Go Eat! Sitka & Spruce
Tucked away in a strip mall on Eastlake, next to a mini-mart, Seattle's Sitka & Spruce is unassuming, if not out of place entirely.
"Sitka & Spruce was more of a social statement to me," says Chef-owner Matt Dillon. "It was more of like, I'm gonna put this restaurant in a joke of a location, make it kind of pretty - but kind of weird, and serve this food that most people would associate with, you know, some guy with his shirt tucked in talking very quietly, telling you about the cheese you're about to eat."
Dillon opened the tiny 20-seat restaurant a year ago with the intention of creating memorable experiences for his customers.
"It's such a beautiful thing to sit around with a bunch of people and just have this, like, crazy time and make a mess and have, you know, the carcass of a pig in the middle of the table and everybody's just eating with their hands. That's what I want Sitka & Spruce to be."
In fact, Matt doesn't even consider Sitka & Spruce a restaurant.
"You go in there and there's not a host seating you and you don't order in the traditional style and you don't have someone around filling your water," he says. "It really feels like it is just a dinner party."
Matt and his sous chef create their chalkboard menu each day based on what they're in the mood for...and what produce is available. Things like organic tri-tip sandwiches, creamy root vegetable soup and wild King Salmon with white bean ragout, mussels and bacon.
"What we do is buy good products and treat them really well and do our very, very best. And even though there'll be some imperfection, you still can't complain because it's still going to be good. It's testament to the products that we use."
Locally-sourced, high-integrity food has always been important to Matt who most recently worked at Stumbling Goat after several years at the Herbfarm.
"I wanted to work in a place that had 10 items on a menu and you just concentrate on those 10 items, keep it really simple."
Matt says another, larger, restaurant is on the way, but...
"My main goal is to farm and to grow my own products and then bring them to the restaurants that I own. So, I think that's what will make me feel complete."
Places Matt likes to Go Eat!: Maneki, La Medusa
For more information:
www.sitkaandspruce.com
"Sitka & Spruce was more of a social statement to me," says Chef-owner Matt Dillon. "It was more of like, I'm gonna put this restaurant in a joke of a location, make it kind of pretty - but kind of weird, and serve this food that most people would associate with, you know, some guy with his shirt tucked in talking very quietly, telling you about the cheese you're about to eat."
Dillon opened the tiny 20-seat restaurant a year ago with the intention of creating memorable experiences for his customers.
"It's such a beautiful thing to sit around with a bunch of people and just have this, like, crazy time and make a mess and have, you know, the carcass of a pig in the middle of the table and everybody's just eating with their hands. That's what I want Sitka & Spruce to be."
In fact, Matt doesn't even consider Sitka & Spruce a restaurant.
"You go in there and there's not a host seating you and you don't order in the traditional style and you don't have someone around filling your water," he says. "It really feels like it is just a dinner party."
Matt and his sous chef create their chalkboard menu each day based on what they're in the mood for...and what produce is available. Things like organic tri-tip sandwiches, creamy root vegetable soup and wild King Salmon with white bean ragout, mussels and bacon.
"What we do is buy good products and treat them really well and do our very, very best. And even though there'll be some imperfection, you still can't complain because it's still going to be good. It's testament to the products that we use."
Locally-sourced, high-integrity food has always been important to Matt who most recently worked at Stumbling Goat after several years at the Herbfarm.
"I wanted to work in a place that had 10 items on a menu and you just concentrate on those 10 items, keep it really simple."
Matt says another, larger, restaurant is on the way, but...
"My main goal is to farm and to grow my own products and then bring them to the restaurants that I own. So, I think that's what will make me feel complete."
Places Matt likes to Go Eat!: Maneki, La Medusa
For more information:
www.sitkaandspruce.com