This past Tuesday, Larry and I watched Lura’s performance at The Triple Door. Lura’s music reflects her Cape Verde heritage – a mix of Portuguese and West African beats and rhythms along with touches of bossa nova and jazz.
The show was amazing but it’s hard not to love any show performed at the Triple Door. This beautifully renovated, 1920s-era Vaudeville Theater is an intimate spot with comfortable booths and very attentive and personable service.
A well-connected friend with The Triple Door made a call to management on my behalf. From the moment we arrived, it was evident that my friend pulled through for us. Our host promptly seated us at a prime booth with one of the best views in the entire theater.
Our waiter arrived at our table within seconds of being seated and explained that we were special guests of the evening and that all our wine would be on the house. After he gave us a brief history of the theater, the main wine steward arrived to make a few suggestions. Larry mentioned that he enjoys Australian Shirazes. The wine steward quickly decided that the d’Arenberg’s ‘Dead Arm’ Shiraz, 2001, was the perfect bottle. This bottle is far from cheap and a sure sign that our night would be full of adventure.
Am I the only person is Seattle who doesn't love the food from Wild Ginger? Wild Ginger sits above The Triple Door and provides the food. I liked our appetizer, the Salt and Peppered Squid, but it’s not as tasty as Sea Gardens. Sea Garden does it right - a super light crust and loads of chopped peppers that add a nice kick.
It took me forever to decide on my entrée because most dishes include coconut, peanuts, beef, lamb, or pork. I finally settled on the Seven Flavor Beef minus the peanuts and tofu in replace of the beef. My ‘Six Flavor Tofu’ was disappointing. The heavy and salty sauce overpowered the cubes of super dense tofu. Larry ordered the Mongolian Lamp Chops. The lamb was fatty and the super rich sauce dominated this dish. We decided it was time to move on to another bottle of wine.
The wine steward recommended the, Vignalta’s ‘Gemola’ Rosso, 2001, for our second bottle of the evening. This bottle was much lighter in body and taste than our first and paired nicely with our desserts. Larry’s Vanilla Bean Crème Brulee with star shaped sugar cookies was tasty. My Chocolate Chip Mocha Soufflé was a mixed bag – the first few bites were good but the center was cold.
Our waiter took a liking to us and let Larry and I finished the bottle of wine he bought us while the staff was closing down for the evening. I really enjoyed drinking in the empty theater with no other patrons… it felt like Larry and I owned the place.
Still hungry, the three of us headed to El Gaucho so I could get my grub on. I don’t really remember what we ordered, but I do know that we ordered a ton of superb seafood dishes and another bottle of wine. I love dining at El Gaucho because of its swanky, dark ambience along with the impeccable service and fab menu. El Gaucho could easily double as a Fred Astaire film set.
I’ve also dined at their sister restaurant down the street, Waterfront. Aside from the same impeccable service, amazing food, and wine selection, The Waterfront is totally opposite of El Gaucho. It’s a bright, sunny place with large floor to ceiling windows that look out to Elliott Bay, Olympic Mountains, and more. Our waiter was a young, chatty guy well versed in wine and provided great oyster recommendations. The only down side to Waterfront are the patrons. Where else in the States can you dine in a 5 star restaurant and be surrounded by patrons wearing shorts and Tevas? Come on Seattle… this doesn’t event count as business casual!
Wild Ginger isn’t a place to go if you’re a true food junkie, but it’s worth a try when you’re enjoying a show at the Triple Door. Don't expect much of the food, but do expect a lot from the wine. And if you don’t know much about wine, make sure to ask for one of their wine stewards.
