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BATEAU, for a very good steak

The beef meat at Bateau comes from their own local farm on Whidbey Island or from selected local farms where the cows have been grass fed. The meat is butchered and dry aged in house and sold by weight. You can even see the dry aging room behind large windows.

By the way, Bateau means “boat” in French, I know that the name is in the series of Renee Erickson Restaurants (The Whale Wins, Boat Street Café, General Porpoise, and Walrus & Carpenter) but I don’t understand why a steak house is called Bateau.

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You can select your cuts among the evening’s options, written on the chalkboard. Every detail is written: type of cut,  which farm it comes from, and the size of the piece.  Each piece is crossed on the chalkboard when a customer orders it.
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We did not know all the different cuts and names, so the waiter helped us to choose between different steaks, marbling, less or more fat, tenderness, etc. We ended up with a 18 oz Ribeye and a 12 oz Chuck Eye for a party of 4. Cooked medium rare they were juicy and delicious.
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The place is nice and simply decorated, casual and comfy! Exactly what I like.

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Be aware that now in all Renée Erickson’s restaurants, a 20% mandatory tip is added automatically. At the end, the bill was high with local good meat and a bottle of good wine but it really worth it if you like beef! We went as a party of 4 and loved it. 20160306_0926_6426

Bateau  1040 E. Union st

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Lunch at The Whale Wins

At the moment, one of my definite favorite restaurants is The Whale Wins in Wallingford/Fremont.
Chef Renee Erickson (also behind Walrus and Carpenter in Ballard) mixes her amazing talent with many European influences (England, France, Italy, and Spain). 
I went with two friends, and we shared several plates:
First, two tartines on very good bread. One with sardines, curried tomato paste, and shaved fennel and another with herring rillettes and pickled shallots.
Then we tried roasted clams with sausage, spring onion and sumac. I love sumac’s flavor.
We also had warm lentils, swiss chard, spinach, cilantro, orange and tahine.
And the desserts… oh my!
We had Peychaud Bitter frozen sabayon with citrus and meringue. And finally, something that was recommended to us by our waitress was butter roasted zucchini bread with crème fraîche. She was right, it was delightful!

They offer a long list of wines from Italy and France. Among the French ones some we usually don’t find in Seattle (Janières, Apremont, Saumur Domaine Filliatreau…).

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Boat Street Café

It is almost Summer! The Boat Street Cafe is a very nice hidden spot with a charming patio. The food is nice and the service friendly.
It is in walking distance of the Seattle Art Museum Olympic Sculpture Park. You should consider it if you are in this area.

Boat Street Café 3131 Western Avenue #301