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Tom Douglas restaurants are renowned in Seattle- the man has built an empire (The Dahlia Lounge, Etta’s, Lola to name a few). He has also competed on “The Food Network’s” Iron Chef America (and won), published a number of cookbooks and created a line of sauces & rubs sold nationwide. In honor of his celebrity, I decided to visit a couple of his eateries- one being the well established Palace Kitchen and the other his most recent venture - Serious Pie.

Dinner

I have been a long time fan of Palace Kitchen…nothing but good experiences in food, atmosphere, service, etc. The menu is broad and diversified, the food gratifying. The restaurant itself has an arrangement that I happen to love… a large elongated bar commands the room. There are plenty of tables but the bar is paramount.

The first couple times I visited I recall having oysters among a feast of other appetizers and one too many dirty gin martinis. This time I went the way of the civilized and had dinner. I ordered the Washington chicken prepared on the apple wood grill ($19)- highly recommended by our server. Wes had the palace burger royale ($12). We sat at in intimate table by the window overlooking 5th Ave, taking in the dark woods and chandeliers.

Our food arrived. The chicken was honeyed in color, accompanied by a vegetable varietal of brussel sprouts and asparagus spears. The meat met my expectations- supple and juicy. Wes s burger also pleased, wood grilled organic meat was a good starting point. It looked ordinary, as a burger should…fries on the side. The taste, however, above average- perfectly grilled, the bun fresh, the condiments measured and the usual lettuce, tomato etc. He had been on the lookout for quite some time for a good burger in this city and finally he had found one. Wes was delighted with his choice, I was content with mine. Palace Kitchen delivered yet another satisfying experience.

Lunch

As for Serious Pie…

organic lettuces, radish, muscatel vinaigrette salad ($7)
roasted mushrooms, truffle cheese pizza ($15)
Penn cove clams, house pancetta, lemon thyme pizza ($15)

This is what we ordered…everything was tame. The starter was probably the most exciting part of our whole meal…it was simple- greens with some radishes & cucumber littered throughout- a little heavy on the vinaigrette.

I ordered the Penn cove clam pizza…sounded fantastic. I love all the ingredients listed and I figured the combination would be great. The pizza came and I immediately realized I had made the wrong choice. The toppings were minimal, the oil plentiful. The pancetta resembled raisins, blackened and overly cooked. The clams were hard to spot and upon discovery- unimpressive. It had a little spice to it but other than that tasted as it looked. Heavy. The crust was thin, boring…nothing notable about the texture or flavor.

Wes had the roasted mushroom with truffle cheese pizza. His was more attractive. The mushrooms generous, giving the surface of the pizza a nice lumpy face. I took a taste…again, I’m startled by how unexciting it was. I tasted the earthiness of mushrooms. The rest was banal.

When I read the ingredients I became interested in evaluating the different flavors and was sorely disappointed when they failed to stand out.

What drew me to Serious Pie was the complexity of the atypical toppings listed on the menu- Yukon gold potatoes, fennel sausage even soft egg can be found. In the end these novelties failed to dazzle.
Altogether, not a fantastic meal.

The space is compact with high tables and stools. Its sits behind the “Dahlia Lounge”, one of Tom Douglas’s more famous venues. The dark woods and candelabras give it an Italian feel but the room itself feels very casual. I admit I went during the day and rumor has it that the place is more impressive after dark.

There are quite a few other eateries of Douglas’s that I have yet to visit and I’m sure I will in the future. He for the most part does fantastic fare and creates winning spaces. Despite my unastonishing meal at Serious Pie, Tom Douglas has without question earned the appreciation and success he has received.

Details

Palace Kitchen (map)
2030 5th Ave
(206) 448 2001

Flavor
Northwest hybrid

Hours
5p-1a, 7 nights a week
cocktails until 2am
M-F bar opens at 4:30

Payment Options
Major Credit Cards, Cash

Parking
Street

Booze
Full Bar

Reservations?
for groups of 6 or more only

Serious Pie (map)
316 Virginia
(206) 838 7388

Flavor
uniquely topped pizza

Hours
M-Sat 11a-11p
Sun 4p-10p

Payment Options
Major Credit Cards, Cash

Parking
Street

Booze
Beer & Wine

Reservations?
Not accepted.