(thepurplecafe.com) – Downtown
How I heard of this place: When I lived downtown, the restaurant opened up downtown Seattle, a few blocks from my home. Walking past the swanky bar, it looked intriguing. The 5th Avenue Theater also added the place to their season ticket holder dining discount list and I made the time to try it!
Type of cuisine: Classic American styles with northwest ingredients.
Ambiance: Casually sophisticated with metropolitan style. An urban retreat with rustic elements. The space is large and very open, with high ceilings. In the center of the restaurant one finds a large pillar of wine from floor to ceiling, with a staircase wrapping around it for easier access to the bottles. An upstairs loft-like lounge offers comfortable sofa-seating for patrons wishing to indulge in drinks, cheese and small bites. The space is often loud, with conversations throughout the bustling venue, music playing in the background.
What I ordered: I went in feeling more like sandwiches and burgers than pasta and large entrees, so I asked for the server’s recommendation between the BLTA ($11), made up of thickly cut crisp bacon, greens, tomato, avocado and red pepper mayo, the grilled chicken sandwich ($12), with bacon, provolone, avocado, shaved red onion and roasted garlic-chive spread, or the burger ($13) with herbed aïoli, smoked tomato jam, housemade pickles, lettuce, tomato, onion and shoestring fries. The burger included the option of adding bacon, sheep’s feta, cheddar or maytag bleu cheese for $2 each. The waiter suggested the grilled chicken sandwich, which is served with a side of mixed greens (salad) and a raspberry vinaigrette. He also added that tomatoes make the sandwich. So I went with his recommendation. And also ordered the side of sweet potato fries ($4). My dining companion was leaning toward a specialty pizza. One option was the artisan cured meat pizza ($13) topped with soppresata, coppa, spanish chorizo, mozzarella, fresh oregano and tomato sauce, or the white balsamic chicken pizza ($12) which came topped with mozzarella, shaved red onion, avocado, cilantro and tomato sauce. At the waiter’s recommendation, he chose the white balsamic chicken pizza. Having finished our dinners with time to spare (before going to “Candide” at the theater), we opted for a sampling of dessert. Our trio of choice included: mango cheesecake ($3.50) served over a kiwi coulis, topped with mango gelée, and a handful of shaved, toasted coconut, the rhubarb crisp ($4) topped with a dollop of rose water whipped cream, and the red velvet cake ($3.50) with a generous helping of lavender cream cheese icing.
What I loved: My favorite thing consumed on this evening was the grilled turkey sandwich with fresh avocado – and plenty of it! I also really enjoyed the light greens on the side of the sandwich. Of the desserts, the red velvet cake had the best taste due to the novelty of lavender in the cream cheese frosting. The cake was slightly dry, the mango cheesecake oddly served on what tasted like ginger fruitcake, and the rhubarb crisp was topped with what tasted like baked Panko. The white balsamic pizza was nice, with a light flavor, beautiful fresh, plentiful avocado slices and a generous dusting of finely chopped cilantro.
Why I loved it: I love the open space and the setting which allows for conversations, collaboration and jokes to be shared with neighboring diners. I also really loved the avocado (in case I hadn’t made that clear). I enjoyed the food greatly and really loved saving 10% with the dining voucher from the 5th Avenue Theater.
Cost: Average ($11-$15 for dinner pizza or sandwich)