Story Published:
Oct 10, 2006 at 7:26 PM PST
Story Updated:
Mar 31, 2008 at 12:22 PM PST
SEATTLE - If chef Scott Simpson and his crew of cooks threw a dinner party, it would look a lot like his new Capitol Hill restaurant, Fork.
"This restaurant is kind of what we like to cook and what we like to listen to," Scott says. "It's like coming to our living room and you know, you'll get something that's really good,"
Scott says there really isn't any meaning behind the name - it just sounded fun. But the four-pronged name could easily be a metaphor for Scott's biggest passions in life: history, science, cooking and eating.
Fork opened January 10th, 16 months after Scott sold his first restaurant, the Blue Onion Bistro.
"I was trying to do something a little more fine dining with this place. I wanted to have something fine-dining and comfortable in the mix - and bizarre."
He says he fell in love with the space, formerly Bacchus and Byzantion, when he first moved to Seattle nine years ago.
"It's just a really weird, romantic space and it has a touch of elegance but also that touch of oddness which, you know, describes me really well."
The original artwork that was painted on the walls when the space was a Russian tea hous is still intact.
"The murals were painted in 1929 by a Russian artist and they're original to the building. We had them restored and they are actually part of the Seattle Historical Society, so they're untouchable."
Scott creates what's called "molecular cuisine" by combining science and cooking. For example:
"We do a sea bass that we vacuum pack and cook it in water in a Sous Vide bath, which is a low temperature for a certain amount of time and the fish comes out really tender," he says.
But don't let words like "sous vide" scare you. There's plenty of fun and familiar items on the ever-changing seasonal menu.
"You know, things go across the board. On the whimsy side, we have these Lobster Corn Dogs. And maybe going on the little finer side we do Confit of Pork with Beluga Lentils and Thumbelina Carrots. A lot of organic ingredients."
Even though Scott intended to retire after selling the Blue Onion, he says he just can't stay away.
"I like making people happy. I've always been a sucker for that, so hopefully that will continue."
Places Scott likes to Go Eat! - Crush, Malay Satay Hut, Willie's Taste of Soul.
For More Information:
www.forkseattle.com
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