Recently, my Seattle Foodie Podcast co-host Nelson Lau and I had a chance to visit Currant Bistro, a ground floor restaurant in The Sound Hotel. They serve up breakfast, lunch, and dinner in the dining room and bar space.

Food & Beverage Director Jon Langley (former Executive Chef for Heavy Restaurant Group properties) and Chef de Cuisine Leif Thornquist teamed up to develop a menu of small plates. On the menu, you’ll find Spanish, Italian, and French influences using local ingredients when possible.

The burger blew me away! It’s topped with spicy hatch chili relish, arugula, smoked provolone, bacon, roasted garlic aioli and served on a potato bun. This was my favorite dish of the day! Every bite was an adventure!

The beef tartare was delightful! It’s made with cured yolk, capers, pickled mustard seed, shallot, parsley, and served with rye crackers. Microgreens add a bit of freshness.

The Northwest albacore was mild. Serving it with chicharron is brillant! The crunch factor gets me every time! The anchovies and calabrian chili add a bit of kick to make it interesting.

I’m a lover of beets and I’ll always do a double take at a beet salad. The beets were prepared well and I like the citrus to balance the bleu cheese. Marcona almonds adds a crunch I’m always looking for. The sherry vinegar is a nice finishing touch.

Flatbread pizzas are perfect to share. Butternut squash on pizza is my latest jam. This one has goat cheese, pickled currants, nut and seed clusters, sage, and cabernet vinegar. The salame has mozzarella, Mama Lil’s peppers, and
castelvetrano olives. The combo is a crowd pleaser!

Seattle Foodie Podcast recently featured Chef Leif in an interview. Many thanks to Currant Bistro for hosting our lunch!