Stateside

***Update***Seattle Met magazine named Stateside 2015 restaurant of the year.

I am lucky to be surrounded by a group of fun and food-loving friends. Once a month, we pick a new restaurant to meet up.  Not everyone can make it every time, but with about 6 to 9 people, we can order pretty much every dish off the menu, perfect for trying a new place in town.

  

Stateside’s chef Eric Johnson has an impressive bio.  Having traveled all over the world, and trained with Michelin starred chef such as Daniel Boulud and Jean-Georges Vongerichten, he landed in Seattle and opened this French-Vietnamese restaurant.

The menu is organized by various plate sizes: small, medium, large and sides.

For small plates, we ordered both Crispy duck fresh rolls and Crispy mushroom fresh rolls:

The rolls are wrapped with basil, cilantro, Vietnamese spearmint, lemon balm and shiso leaves.  There was a thin layer of crispy sheet in the middle, making it fun to bite into.

Snap peas in galangal coconut cream:

For medium plates, we ordered Chili cumin pork ribs:

Fall off the bone pork ribs marinated in spicy Hunan chili sauce, enrobed with an abundance of cumin seeds.  You have to really like cumin to appreciate this dish.  I loved it.

Green papaya salad with long beans, tomatoes, lime, chili, dried shrimp and beef jerky:

This salad has just the right balance of sweet and sour, but the beef jerky on top really did it for me.  It has a juicy soft texture, reminded me of the Chinese Couple’s beef, not the usual chewy stuff you get from an air-tight plastic bag.

From the large plates, we ordered Master stock crispy chicken:

Free range chicken poached in aromatic stock, then fried crispy.

Goat curry:

Grilled goat and dried haricots verts braised in fresh curry paste with coconut milk and yogurt.

and Soy glazed beef short ribs with celery root purée, green apple-ginger-sesame salad:

We enjoyed all three dishes. with the short rib being the clear winner.  The crispness and tartness of the green apple pairs seamlessly with the tenderness of the beef and the sweetness of the soy glaze.

For dessert, we ordered Exotic fruit selection with fresh jackfruit, rambutan,lychee, longan and dragonfruit with jasmin sobet to the left and Cinnamon parfait to the right:

  

Our vote goes to the Cinnamon parfait by all counts, and most of us didn’t even like cinnamon.

Creme Fraiche cheesecake on shortbread crust with lychee snow:

Vanilla goose egg custard with fresh jackfruit and thai flower tuile:

Overall, our meal comes down to $25.74 per person before tax and tip.  The service was prompt and the ambiance bright and unassuming.  And while you are in the neighborhood, a visit to the Starbucks Reserve^® Roastery & Tasting Room is a must.