Last night, as I was walking home down 6th Avenue from Maria del Mar Bonet's amazing concert at Town Hall it occurred to me to call Mr. C and have him join me for a late dinner.
I was quite exhilarated not only by the adrenaline high that was Maria's performance but also by a few chance encounters that the evening had brought about.
After the concert I bumped into a few company members and artistic staff of PNB and was able to exchange a few words about the concert, the company and the fact that Jardí Tancat, one of Bonet's pieces (a Nacho Duato ballet) will be part of this season's --the first under Peter Boal's direction--lineup.
I was hungry. Frankly, I could not wait to tell him all about the evening but I was also looking forward to have a bite to eat. So I dialed his mobile and had him join me while en route to Palace Kitchen, a neighborhood restaurant that has become, over time, Mr.C's favorite place for dinner, any day of the week but especially late at night.
Besides having a fabulous menu lineup the restaurant also offers what they call Late night breakfast at the Palace, a dish served 10 pm to 1 am, that includes butter poached eggs, some kind of breakfast meat and a carb, usually in the form of some fabulous grilled bread.
Last night, as on most nights, the restaurant was packed and the wait was long, out the door. However, we always seem to get lucky securing a spot at the bar so that's where we sat. Drink orders were placed and the menu was perused but our minds and tummies were set on breakfast even though it was not even midnight.
The breakfast for dinner offering ($12) was butter poached--and Aleppo Pepper dusted--eggs with a delightful Corned Beef Hash made with the most succulent and redolent of sweet and savory spices corned beef I've ever tasted.
The hash was accompanied by a side of tender red and purple (Vitellote) potatoes, delicious peppers and the sweetest of onions served with a slice of crunchy buttered grilled wheat toast.
We caught up on the evening while savoring every morsel from our plates and chatting with the couple next to us.
Their faces had seemed familiar to me yet I could not place them. However, by the end of the night, aided by a very engaging conversation--about how much we all loved Palace Kitchen and how lucky we have it living in Seattle with such an embarrassment of riches when it comes to art, fabulous concerts, opera and ballet-- I remembered that they too had been at the concert and to my surprise, they too worked closely with PNB! Kismet!
They went for the corn custard and cakes entrée but were very intrigued by our selections. Perhaps next time it will be breakfast for them too?
Wonderful company, spectacular music, ballet talk and delectable late breakfast for dinner. The evening could not have been better than this!
*Since the meal included eggs and toast I'm making this my entry to this month's EoMEoTE #9 (my apologies to Jeanne but I'm not much of a Harry Potter fan and have in fact only half-read the first book of the series).
Palace Kitchen
2030 Fifth Avenue
(corner of 5th & Lenora,
under the Monorail)
Seattle, Washington.
(206) 448-2001
