Accidental Dining at Elemental
This summer, I had one of my more memorable dining experiences.
Accidentally.
The evening started with me ditching work early to head to yoga. After getting my Namaste on and sweating up a storm, I left Shakti and commenced my hunt for dinner. Meagan originally had plans to meet up with some folks from school, so I was on my own. I remembered that I had half a leftover Salumi porchetta sandwich that I left in the fridge at work. I didn’t want to see it go to waste, so I headed on my way back to work towards I-5 in Wallingford to get it.
(Incidentally, I ran into Tony Bourdain at Salumi, another one of my favorite restaurants. He was in Seattle performing the night before, rightly considers Salumi one of the thirteen places in the world to eat before you die, and wishes he could be adopted by Armandino, the proprietor. Unfortunately, I didn’t get close enough to get a good picture, but you can count this as the first of two interesting food experiences that day.)
While waiting at the intersection of 45th and Wallingford, I got a call from Meagan. Her plans were delayed a bit, but she had found “a cute little wine bar” where she thought we could grab a drink and a bite before her postponed meeting. Cute wine bar with Meagan sounded better than a leftover sandwich (even if it was a Salumi porchetta sandwich). Conveniently, the wine bar was at 38th and Wallingford, so I was practically there. I banged a right and pulled up next to the place in a few minutes. I parked in the thirty minute loading zone, figuring it wouldn’t be a problem after 6pm.
Upon seeing me get out of the car, drenched in my sweat soaked surf trunks and workout shirt, Meagan remembered that I had just finished yoga. She mentioned the place looked “a little nice”, and I debatably made myself passable by tucking in my shirt and tossing on a hoodie. We saw the sign for “E.N.D. Wine Bar” – there were two doors, and we chose the one on the left. We walked in, and the friendly host offered us seats at the “chef’s bar”.
We guessed something might be up when we were offered two apertifs as we sat down. When I asked what they were, the host simply said “something to get things started.” Cool? After enjoying the drink but waiting about fifteen minutes without menus, Meagan was getting a little worried about making her meeting, which had only been delayed, not canceled.
A few minutes later, the host dropped by and asked “are there any foods that you don’t like?” Interesting. We politely said no, now suspicious that we were in for something more than a simple bite at a wine bar. A little while later, two glasses of wine showed up and we were served a delicious soup – lentil, I think, but the evening became a bit hazy going forward.
We weren’t quite sure how to handle the situation at this point. I was very much enjoying the experience but it was clear that there was no chance we were going to finish the meal with time for Meagan to leave. After mulling over our options, we decided that I would stay and I’d politely explain our predicament to our host.
I got up from my bar seat, still a bit sweaty from yoga, and went over to chat with the host. I simply said that we were having a great time, but didn’t realize that this meal was going to be more than we had anticipated, that Meagan had to leave in a bit, and that we didn’t want any of the good food to go to waste. He couldn’t have been more gracious, asked when Meagan needed to leave, and wondered if she’d have time for two more courses.
Phew. We relaxed a bit. While we were waiting for the next courses, I recalled that there were two doors to the place, and we started considering the possibility that the wine bar we had selected was actually next door, and the second door that we chose was another place altogether. I whipped out the iPhone, trying to see where we were at, but reception was a bit spotty inside, and my attempting at Googling and Yelping “End wine bar” weren’t coming up with much. I tried hitting Google maps, and the closest place it had near us was “Elemental”.
Interesting, I thought. Elemental has been on my short list of restaurants I wanted to try, but I didn’t really know much about it. I only knew it by reputation as one of Seattle’s best restaurants. I knew it was in Wallingford, knew that it was a chef’s menu with wine pairing type of place, I knew it was small, and I knew the food was meant to be good. So far, it matched my mental conception.
But I also heard it’s really hard to get into since it’s small and they don’t take reservations, so it’s not uncommon to have to queue up early to get in. It didn’t seem like the type of place that two semi-clueless people, one of them looking like he was on the way to or from the beach, could just waltz into at 7:45pm on a Wednesday night. Plus, I was trying to reconcile where this “End Wine Bar” was and why it wasn’t on the map. But I turned to Meagan and said, “I think we might be at Elemental.”
We didn’t quite want to reveal our cluelessness. “Hey, where are we by the way?”, or “Is this Elemental?” didn’t seem like ways of making friends with the staff. So, we mused to ourselves. The next rounds came. I think the next two courses were a mixed green salad and a pan-fried halibut, but mostly I remember that both were awesome and each came with another wine pairing. After finishing the second, Meagan sadly departed, and I settled in for the upcoming culinary adventure. I asked her to text me if she figured out any revealing clues on the way out, but I didn’t receive any, likely since she was in a hurry to get to the appointment. Worried about the past and forthcoming wine accompaniments, she made sure I was planning on taking the bus home.
Meagan gone, I started chatting more with the two chefs working the kitchen. They were both friendly. It was a fairly small and unassuming kitchen, which made me suspect maybe we were at a wine bar after all. Or not. I didn’t know. Occasionally I’d hit up the phone to see if I could decipher it, with most clues pointing towards Elemental, but I didn’t know for sure. The suspense was both killing me and making me enjoy the meal all the more.
More food and wine kept arriving. I remember a cheese course, a tomato tart, a clam and potato ravioli with a saffron sauce, and a hanger steak. As the wine kept pouring, and my rapport with the staff increased, and I figured at some point I’d have to admit my ignorance.
Sensing a good moment during the ravioli course, I asked, “What is the name of the place next door?” One of the chefs said that it’s “Elemental Next Door” – the same as here, but priced a la carte. I still didn’t make the connection between “E.N.D. Wine Bar” and “Elemental Next Door”. Finally, I broke down. “So, I’m at Elemental then, right?”
They had a laugh. They nodded and said that we didn’t look like we knew where we were when we walked in. Go figure. I explained, despite my cluelessness, that I had been wanting to come here for a while, and the whole situation made the experience all the better, albeit sans Meagan. All the more reason to come back again, intentionally next time.
The meal wrapped up with a trio of desserts, all delicious, none of which I remember, and a digestif. As I was making my way out, Meagan called to let me know she was finished her meeting and was nearby, so I met her outside with some friends. Fairly toasted, I retrieved a few things from my car and headed back home in her car.
The next day, I woke up, a little groggy, took the bus back to the restaurant, was greeted with a $45 ticket for parking in the temporary loading zone (I didn’t anticipate parking there overnight at the time!), and proceeded to inspect the place in the light of day. I snapped a few pictures.
Yes, it was indeed Elemental, although given the subtle white on glass writing, I think I could be forgiven for not noticing it on the way in!
I am definitely looking forward to a return visit, knowing what I am getting into, and with Meagan able to enjoy the entire experience.