$$

This week on Fork Deep we (well maybe just me) are recovering from Thanksgiving goodies (leftovers) and probably too much Nogg. I vowed not to eat too much this holiday but if I’m being honest I knew that was a complete lie (oh well it made me feel better I suppose). This Sunday my house was still stocked with some delicious eats so instead of my normal #SundayBrunchday I opted to go out for lunchner. Yes, to answer the questions swirling this indeed is not a real word. I feel like there should be something like a mix between lunch and dinner when it’s too late for “Lunch” but too early for “Dinner”. Anywho, todays #SundayBrunchday turned into #SundayLunchday (lunchner doesn’t fit the hashtag) and is a place I’ve been wanting to try for sometime, Cinque Terre Ristorante.

Cinque Terre Ristorante is a funky modern Italian spot located on Westlake in Downtown Seattle and features house made pastas, artisan pizzas and get this ALL DAY HAPPY HOUR ON SUNDAY’S. Talk about Sun-Daze. I am so here for the all day happy hours and on #sundayfunday too that just makes it five times better (I picked an arbitrary number but 5 seemed appropriate). Some of the happy hour specials include $10 pizza of the day, $9 for a half-dozen oyster on the half shell and 50% off all bar menu food items. As if that were not enough to get you in the door they also have some pretty awesome drink specials. For example you can buy a bottle of Vueve Cliquot for $48 (hello champs) and pints of beer for $4.50. 

Naturally going to a place that promotes an all day happy hour I had to order #allthethings and I really do mean we ordered a bunch. We had a bottle of Vueve Cliquot, almost a dozen Oysters on the half shell (Bay Water Sweets and Shigoku), the Happy Hour Pizza (Margherita) with Sausage, $4 Chefs Soup (Mushroom with a Red Chile Oil), $11 Bistecca and a $6 Whole Leaf Romanie Caesar.  Mind you this doesn’t include the $9 Profiteroles and $9 Pear Frangipane Tart we ordered for dessert.

Personally I love eating Oysters Fried, Charbroiled and Rockefeller(d) but, I feel like the best way to eat them and taste the many different flavor profiles each of them has is on the half shell. I’ve found I do not like the larger super briny oysters some of my friends prefer and that I prefer the more subtle taste the Shigoku has or the sweetness from the Bay Water Sweets. Any Oyster can be amazing Charbroiled in garlic butter sauce or under pounds of spinach and parmesan cheese but the real flavor comes from being able to eat them alone (or with a mignonette). The Oysters were fresh, just shucked and served with a Champagne Mignonette, Lemon and shredded Horseradish. They were the perfect starter for my evening of eating and because my friend Dexter doesn’t like Oysters (apparently it is the consistency that he dislikes) I ate them all. Plus at half price why not (defiantly my motto for the night)!!

The Margherita Pizza was made with fresh ingredients and because the restaurant has a Farm-to-table concept I expected nothing less. The crust was thin and soft but crunchy a consistency that only really great pizza ovens are able to attain. I was told the dough is made fresh in-house daily which for a place that makes bread (which is so good we had to order more) from USDA certified organic flour everyday I believe them.

The Chefs soup of the day was a Mushroom soup with a Red Chili Oil drizzle on the top and inspired me to go to the grocery store yesterday to buy mushrooms (I don’t know why I hardly ever buy mushrooms). It was warm, more on the broth side in terms of consistency and the chili oil gave it a little bit of an unsuspected kick. The Whole Leaf Romaine Caesar was light and honestly the only “healthy- ish” item we ordered. We figured since we ordered a bottle of Champagne ordering a salad would balance the two things out (hey I never said my math was logical). The salad came well dressed (I normally prefer the dressing on the side because people tend to drown lettuce) and with a lemon on the side for added acidity and flavor if that’s how you like your salads.

The Bistecca is a Local wagyu ‘Snake river farms’ sirloin steak on top of a horseradish cream sauce with onions, peppers, rucola and potato salad on the side. Anytime I see a restaurant that offers Wagyu I try to order it. Wagyu is a Japanese breed of cattle that is considered super desirable (also pricey) based on its quality, intense marbling (hello my pretty) and higher fat percentage (thank you Google). Despite the “supposed” quality of the meat everything still is dependent on if it is cooked properly. We ordered medium and the steak was beautifully tender, with a nicely crusted outside and pinkish center. The sides added to the overall flavor of the dish but I still would have been completely satisfied if it came alone. The Steak was THAT good! Also if we are being honest I would have ordered the dish again if I weren’t saving room for dessert.

Speaking of dessert, I am a sweets fanatic. Like most Americans I’m addicted to sugar. But, I don’t take it as a bad thing I just see it as I will always want a cookie regardless of if I need one or not. And honestly if anyone tells you that you don’t need cookies get rid of them you don’t need that type of negativity in your life. I love desserts that much! We tried the Profiteroles (think creme puff) which came filled with a salted Carmel gelato and bittersweet chocolate sauce. I am a fan of gelato over ice cream most days and salted Carmel anything. So I was definitely in Heaven. I wanted to pick the whole thing up and enjoy it like an ice cream sandwich on first instinct but they were too pretty. The Pear Frangipane Tart had Creme anglaise, candied hazelnuts and whipped creme. The serving was enough for two people and the perfect treat for those that want to enjoy dessert but don’t like their treats to be too sweet. I find that because tarts are fruit based they more so showcase the fruits rather than incorporating a bunch of added sugars. I typically go for as much chocolate or sugar as possible when ordering dessert but this was a welcome change. Do not get me wrong it was still dessert level sweet just not overly so. 

In my opinion if I’m going out on Sunday it is for brunch and earlier in the day because I like to relax in the evenings. However this was a welcome change in my normal routine and a yummy tasting one at that. Side note: If you want a cute date night spot any time of the week this is probably a great one to go to. I typically don’t speak on ambiance because again I go places early-ish but this place had the whole sexy date night vibe thing going with cozy tables and blue bar lights. Regardless of who you are going with or why you are going if you want some modern Italian food I think you should give Cinque Terre Ristorante a try. As always stay #ForkDeep.