Thursday, December 15

Seattle 2011: Taylor Shellfish Farm - Ristorante Machiavelli

 We are currently waiting out one of many layovers and flight delays on our Thailand honeymoon. As it seems we will be stuck at Chiang Mai airport for 3 hours, I thought I'd take this time to release one of my drafted posts from our November Seattle trip.
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The wait for Ristorante Machiavelli for dinner in Seattle was horrendously long so we soothed our stomachs with some wine and oyster appetizers at Taylor Shellfish Farm down the street. The place was empty when we came in and we were given attentive service by the one employee available.

We started with a bottle of Calamare Vino. I think it's sauvignon blanc. Not a fan but alcohol always does the job.

Then we perused the fresh shellfish offerings in the tanks, reminiscent of Asian supermarkets minus the seafood smell. Look, it's my favorite geoducks!

There were so many oysters to choose from that our countless raw oyster experiences did little to help us pick.

In the end, the gang settled on one dozen Virginicas. I do say, that rusty sign holder gives the restaurant an authentic, right on the dock feel.

Theses were delicious and so fresh. As good as it is right by the bay. They were the perfect appetizer for a starving group of 4 waiting for great Italian food.

We walked back to Machiavelli to check on our reservation and after some more waiting, we were finally seated.

($8.95) Tuna Carpaccio, thinly sliced sashimi grade tuna with balsamic vinegar, capers, and parmesan cheese. I've had beef carpaccio before which was underwhelming but this tuna carpaccio was much better. I still prefer Asian style carpaccio over this Italian kind, but thinly sliced fish has usually been delicious.

($8.50) Sausage and cheese pizza. Pardon the orientation, blogger is not giving me to option to rotate this photo.I've been really into thin crust pizza lately. It must have started after having Grimaldi's pizza in New York. This simple thin crust sausage and cheese pizza really hit the spot.

($10.95) Hand made gnocchi al sugo. Rolled potato dumpling with tomato basil sauce. I've always heard of gnocchi before but hearing that it was stuffed with cheese really detered me. My friends ordered this gnocchi plate and to my surprise, no cheese. They're really soft and chewy dumplings in pasta sauce. A very good dish.

Special of the day: Penne pasta with scallops in a creamy carbonara(?) sauce.  I forget the price and description of this pasta dish but I can't forget the taste. To me, this was the best thing we ordered that night. The scallops were amazing!

($14.95) Prawns with Linguini. his dish was also very good but sadly, overshadowed by the other dishes so I don't remember it too much. Every dish was delicious and nothing was disappointing.

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS
Taylor Shellfish Farm is pricey but the oysters we had were really fresh and the service was attentive. It was a great pit stop. I highly recommend Ristorante Machiavelli if you go to Seattle. If they take reservations, make one. The wait is tremendously long. Machiavelli is a dimly lit, cramped restaurant with wooden interiors that reminiscent of an old tavern. Sometimes its places like these that make the best food. Also, the dishes are very simple, no frills, but great taste. mm yummy...salivating as I write.

Taylor Shellfish Farm on Yelp
Ristorante Machiavelli on Yelp

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