Dishin': Boat Street's Cornmeal Custard Cake

Despite early afternoon plans to consume diabetes-defying amounts of truffles and other treats at the Seattle Luxury Chocolate Salon (resulting in a complete chocolate coma), Seattlest remained committed to the weekly "Dishin'" review and reported to Boat Street Café for brunch yesterday.

We hadn’t been to Boat Street since back in the days when it was located on, well, Boat Street. Now in a unique location on lower Queen Anne, the café remains a popular place for brunch and beyond. The subterranean space is airy, well-lit and inviting, with cloth napkins adding a nice touch at the tables.

Some at our table were smart in ordering savory dishes like salad Nicoise and eggs baked with spinach and buttery crumbs. But as a warm-up act to the on-the-way onslaught of chocolate, Seattlest spied a sweet dish that seemed strangely appealing. We’d been hearing rave reviews of a dish billed as "better than pancakes": rustic cornmeal custard cake served with sausage and banana slices, all swimming in maple syrup.

"Better than pancakes" was a big selling point, as we’re brunch skeptics—not wanting to go out for food we can easily make at home. (Pancakes are so pedestrian.) The dish delivered. The custard itself wasn’t so sweet, which was refreshing; the cornmeal on top provided a nice texture contrast, and the spiciness of the sausage was a welcome counterpoint. One dining companion commented on the phallic presentation of the sausage and split banana around the triangle of cake. As for the maple syrup, it was a lovely lubricant for the mouth and mind ahead of the ensuing chocolate orgy.