For this month we tried something old and something new, a hot new Turkish restaurant between Fremont and Ballard, and one of the established waterfront icons.
Something New in Freelard
We were finally able to get into Hamdi, 4012 Leary Way NW, 931.200.7114, www.hamdiseattle.com, to give it a try. There has been a lot of buzz around Hamdi, both good and other. The husband-and-wife team of owners includes a chef, with years of restaurant experience in Turkey, who then worked at top New York restaurants as well as two years as Sous Chef at Single Thread Farm, and a wife who manages the restaurant with similar experience at the French Laundry in Napa. But the restaurant was initially plagued with some staffing issues which were also somewhat public. Hamdi was initially a pop-up during the pandemic, they first opened in their current location in October 2022, but then paused for a few months. Once it re-opened we had a hard time getting reservations and had to plan our visit a few weeks in advance.
We accompanied our dinners with a glass of “orange” wine and a bottle of Turkish red. We initially ordered a red by the glass, but they reacted very well when we sent it back and they brought a red that was no longer on the list instead (“Kavaklidere Selection” in the same quite reasonable price range); we liked it so well we ordered the whole bottle. We also tried one of their signature cocktails, the Antakya, a blend of rye, wildflower liquor, lemon, pomegranate-molasses and cardamon, and it ranks among our favorite rye-based signature drinks in town.
We enjoyed everything we ate at Hamdi, also. They slightly altered the preparation of their scallops to accommodate our gluten-free diner, leaving out the Frekah from the preparation that included dried figs, pistachio and pickled cauliflower — it was a hit. The Kebap, minced lamb with Maras Pepper, Sumac, onion and rice is one of their signature dishes and very much worth trying. And, since our lamb craving was not yet satisfied, the Kaburga lamb ribs with cucumber, almond, kohlrabi, bulgar and dried apricot rounded out the main courses. We happily would order all of these again.
We shared a Lokma for dessert, which are listed as fried dough balls with pistachio, furikake, and syrup. These were a surprise with just the right amount of syrup inside not to be messy but much more than just the donut holes they resembled. The Lokma are not too sweet, but an interesting and entertaining way to end the meal (especially paired with the Antakya cocktail).
Hamdi is among the ranks of the restaurants which add 20% to the tab as a service charge. They disclosed in the menu and on the check that charge is fully retained by the restaurant because, in their words “this enables us to pay our staff a higher living wage and offer benefits . . .” But this does place the diner in the awkward position of considering tips above the 20% to recognize the staff’s individual effort. (A class action was recently filed against a chain of restaurants in California over similar issues — this is a hot topic with two sides to it, but be aware the issue is spreading from Southern California to here.)
Hamdi is dinner only, opening at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. Reservations are recommended, (through Tock.com), but you may be able to walk in if you get there right when they open.
Dining on the Water
It is summer in Settle, time for out-of-town visitors. So, we checked out one of the best waterfront views at Seattle’s legendary (“fish from your hotel room”) Edgewater.
Restaurant 6 7, 2411 Alaskan Way, 206.269.4575, https://www.edgewaterhotel.com/seattle-six-seven-restaurant/, is situated on the water with a corresponding spectacular view. (More accurately, it is built over the water as the restaurant and the hotel are built on what once would have been Pier 67, possibly inspiring the name of the restaurant.)
You cannot help but notice the view. They have outdoor dining available, weather permitting, but even indoors you have a view of Elliott Bay from sitting just a few feet above the water. The entire restaurant is oriented around the view.
We started with the beverages. 6 7 has an awarding-winning wine list and a well-regarded bar, so we sampled the “Gas Works Flannel,” a nice take on a Manhattan with Elijah Craig bourbon, vermouth and bitters, and the extra ingredient of allspice dram; we all enjoyed those before switching over to trying to find a wine to match everyone’s entrées — a daunting challenge but you will have many options on the wine list.
Moving on to appetizers, we were with out-of-towners so we ordered standard seafood items, oysters (local Puget Sound) and prawns. We were disappointed in the appetizers, especially the oysters that did not taste same-day fresh as we would expect at a top Seattle seafood restaurant.
But the main courses rescued the day. Our favorite two of the main courses were the Bouillabaisse and the Seared Scallops. As anyone who has watched the movie Our Man Flint knows, Bouillabaisse is a seafood soup originating from Marseilles (although originating in ancient Greece — Marseilles was, after all, a Greek colony founded in 600 B.C.) that can have a side variety of seafood and always saffron and garlic according to various closely guarded family recipes. The 6 7’s Bouillabaisse came with scallops, prawns, black cod, mussels in a delicious tomato saffron broth; all of the seafood tasted fresh and the soup broth was flavorful and did not overpower. The scallops were served with roasted matsutake mushroom, fennel, and a leek emulsion with Thai basil oil and chilis. We would order both of these again, pausing only at the price if we were to return for a less special occasion.
For dessert we liked the Key Lime Pie and Apple Tart, and we skipped the pairings with the selection of dessert wines.
Throughout the evening the service was prompt and friendly, as you would expect at most high-end restaurants. Restaurant 6 7 was priced in the resort hotel range (more expensive than typical downtown restaurants). While there may be a couple of other restaurants with comparable views, it is still rather spectacular to sit your out-of-town guest right there on the water.
Next month we hope to cover at least one brand new restaurant opening.
Dining Out is brought to you by Christopher Howard, now retired from law firm life, together with friends and family who help choose and sample the restaurants. Send comments and suggestions to him at chh@f2t.com or 206.669.5956.
