Author: jean komatsu
Last saved by: GCS

Andaluca
407 Olive Way, Seattle, WA
http://www.andaluca.com/menu.php?recordID=3
Review date:  October, 2010

Andaluca claims a Mediterranean-Provencal French influence to its cooking, but with strong Spanish roots. Located in the Mayflower Park Hotel in downtown Seattle, they provide complimentary valet parking for free, which is much appreciated on busy streets.

We took a chance coming here, for we enjoyed Olivar so much we're going to eat there twice in five days. That's a lot of Spanish food for half a trip! But Andaluca is quite different than Olivar, so we were glad to find we liked Andaluca's more robust, chile-hot cuisine as well. 

With Mel and Christie taking advantage of Andaluca's pre-fixe special, we were able to try fully three-quarters of their dinner menu.

Marinated mushrooms were tangy with sherry vinegar, a good start to the meal. Dates stuffed with chorizo were a hit with Christie and Mel. The tomato soup had the smokiness of high-quality sweet pimenton, with small croutons adding a homey crunch and a swirl of creme fraiche softening the tomato acidity.

Chicken skewers were nuggets of breast meat, grilled perfectly and served with pan-toasted Marcona almonds, which are my favorite nuts. These were so good we ordered two more skewers. The spicy calamari on potato bread had a great chile kick to it. At first we weren't going to eat the bread, but when we did, we found the juices had soaked into the grilled bread which made it delicious when eaten all by itself. 

It was unexpected to see duck cakes, lamb dolmas, and corn risotto in a Spanish restaurant. Mel & Christie were surprised to find they liked the duck. The dolmas were wonderfully delicate, not the tough-leaved/solid-chunky-filling that most Mediterranean restaurants give you. The corn risotto had the unexpected flavor of fresh basil, and instead of showcasing the usual over-the-top sweetness of fresh local corn, was instead a savory dish with a basil pistou.

Harissa green beans were truly spicy and still just slightly al dente. Rather like a Spanish version of Szechwan green beans, they were unexpected and delicious. The pear salad had mixed greens, crumbled Stilton blue cheese, chopped hazelnuts in a balsamic dressing. It was a good combination, nicely balanced.

The salmon skewer and halibut filet had different sauces. The salmon had a harissa rosemary butter, and the halibut had a sauce of roasted tomato, white wine, garlic and aioli. Both were excellent, as was the mini crab tower, a nice little stack of crab, avocado, and palm hearts. Potato croquettes were flavored with sour cream and idiazabal cheese, coated with panko and greaselessly fried.

The half-order size of paella, called un-paella by Andaluca's chef Wayne Johnson, has prawn, chicken and chorizo in a harissa saffron broth. This gives it a spicier kick than most versions. Although it was a shame there was no socarrat in the pan, Carlos appreciated the softer texture of the Arborio rice, as he doesn't like al dente rice even if it is classic.

We shared three desserts: yoghurt panna cotta with fresh fruit, feta cheesecake with filo crust and summer melon salsa, and the 'liquid chocolate cake' with poached pears. All were excellent, although we all agreed that goat cheese is preferable to feta for a cheesecake dessert.

With the two pre fixes helping soften the cost, we enjoyed eighteen tapas and three desserts. Service was excellent and we all agreed this had been a wonderful dining experience, quite different than Olivar Catalan yet just as delicious. With tip the meal came to a modest $181 for the four of us.