Txori

2207 2nd Avenue
Seattle, Washington 98121
206.204.9771
http://www.txoribar.com/

Michael at Herbivoracious had the great idea to propose a restaurant to Seattle food bloggers, then post a conglomeration of accounts after the visits were done. He chose Txori (pronounced CHO-ree), a Spanish tapas bar in Belltown.

A quick look at the menu on the Txori website ahead of time didn't leave me much hope for anything beyond olives and almonds, as the vegetarian items (and there were a handful) mostly included items my particular tastes don't tend to fancy: eggs, strong or non-cow cheeses, and mushrooms. The drink list looked delicious though- homemade sangria, all sorts of sparkling lemonade+alcoholic addition drinks, unusual cocktails.

I wasn't sure how to approach Txori, but given the menu perusal decided it best to go not-too-hungry but ready for a drink. I ended up taking the trip with an old friend visiting from out of town, and the slow pace of the food delivery (one plate at a time) was perfect for catching up with him.

I ordered a Cava Manzana Verde... a cocktail made absolutely alluring with the inclusion of arbequina olive oil. It also included cava (the Spanish sparkling wine, not kava, the west pacific intoxicant), and green apple puree. I had my fingers crossed that it wouldn't be sugar-y neon, and was happy to find it to be both opaque from puree, and quite tart with the flavor of real apples. The beads of olive oil floating on top smoothed onto my tongue and mellowed the acidity of the rest of the drink.
First to the table was Pera a la Plancha con Valdeón (~$3.00 pintxos size (about 2-3 bites)). It consisted of a slice of toast with a pool of melted blue cheese, grilled pear slices and a topping of a couple whole walnuts. It was described by my dining partner as a more delicate and delicious version of the same appetizer he makes at home.
I was really excited to see the presence of two additional vegetarian dishes that weren't listed on the website, and I ordered them both.

The first of these was Garbanzo Beans with Spinach, a regular menu addition. They fell into the "Raciones" category, which meant ~$6 and enough to share between a few people. They were absolutely delicious... coated in spices and oil and cooked a second time (pan fried? broiled?) such that they were nutty and browned. They were mixed in with bites of tender steamed spinach.
My other dish was a chalkboard special, cauliflower, also in Racione portion. It arrived a pretty pile of florettes charred at the peaks, one of my all time favorite preparations. Beneath it was a pool of olive oil so rich I wondered if perhaps it was part butter. The first bite was an exquisite mix of tenderness and flavour. The second bite melted in my mouth. By the third bite, my dining companion noted that the florettes seemed a bit like sponges soaked in fat, and thus it was I who finished the remainder of the plate.
The food was all delicious, but a bit on the rich and salty side. Makes me wonder if perhaps the dishes I ordered were meant to be eaten in smaller portions than I ate them in. I more or less ate the entire contents of both Racione dishes, and probably wouldn't have noticed the salt or the fat so much if I had shared more and eaten less. I'd be tempted to re-visit under the premise of drinking and hanging out accompanied by accents of luxurious food, rather than as a semi-attempt at dinner.

There was plenty for a vegetarian to nibble on, especially if you like sheep cheese and eggs.

TIG Asian Tapas Bar

After walking around the Art Walk in Pioneer Square all evening, my friend and I were suddenly hit with what felt like a crippling hunger. I could hardly look at another lovely painting for want of nourishment, and the bowls of gallery pretzels had long before been reduced to crumbs.

So we went walking around looking for a place to eat. I got into a ridiculous mode that I enter when I am especially hungry that makes me want to keep going and see "what else" is out there in restaurant world. After a lot of walking around, and a pitstop at the Dry Soda tasting room, we came across TIG Asian Tapas Bar.

Mmm... Dry Soda. So much tastier than regular soda, and with such classy marketing.

The menu pasted in the window at TIG devoted a large section to describing the (high) quality of their tofu, and we decided immediately to go in. It felt a little bit fancy, and had some cool details inside included: bathrooms with one way glass separating them from the rest of the restaurant and waterfall sinks with joystick triggers. But it couldn't get too fancy with windows and doors facing an often unappetizing street scene in Pioneer Square, and the prices were surprisingly reasonable. The menu was broken into sections based upon price, starting at $2, and ranging to $12.

We'd assumed tapas portions, and ordered 2 items a piece. First to come was a big bowl of bibim noodles. They were cold, skinny noodles in a spicy red sauce with bits of cabbage and other veggies. They tasted truly vegetarian.

We really put the camera phone to the test.

Next came the Tofu with kimchee. It was another cold, surprisingly large portion of sliced soft tofu covered in kimchee and spicy red vinegary sauce. The kimchee exploded in a sour almost citrusy burst with every bite, and was quite delicious. Unfortunately, the occasional piece had a pretty seriously fishy flavour, and I became weary and stopped eating it.

Next we ate bean curd paste soup, which was essentially a spicy, hearty miso broth with hot cubes of soft tofu, potato chunks, cabbage, and other vegetables. It also tasted vegetarian.


And last came the almost comically huge plate of kimchee pancakes. As with all of the portions so far, it wildly exceeded our expectations. It was pretty tasty too... kimchee bound by some sort of bready binder and deep fried. It came with a soy dipping sauce. It is hard to go wrong with these particular ingredients, especially deep fried. I did taste some of the fishy flavour in the kimchee though, and ate more sparingly once I detected that.
I didn't have the chance to talk to our waiter about what was truly vegetarian, as he was entirely unfamiliar with the menu and disinterested in checking with anybody who knew. For example:

Me: What is a "tig burrito"?
Him: I don't know
Me: ...
Him: ...
.
But it was a fun evening, and I enjoyed getting to partake in a little vegetarian Korean food, even if it wasn't completely smooth sailing. My friend had some familiarity with authentic Korean cooking, and his impression was that it wasn't exactly authentic here, but the portions were impressive and it was good enough.

Thanks K for the pictures!

TIG Asian Tapas Bar
(206) 332-0844

614 1st Ave
Seattle, WA 98104