Romantic Dinner Idea: Six Seven Restaurant In Seattle
Everything about Six Seven buzzes with a romantic feeling: the waterfront location, the soft lighting, the chic décor. The restaurant is located in the Edgewater Hotel, known for hosting the Beatles (there is a suite there now named for them), who fished right through the hotel's windows.
From the moment we walked in, we were enchanted by the welcoming feel of the restaurant and the equally inviting staff, who immediately showed us to a table with a marvelous view of the river. As the evening sky darkened into night, we watched the lights twinkle and wondered if there could be a more perfect setting for what turned out to be a remarkable meal.
Throughout the evening, we worked our way through the cocktail menu and landed on three serious favorites: Apple of My Eye, Cherry Blossom Fizz, and Mandarin Sweet Tea.
The Apple of My Eye is comprised of Ciroc vodka, St. Germain, and cloudy apple juice, and tastes like a juicy, ripe apple. The Cherry Blossom Fizz, crafted from Effen Black Cherry and Lauren Perrier champagne, reminded me of a bubbly cherry soda, too good for a kid to appreciate. But I think my top pick is the Mandarin Sweet Tea, made of Absolut Mandarin, citrus, and sweet tea. I am an avid sweet tea drinker, and this version won my heart.
When it came to ordering, we did not mess around. We started with the "BLT" Salad, with sugar-herb roasted bacon, poblano ranch, and sherry bacon dressing. It was crunchy and fresh and flavorful. The jumbo Dungeness crab and shrimp cake with crab lemongrass sauce and tomato jam and the pan-roasted foie gras with toasted brioche, Granny Smith apples, cranberries, arugula, pistachios, and blackberry gastrique were up next. It would be impossible to pick a favorite.
The crab and shrimp cake combines two of my favorite foods, and the foie gras was not only delicious, but the serving was also insanely generous. But the appetizer that truly won my heart was the king crab and saffron risotto with blistered onions, candied cherry tomatoes, lemon, basil, crisp leeks, and roasted tomato broth.
Risotto isn't even one of my favorite foods, but this risotto certainly is now. The blend of flavors was inventive, delicious, and seasonally spot-on.
We were nearly full at that point in the meal, but the games had just begun. Our first entrée was the filet mignon, which was gorgonzola-crusted and paired with forager mushroom ragù, asparagus, potato crisp, and natural jus. The juicy, impeccably cooked steak was perfectly paired with our other two choices: butter-poached shrimp and pan-roasted halibut.
The butter-poached shrimp was served with sweet potato hash, roasted peppers, caramelized garlic, lima beans, crisp potatoes, and pepper sauce, and the pan-roasted halibut was presented with saffron risotto, grilled green onion, cherry tomatoes, arugula, mussels, and saffron broth. Both were beautifully presented and beautifully prepared as well.
And as if there wasn't enough on the table already, the sides to share joined the party as well. Lobster mac and cheese with Six Seven's signature six cheese sauce, sautéed gnocchi with brown butter and fried sage; and roasted asparagus with unfiltered olive oil and fleur de sel.
The mac and cheese was beyond rich. And I was completely taken with the gnocchi. But believe it or not, the asparagus cast a spell over me as well. Six Seven is all about the details, and even the simplest thing like roasted asparagus was prepared to tasty perfection.
It seems almost impossible that we had room for dessert at that point. But when we saw the menu, there was no way we could resist. Somehow, we had no problem diving into the honey lavender crème brûlée with a chocolate honeycomb, the warmed spiced apple tart with vanilla bean ice cream and calvados caramel; and the rosemary-scented panna cotta with chianti huckleberries, vanilla whip, and biscotti.
Once again, I was in for a surprise. Warm fruit desserts are not generally my sweet of choice. But I hardly shared the tart with dinner date who was very sweet not to fight for me for the last bite.
The whole night felt like being swept away in a scene from a romantic movie. Every dish made my mouth sing, the ambiance was cinematic perfection, the staff was charming and delightful, and the experience left me believing in happily ever after. At least when it comes to dinner dates.