Nell’s/ by Shelley Lance, Blog Editor
We had a lovely dinner with friends at Nell’s last night, right in my Greenlake neighborhood. I’ve always liked this intimate, elegant, chef-driven place, owned by my friend Philip Mihalski (who long ago cooked with us at the Dahlia Lounge). Every single time I’ve dined here, Philip has been in the kitchen. We were given a table by the window where we could look out over the dark lake and twinkling lights. Another thing I like about Nell’s: the room is reliably quiet enough to really talk to your friends.
First off we enjoyed some well-made cocktails, a Negroni for me and bright, refreshing Lillet cocktails for the others, with a platter of icy cold oysters on the half shell with lime-ginger vinaigrette. Because Philip has added “Ten $10 Plates for 2010- Welcome to the Next Decade,” alongside his a la carte menu of starters and entrees, his menu is much bigger now. I love the fresh energy the small plates section adds, and it gives you the flexibility to order a starter and two small plates for example, if you feel like it, instead of the standard appetizer, entree, etc.
With 4 people and all these choices, we sampled quite a few items so I’ll describe just a few favorites. Saleh’s calamari with parsley salad and aioli (photo top left) is the only item remaining from the hallowed days of the old Saleh al Lago which used to exist in this spot. I still think this is one of the best calamari dishes in town: pan-fried, never greasy, with a suave pool of aioli for dredging each bite of tender squid. My husband, Frank, ordered perfectly panfried crispy veal sweet breads with lentils, spinach, and sherry jus. We also ordered the gently-flavored grilled octopus with garbanzo beans in herb broth (photo top middle) and melting off the bone duck confit with celery root puree (photo top right). Frank couldn’t resist the calf’s liver with fingerling potatoes as his entree, perfectly cooked and delicious (photo bottom left). I enjoyed my peppery seared venison tenderloin with bosc pear churney and potato gnocchi. For dessert we shared a huckleberry creme brulee with vibrant, flavorful huckleberries- almost the last of the foraged berries in his freezer, Philip told us. Our service was both professional and charmingly sweet. I look forward to my next visit- maybe all small plates next time because there’s so much to try!
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