Seafood Boil a Blast at Fresh Bistro

If it happens to be a Wednesday night, and you happen to be craving seafood, and – most importantly – you have no food-sharing qualms whatsoever (and most hedonists don’t), then you’d better think about hauling your hedonistic hineys over to Fresh Bistro in West Seattle. For, ever since March 10th, Wednesday nights are now Seafood Boil Wednesday Nights. (Your Hedonista was invited to a media dinner to try this oceanic offering.)

What exactly are Seafood Boil Wednesday Nights, you ask? Think a sauna/spa for your fav seafood … and your tummy. For a mere $25 per person, you and one (or more) of your fav fellow seafood chow-downers enjoy one HUGE pot – and by “HUGE” I mean over 1 POUND of seafood per person – of seafood that includes lobster, scallops, clams, prawns, mussels, Dungeness crab, and spice-a-licious Uli’s Cajun Andouille sausage, potatoes, fennel, celery, mushroom, onions, peppers, pears, chayote squash, ramps, and tomatoes – all in a spicy  San Francisco-style cioppino-like broth. The broth is mucho tasty as well, so if you’re a soup/brother lover, I recommend you request a bowl, ladle, and spoon.

Now, this stew pot of ocean goodness is reason enough to try this menu. However, it’s served along with the following:  their Fresh Bistro signature salad, made with mesclun greens, market fruit (e.g., rhubarb), pickled red onions, feta, bacon, and chili roasted pepitas and topped with their “red wine vinny” (lovely); truffled honey butter herbed cornbread (very moist); dirty rice made of tomato, celery, onions, spicy merguez sausage (admittedly not my fav, as the complexity of the stew is perfectly fine on its own; the addition of the flavored rice with its own separate, even dueling complexities is a bit overwhelming and thus a plain rice would be better-suited); and a rhubarb marzipan galette (rhubarb almond tart) with vanilla bean ice cream (de-lish).

But what makes this menu so unique much more than the food itself – it is the family-style enjoyment of it all. Gloves off and fingers licked, if you will.

Tempted to give this a try? if so, seating IS limited, so telephone reservations are strongly recommended (206-935-3733).

Happy fishing!

(P.S. If you’re more of the “turf” than the “surf” variety, try their Monday Steak Night instead.)

Note: In order to comply with FTC Act 16 C.F.R. 255, Heed the Hedonist would like to disclose that it does receive media “comps” and/or media discounts – but not in exchange for favorable coverage, or for withholding unfavorable coverage, of the given venue/meal/performance/product/service.