Bateau (Seattle, WA)

Bateau
1040 E Union St
Seattle, WA 98122
Dining date: 1/2/17

Bateau is chef Renee Erickson’s first restaurant foray out of seafood. Erickson has made a name for herself by serving sea creatures (The Walrus and the Carpenter, The Whale Wins, General Porpoise), but this restaurant is something a little different – a steakhouse.

Beef is aged on-site in a huge meat locker in full display. Right next to it is the day’s sections broken down into farm, cut, and portion. Everything is of limited supply; as they’re ordered, items are crossed off the chalkboard. This day’s beef selections were from three different farms, all grass-fed, aged 21-35 days. La Ferme des Anes is Erickson’s own farm.

Sweet Potato Beignet

Steak Tartare oyster, elderberry capers, preserved currant blossom, toast

Octopus purple carrots, pine nuts, arbequina olives & fried mint oil

La Ferme Des Anes 21 Day Dry Aged Bavette Steak bone marrow butter
Burk Ridge Farm 35 Day Dry Aged Ranch Steak anchovy butter
Gleason Ranch 28 Day Dry Aged Denver Steak bone marrow butter

Frites & Aioli

Fried Cauliflower hazelnut, brown butter, preserved lemon, nigella, honey

Mint Chocolate Meringue

The pricing of the beef surprised on the high side, and I went in thinking it would be expensive. Ribeye priced out to be ~$95 per pound, while a more reasonably-priced cut like flank steak came in at $75 per pound. The steaks were good, certainly, but I didn’t think it was that good.

The food at Bateau was okay – nothing really stood out for better of for worse. Octopus was the favorite among the appetizers. It was plated beautifully, tender and with a very deep savory flavor. The variety of steaks were all good, exuding a nice beefy flavor. The compound butters added a lot of savory flavor to the steaks but, again, I didn’t think they justified the prices. The fries were crispy and had a hearty flavor from being fried in beef tallow, but were served lukewarm. I probably wouldn’t return with other more interesting places to try in Seattle.