Hungrygrrl

The décor at Poppy is a bit Ikea showroom-esque: light colored wood with bursts of orange and red that call to mind poppies in full bloom. I had to twist Cobe’s arm to get him to go. He was worried his Sunday I-can’t-stand-shaving-on-the-weekend-look would be out of place, but we fit in just fine. There were people in shorts and flipflops.

The mood was light, with most tables ordering flights of wine and from where we sat we could see the bar was in full swing.

If you’ve seen Jerry Traunfeld’s cookbooks, or went to the Herbfarm when he was in residence, you’re already familiar with his style—simple and seasonal with an abundance of herbs. At Poppy he offers a series of tastes on a circular plate called a “thali.” It’s a play on a traditional Indian presentation, but the cooking is more west-coast small plates style, with the exception of the suspiciously naan-looking bread in the middle (sadly without the char). There are already signs he’s had to bend his will to a public not prepared for something so different, as he also offers “smallies”—similar to the thalis, but with less dishes and bigger entrée sizes.

We started with the Dungeness shiso appetizer but it was sadly disappointing. Hard to top the fresh Dungeness crab we had just a few days ago, plucked from the sound by one of our friends who has a diving rig. It was a bit light on the shiso as well.

Despite the name, the “smallies” were the perfect size. I was worried the copper river salmon would be ragged this late in the season, but it melted on the tongue and was paired with a pinot noir cream sauce. I never think to pair cream and fish, but it worked beautifully. The seabeans didn’t add much for me, except for a dash of color. Cobe’s wagyu beef was grilled a tender medium rare and served over meaty farro and porcinis. This was deep flavored meaty beef, well played off with some onions and stock.

Small plates were a bit of a blur. The roasted fingerlings with whole spices (mustard seeds, cumin and cardamom) were a standout, the spices so well toasted they popped in your mouth. I also loved the roasted beet, purslane and currant salad, rustic earthy flavors that really worked together. There was so much fresh local produce, it was like eating on a farm.

We wanted something sweet to end the meal, but couldn’t bring ourselves to fit in anything other than a scoop of ice cream, so we went with the mint chip. It was impressively minty, clearly made from the leaf not the extract. Did wish for a bit chunkier chocolate, but that’s my ben and jerry’s upbringing. Would love to try a dessert thali one of these days. I hear Dana Cree’s quite the pastry chef.

Pleasant night, good food, and all be-flipflopped.

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Poppy

(206) 324-1108

Capitol Hill
622 Broadway E
Seattle, WA 98102
www.poppyseattle.com