Relish: XO Bistro
Seattlest has been hitting the cheap eats lately (mostly due to lack of funds), but we decided it was time for a splurge. While there are many new restaurants on our try-out list, XO Bistro bubbled to the top because we've been longtime fans of Cassis and we wanted to try out its similar-styled replacement.
On first glance, it looked as though there hadn't been a change in ownership. The walls were still painted in warm golds and yellows. The restaurant was still separated by booths topped with glass brick dividers. The small but comfy patio was still there. The menu even sounded similar--cassoulet, moules frites and coq au vin. It instantly felt comfortable and familiar.
We started out our evening with a lemon drop and an "XO" sidecar. The lemon drop was scrumptious and a perfect blend of tart and sweet. The sidecar tasted like fresh squeezed orange juice, but hardly anything else. You couldn't even tell that it was made with brandy--which some of us actually found appealing--but really, a sidecar should taste at least a little like brandy.
For a shared appetizer, Seattlest ordered the Charcuterie plate ($12). It was beautifully presented on a cheese board and the waitress pointed out each item and patiently answered all our questions about where everything was from. The garlic sausage threw us because it looked like salami--and we really wanted it to taste like salami, but it was just a sliced sausage. A kind of bland, sliced sausage. The pate campagne (country pate) was nicely flavored and textured, but we've been spoiled by the outstanding one Le Pichet makes. The smoked duck was nice and smoky, however it didn't taste much like duck. But Seattlest liked the texture of the chewy duck breast and the almost sweet layer of melting fat. Seattlest thought the duck rillettes was excellent and by far the best thing on the plate (and one of the few items that was actually made in-house). The rillettes was made from duck confit blended with liver, which gave it a rich, yummy mouth-feel and a good strong duck flavor. The charcuterie was accompanied by two types of mustard; a strong, grainy one and a Maille mustard, which was salty and thin; a perfect compliment to charcuterie.
For dinner, Seattlest asked the waitress for a wine recommendation to go with our pork and duck entrees. She brought us a delicious 2001 Chateau Saint-Roch Cotes-du-Rhone. Seattlest doesn't normally get all that excited about wine, but this one was rich flavored, lush and highly enjoyable to drink.
Our Grilled Pork Tenderloin ($16) came with an interesting sounding harissa glaze and a Madeira and fig jus. Unfortunately, the pork was overcooked and the harissa had more heat than flavor. Sometimes hot and sweet can be magically paired, but the harissa and fig jus combo fell short. The only thing on the plate that Seattlest really enjoyed were the mashed potatoes. They were really moist and had unusual and alluring overtones of celeriac and nutmeg.
Our Duck Confit ($16) came on a mound of French lentils surrounded by a ring of Sarladais potatoes. On first bite, the duck seemed overcooked and tough, but as we mixed the duck with the amazing sauce and flavorful (but slightly undercooked) lentils, we grew to love this dish. It was rich and deep, as only highly reduced French sauces can make things. The sad part about the duck is that its skin and fat layer weren't very crisp (sigh). The potatoes were a total surprise. They looked like burnt and dried out potato chips, but when we put them in our mouth they were bursting with fat and garlic. Seattlest would gladly give up French fries for these.
Overall we thought that the food quality had gone down a bit since Cassis ran the place, but we still had a really enjoyable evening. We were highly entertained by the jar of crayolas and white butcher paper covering the table (we played a few tipsy games of hangman). Our waitress was friendly, professional and helpful, and the dining room walked that perfect and precarious line between being too empty and just right. It felt a little like staying up late with an old friend you haven't seen in a while.
XO Bistro
2359 10th Avenue E
206.328.6444
http://www.xobistro.com
