My man and I went to The Pink Door for a casual lunch at Pike’s Market with his colleagues. Staff were very friendly and I loved the fact that there was plenty of room between the tables so we could have some privacy and fun chatting :P. They also served non-tap water, which always matters to me wherever we go XD. We got a few different appetizers including the Cheese Board Deluxe (artisanal Italian cheeses, fig & chianti compote with housemade cracker & walnuts), Sautéed Calamari (spinach, tomatoes, garlic & wine) and Involtini di Melanzane (baked eggplant rolls ~ spinach ricotta stuffing). They all served with bread too.
The calamari and eggplant was okay, they were not that special. To be honest, the eggplant was overcooked...Regardless, the bread wasn’t hard or salty at all, which I loved. And their selection of cheeses tasted great. The cheese came with sides including dates and walnuts too, but I personally love to have cheese by itself, so I passed on the dates. However, the walnuts with honey were very delicious indeed. By the way, the cheese didn’t taste that aged or even too strong, so I think most people will be able to enjoy it. I also got freshly squeezed juice since I’m not a big fan of drinking, and it was really good.
Moving on to the main dishes! My man got Paccheri con Sugo di Noci & Salsicce (pasta with five kinds of nuts, fennel sausage & a bit of smoked mozzarella), and for myself I just ordered the fish of the day which was served with sliced potatoes in pesto sauce and boiled green beans with seasoning. My man’s dish was very pleasant to have although the pasta itself felt just average.
On my dish, I had 3 different seasonings for the fish, green beans and potatoes. The seasoning by itself was very nice, however the transition in taste from one to another wasn’t that great. It almost felt like I was having 3 different dishes XD. Too many different tastes on one plate :P. Regardless, at least they tasted great in isolation. Ingredients felt and tasted very fresh as expected, but the cooking times were perhaps a little off as my fish was a bit too soft and the green beans were overcooked. The texture of the sliced potatoes was fantastic though.
If you feel that freshness and seasoning is the most important part on a dish, then I think you should try The Pink Door at Pike Place Market. Online booking is available through their website. I personally think that it’s one of the few nice Italian restaurants in this area. My man and I would definitely come back :).
Further Reading
- VIVO 53 (Authentic Artisanal Italian Pizzeria)
- Dinner at Din Tai Fung Bellevue
- Dinner at Icon Grill in Downtown, Seattle
- The Masonry
