Seattle Restaurant Week— Stumbling Goat Bistro
Striking red walls lined with modern art greeted our entry into north Seattle's Stumbling Goat Bistro. Seattle Restaurant Week was upon us, and we chose to venture over to the west side to get a taste of another talked-about Seattle restaurant with a special prix fixe menu. The joint is cozy, busy, crowded but not in a bad way. A tall bar with a large selection of liquors sits next to the open window kitchen giving you just a glimpse into the preparation of your dish. We sat by the window, which gave us a view onto a rainy Greenwood Ave.
The menu offered a choice of appetizers, entrees, and desserts, so we chose different ones in each category so we could get a taste of six different things. We started with a mushroom bisque, creamy and elegantly delicious, and a small cheese plate with three well chosen cheeses, sweet roasted nuts, pomegranates and fantastic home made crackers. The cheeses were great, but these small salty, with a hint of sweet, crackers that crumbled with every bite took the dish to the next level.
Our entrees were a sweet pumpkin risotto with fried sage, balsamic, and pumpkin seeds, and a daily special of trout served beside corn and a spicy red pepper sauce. The trout was cooked adequately, not dry nor uncooked, but it was simple, plain. Not in a particularly good way though, just uninteresting. The sauce on the other hand was fantastic, and was able to transform the lightly flavored trout into a flavorful, exciting dish. And we can’t forget to mention the corn, cooked wonderfully with a sweet kick, and a roasted texture for a lively pop every few bites.
The risotto turned out to be a great seasonal dish, especially when you scooped up a bit of the cheese that was conservatively portioned on top of the risotto. That combination really showed the best that the risotto had to offer. Unfortunately, there just wasn’t enough, which led most of the dish to feel a bit lacking.
And finally, we were served our dessert of a pumpkin pie sundae and a rosemary vanilla panna cotta. Both were a great finish to the meal. The sundae was made with pumpkin pie ice cream, which is reason enough to dive in right away. On top were large walnuts with a maple glaze, small pieces of pie crust, and finally a healthy serving of whipped cream. It’s not listed on the menu, but it tasted like the entire dish was drizzled with maple syrup, because every taste was filled with a strikingly maple sweetness, leading us to give this dish obvious and well deserved approval.
It’s hard to pair any other dessert with such a sweet explosive sundae, but the panna cotta held its own quite surprisingly. The dessert was significantly less sweet, instead focusing on its wonderful texture and hint of vanilla and rosemary, which we both thought was a fantastic combination giving this dessert just enough of a unique touch.
Overall, our meal was very enjoyable, and we cannot be disappointed with all the dishes we were able to try. Stumbling goat has all the ingredients of a great meal, but just couldn’t quite capture our desires. It’s one of those places we wouldn’t be disappointed to go to again. I just don’t think we’ll be seeking it out specifically. We never tasted that one extra tweak on a dish, which takes it from enjoyable to memorable. We hope they find it, because they are definitely on the right track.