A Night to Remember at The Corson Building

This was a wonderful week for me-I enjoyed a few days at my favorite spot along the Oregon Coast; enjoyed the best tour of the Pike Place Market with Seattle Bites Food Tours (watch my blog for the posting regarding this tour ! ) and concluded my whirlwind week with a Saturday night dinner I will never forget.  Saturday night provided a dining experience that was so fabulous calling it a dining experience doesn't do it justice. Val,of More Than Burnt Toast ,was in town and we decided being the  foodies we are, that dinner at the Corson Building would be a perfect way to wrap up her visit to Seattle. If you haven't heard of The Corson Building or Chef Matt Dillon ,you will know a great deal more by the end of this article !

Seriously ,living in Seattle, we are blessed to have this restaurant in our backyard.  I feel guilty for not visiting sooner. A quote from the website best describes , in as few words as possible, what the Corson Building is all about :
"The Corson Building is a home, a restaurant, and a community. Dedicated to food and its direct connection to celebration, community, and culture. Providing one of the few human experiences we all have in common. Eating. Sharing at the table, we can open up our senses and our consciences to our place in the world, along with the place of our neighbors."

Open since June 2008 by Chef Matthew Dillon, winner of Food & Wine's 2007 Best New Chef Award and a semi-finalist in the 2010 James Beard awards. Along with co-owner Wylie Bush-owner of Joe Bar in Seattle  and Co-Chef Emily Crawford (formerly of Boulettes Larder in San Francisco)  a dining experience of magical delicious moments is created. Don't believe me or think I'm gushing with over exaggerations?  Check out a review of the restaurant.

 I am not going to bore you with the descriptions of melt in your mouth tastiness or memorable flavors, just make reservations and be prepared to have a dining experience that you will not soon forget.  If I could afford to , I would dine here at least once a week. Since I haven't yet figured out the magic numbers for the WA lottery I'll be content to plan my journeys to the Corson Building for those special  moments we like to include in our lives. My next journey will be Chef Dillon's Thursday or Friday night dinners inspired by the writings and philosophy of  Angelo Pellegrini  .

Chef Dillon & Chef Crawford thank you for a most incredibly delicious meal .  And thank you very much for the energy that surrounds the dining experience-every one of your staff makes each person feel special and welcomed into your family.

And a special thank you to my dining partners who shared their evening and table with me.  Your energy was so positive and you had so many interesting tales to tell of Bali and Paris and Thailand and the funny rat story of Alberta-the evening went much to quickly.
This is a small  list of my food memories from the evening .  Unfortunately I don't have a  photographic memory and sadly I didn't take notes to document the wonderful sauces or every single thing that was served. What I remember was,well , memorable in it's deliciousness !  To my dining partners if I omitted something you remembered and loved -your comments would be most welcomed and appreciated.

Fresh crisp carrots
Pickled radishes and onions
Squab confit
Squab pate
Duck with couscous and mint sauce and  fresh yogurt
Crunchy toasted bread with a hint of olive oil
Focacia
Pickled peppers
Geoduck  ceviche-outstanding !
Spotted prawns with aioli

Smoked crab-wonderful-boiled then smoked outside on the wood fired oven over apple wood-this is beyond incredible !

Freshly gathered eggs from the girl's in the backyard -poached ,served  with asparagus and morels
Shortbread
Chocolate truffle-hmmmm,I can still taste the melt in your mouth flavor
Cheese
Finely shaved pork with hazelnuts

 I know there are some things missing from list but that is the way the shortbread crumbles-which by the way was delicate and sweet and crumbly-fabulous ! And to Marc the Sommelier, next time I'm bringing my own designated driver so I can taste the perfect wine pairings you provided for this meal.

You will see no photos of the food from my dinner-it felt like too special of a moment to pull out the camera-and I wanted the memory of the tastes to linger not the memory of the photo. So if you want to see the fresh crisp baby carrots,pickled radishes, the duck and couscous or my favorite of the night -smoked crab-then you will just have to get yourself to the Corson Building as soon as possible. Or take a look at the Corson Building photo gallery.  And if you aren't able to get to The Corson Building here are some recipes I found on line by Chef Matt Dillon.

Grilled squid with miner's lettuce salad and green sauce
Chef Dillon's Green Goddess dressing
Oil Poached rabbit legs
Scallops crudo with smoked paprika and toasted cuminl
Air dried ham,feta,melon and dill
Beets marinated in rose water with sweet and sour carrots
Sauteed porcini with grapes,almonds and chicory
Black cod with potates,chickpeas and tomato
Roasted chicken with anise,hyssop, peaches and hazelnuts
Plum tart with olive oil gelato

Take someone you love to this special place and Bon Appetit !