West Seattle Bohemians
Travelers, take note. West Seattle, an isolated neighborhood separated from Seattle by the Duwamish River, is actually home to some 60,000 people--twice as many inhabitants as Walla Walla. You get there by crossing Harbor Island. Once you're there, not 15 minutes from downtown Seattle, you'll find it has just about everything: a scrappy neighborhood blog, a crappy official website, a midsummer festival, a community newspaper, a farmers market, a twin-screen movie theater, several attractive parks and popular beaches, and a growing number of restaurants (over 150, by one count, including three sushi parlors and a couple of wine bars).
The newest spot finally opened last night, some six months behind schedule. It's called Bohemian, a venture by two brothers, Jason (chef) and Eirk (bar) Rice (along with their mom, Teri). They'll open at 7 for coffee, switch to happy hour from 3:30 to 6, dinner until 10, late-night until 2 on weekends, plus brunch on Sunday.
First martinis ($6) include a "classic" with Plymouth gin with three olives. The lucid elixir ($10) is flavored with Canada's Lucid absinthe, 62 percent alcohol, tastes like licorice. Among the happy hour snacks: a garlicky black olive tapenade paired with a white bean purée ($8) and a sampler of cured meats and artisan cheeses ($16 for a large platter).
One of Bohemian's specialties will be raclette, an alpine mountain dish of melted and scraped cheese. Click here to read a post on the foodie blog Cornichon about raclette, "Back when cows were cows and men were men....") Bohemian's raclette is an upside-down version. The cornichons, capers and potatoes are cut up, placed in the bottom of a cast-iron pan, covered with raclette (and gruyère) and broiled. A small portion is $10, a large, $18. A bit fussy, if you ask us.
Dinner choices are more traditional: beef tenderloin, lamb "lollie chops", meat balls, scallops or a vegetarian cassoulet. All available in single-serving or share-platter size, however, so mixing and matching should be easy. Bohemian's décor, in a small, free-standing building, is one part Black Bottle hand-crafted minimalism, one part Pink Door over-the-top artsy. The Rice brothers have planned a full schedule of live music as well. Their intention, as they wrote to the editors of the West Seattle blog:
In the evening we will be creating our own eclectic, globally influenced fare with ingredients, techniques, and flavors from many bohemian cultures around the world; as well, our own versions of Americana comfort foods with a twist.And if you're in the mood for even more central European Gemütlichkeit, Chris Navarro (of Prost, Feierabend and BierStube) is opening a second Prost next door to Bohemian by the end of the year.
Add to the mix the French-Italian Beàto a few blocks north, east-facing Salty's and west-facing La Rustica down on the water, and you'll be able to fit in as many exotic meals in West Seattle as could in a weekend journey to Walla Walla, and you won't need to spend $100 on gas to get there, either.
Bohemian, 3405 California Ave. S.W., 206-938-2646 ("BOHO")
