Balt treated me to a most delicious lunch last Friday at Le Pichet to celebrate a retainer contract that I confirmed earlier in the week. Retainers are a good thing and so is Le Pichet. Le Pichet is one of my favorite restaurants in Seattle. The name is French for "pitcher" and refers to the traditional ceramic pitchers used for serving inexpensive French wines. It’s a casual place that screams Paris, 1934… slate tabletops, tile floors, and a rolled-zinc bar.
Although the food is equally good for lunch or dinner, I especially love dining at Le Pichet for lunch. The menu is rustic French and offers lots of small plates and appetizers. This is an ideal place to dine with a friend who enjoys sampling and sharing a variety of dishes.
We shared the Salade Verte, green salad with mustard and hazelnut vinaigrette, the Gratin Lyonnais, onion soup with crouton minus the gruyère cheese, and the Moules-Frites à la marinière et son fumet au jambon d'Espagne, Penn cove mussels sautéed with shallots, herbs, butter and a Spanish ham fumet, with fried potatoes. Everything was divine.
The mustard and hazelnut vinaigrette on the Salade Verte was perfect. The mustard isn’t overpowering and the pieces of toasted hazelnuts tossed in the dressing are a nice touch. You can’t find a more perfect and hearty Onion soup than the one offered at Le Pichet. The crouton - one thick, large slice of day old bread smack in the middle of the bowl that perfectly soaks up the broth. The sauce for the mussels is light and subtle which allows you to actually taste the mussels. And the generous side of fries… the perfect touch.
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