Seatttle, Day 2, Part Trois

Ok, we're getting ready to take a nap before dinner/evening time here on day 1 in Portland, but I'm desperately trying to catch up on Seattle, so here goes -

Dinner at Steelhead

Um, ridiculous. Steelhead Diner was recommended to us by someone at the wine seller. We weren't necessarily going to eat there, but we passed it and ended up deciding "what the heck?" When we went in, we asked where would be the best place to sit. The hostess recommended the tasting bar - basically a diner-style counter which faces the kitchen, so you can watch the chefs, and as the hostess pointed out - sometimes the chefs like to hand out free food. This sounded promising, so off we went. Little did we know... we were seated in front of the kitchen station of Kevin Davis, Executive Chef and Owner of Steelhead Diner. Nice work! As we ooh'd and aah'd over the menu in general, Kevin quickly made small talk with us - cool! As we were deciding and about to order, someone put in front of us a plate of... Crispy Camano Island Silver Smelt with Hot-Sweet Mustard Vinaigrette. My first words to Mike were something like, "the skin is still on them!" For those who don't know smelt, they are bigger than minnows, but definitely smaller than trout, etc.. Being taught to eat whatever is put in front of you (which I never follow, otherwise), I politely dug in... and Mike got right in there. I have to say, they were pretty decent! Probably helped by the fact that they were fried... everything is good fried. After a few fish were put down, I realized that Mike was eating them wings-style - ergo, leaving the bone/spine behind. I never processed this idea and had been eating them whole! Oh well, they were still tasty.
So, after the smelt we ordered dinner, which was:
Barron Point Oysters on the Half Shell
Heirloom Beet Tartare w/ Rogue Creamy Oregonzola and Yucca Chips
Grilled Eastern Washington Lamb Top Sirloin w/ Local Chanterelle Mushroom Sauce
Sound good? Well, guess what the next surprise was...

What's that familiar-looking stuff, you ask? Thats right, its caviar. Neeever thought we'd eat caviar. But, Kevin sent us this nosh as our second freebie. Basically, it was cream cheese, topped with 4 kinds of caviar, served with toasts, capers and onions. Be proud - we pretty much finished it.
After the caviar, everything pretty much followed suit - by being incredibly delicious. Kevin did us the lovely favor of a picture, taken from the chef's post:

Hey! They look familiar!
So, after more of the same amazing food and fun, we strolled around a little bit more and found the flagship Starbucks down in Pike Place. A little nugget of victory for me. :)
After a long day of walking, exploring, eating and drinking, we grabbed another good night of rest before the long drive to the Oregon Coast, via Mt. Rainier. Wait till you see those pics!