Hungrygrrl

Sheela offered to take me out for graduation and we decided on BOKA–”Bold original kitchen artistry”.

I know. The name alone makes you start to doubt.

And the interior didn’t help. It was all metal and frosted glass with a wall of lights that slowly changed color. The gray velour booths were filled with tittering women in highheels and men in suits. This didn’t bode well for the food.

But then our appetizers arrived. I took one bite of the sweet corn soup and was blown away. It was like summer in Vermont, so pure and sweet. Like essence of fresh corn on the cobb. As Sheela said, “this is one of those things I would’ve ruined with salt.”

Then came the grilled figs with melted roquefort, served alongside arugula with a perfectly honey-sweet dressing. The figs melted in my mouth, mixing with the sharpness of the cheese, the bitter arugula, the sweet dressing. We also tried “rubies and pearls,” a mix of orzo, sprouts and beets, and it too was amazing. It had this incredible lightness– the spicy sprouts popping in my mouth, contrasting with the earthy beats.

But interrupting our food rapture was the waiter. We asked for a wine menu and it never arrived. We asked again, we asked the busgirls, finally after 4 tries someone gave us one. And then he walked over as we were finishing our appetizers, “Oh did they forget your bread?”

Incidentally, the gelled balsamic they serve with the bread is wonderful, though why not olive oil? The butter seemed too old school. And the bread was slightly stale.

Finally we had the main course (lamb) which was sadly a disappointment. Cooked perfectly with a flush of pink at the center, it was still tough and with an excess of cumin. The apricot couscous and carmelized shallots on the side were perfect.

By this point the women at the next booth were getting louder and more highpitched as they downed their cocktails and we were both getting tired of the ever changing walls. The final topper was the waiter’s description of the dessert special, “it’s huckleberry linzer torte, you know, linzer torte? Like with that…that weaving on the top.”

Sigh. I do love seattle. I just wish someone would import some waiters.

*************************************************

http://www.bokaseattle.com