Food & Drink

Where to Go for Sunday Supper

No longer reserved for family night at Grandma’s, Sundays are now for special restaurant dinners out

By Chelsea Lin April 28, 2015

0515diningguidemain

This article originally appeared in the May 2015 issue of Seattle Magazine.

BALLARD
Cafe Munir   
This unassuming restaurant in an equally unassuming commercial strip in Loyal Heights, north of Ballard, puts on a spectacular Sunday supper: a family-style Lebanese feast that features a parade of shareable dishes ($25 per person). The chef’s-choice menu is always different, although it starts with an assortment of mezes, such as smoky baba ghanoush, tangy fava beans and tiny onions sweetened with raisins. Those are followed by a main course, such as skewers of lamb or roasted eggplant, and a dessert. The meal is accompanied by traditional Lebanese bread so crisp it’s almost a cracker. Although the tablecloths are white and the service is professional, this is a family place at heart and welcoming to kids, vegetarians and other restricted palates. Reservations are accepted. Sundays beginning at 4 p.m. (no full menu on Sundays). 2408 NW 80th St.; 206.783.4190; cafemunir.com

The Hi-Life    
It makes sense that a casual restaurant in a 104-year-old firehouse wouldn’t mess around with frou-frou meals and fancy plates. The Hi-Life is about generous brunches after the farmers’ market, family-friendly dinners and happy-hour beers with friends over $5 cheeseburgers. And on Sundays, the high-ceilinged brick eatery is all about the fried chicken. You’ll see piles of buttermilk fried chicken, slightly lumpy mashed potatoes topped with gravy, butter-braised veggies and biscuits on most tables—and for good reason. $14.50 for adults, $7.25 for kids, served family style, unless a single order. Sundays beginning at 5 p.m. (full menu also available). 5425 Russell Ave. NW; 206.784.7272; chowfoods.com/hi-life

BELLEVUE
El Gaucho    
Leave it to the expansive Bellevue location of this local steakhouse chain to do the sort of Sunday dinner Grandpa would have loved: 10 ounces of prime rib plus mashed potatoes, asparagus and jalapeño cornbread ($37). The space is dripping in old-school glamour—all candlelit tables, big glasses of red wine and tableside salads—and the prime rib is legit: Niman Ranch beef that’s been dry-aged for 28 days. Bonus: Sundays also bring all-night happy hour in the bar area only. Sundays beginning at 5 p.m. (full menu also available). 450 108th Ave. NE, Bellevue; 425.455.2715; elgaucho.com

BELLTOWN

Tavolàta    
The fact that this Belltown eatery calls its monthly regional Italian dinners “Sunday Feasts” should be indicative of the quantity of food that will grace the communal table, and it is dead-on accurate. But the quality is there, too, as chef Addam Buzzalini shows in nearly a dozen dishes, from delicate salads and perfectly prepared pastas to hearty, bone-in meats and even dessert. Ethan Stowell’s industrial, trendy Tavolàta launched these feasts back in 2010 to center around a particular ingredient, but Buzzalini refocused the attention recently to regions of Italy. As of May, it will again be highlighting ingredients: May 3 will have a menu focused on lobster; June 7 will feature lamb. Reservations are recommended for a place at the communal table, which is limited to 26 seats. Prices vary. Once a month on Sundays beginning at 6 p.m. (full menu also available). 2323 Second Ave.; 206.838.8008; ethanstowellrestaurants.com/locations/tavolata

CAPITOL HILL  
Bar Cotto     

Ethan Stowell’s intimate, warmly lit salumi-and-cocktails joint makes a killer pizza any night of the week, but since November, Sundays have brought something truly special: a $30 three-course menu of classic Italian-American dishes—the sort of red-sauce favorites we grew up with, but made in a kitchen of one of the city’s most prominent restaurateurs. Think spaghetti and meatballs, chicken parmesan, fettuccine Alfredo, baked ziti and the like, ending with desserts such as spumoni or tiramisu. Though not ideal for a large group because of its diminutive size, Bar Cotto makes a lovely date destination—just be sure your date won’t mind seeing you stuff yourself. Reservations available. Sundays beginning at 5 p.m. (full menu also available). 1546 15th Ave.; 206.838.8081; ethanstowellrestaurants.com

PB Kitchen     
You needn’t be Polish to enjoy a meal at the Polish Home Association’s weekly restaurant, PB Kitchen (named for the chef, Barbara Patrick in reverse). The space looks every bit a cultural community center, with flags flying and art from the old country everywhere. But the food is a taste of home even if you’ve never set foot in Warsaw: pierogi, thick-skinned dumplings of sorts, filled with mashed potatoes and cheese or sauerkraut and mushrooms ($8.50); smothered cabbage rolls with sausage ($10); breaded pork chops ($12); a soup, which changes weekly ($4.50). The restaurant is open for dinner on Fridays throughout the year, on Sundays in the late afternoon from October to May, and occasionally for special events, such as the annual all-you-can-eat Pierogi Fest in May. No reservations, so show up anytime. Fridays beginning at 5:30 p.m., Sundays (October–May) 1–4 p.m. 1714 18th Ave.; 206.322.3020; pbkitchen.com

Volunteer Park Café      
This popular neighborhood haunt near Capitol Hill’s landmark park specializes in grab-and-go pastries, made-to-order sandwiches and hearty dinner plates of simple comfort food, such as slow-roasted beef brisket ($26) and chicken pot pie ($12). On one Sunday each month, however, chef Ericka Burke offers a family-style, three-course (or more) menu ($45) of whatever she wants to cook. Burke takes inspiration from what’s growing in the restaurant’s beautiful backyard garden and whatever can be found at the market, creating dishes such as bright pea risotto in spring, and tender pork tenderloin with lemon in the winter. Take a seat around the communal table and be prepared to make a few new friends. Reservations are available. Once a month on Sundays (check website for dates) beginning at 6 p.m. 1501 17th Ave. E; 206.328.3155; alwaysfreshgoodness.com

The Wandering Goose     
Six nights a week, this shabby-chic temple to Southern charm and down-home cooking (biscuit breakfast sandwiches, pastries and more) on the east end of Capitol Hill sits empty. But on Fridays at 5 p.m., The Wandering Goose—run by North Carolina native and expert baker Heather Earnhardt—reopens for a full Southern meat-and-three dinner ($22). Diners can choose from pimento mac ’n’ cheese, collard greens, mashed potatoes with pan gravy, coleslaw, grits and more as sides to accompany three pieces of buttermilk fried chicken. Reservations aren’t accepted, and there’s only seating for about 30 at a time, so show up early. Fridays beginning at 5 p.m. 403 15th Ave. E; 206.323.9938; thewanderinggoose.com

DOWNTOWN
Miller’s Guild     
Jason Wilson’s dark, primal, firelit eatery, which adjoins Hotel Max, already draws a crowd for the dishes coming off the 9-foot grill. Just this March, the restaurant launched Butcher Block Sundays, which feature wood-grilled Meyer prime rib, whole roasted fish and a third rotating protein (look for Wilson breaking down whole pigs, rabbits, ducks, lambs, etc.). A few select bottles of wine will be offered at $25, which amounts to about half off. Guests can choose three sides—such as hearth-roasted mushrooms, creamed nettles—to be served family style alongside the main dish plus a salad to start and dessert to share. Don’t come alone: The deal is $48 per person, and parties must be of two or more. Reservations are accepted. Sundays beginning at 5 p.m. (full menu also available). 612 Stewart St.; 206.443.3663; millersguild.com

GEORGETOWN

The Corson Building     

On Sunday nights, The Corson Building in Georgetown offers a stripped-down version of its prix-fixe dinner; photo by Easton Richmond

Dinner at this Georgetown icon, a bucolic 1926 building under an overpass, is anything but ordinary: Each of the few weekly nights that it’s open for service features a different theme of sorts, a different handwritten menu, a different approach to community and farmers and dinner service. And while Matt Dillon’s empire has now expanded far beyond this non-restaurant, The Corson Building’s Saturday-night prix fixe is still a meal every food lover in Seattle should experience. For a slightly less pricey, pared-down version—$75 per person, rather than $100—diners should go on Sundays. You’ll still get to experience all of the luxury, but in a more casual manner. Reservations recommended. Sundays beginning at 6 p.m. 5609 Corson Ave. S; 206.762.3330; thecorsonbuilding.com

PIONEER SQUARE  

Il Corvo       
Rejoice, oh people who work somewhere beyond walking distance of Il Corvo: The ever-popular lunchtime-only pasta joint run by Mike Easton is now offering dinner service a couple of times a month on select Saturdays. The prix fixe meal ($75) is a collaborative effort with chef Miles James of the now-defunct Dot’s; together they come up with four courses, and Karel Cipra curates a wine list appropriately (though you’ll pay extra for that). Because Il Corvo is such a small, spare space with only a handful of four-top tables, reservations are required, and if you plan on an intimate date, know that the two of you will likely have to share your table with another couple. One or two Saturdays per month; check website for dates. 217 James St.; 206.538.0999; ilcorvopasta.com

SOUTH LAKE UNION  
Brave Horse Tavern       
Tom Douglas’ 21-and-older-only Brave Horse Tavern offers a Sunday fried chicken dinner—because sometimes you need a grown-up dinner venue that’s casual enough for beer and darts after the meal. The $16 plate features three pieces of buttermilk fried chicken, not unlike our other chicken recommendations here, but Brave Horse’s is complemented by a couple of seasonally inspired sides that change monthly; past accompaniments have included bacon waffles (!), chicken dumplings, grilled corn, watermelon, baked beans and biscuits. The deal’s over when the chicken (served individually, not family style) runs out, so plan accordingly. Sundays beginning at 4:30 p.m. (full menu also available). 310 Terry Ave. N; 206.971.0717; bravehorsetavern.com

 

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