In a business area, kind of urban, but nonetheless a great place to enjoy a fantastic dinner with your friends. Close to my Bed and Breakfast, this is a great find in an up and coming neighborhood.
Fresh Bistro is the restaurant of Herban Feast Catering; Owner B.J. Duft is a businessman inside and out. In 15 years, Duft has built Herban Feast from a two-person operation into one of Seattle’s leading catering and events companies with about 800 events last year and annual revenue of nearly $7 million. It started with a small West Seattle café in 1999. It restructured, became a catering company in 2003. Then came the big changes that turned it into a local industry leader. Herban Feast added its own event venue, Sodo Park, in 2008, followed by a restaurant (Fresh Bistro), a second indoor event venue (The Foundry), a design studio and, this summer, an outdoor venue on Vashon (Froggsong Gardens). A flower shop is scheduled to open in November.
Here’s what I tried:
Small Plates:
Shiso Honey Pecan Prawn: Chili- Green Mango Puree, Candied Pecans, Sriracha – Foam, Shiso Powder. Truly a spectacle for your eyes, with the soft foam and the elegant flavors; a real winner.
Sweet Potato & Dungeness Crab Cakes: Chipotle Remoulade, Arugula, Smoked Paprika Oil. Big cakes with lots of great crab goodness.
Soups & Salads:
Northwest Seafood Chowder (gf): Baby Yukon Gold Potatoes, Heavy Cream, Local Shellfish, and Cedar – Roasted Local Fish. Lots of fresh seafood and a nice mellow texture.
Caesar Salad (gf): Hearts of Romaine, Boquerones, Shaved Parmesan, Grilled Lemon, Focaccia Croutons. I just loved the croutons.
Entrees:
Seared King Salmon (gf): Summer Succotash, Grilled Veggies, Chive Oil, Piquillo- Pine Nut Romesco. Excellent marriage of ingredients and the salmon oh so fresh!
Monday Steak Night – 6 oz. Bacon Wrapped Filet Mignon (gf): Your choice: pan seared or grilled, Béarnaise Sauce or Peppercorn Demi. Perfect for the steak lover, they also offer wines by the bottle at half price on Monday steak night.
Sides:
Steak House Mushrooms (gf) Small button mushrooms cooked nice and plump.
Desserts:
Triple Chocolate Triffle (V): White chocolate Mousse, Dark Chocolate Cake, Shaved Semi- Semi-sweet Chocolate, and Macerated Cherries. A great ending to a nice dinner.
Country Style Apple Pie (V): Granny Smith Apples, Vanilla Whipped Cream, Brown Sugar. You can see all of the thinly sliced apples, it is nice light and refreshing as a dessert choice.
gf=gluten free
v=vegetarian
Wines by the Glass:
Lorelle, Pinot Grigio 2015: The Benches- Horse Heaven Hills, Washington. This is a very light Pinot Grigio with peach flavors, a nice accompaniment with the shrimp.
Airfield Estates, Chardonnay 2014: Yakima Valley, Washington. I loved this with the Salmon, just the right amount of rich flavors to work great with this fish.
The restaurant is very airy with sunflower gold walls and avocado green split walls. The interior features, large yellow glass hanging lights, wood inlaid stripped tabletops, café chairs and a bamboo screen. The bar has a few flat sports screens. There are lots of fresh flowers, and sparse art on the walls.
This is a neighborhood bistro, with a friendly vibe; their customers are couples, families, and girlfriends. There is an outdoor patio, the interior is loud and bright, not a place for a romantic candle lite date.
Fresh Bistro’s offerings encompass a love of comfort food and relationships with local farms and producers. From the convivial bar and dining room with communal and private seating, you’ll be delighted by seasonal small plates and dishes inspired by cultures from around the world. Featuring a menu that reflects the best of local producers, local people and a local feel, diners enjoy great food in a comfortable environment.
Chef Shun Viger is Fresh Bistro’s powerhouse chef de cuisine. He got his start in food at a young age, earning his first scar from a hot popcorn kernel. Priding himself in his commitment to good, tasty food, Shun started his professional career working at various local restaurants including Salty’s on Alki, Endolyne Joes and 0/8 Seafood Grill. Shun is a graduate of the South Seattle Community College culinary program.
John Schiffman, restaurant manager is the face of Fresh Bistro and the engine behind your service experience. Spending his younger years in a variety of restaurant jobs, there is no job he hasn’t done in the industry. His joy for cocktails and sharp attention to detail is the catalyst behind Fresh’s “Best Bloody Mary” reputation and a driver for creative cocktail pairings.
This is my kind of restaurant, good fresh straightforward food, just a hip skip and a jump from Seattle proper, worth driving across the bridge to get here!
Fresh Bistro
(206) 935-3733
4725 42nd Ave SW
Seattle, WA 98116
Hours
Monday – Friday: 5pm – close
Saturday Brunch: 10am – 2pm
Saturday Dinner: 5pm – close
Sunday Brunch: 10am – 2pm
http://www.freshbistroseattle.com
*Note some content was taken off of Fresh Bistro website.
