Restaurant Review: Txori in Belltown, Seattle

This is my own entry in our first Seattle Restaurant Review 360. Here is the roundup of all the other participants.

When we first walked in Txori, Sarina said "no wonder you wanted to come here, this is (basically) the restaurant you want to run". She has a way of cutting to the chase like that.

Txori, pronounced CHO-ree, is on 2nd St. in Belltown, and is the younger sister of Chef Joseba Jimenez de Jimenez' Harvest Vine. Although Harvest Vine is a fairly expensive restaurant, it has always had an informal feel, especially at the counter. Last time I was there, Chef was handing out (incredible) raisins he had house-dried and sparking lively conversations between tables.

Jimenez cuts a noteable figure with his sizeable girth, handlebar mustache, and floppy Basque beret, and he has a way of keeping a room lively. When I was working at Cafe Flora, we were part of a multi-restaurant benefit for Bailey-Boushay house with him down at the waterfront. Seeing Jimenez clown around in the walk-in freezer with Chef Janine from Cafe Flora was priceless!

Anyhow, Txori enshrines the informality of Harvest Vine in a great little pinxtos bar, which gives you the opportunity to sample Jimenez' cuisine at a much lower price point, and without the commitment of a full meal. What are pinxtos? Simply the Basque word for tapas.

When you walk in to Txori, the entire small open kitchen is on your left, with a standing bar where you can hang your coat and have a nosh on the run. Your other options are a few high tables near the bar, or a few more in back where you can sit down for a more leisurely visit. The cooks are very much engaged with the customers, ready to discuss the dishes with you and your server.

Plates come in two sizes: pinxtos, which are just a couple of bites and range in price from $1.50 to $4.00, and raciones which are a bit larger and more expensive. There is a printed menu, and always several specials on the board as well.

From a vegetarian point of view, Txori has plenty of good options. The menu is heavy on ham and seafood of course, but there are always at least a half dozen choices for us herbivores, and the servers are happy to help figure them out.

On our first visit, I was excited to see the fried cauliflower on the chalkboard. I'd had that at Harvest Vine and was in love with it. Simply fried in olive oil until tender and brown, drizzled with more oil, and then prettily arranged back in the shape of the original head, it is much more delicious than I can explain.

Unfortunately, on this occasion, it didn't get enough sea salt before coming to the table. And it led to the only slightly uncomfortable moment we had. The dish is much too good to eat underseasoned, and there was no salt on the table. So I had to ask our server for some salt, who in turn asked the cook. And it was provided, but there was a vibe from the cook that he was none too happy. What can I say? I prefer that a restaurant provide a good salt on the table. Everyone's tastes vary, and in any case there is no doubt that this cauliflower needed some.

On that trip we also had a trio of marinated olives, and a little ramekin of melted tetilla cheese in tomato sauce, both of which were delicious with a glass of Basque wine. Other choices from the full bar include a house sangria, specialty cocktails, and espresso.

For my return visit, I again tried 3 dishes (all pictured above). The first was fried marcona almonds with smoky paprika (pimenton) and sea salt. A perfect salty bite with a drink. Next was a magnificent bocadillo (little sandwich) of Spanish tortilla (cold potato fritatta) on a small torpedo shaped roll from Columbia City, with a spicy aioli. It was so tender and tasty, just a total winner. My final pintxo was a tasty baguette slice with melted blue cheese, roasted pear, and walnuts. With an orange soda, the total came to just $15.

It gives me a lot of pleasure to see more places offering top-notch flavors and presentation outside of the confines of a traditional full-service and white tablecloths environment. Seattle is kind of a hotbed of these experiments right now: Sitka and Spruce, Cache, Art Of The Table, Quinn's, Skillet, Elemental, and One Pot, to name a few, are all pushing the boundaries of what it means to be a restaurant in America, 2008.

Txori is an excellent addition to that company. I love the ability to just drop in and have a few great bites, without breaking the bank or setting aside a whole evening. I'll be dropping by whenever I'm in Belltown.

Find related articles in: Restaurants
Leave a comment about this article (1) | Here's the permalink.
Published on April 09, 2008.

Help us grow:

Thumbs Up!

Recent Comments

Jim Fowler commented on Why I'm A Vegetarian, Dammit:

Thanks for honest and thoughtful writing on this subject. I am very like you but not as eloquent... Jim

renato commented on Why I'm A Vegetarian, Dammit:

When I say umans, I'm meaning HUMANS.

renato commented on Why I'm A Vegetarian, Dammit:

I've always seen myself as a "potential vegetarian" or an omnivore with vegeterian tendencies, or whatever, but that was never something I gave thoughts about.

Since childhood I've prefered salads and vegetables over meat - with the exception of fish. But you know, living with people who eat meat all the time, you end up eating meat too, even not liking it at all.

Well, I went to Argentina, my favorite neighbour country (time to say, I'm Brazilian). In Argentina all they eat is meat. They are much more carnivores than omnivores. So, that was ok for me, cause since then I didn't have any concern about eating meat, except its taste. But one week of it made me so sick.

When I returned to Brazil I thanked so much God or the deities or the powers of nature (you see, I have no standard religion) for the incredible amount of vegetables we have here - I believe it doesn't compare to anywhere in the world. Fresh vegetables! I decided to stop eating meat. Many of my friends were going vegetarian at the same time. Thanks to the Universe and its forces, or to simple coincidence. And most importantly, add to that that my pet dog was run over by a bus and I could see all that suffering and trauma in her eyes. And my own despair. There came the realization that there are feelings between us umans and animals. "Do animals have feelings?" is not a necessary question for me, since I have feelings towards them, and that's enough. For your curiosity's sake, she recovered very very well. Dogs are so resistant!

I do very ocasionally eat fish and seafood - so I'm actually pescetarian, which is a specific kind of omnivorism. But meat... since I made my decision I tried meat one more time, but it tasted quite rotten, like a dead thing (which indeed it is). I can't stand the smell of animal fat anymore.

Hard to put up with people that think you'll die or get terribly sick if you don't eat meat. So to deal with it I started reading a lot about vegetarianism, and related issues. You know, a little database to try to argue with meat lovers. Most of the texts I've found are just ideological pamphlets, just too irate to be valid. Yours, Michael, is one of the few that address the issue in a nonpassionate, tolerant way. It made me realise that a diet is a matter of choice and should be adressed in a simple, natural way. It's as simple as choosing a pair of shoes to wear (assuming you're not a girl), especially when you feel good about it.

Sarah commented on Why I'm A Vegetarian, Dammit:

My reasons are similar to yours, but slightly different. I just find the idea of eating the flesh of another living creature, a creature that can feel pain, and has free will, simply barbaric. We're all connected, I don't see a tremendous difference between eating a cow and eating a human, both disgust me beyond belief. I don't think we should be feeding ourselves on death, it just seems wrong. Armed with this, I can combat any possible circumstance people hypothetically construct for meat eating.
It frustrates me when people demand explanations for my choice, and mock me for my lifestyle, thank you for writing such a well voiced and intelligent article that helps to combat the antipathy many meat eaters seem to feel towards vegetarians.

Michael Natkin commented on Why I'm A Vegetarian, Dammit:

Thanks Amber! I started when I was 18, so I remember well how much flak you take at that age. For what it is worth, it gets a lot easier as you get older and the people around you are more accepting.

Spa Flyer commented on How to Make Fluffy Couscous - Easy Couscous Recipe:

Wow, thanks for the tip. I only recently discovered cous cous and just love it. I was curious why it was fluffy sometimes, and not others, and thought it was the water. I think now it was the depth or narrowness of the various bowls I was using. I'll use my big, flat roasting pan next time. Thank you!

frantic foodie commented on Why I'm A Vegetarian, Dammit:

Michael, love the way you wrote this one, was a vegetarian for 5 years. You should print this and wear it on your forehead, that way people won't even have to ask

Amber commented on Why I'm A Vegetarian, Dammit:

I've been a vegetarian for 4 years. I'm only 17, so I seem to get more flack from meat-eaters about my decision. It's always pretty hard for me to get my point across to people who ask because I tend to get angry or flustered and I just drop the subject before I start crying or yelling. This article explains exactly why I made my decision and continue to live by it. So, when people ask me from now on, I do believe I will tell them the URL to this article. Thank you, and I will also be checking out this website from now on.

Subscribe!

Subscribe via RSS:
(What is RSS?)