Rovers And The Chef In The Hat

M has already blogged about this one, so apologies to those who read both.

M and his team won a techie award recently, and their prize was dinner at a VERY fancy restaurant. Therefore, on a recent weeknight, several of us convened at Rovers, one of Seattle's snootiest destinations. Now I must admit that I was quite curious about this place since I've heard the Chef in the Hat in the radio more than once. The Chef has a very amusing spot on a local show where people call in and tell him the ingredients in their pantry, and he tries to help them figure out what to make for dinner.

You might drive past Rovers for years and never even realize it was there. It is tucked back behind some other buildings and off a little courtyard. The building is just a restored old house with nothing overly decorative to make it noticeable. However, once you get through the front door you understand. It is not a flashy or eye-catching place, but there is an air of elegance that cannot be mistaken.

We were seated at a long table with no other diners nearby, and the restaurant did not seem overly busy on that night. The menu is, well, impressive in that there are only a few offerings, but they are really something. The cheap item on the menu is the three course tasting dinner at $45. Next are two different five course menus at $80 each. The final choice is the $135 eight course menu. I was absolutely thrilled to see an entire five course menu for vegetarians. THANK YOU CHEF IN THE HAT!

Trying to reconstruct the courses in my memory is proving a bit tough (the exact menu is not available online), but I will do my best. The first plate was three tiny offerings of caramelized onions, celeriac salad, and cold soup. These we each no more than a bite, and they were deliciously flavored. I believe the next course was a blood orange and cucumber salad. This plate was beautifully presented with lovely swirls of dressing and orange juice, but it could have been more flavorful for my taste.

The next course was a carrot custard with ginger and sautéed cauliflower. I thought this would be weird, but it was actually very tasty. The cauliflower had interesting flavors, and it went perfectly with the smooth and creamy custard. The third of our official courses (the little plate was a freebie) was root vegetables and chestnut puree over a rich and luxurious onion sauce. This was probably my favorite of the dinner dishes, and I cannot begin to describe it.

Right now you are probably thinking "Wow! I can't believe she's still going on about this!" and that is pretty much exactly what I thought about dinner. The courses just kept coming. I don't know how the eight course people managed. The hibiscus ice that came next was tart and sweet at the same time, and it did a great job of refreshing us for the next course. The "main" dinner entree was a chard tart with various tasty sauces. Once again, the execution was flawless, but by this point I was starting to lose my perspective.

Dessert was a trio of perfect little gems. A chocolate truffle thingy, a lemon tart, and a cherry clafoutis (I had to look up the spelling on that one). They were, of course, wonderful and sweet without being too much. I especially liked the lemon tart, but they were all so good that I would order any of them on its own.

On the whole, this meal was pretty much flawless. The location, the service, the food, were all simply amazing, and I really cannot agree with the complaint that the people are snobbish. However, I'm not sure any food can be worth the price. In the end, each dish cost about $16, and I am quite convinced that I would not be willing to pay that price unless it were the most special of occasions. Nevertheless, any time The Evil Empire would like to pay the bill I would be there in a heartbeat.