Andaluca

Food blog posts... Let's try one.

Lately I've really enjoyed tapas-style restaurants. You order several small plates of food for smaller portions and get to try out more flavors in one sitting.

On my recent trip to Seattle, WA I had the pleasure of dining at Andaluca. I had a prix fixe three course dinner menu to choose from. The ambiance was great, the service was friendly and timely.

First, bread with a really tasty hummus. I forget what was special about the hummus though.

Next was the starter. I got the tuscan tomato bread soup with a basil creme fraiche (that's the white part). This had to be one of THE most delicious tomato soups I've ever had. The consistency was smooth, the flavors were put together well, the tiny croutons gave crunchy and fluffy interest to the soup.

Then, the pintxos (small plates). They all came out on one plate, and each had a unique flavor.

The orange-ish rice was their mini andaluca paella, with a lot of different types of meat and cooked in a saffron broth. This was my favorite of the small plates. Nicely flavored, light, filled with goodies.

The two fried balls were potato croquettes. I actually found this place by searching for croquettes so I had high hopes. It was a little bland but fried well. Not my favorite, but it filled my craving.

The white dish was a risotto with garlic scapes and oyster mushroom. I've never had garlic scapes before. It was a subtle flavor, just as the waiter said, cooked tender to match with the rice in the risotto. Filling and interesting.

Then the sweet stuff - strawberry parfait with lemon sorbetto and candied lemon zest. By this time I was super full and really only wanted the fruit. The sorbetto was quite tangy and delicious with the strawberries. The lemon zest was fun to crunch on too.

Overall, I give it 8/10. Definitely recommended, they have some really good dishes.

(The score sorta includes the fact that for some reason I stayed awake that night battling indigestion and discomfort. Not sure what made my stomach unhappy, but Andaluca was my only meal at night... so... yea...)