UPDATE (1/29/08): WILD SALMON is now closed.
My parents wanted to take me out to dinner for my birthday so I chose Jeffrey Chodorow’s new place Wild Salmon. It took over the location of English is Italian and looks pretty much the same only they’ve added copper-colored fish, dangling from the ceiling.
We asked for some bread to hold us over while we were waiting for my parents to arrive. It was a delicious flat bread, a cross between pita and pizza dough. It was lightly oiled with a sprinkling of herbs. It came out nice and warm on a fish-shaped wooden tray. After my parents arrived, we had to get another tray of it, which was also devoured.
For starters, Lon had the smoked salmon platter – 3 types of smoked salmon and potato latkes topped with creme fraiche and caviar. The whole plate was superb. My dad had the crab and corn chowder which he enjoyed. My mom and brother shared the crab and bay shrimp ravioli which they liked but both Lon and I did not. The pasta part was good but I didn’t like the filling. I ordered the half dozen Virginica Totten Inlet oysters which were excellent, super fresh, plump, and juicy.
Our waitress informed us that they had a special salmon that was only available for a short time each year (I did some research to verify), the copper river salmon. It definitely sounded like something I had to try given this opportunity. I chose the cedar plank preparation and the morel pinot noir sauce for my entree. It turned out to be an excellent choice. Aside from the fish being cooked properly and really absorbing the cedar plank aroma, the fish had an unbelievable color, texture, and flavor. The copper river salmon is easily distinguishable from regular salmon. I didn’t need the sauce. The salmon is great as is. I recommend everyone to go try it. You have until mid-June I think.
My dad had the Alaskan King Crab Legs which he said were cooked properly, but nothing special. My mom, brother, and Lon all chose the Northwest Seafood Cioppino. It got sort of mixed reviews from the three of them, but they were generally satisfied. We also got a side of Stuffed Baked Walla Walla Onion for the table. It was nothing special and the inside was under-cooked while the outside was almost over-cooked.
For dessert, we shared the Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp, the Baked Alaska (formed to look like an igloo) with truffles (made to look like a penguin), and the Berry Napoleon made with marscapone. The Baked Alaska got the most attention because of its clever artistry. But, my favorite was the Berry Napoleon. The crisp was a bit too wet, but still gobbled up.
I probably won’t return to this restaurant since the food was a bit inconsistent. The wait staff also needs some polishing. They forgot which dish belonged to who a few times and sometimes cleared dishes at awkward times. I am glad I tried the copper river salmon but I’ll try it somewhere else next time.
Filed under Closed, Restaurants. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.