Mistral Kitchen

Mistral Kitchen is located in downtown Seattle and owned and operated by Chef William Belickis. There are five different dining options within the restaurant: the Chef's Table (where courses are specially designed for you by the chef), the lounges (private rooms with couches and chairs for dining and snacking), the bar (where you have a first-hand view of the pizza oven and master sushi chef), the jewel box (a private room where you can enjoy a 4 or 8  course tasting menu), and the main dining room (where you can enjoy a seasonal and daily menu).  We opted for the main dining room this last Friday evening. 

We started the evening off with a few house cocktails - all were playful and well-composed. 

Next we snacked on house citrus marinated olives, pork belly with braised cabbage, green apple, and hazelnuts, and potatoes Joel Robuchon. 

For our main courses we had the Carlton Farms Pork Chop with Butternut Squash Puree, Brussels Sprouts, Hon Shimeji Mushrooms, Cranberry, and Cider Gastrique, the Clay Oven Roasted Lamb Loin with Eggplant, Artichoke, Arugula, and Pomegranate, and the 16oz Painted Hills Bone-In Ribeye with Potato Puree, Rapini, Duck Glace, and Truffle. 

The best of the three was the Roasted Lamb Loin by far but all were good. For dessert we had the Ultra Brownie with Sour Cream Ice Cream (this brownie was written up in this month's bon appetit as one of the top 10 desserts currently being served in the US), the Milk Chocolate Pudding with Espresso Caramel, Chocolate Crumble, and Bourbon Foam, and the Cream Puff stuffed with Caramel Apples and Four Spice Ice Cream. 

The Sour Cream Ice Cream was my favorite thing amongst the desserts and the texture of the Ultra Brownie was heavenly - it was moist and perfectly warmed when it arrived at the table.

Overall it was a nice dinner but  the service lacked a bit of personality from the host to the server to the food runners and bussers which was a bit a shame considering it was a Friday night and their A-team was on the floor. There were two managers in the room - neither checked in with us or made a point to drop by the table. The staff seemed a bit cold overall - not the best experience. I might go again and give it a second chance but below average service is a major deal breaker for me especially when I'm dining somewhere that charges $24-36 per entree...right?

MISTRAL KITCHEN
2020 Westlake Avenue
Seattle, WA 98121
(206) 623-1922

www.Mistral-Kitchen.com