The Corson Building

Ahhh.....we had dinner last night in Paradise.

Er, well, in Georgetown. With planes roaring overhead,

nestled between two sets of railroad tracks, a view of a

soccer field out the kitchen windows and within spitting

distance of the ever-gritty Airport Way:

at The Corson Building, an offbeat, two-story

tile-roofed "house" built by an Italian stonemason

in 1906, which now houses Seattle's newest haven

for foodies. (It sits nearly under the Michigan Street

offramp, also.)

When I heard, almost a year ago, that Matt Dillon,

of Sitka & Spruce, and partner Wylie Bush were launching

this endeavor less than a block away from the former

love-of-my-life, Two Tartes (I mean, non-human love....),

I was skeptical. Especially when it would mean gutting the

existing structure and pushing out the back for a new kitchen.

(And I think this is a leased property, but I'm not sure.)

Would people shed dusty jeans and Carhartt jackets

for an evening of $ prix fixe dining? In Georgetown?!!

Well, the answer I got last night was a resounding Yes! --as we

sat down with 3o-or-so other guests at three large communal

tables. We had already enjoyed white wine/huckleberry-

infused aperitif and a watermelon & tuna amuse bouche

in the oasis-like garden, where caged doves and chickens

cooed and pecked beneath a laden Italian prune tree.

Inside, Paul and I scooted down a lengthy bench elbow-to-elbow

as dishes of pickled, spiced cherries and currants were passed.

Too tart! --but strikingly beautiful, they certainly woke up our palates.

What followed were seven additional courses served family style,
save for two plated entrees:

--tahini flatbread with yogurt

--roasted eggplant, peppers and onions with Interlaken-grape raisins

--two salads: dilled green beans & diced beets with crispy fried garbanzos

tossed with an assortment of nuts and seeds and coriander

--breaded squid and artichoke hearts (YUM!!)

--mackerel and heirloom tomatoes on sauteed raddichio

(I refuse to say "on a bed of....")

--black cod sauteed with chanterelles and fresh corn

--whole, butter-infused roasted chicken and quartered plums

--herbed toasts and flageolets

--honey-roasted nectarine slices with crisp pastry squares

and creme Anglaise.....

PLUS wine pairings. Are you full yet?

The wine (that I'm able to remember):

Pinot Blanc

Pinot Noir

Meursault

Muscat

Oh my.

I kept asking myself Where am I?

The only drawback is the din. It's a cavernous space

with lots of brick and concrete, and although Matt Dillon

apologized at the beginning of the meal for their unfortunate

ability to find suitably-aesthetic sound-absorption, I observed

a lot of blank wall-space clamoring (literally) for tapestries.

For the price one pays for dinner here, one should be able
to carry on a conversation comfortably.

And The Corson Building is not for the timid:
there is no menu.
You sit.
You eat.
You are happy.
Trust me.