Coming Out Of The Dark: the first meal in months.
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Some famous person once said that “change is good.” And for most people it is, if made in moderation. But these days so much has changed for everyone, everywhere. Daily life as we know it has suddenly altered its appearance, its behavior and it’s location. It’s been much harder on some than on others, but everyone has suffered. For restaurants — and the diners who love them — it has been cataclysmic. Now, some communities are trying to carefully claw their way back to “normal” or, at least, to Open. For me, after a total lock-down of Santiago Chile -- where no restaurant, mall or non-essential business has been opened since March -- coming to Seattle Washington in June felt liberating. Because as things slowly inch back to open, the food lovers of the Pacific Northwest are slowly emerging from their own kitchens to once again dine out.
The reappearance of food in motion seemed strange; watching people sitting together at tables laden with plates and glasses was a scene I’d not seen for some time. But the sight of fresh food in public revived my Pavlovian response as I stood on the street with my son whom I hadn’t seen since January, eyeing a place that suddenly represented everything I have been craving for so long. It was the Seattle Fish Company, a mix of serious fishmonger and funky restaurant, that lured me in. The place looked perfectly understated, from the neon-lit storefront, to the specials on the chalkboard easel and two small tables out front.
Owner Jon Daniels (in TURQUOISE) and his crew.
Inside, fresh seafood gleamed through glass cases: varieties of salmon and trout in states of repose among plump scallops, craggy oysters, and fat slabs of snow-white halibut. Owner Jon Daniels and his crew have been hauling in only the freshest of delights from local waters to sell and cook to loyal customers for years. You can feel his passion for the product and his enthusiasm to talk about it. Ask him about a certain kind of fish and he may rush over to a perfect specimen with an enthusiastic “check this out,’ or “you gotta see this.” One moment talking to him and you know this is a guy who loves what he does.
But it’s not just about the fish market, because their cooked food is a staple of West Seattle. A quick review of the menu and I knew I had come to the right place for our noteworthy first meal back. The lineup consisted of straight forward ocean options cooked in a variety of ways: fish & chips; oysters; salmon; halibut; prawns; crab and other seafood standards -- simple dishes designed to soothe the most fundamental of pescatarian hunger pangs. The beauty of simplicity is the name of the game here.
Take their fish and chips made with salmon, for example. It’s not a finned variety I’d typically drop in a vat of hot oil, but it seems to be a popular thing here and, well, when in Rome…. So I ordered it — along with the traditional cod version for, y’know, comparison. Before even tapping the tensile surface of the golden, panko-crusted slab of super-fresh fish resting on a bed of bronzed fries and colorful slaw I could see the signs of a kitchen in control. The crust glistened, absorbing the light rather than reflecting it off an oily sheen. My fork crunched though the outer layer to reveal luscious pink flesh, perfectly medium-rare. A wisp of steam rose from the interior, proving that the frymaster knew how to get the inside of the delicate fish hot without killing it. And, finally, that first bite at my first meal back delivered just what I needed: the deep-fried pleasure of delicate, mildly-seasoned breading followed by the silky texture and flavor of just-cooked salmon. Crispy fries sprinkled with malt vinegar and a pinch of salt, and a tangy slaw balanced the fresh tastiness and cleansed the palate just right. Sitting across from my son, softly chewing and trading reactions, I felt suddenly delivered from a dark, lonely tunnel to a bright, happy place I had once known and loved, and will surely love again.
Okay, so I realize that perhaps my level of enjoyment of Seattle Fish Company’s lunch was due in part to it being my first restaurant meal in months. It helped restore a sense of hope of once again enjoying good food cooked and served in public with people I love. Dining should be an emotional experience for any number of reasons, and the right feelings almost always make the food taste better. But beyond the immense pleasure of again dining out with my foodwalker son, I objectively discovered why salmon fish & chips is a thing in Seattle. A damn good thing. And while some afficionados might turn away from the idea of anything but Cod, it is clear to me that Seattle Seafood Company’s salmon version is worthy of a solid Fish & Chips label. And I will be back for more — gradually.
After months apart, my son was all the company I needed in the open but empty eatery.
The reopening of things continues to be measured, and for good reason. “Normal” is not yet ready to return and the struggle for restaurants and diners is far from over. Even at Seattle Fish Company that day my son and I were the only guests eating inside and the place was eerily barren. But it didn’t matter because we were there, the kitchen was operating and a culinary energy in the air — so suddenly sucked out of every restaurant in the world — was beginning to return. And that taste of hope and optimism for good food to come was delicious.