I had the privilege to again participate in a Taste and Tweet event last night at the icon Grill in the downtown Seattle neighborhood of Belltown. They have a great location on 5th Avenue right under the monorail tracks across from the Westin hotel. They are easy to spot too with a large marquee announcing specials and seasonal menu options. Upon entering, the main dining area is large and welcoming, with an eclectic old fashioned style. The vibe I got was a kind of 1920′s swanky club feel. The Taste and Tweet event was held upstairs in icon’s private dining room. The theme for the evening was items off of icon’s seasonal Oktoberfest menu. Ok, on to the food!

Drinks:

Beer Flight -

Once I got seated in at the table I was offered my choice of a glass of merlot or chardonnay. I’m a white wine guy so I went with the chardonnay. It was nice and crisp, not too spicy (which I’ve had trouble with before) and a great way to start off the meal. The first tasting item that was brought out was a sampler of three Oktoberfest beers currently featured by icon. They ranged from light to dark in color but all were somewhat similar in taste. First was Hofbrau Oktoberfest from Munchen, Germany. This beer just didn’t have a whole lot of flavor in my mind and was probably my least favorite of the three. I’d give it a C+. Next was New Belgium’s Hoptober beer from Colorado. This beer didn’t blow me away either. It did at least have a stronger flavor though, with serious citrus undertones. I’d give it a B. Last was the dark Spaten Oktoberfest, again from Munchen. I figured this was going to be my favorite since I tend to be a fan of dark beer over light, but I was disappointed again by a general lack of flavor. I’d give the Spaten a B-. While it didn’t blow me away, the Hoptober ended up being my favorite of the three. But as you can see, I didn’t drink much of any of them sticking instead with the chardonnay, which I’d give a B+.

Appetizers:

Sausage Flight -

The first food brought out to our table was a sausage sample plate. I’m a big fan of tubular meats so I was definitely looking forward to this part of the evening. It didn’t disappoint. I did, unfortunately, have trouble keeping track of which sausage was which so I can’t say that I necessarily had single favorite, however all were very tasty. There was four varieties in total, German bratwurst, Polish kielbasa, Nurnberger rostbratwurst and fresh lamb sausage. They are served with sides of horseradish and whole grain mustard. I tried some of the mustard with my sausage and it was excellent. My favorite part of this sampler though was far and away the sauerkraut. Icon makes their own house “blend” of sauerkraut that was described by Chef Nick Musser as “starter sauerkraut” for people who don’t think they’ll like it. Well, I like sauerkraut and all I can say is wow! Rather than the usual sour, pickled flavor most sauerkraut has, this has an almost sweet flavor to it. They ran through the various different spices and ingredients they use and I didn’t catch all of them but it’s definitely a unique taste. Sausage: B+; Sauerkraut: A-

Schweineschnitzel Slider -

After the sausage came these little slider sandwiches. Chef Nick explained to us, at some point during the meal, that while icon wanted to serve a traditional German Oktoberfest meal, they also wanted to give it an American spin. So Chef pointed out that while a traditional schnitzel is made with veal, since that can be a little controversial in certain circles here in the US, icon makes theirs with pork cutlets instead. I didn’t hear any complains around the table. These are tasty little “burgers” with a unique flavor and texture. The deep frying gives a nice crispy contrast to what might otherwise be kind of a squishy meal. The lemon aioli used to season and flavor the sandwiches also provides a unique flavor that adds a nice kick to each bite. The fries served on the side are also good. Grade: B+

Nut’n'Honey -

The next thing they brought out as a house drink creation called “Nut’n'Honey.” It was a mix of various liqueurs intended to remind you kind of the adult version of milk and cookies. It was tasty but EXTREMELY strong. I drank enough to enjoy it but didn’t finish my little half glass sampler. Grade: B

Main Dish:

Sauerbraten-

To be honest, at this point in the meal I was a little disappointed. While none of the dishes brought out to us so far were bad, I hadn’t yet been blown away by anything. Well, one taste of this next dish changed all that. Sauerbrauten is roasted beef that has been slow braised in red wine, vinegar, and fresh herbs. Sweet baby Jesus it is good. It’s that kind of awesome that just melts into a juicy amalgam of flavors in your mouth. The taste is intense but not at all overpowering. Absolutely fantastic. It is served with a side of horseradish potato cake that is also excellent. High praise for both these. Grade: A+

Dessert:

Apple Strudel-

This dish was a traditional apple strudel dessert dish served with ice cream. The main twist being the addition of walnuts and raisins, which adds a nice contrast in texture to the softer baked apples and vanilla ice cream. Grade: B+

Final Thoughts:

While I didn’t fall in love with any of the dishes brought out to us (other than the fantastic Sauerbrauten, of course) the over all impression I left icon Grill with is that they do things right. The atmosphere, the food, the drinks, the attitude of the staff were all excellent. I would have no hesitation recommending icon Grill to friends or visitors. On one aside, it is almost worth the price of dinner to take a trip to the men’s bathroom during your meal. Mounted on the wall are two televisions that play a looped video featuring various clips of waterfalls, fire hoses, rivers, and sprinklers set to the music of Flight of the Valkyries to help you over come any stage fright you might experience. Awesome.

A couple related notes:

Since the FTC will start requiring in December that bloggers report any goods or services received in exchange for reviews I figured it would be good to get in the habit starting now. So to be clear, all food and drinks served during the Taste and Tweet event at icon Grill were provided free of charge to me.

Also, if you want to see full sized versions of any of the above images, just head over to my flickr page by clicking here.

Filed under: blogging, life by Jonathan