Once upon a time, there was a princess who loved foie gras – who searched the land far and wide for dishes incorporating the rich and velvety flavor of this delicacy. Quinn’s, the local gastropub, is one of her favorite places and she revels in introducing guests to the Ultimate burger – a burger with foie gras among other things. A toast to celebrate another successful year!
apple ginger sage soda – a refreshing blend of savory and sweet ingredients
Sometimes foie gras is an appetizer, sometimes it is a component of a main entrée. Quinn’s prepares both beautifully.
seared foie gras – had a nice crunch with the nutty granola yogurt accompaniments, paired nicely with the rhubarb marmalade to cut the fattiness
The fancy version of poutine – with shaved foie gras on top and fontina cheese. Poutine usually makes for soggy french fries, so beware. The foie flavor doesn’t come through strongly as it tends to blend in with the cheese, but it does add an interesting twist.
Quinn’s also prepares a standout bone marrow dish – a shocker if you haven’t had bone marrow before. Bone marrow is known for its richness, and a good bone marrow finds the perfect balance between the richness and acidity while enhancing the beef flavor of the marrow. The bones they served were gigantic, large enough for a party of 6. The princess’s party nearly polished it off with just two.
bone marrow with parsley, rhubarb marmalade, parmesan. So rich and not for the faint of heart!
Beef tartare rounded out the appetizers for the evening.
beef tartare – well seasoned with a quail egg
No visit to Quinn’s is ever complete without the Ultimate burger. It’s not on the menu, and the kitchen includes different ingredients each time, but count on a piece of foie gras and painted hills beef. A truly impressive burger that lingers on the tongue in the memory.
Quinn’s ultimate burger – foie gras, duck egg, mushrooms cooked in foie gras fat, swiss chard, painted hills beef, lamb, fontina cheese
Display of the impressive layering; you’ll need a fork and knife for this burger
Quinn’s was indeed a celebration. A celebration of the intricacies of combining flavors dancing across the tongue, searing into memory a taste, remembered long after the celebration ends.
Summary
Overall: happily ever after
Highlights: ultimate burger, bone marrow, seared foie gras
Footnotes: they don’t take reservations, so expect to wait for about 45 minutes – head down to the Elliot Bay Book Company in the meantime; the ultimate burger isn’t on the menu but the wait staff will know what you’re talking about if you order it, but they won’t have any idea what’s in it; it is loud; this is one of my favorite restaurants
