Castleberry's Takes On Pub Grub at the Summit

I swung by the Summit Public House last night to check out Castleberry’s, former Sitka & Spruce and Artemis chef, Nick Castleberry's pop-up restaurant specializing in affordable seasonal, mostly savory dishes.

For those of you familiar with the Summit, you’ll know it’s a low-key neighborhood bar that lacks the too-cool for school vibe that seems to permeate the Pike-Pine corridor. On any given night, Summit is usually buzzing with a mix of flannel-clad dudes and locals from the many apartments that line the northeastern edge of Capitol Hill. The bar has a nice selection of everything from Rainier to European craft beers.

Like the pub itself, Castleberry's takes a no-frills approach to food. Most items on the menu are priced at $8 or under. Diners order at the bar and food is served on paper plates with plastic utensils. My meal of roasted chicken, polenta and locally-grown roasted veggies was a great fill-you-up winter meal ($8). The chicken was on the salty side but I finished the entire moist breast. The Kushi oysters ($2.50 each) were served atop a bed of rock salt with lemon wedges on the side (there's nothing that makes me love living in Seattle more than eating fresh oysters at a dive bar). For dessert I had the lemon cake with honey and cream ($2.50), a pleasant and not-to-sweet ending to the meal that everyone at my table enjoyed.

Sound interesting? Head to the Summit this weekend and taste for yourself. Your belly and pocketbook will thank you.

Castleberry's at the Summit Public House, 1 Summit Ave. E, Capitol Hill. 206.324.7611. summitpublichouse.com. Serving food Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Cash only.