On our anniversary, Amanda and I had dinner at Rover’s while her mom watched Lonan Kai. I had wanted to go there since we moved to Seattle as we used to live a few blocks away from it, but we never got around to it. Of course, the fact that it is on the very pricey side and had a jacket and tie dress code may have had some influence.
Now, though, they do not mandate a jacket and tie, but instead opt for the more nebulous “business casual”. I wore a jacket and tie anyway, because, what the hell.
The restaurant itself is tucked away from the main road and is on the smaller side (17 tables they say) with the tables divided between two cozy rooms. They were full when we got there; we were the last party of the evening to arrive.
Rover’s basically has three multi-course tasting menus (one “normal”, one vegetarian, and one that is simply more extravagant than the “normal”) plus a special prix fixe menu that presumably changes more often than the regular offerings. You can also get matched wines with each of the courses. And you can mix and match between all the menus if you desire and add and subtract items.
Amanda simply choose the vegetarian sequence. She did not want to drink a lot of wine since she is breastfeeding, so she skipped the complete set of matched wine, but they did select a couple of glasses for her. I basically choose the veggie menu with a couple of fishy modifications from the other menus. As might be expected, I got it with a full set of matching wines.
First up was the amuse bouche for both of us. It consisted of a minced cucumber cylinder thing, an olive tapenade, and a celery soup. Of course, everything was tiny, there was a maybe a tablespoon of the soup. It was all very tasty.
I was served a sparkling wine from Roederer Estate in the Anderson Valley in California. They poured me a lot more than normal so that Amanda could have a taste if she wished. It was good.
They served some bread at around this point as well. Or perhaps before the amuse bouche. It was notable in that is was quite mediocre really, but it was good enough to clear the palate and sop up sauce during the evening.
Next up for us was a “Red Beet, Fennel, and Orange Salad with Herbed Caillé and Baby Arugula”. It was good, and as with everything during the evening artfully presented. I noted that the thinly sliced circular beets had a perfect stripe of dressing… more attention to detail than I ever had done cooking.
Amanda got her first glass of wine: a Pouilly Fumé from the Loire Valley. I forget exactly what. It was good, although I typically do not care for sauvignon/chenin blancs. I got another white, but I totally don’t remember what it was.
Next for Amanda was “Warm Fava Bean Soup with English Peas, Baby Carrot and Marcona Almond”. They brought the peas, carrots, almonds, and whatever else to her in a covered bowl and then poured the soup into the bowl from another ceramic pot. It was excellent.
I departed from the veggie menu and got “Hamachi Tartare with English Cucumber, Toasted Brioche and White Sturgeon Caviar”. It was alright; perhaps I would have liked it better had the cucumber not totally been reminiscent of the amuse bouche. Again, it was very pretty, though.
I got a dry reisling from Germany (Prinz Rheingau Riesling). I did not think there were any dry whites from Germany. It was good.
Next for us was a dish of Washington State mushrooms (mainly morels) in a puff pastry, roasted Walla Walla onions and bok choy in a roasted garlic sauce. I love stuff like this dish. Slurp.
I got another white with this course, but again I forget what it was.
Then it was time for a palate cleansing red current sorbet. Yum.
The final course (excluding desserts) for Amanda was “Herbed Farro, Leeks and Caramelized Turnip with Grilled Asparagus and Harissa Butter”. She got another glass of wine: a Syrah from the Rhone Valley.
My final course was (poached?) halibut in a sherry sauce with some other things I don’t remember. It was good. I wish I could cook fish as perfectly as they do. The sommelier said he would normally match the dish with a chablis, but since he did not want to give me another white he choose a red Burgandy (of which I remember only it was from Beaune and vintage 2005). I was all for it since I would drink pinot noir with most anything.
We both received a “Symphony of Desserts” next with a glass of muscat. It consisted of a cherry tarlet, a bonbon-type thing, and a cake-thing with filling, all with sauces. I realize that is a poor description, so here is a picture.
They wrote Happy Anniversary on the plates, which was nice of them. I noted that they wrote it neater with chocolate sauce than I could with a pen and paper.
Finally, there were the “Mignardises” a variety of small chocolate and fruity treats.
I was surprised they did not offer coffee of tea afterwards, although they did ask if we needed anything else. Perhaps it was obviously late on a weeknight and it was unlikely we would want anything caffeinated.
Overall, the dinner was excellent. The service was among the best I have had in Seattle. Admittedly, service in Seattle tends to be very mediocre if one is lucky, but Rover’s service is genuinely superior. The food was excellent as well. It was artistically presented and pleasing to the eye, and it was obvious that everything was skillfully prepared (but, again, the bread was pretty mediocre). I would not hesitate to return, and it is a good place for vegetarians to experience very French-inspired food. It is pricey, though, and is the most Amanda and I have spent on a dinner in Seattle (shockingly, however, not the most ever for the two of us).
I did have to prevent Amanda from calling home to see how LK was doing. She was worried that he was tormenting her mother. She managed not to call, but instead sent a text message: “Zzz for LK?”