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MBARNice Views and Fantastic Food

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MBAR is a very cool spot with views of Lake Union and the Space Needle (and cranes, a lot of them!). It is one of my favorite rooftop restaurants.

When you arrive, you are greeted on the first floor of the building. If you have a reservation, you will be accompanied into the elevator up to the 14th floor. Then, you still have to walk along a windowed hallway toward colorful fluorescent tubes. Listening to the pounding music, it feels like you are entering a club!

They have a beautiful patio but it was really too cold to dine al fresco. We were seated inside enjoying the views through large windows.

First, we ordered great craft cocktails. On the menu, every appetizer and entree looked delicious, and we had a hard time choosing. Our table shared 4 main dishes, all tasty!

  • Grilled trout with avocado, sumac, labneh & fenugreek
  • Rabbit braised with caramelized savoy cabbage, pancetta & caraway
  • Duck confit with khoresh of black eyed peas, chestnut & pomegranate
  • Root vegetable cassoulet with turnip, rutabaga, snowcap beans, chantenay carrot & pomegranate

MBAR and Mamnoon have the same owners. You can taste some Mediterranean influences but they mainly serve Pacific Northwest fusion food, if I can call it that… Check my previous post on Mon Petit Seattle about Mamnoon: I love everything at Mamnoon.

MBAR – 400 Fairview Ave N – Seattle   –  http://mbarseattle.com/

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A New Gallery at the Allen Institute for Brain Science

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I met a friend last week at Pivot Art + Culture, a new gallery inside the Allen Institute for Brain Science building in South Lake Union.

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Exterior view of Pivot Art + Culture Gallery

Outside the building, a new art by Jaume Plensa

On Mercer Street, two stainless steel figures sit face-to-face. You can see a lot of letters or symbols from several alphabets appear. This is Mirall (Mirror in Catalan) by Jaume Plensa. We already had the chance to admire one of his works at the SAM Olympic Sculpture Park: the gigantic, white Echo.  The lighting at night brings a magical dimension to his piece. It is beautiful!

First exhibit at Pivot Art + Culture: The Figure in Process: de Kooning to Kapoor 1955-2015  

This is their first exhibit and features masterworks by eclectic renowned modern artists. Among them: Francis Bacon, David Hockney, Willem de Kooning, Alberto Giacometti, Roy Lichstentein, and Anish Kapoor. A few pieces even come from Paul Allen’s Collection itself.

I was really happy to see this show even if some pieces are really weird, ugly, scary or incomprehensible. I was really puzzled in front of some but others were beautiful, technically impressive, handsome, or inspiring. I really loved Kehinde Wiley‘s portrait, an artist we will be able to see at the SAM from February 11th.

I was lucky enough to visit the show with a friend who knows much more than I do regarding art. If you don’t have an artsy friend and if you want to be informed on this show, curatorial tours are organized every Wednesday till February 24 at 12:30.

—  Pivot Art + Culture, 609 Westlake Ave N