The Kingfish Café

A couple months ago, Meredith, a reader of this blog, sent me the following email: "I love reading your blog, but I'm surprised that you've never mentioned the excellent King Fish Cafe on 19th Ave E.  It has some of the best Southern food I've ever tasted, and their strawberry shortcake is divine.  You should check it out if you already haven't!"

That got me thinking of how many times I had driven by Kingfish on my way to Vios or Monsoon. Mostly, I had never made it Kingfish for either a little lunch or early dinner because of scheduling conflicts and the restaurant's tricky hours.

It seemed that every time I was in the area and drove by the restaurant it was either on a day when they were closed (Monday or Tuesday), I arrived either too early or too late for lunch and was always way too late for dinner.

The long lines out the door should have been the clue but instead they were the deterrent.

So, after reading Meredith's note, right then and there I resolved to make my way up to Kingfish and check it out. And I was determined to schedule my day around their hours in order to make it.

Make it I did.

Over the next couple of weeks I visited The Kingfish Café multiple times, alone (for lunch), with Mr. C (for dinner) and with friends for a weekend meal. We sampled many items from their menu and even though we loved most of the dishes we tried, the one item that really struck me was their puréed yams.

Spicy, with plenty of chopped red onion. Creamy. Served piled high on top of baby greens, topped with crispy strips of fried chicken breast, they provided the perfect contrast in both flavor, sweetness and texture to this very humble lunch salad.

Better yams than these I've never had anywhere else. And they were so good it prompted me to try to replicate them at home. To no avail, of course.

These alone are worth driving to the restaurant for.

But other things are too. Their catfish was tender and delicious. So was the fried chicken and fried chicken salad. The mac and cheese very good too: cooked by hands that obviously have lots of experience achieving the perfect combo of tender pasta, cheesy, melted goodness and the perfect crumbly, crusty, crispy top.

If you love fried green tomatoes, the ones are Kingfish are just right: crispy outside, tender inside. In the mood for a cocktail while you wait? The bar is mobbed every night. And to wine drinkers, a heads up: the wine list in very limited but really, one does not come to the Kingfish for the wine.

A word of advice to those with a sweet tooth: do not even think of ordering a slice of cake to polish off with that cup of coffee, all by your lonesome. In here, dessert portions here are gargantuan.

To avoid both dentist and cardiologist, better to share the dinner plate sized chocolate cake slice, for example. Served with two scoops (ice cream sized) of whipped cream, it can feed a whole family...and then some. Four of us shared ours and not even the men could finish their portion.

In the fall, however, your best bet is the homemade pies. Sweet potato pie, anyone? It is a family recipe and it is to die for.

Depending on who you ask The Kingfish Café is located in the Capitol Hill section of Seattle or the Central District and it is a spot easy to miss because of all the tall and shady trees that line the street (look for Fuel as your landmark).

In any case Sisters Laurie and Leslie Coaston--who opened Kingfish Cafe back in April of 1997-- have been serving Seattle some of the best soul food the city has to offer in the very same area that was, amazingly enough, once known for its soul and southern cuisine.

And while gentrification has done away with most of the old family, hole in the wall soul food joints, the Kingfish is still going strong. 

The Café is a very popular neighborhood spot (popular is an understatement, really) and has developed a following that waits by the door as it opens to secure the first tables, as soon as possible.

The room, with its big windows, lots of gorgeous light, it is simply but beautifully appointed room. The walls are decorated with poster sized family pictures--their great-grandmother’s four brothers and third-cousin Langston Hughes. And the music! Your feet will be tapping away while you nibble.

The restaurant does not take reservations and though in the past it was a cash only operation they do take Visa and Master Card but do not take American Express. If you arrive late, prepare to wait for a while, sometimes a very long while for a table.

The wait, however, is worth it. And on the weekends, this is one of the best places for a scrumptious southern-style brunch.

Is it the best soul food this side of the Mississippi? I am no expert and since this is a cuisine I normally do not indulge much in, I am not prepared to make grand statements. But in my limited experience at Kingfish and not since living in Texas, had I enjoyed southern food this good in a restaurant this cozy and welcoming.

As for Meredith, "my favorite dishes at Kingfish....hmmm.  Well,  their strawberry shortcake is to die for. Their collard greens side is excellent as is their sausage, beans, and rice dish."

And my neighbors, both Florida transplants, agreed.

The Kingfish Cafe
602 19th Avenue East
Seattle, WA
206.320-8757

Kingfish Café on Flickr

Comments

[Elizabeth]

http://www.kcts.org/video/ProgramVideoSelectedComp.asp?select1=5

Look down the list and you'll find a video for Kingfish's Mac and Cheese recipe

[Jessica]

I LOVED there mac and cheese as well! Might I be able to get the recipe? Could someone post it as a comment?

[Michale Farrar]

Hi, I was directed to your blog after a searching for the Mac and cheese recipe from the Kingfish restaurant. in the tag line it says "I have the recipe" Do you really? My partner and I love it and would love to make it at home.
thanks
Michale

[Kathy]

This is by far one of my top 5 restaurants in Seattle. I don't know how I got it, but I have the recipe for their Mac and Cheese. Perhaps it was in a KSTW cookbook at one point...Everytime I've made it, it's great. :)

[Ashley Bowers]

Sounds like it would be delicious going to make me some before the read but by the review I can tell it is going to a good one!

[meredith godden]

Viv,

Great review! I'm glad you enjoyed the Kingfish. How did the yam salad turn out? Is it worth making?

[Joanna]

At last! I always wondered why the Kingfish was missing from your restaurant list. It's a personal favorite but I rarely visit anymore now that I live on Queen Anne. Capitol Hill may as well be Pluto these days. LOVE your blog. Its a treasure!

[Kimberly]

I've been meaning to try Kingfish since moving to Seattle 6 1/2 years ago, but most of the raves I'd heard about it were from Yankees. I'm from Texas, and my grandmothers were fine Southern cooks, so my standards are high. But now I'll have to get over there, if for nothing other than the yams.

Hi Kimberly! Coming from the opposite side of the Mason-Dixon line, I guess you'll have to take into consideration, when weighing in my assessment of Kingfish, that I'm a native New Yorker and one of those Yankees. In any case, Kingfish's yams are worth their weight in gold.

Then again, I still think that my buttermilk fried chicken, crispy and hot (tons of cayenne and black pepper) is as good as any. At least, that's what they tell me. ;-) V

[S]

Hey
I love reading your blog
S from S

[Gia]

Your posts make me miss Seattle so much, the long lines do deter me but they food is good. I went once to Thompson's Point of View on 23rd and Union and had nice Southern Food there but it may be closed by now.

[carmen]

Kingfish Cafe's Yam Salad

2 large or 3 small red skinned yams roasted cooled and peeled

½ red onion diced

1 small red bell pepper diced

2 Tbs. sliced green onion

2 Tbs. parsley chopped

¼ cup of reserved vinaigrette

2 Tbs. jerk seasoning

In a medium bowl mash yams with a fork or hands, leaving a few small chunks, add the remaining ingredients. Combine.

(from kong/kingtv.com)

Carmen! Thank you, thank you, thank you! I'm making this tonight! My mouth is watering already. You are a doll! V;-)