnuts and crisp prosciutto chips add crunch to asparagus, goat cheese and greens drizzled with syrupy balsamico ($10). A perfectly poached egg spills its sunny yolk over duck confit and mushroom tartlet ($10). Peas, pearl onions and pancetta meet in a single raviolo lavished with mascarpone and Maine lobster ($13). And delight trumps delicacy when carrot soup is invigorated with ginger and cumin ($6).
Grilled octopus salad with teensy chickpeas ($9) was so tenderly wrought that I couldn't help but order it again on a subsequent visit. On the second try, the grilled tentacles were seriously over-charred, dry almost to the point of inedibility: the kitchen's sole misstep.
Among the many unassailable successes were warm bread pudding with creamy armagnac prune ice cream ($7). Mascarpone cheesecake — a sliver aquiver with fresh strawberries and basil foam — features tuille-like, crunchy bites of "brandy snaps" in lieu of a crust ($7).
But don't even think about dessert before sampling the cheese course ($15). This distinctive tasting of five generously apportioned cheeses is carefully selected for age and interest, each paired with an appropriately fruity accompaniment — from port-soaked pears to "jasmine foam."
Crush has much to offer the discerning palate, including a worldly wine list that spans a range of varietals and price levels. A landscaped courtyard will soon open for summer dining and, by fall, additional tables will be set upstairs for larger parties. Till then, expect to join a crush of happy diners at this striking young comer, whose commitment to great food, fine wine and solid service is already evident.
Nancy Leson: 206-464-8838 or taste@seattletimes.com.
More columns at www.seattletimes.com/nancyleson.
2319 E. Madison St., Seattle; 206-30-CRUSH.
Contemporary American$$$
***
Reservations: recommended.
Web site: www.crushonmadison.com
Hours: dinner 5:30-10:30 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays, abbreviated small-plates menu available till midnight.
Prices: appetizers $3-$19, entrees $17-$26, desserts $7, small-plates menu $3-$15.
Wine list: An artful selection spanning a broad range of varietals, price levels and geography. Generous glass pours ($7-$11.50).
Sound: very noisy (somewhat quieter in the street-facing dining area).
Parking: on-street.
Who should go: fancy-food fiends favoring fun finds in classy settings.
Full liquor license / credit cards: AE, DISC, MC, V / no obstacles to access / no smoking.
