Leisurely lunch

35th Street Bistro
Seattle, WA

After wandering the Fremont neighborhood, I turned in at the 35th Street Bistro for a late lunch. The room is high-ceilinged and airy, with abundant light from skylights and a wall of windows at the front. I sat in the bar and checked out the interesting variety of people at the other tables. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves.


If there's a salad with beets and goat cheese on the menu, I'm ordering it, and this one was both pretty and tasty. There was orange vinaigrette and a surprisingly small amount of butter lettuce, but it all worked out well.

I wanted to try a wine from the Willamette Valley, and the agreeable bartender offered me a sample, but it was too sweet. On his recommendation, I drank a soave that was well-matched to my pasta entree.



I chose the penne because I couldn't quite imagine a roasted-tomato sauce with English peas and grilled onions. It was an unusual flavor combination. It was also more than I could eat, and as I put up my fork in defeat, I was still trying to decide if it was a dish I would order again.

I wished I had a dining companion to badger into ordering some of the other entrees that excited my curiosity. Maybe I should have tried pan-seared halibut with pea vines. Or Wooly Pigs pork loin with wilted chard and eggplant caponata. And how long has it been since I've had a real croque monsieur?

I like a restaurant that leaves you wanting more.