The Nugget Goes Out To Eat

The month of May has, quite frankly, all been a bit sideways.  The bad news is (like I needed to point it out to you), that I am WAY behind on blog posts.  Either that or you’ve been wondering why I stopped eating.  The good news is that I finally took my team out for their “You’re a Rock Star!” Dinner.  Only almost a month overdue.  I hate when that happens.  In my defence, it was partly due to *The Nugget* making Mom-to-be so nauseous that she didn’t want to eat.  {Just to be clear: I am not the Mom-to-be.}

With the 24 x 7 nausea out of the way & my schedule having calmed down ever-so-slightly, a table at Bis On Main in Bellevue was booked.  The team chose it.  And heavens-to-Betsy did it ever turn out to be a great choice.  Seriously.  In fact, it was so good I don’t even want to talk about it.  I just want to post images & fantasize about it all over again.  And again.  So I think that’s exactly what I’ll do.  I might jot a few notes at the end.  There again, I might not.

Beet & Arugula Salad: marcona almonds, bleu cheese croutons & an orange fennel vinaigrette ($11).  Palest beets I’ve ever seen but I am assured they tasted as beety as beets can be.

House Green Salad: buttermilk bleu cheese ($8).  Nugget approved.

Vine Ripe Tomato & Fresh Mozzarella Salad: basil & extra virgin olive oil ($11). 

This reminded me of the first time I ate Tomato & Mozzarella Salad.  I was at a fine Italian restaurant in Caversham, England.  I forget the name.  Probably because I was being wined & dined by a {very} dashing man.  I started out thinking it was the strangest appetizer ever & ended up thinking it was pure genius.  The salad, not the man.

This plateful at Bis on Main did not change my feelings on the matter one iota.  Fresh, juicy, succulent, ripe tomatoes…hand chopped basil leaves straight from the bush…silky, light, delicately flavored olive oil…soft, unctuous, creamy cheese.  It still doesn’t get much better than that.

Crispy Garlic Chicken: boneless & free range with garlic mashed potatoes & asparagus ($25).  You can’t tell from this shot but that chicken was H U G E.  I don’t think Mommy & The Nugget ate half of it.  Mommy did mention, several times, that the mashed potato was the smoothest, creamiest mash she had ever eaten.  I stole some.  Now THAT is how mashed potatoes should be.  And talking of succulent, as I was a few moments ago when I was lost in tomato-land, that chicken was juicier than all get out.  And that skin was crispy & oh-so-flavorful.  Swoon.

Fish of the Day: Halibut is all I remember.  Something to do with mushrooms. And asparagus.  ($34).  This dish was ooohed & aaahed over vociferously by its owner.  Repeatedly.

Creamed Spinach ($7.50) and Butternut Squash Croquettes with Braised Cabbage ($6).  Now here’s where it all got seriously exciting for me.  These sides *ROCKED*.  I don’t know what they did to that spinach, but I have never had creamed spinach like it.  There was cheese in it.  Strong cheese.  Melted cheese.  I could have happily eaten the entire dish.  And then the Braised Cabbage, oh mercy.  It was red cabbage and it was spectacular.  The butternut squash croquettes were surprisingly dense & flavorful.  I think I might go back soon and just order sides.  All of them.

Filet Mignon: celery root & potato gratin, truffled Bordelaise sauce & asparagus (which I swapped out for creamed spinach) ($40).  I confess, I barely touched the celery root & potato gratin, so taken was I with the creamed spinach and braised cabbage.  The aroma that wafted up to greet my nose as the plate was placed before me was enough to make me weak at the knees.  This steak not only looked beautiful, it tasted beautiful.  One of the most memorable steaks I’ve eaten.

Pecan Pie: Tony’s secret recipe served with fresh whipped cream ($7.75).  I shot this from the wrong angle.  I know that because it looks like a normal piece of pie.  This was no normal piece of pie.  It was H U G E.  And, I have it on good authority, fabulous.

Rhubarb & Strawberry Cheesecake: ginger snap biscuit crust, strawberry coulis ($7.75).  I am not a huge cheesecake fan, but Mommy & The Nugget were thrilled with it.  Especially the rhubarb bit.

I had the Molten Chocolate Souffle served with Vanilla Ice Cream ($8.75).  I had a slight disagreement with JT (our waiter) over whether or not Olympic Mountain Ice Cream was better than mine.  Unfortunately he was outnumbered by 3 (plus a nugget):1 so he graciously conceded.  I’ll have to make him some and drop it by sometime.  The Souffle was perfect.  Not too heavy, not too rich, not too cakey.

Other thoughts about Bis on Main:

• Right in the heart of Old Bellevue: delightful location.
• Simple, beautiful decor: smart without pretension.
• Huge skylights in the ceiling: fabulous natural lighting.
• Smartly dressed diners: so nice to see.
• Awesome food, huge menu: you can’t go wrong with anything.
• Great plating & presentation: not food-porn like Book Bindery or Cafe Juanita, but elegant, beautiful plates.  (We hands-down, knocked-our-socks-off loved it more than Book Bindery.)
• Tuesday night & the whole place was full: wild.
• Sexy, sassy waiters: no further comment.

We loved Bis on Main and everything about it.  I was, I admit, surprised.  Really surprised.  Mainly because I had never really heard of it.  And yet here, just a block or two from Bellevue Square is a most fabulous eatery.  Amazing food, fantastic ambiance, nothing not to love about it.

 Secretly, I get tired of all the same choices in Bellevue for a special meal: Daniels, Seastar, Ruth’s Chris, John Howie…not that I don’t enjoy their food, but now I have discovered Bis on Main I am totally re-excited about eating out in Bellevue.  Plus the fact that it is right opposite Belle Pastry doesn’t hurt my feelings any.

 Bis on Main – best kept secret in Bellevue.