I’ve been a little remiss in my attention to new(er/ish) restaurants, and of eateries in downtown in general, as of late. But there was one place I’ve eyed for several weeks now, slowly driving by on Sunday afternoon - stalking it if you will. BOKA is the restaurant of which I speak. An acronym for Bold Original Kitchen Artistry, I had noticed BOKA several months ago on my way to attend a friend’s birthday celebration in a Pioneer Square bar. I made a promise to myself to return once it had opened in order to review it. Unfortunately weeks passed and BOKA slipped from my thoughts until fairly recently. As it turns out I had been spending a bit more of my weekends downtown over the past thirty days and nearly everyday I’d find myself driving North on First Avenue, snatching side-long glances at BOKA’s facade until I finally decided to just find a parking lot and stop in.

The interior design follows the name of the restaurant quite well as it is artistically designed. A mix of wood, steel and glass, along with an interesting light wall at the back of the space, made themselves out as a bold space for dining. This was a Sunday, around noon, when I first stopped in so the crowd was, well, there was no crowd. All of one table was occupied and during my stay there were never more than eight guests in the entire restaurant, so service was okay though a bit sleepy in their movements. While I waited I took some enjoyment from the ever changing light wall (These small things amuse me). Slowly melting from a deep, Mediterranean Sea blue to a hazy yellow with a peachy, orange sunset rim to electric blue, sea foam green, Red Hots ™ candy red and then back to blue again.

I don’t typically go for brunch but since the opportunity for a review presented itself during the brunching hour, I decided it would be a treat for you the readers. The selections were fairly simple, being presented on a single sheet with sections broken out into starters, brunch and mains. My choice was BOKA Grilled Cheese & Soup ($10.00). The grilled cheese was tasty but nothing to write home about. A crispy exterior Panini grilled to achieve golden-brown lines across its surface, the sandwich held a creamy pillow of cheese between its crunchy bread walls. Some of the oozed out along the edges, crisping along with the bread as it cooked, adding an intense, somewhat salty crust to the already crunchy bread. A cup of tomato bisque was presented along with the sandwich and when I say cup I mean just that. Reminiscent of a coffee cup the vessel came complete with handle. But unlike coffee this bisque was meek and ineffectual in the flavor department. I had a hard time detecting any tomato flavor and the only saving grace were the drizzle of basil oil and crunchy, crumbly brioche croutons. In a little pile at one end of the plate was a micro greens salad that was punctuated with a spicy vinaigrette and pickled pepper dressing, very tasty but, like the greens, the portion was micro.

Not wanting to limit my perception of BOKA to just a ho-hum brunch experience I decided I’d make a trip back during dinner a few days later. So it was that I ended up downtown on a Tuesday evening. Obviously nothing much had changed in the way of decor but there were significantly more people in the restaurant. Actually, to be more accurate, these people were in the bar area of the restaurant, enjoying strong (Very strong) cocktails and each other’s (Presumably) company. Even with twice the number of patrons the mood was still hushed and reserved, a vein I would later detect in the food. I began with two different “starters”, one which was listed in the Urban Bites section of the menu and the other in the Starters section. I’m not sure the exact differences between the two as both my selections, when they arrived, were small. My urban bite was an order of Maine Lobster Croquettes ($5.00). As far as the strict definition of a croquette is concerned these little bites were right on. Extremely crunchy on the outside with their panko bread crumb shells the interiors smooth and slightly creamy but maybe a bit too pasty. The lobster flavor was subtle with a random lump of the lobster’s meat deposited here and there. Nice and tasty but so far nothing bold.

I had hoped that would change with a cup of Mushroom Bisque ($4/Cup, $7/Bowl). Unfortunately, like the tomato bisque from my brunch experience, the mushroom version was just as lacking in flavor. And actually the best part of the soup, again, was the topping added to it. A bit of melted cheese and a drizzle of oil made for an interesting bite or two but couldn’t do much to get past mildly flavored bisque. There were bits of sliced mushroom languishing throughout the concoction but even they were bland.

As I was about to give up hope, here arrived the main entree - Striped Bass ($26.00). Served atop a mix of potato and carrot, embellished with tiny Manila clams, the fish was beautifully cooked. Something of a more wild fish flavor than some may prefer I enjoyed the taste that the fish offered. Moist and flaky the meat had substance and arrived wearing a crackling, crispy skin that I’ve normally only seen on roast chicken. Peppery, the skin went well with the sweetness of the clams that were presented, along the aforementioned carrots and potatoes, as “chowder”. Those quotes are both BOKA’s and mine as this was only chowder in the loosest sense that a chowder’s ingredients were represented in the shallow, bowl-like dish. Nevertheless the addition and contrasts were interesting. Hiding beneath my plank of fish were greens that had been sautéed until very tender and a garlic potato puree that I had the bad luck to find near the end of the meal. I say bad luck as I truly would have liked to have had these earlier. Creamy and smooth with a subtle hint of roasted garlic they were, at the same time, buttery and rich.

To review, there were a lot of adjectives above describing the food at BOKA as less than bold and I’d hardly say anything original. While the food was good it’s not quite what I expected. Perhaps it’s due to a lack of patronage, after all, aside from those at the bar and myself, there was only one other party dining last night. If BOKA expects to succeed with such a, uh, well, bold name they need to, in the words of Emeril, “Kick it up a notch”; in some cases maybe two. My comments to the chef would be to, “not worry about being daring”. Sure you make drive away a lot of people but you’ll also make a statement and place for yourself in sea of Seattle restaurants. Until the cuisine takes on its bold, original, artistic character I think I’ll continue to drive past on my weekends in downtown.