The promised rain for the Seattle area disappeared, the sky, blue and clear, held a warm and shining sun as I drove toward Belltown after work. Today’s review was to be a special one. You see I’ve reached something of a milestone for the site, the fiftieth restaurant reviewed. In order to properly recognize this event, and the wonderful afternoon, I choose a restaurant that, I hoped, would provide a suitable dinner to mark the occasion. The restaurant was to be Cascadia.

I arrived just as the restaurant opened and was asked if I had a reservation. As the evening grew older I would realize that if one doesn’t have a reservation, finding a table could be difficult. The restaurant filled-up quickly but was never loud or distracting due in part to the voluminous that Cascadia occupies. Twenty foot tall ceilings, floor to ceiling windows up front and a glass water wall, separating the kitchen from the dining room, allows the noise from the many diners to dissipate into the ether. The staff was professional, polite and very knowledgeable about the food that they served. After a few moments reviewing the menu, and a very in-depth explanation of two entrees, I placed my order. The Warm Kobe Saku Beef Carpaccio & Crisp Oysters ($15.00) was to be my first course.

Warm, thin slices of a delicately marbled beef were presented, overlapping, down the middle of the plate. Served simply with a quick sear, to crisp the outer edges, and a sprinkling of course sea salt, the beef was rich and buttery. Well aged the flavor was almost too intense. Add to that the two plump and juicy, tempura battered, oysters. A light, gossamer coating of tempura effectively sealed in the essence of the salty oyster, its rich, smooth texture protected from the heat of deep-frying. Both the oysters and the carpaccio were very rich and had it not been for the accompanying tandoori salsa, a light mix of sweet vegetables and curry/cumin sauce, it would have been too much. While possessing a dark spiciness the salsa was a light touch that helped to temper and cut through the buttery, fatty richness of the twin stars of Kobe Saku beef and crisp fried oyster.

For the main entree I had settled on a dish that would provide a lighter touch to my palate, the Ahi Tuna Poached in Olive Bouillon ($26.00). The Ahi arrived in a tall-sided plate floating in an olive flavored broth and topped with a fresh vegetable salad. The tuna was promised to be cooked to a medium rare but, instead, turned out closer to rare. This, however, was not a problem for me as I enjoy my tuna a little closer to sashimi anyway. My first bite was a forkful of tuna, carrot and celery from the salad and one of the crispy fried calamari rings that studded the dish. The meatiness from the tuna was very evident but tame compared to the beef in the first course. The savory elements of the dish were brought together in tuna and crisp calamari. But to counterbalance the savory profile of the dish were sweet sun-dried tomatoes, olives and the fresh spring celery salad. It was this salad that I keep remembering as adding the biggest contrast with its crisp, fresh crunch.

Not to let the evening off there I choose to have dessert at Cascadia. As some people know I have a thing for lemon. Its tart, sweet character is perfect, I feel, for ending a meal. In scanning the dessert menu I saw, almost immediately, something that held great promise, the Pucker Power ($9.00). Yes you read correct, Pucker Power was the name. It was described as a lemon meringue custard cake and was very much like a light lemon muffin atop a crisp, flakey pastry base. Having a light lemon flavor it was not overly powerful but was an interesting way to get the experience of lemon meringue pie without the actual pie.

Cascadia turned out to be an excellent choice for my fiftieth restaurant review. The service, atmosphere and most importantly the food, were all top notch. Prepared with great care towards not overpowering the sense with too much of a good thing, the chef was never heavy-handed in his preparations. But be forewarned, Cascadia is not inexpensive. When the check arrived, for just myself, with drinks, tax and tip, came in at over $100. So if you are looking for a drop-by, casual dining experience you should really look elsewhere. If, on the other hand, you have family in town, friends who are really into food or are planning a romantic evening for two, I would highly recommend you call and make reservations to try Cascadia for yourself.

On one final note as I wrap up this special fiftieth restaurant review. I’d like to thank everyone who has inspired me over the past eight months to make this website what it is today. From those who provided persuasion to start the site to those of you who provide positive feedback and encouragement as well as all the new visitors who have found me. I hope you all enjoy reading my reviews as much as I enjoy bringing them to you. Keep watching the Robotic Gourmand, as I will be making upgrades, adding features and expanding on the usability of the pages found here. I hope you will be reading when I post my one-hundredth review. Thank you all!

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