Nell’s in Green Lake – A Gem in Our Own Backyard

The Foodshed has been all over the world, eating out at wonderful restaurants in Belgium, New York, Gig Harbor, Port Townsend and Portland. Who knew that we only had to go to our own backyard to eat some of the best local food we’ve had in a long time? For Seattle’s Restaurant Week, we paid a visit to Nell’s Greenlake, located just a few blocks from our house, and right off the lake. It was a dinner to remember. Come see why you should pay them a visit, too.

Delightful Bread from Macrina

Melanie used to deliver bread here, way back when she was a driver for Essential Baking Company. Now, they’ve switched over to Macrina bakery. And it’s delicious.

During Seattle restaurant week, you get three courses for $28. It’s a great opportunity to visit places you might not ordinarily go. And we are so glad we went to Nell’s. Great service, a friendly staff, and wonderful local food.

What should we have for appetizers?

Appetizers

So much of the menu is local. The Penn Cove Mussels were a classic choice, and they came with sweet onions, wild nettles, coconut milk and ginger. The nettles were our favorite part (besides the mussels, of course). It’s so great to eat fresh nettles in season.

Penn Cove Mussels

Melanie ordered the duck terrine and it was silky smooth – not too overwhelming. And the frisee salad with vinaigrette dressing on the side had just the right amount of acid to cut through. Look how cute the cornichons were! And the apricot pecan toasts were perfect with a little stone ground mustard.

Duck Terrine

We put some of the duck terrine aside for a little snack with a work friend, and contemplated dinner. Hmmmm.

Dinner!

Melanie loves anything steak. So the grilled top sirloin steak with celery root puree was a knockout. Celery root puree – so clever, and such a delightful option over regular potatoes. They start out tasting like rich mashed potatoes, and then finish with an unmistakable celery taste. The brussels sprouts and shallot jus were perfect accompaniments.

Steak on Celery Root Puree

I was intrigued by the sautéed pea vines that came with the local sole. And of course, fingerling potatoes are always delightful. These were sliced lengthwise and rich, buttery, and delicious. Going to have to make something similar when our fingerlings are ready. And pea vines – what a great idea!

Sole with Pea Vines

Oh, did we mention we did the wine pairing with the meal? A wine with each course. And so, that is how we found ourselves having muscat (which we never order in a restaurant but really should) and dessert.

Technically Melanie had the chocolate brownie with walnut ice cream and I had the strawberry rhubarb crisp with ginger ice cream, but we shared them both quite liberally.