FOOD REVIEW: Loulay Kitchen and Bar

Loulay sign above kitchen.

It was my birthday recently and for my Birthday dinner, my friends took me out to eat at Loulay Kitchen and Bar, Thierry Rautureau's newest restaurant in downtown Seattle. I'm a big fan of Chef Rautureau's other restaurant, Luc in Madison Valley, so I was excited to try out his latest restaurant. Loulay is named for chef Thierry Rautureau's hometown of Saint Hilaire de Loulay in France. The restaurant is located at Sixth and Union on the Sheraton Hotel block.

Huge mirror and lights at Loulay.

The interior of the restaurant is very spacious. There is seating at the chef's counter, similar to Chef Rautureau's other restaurant, Luc. There are high-backed booths and tables in the main dining area on the first level, as well as, a 24-seat bar area. There is a balcony area that gives a perfect bird's-eye-view of the kitchen and main dining area. There is also a mezzanine level that seats about 30 diners and can be used for private parties.

View of dining area from balcony at Loulay.

I loved the energy of the restaurant. All areas were full of diners enjoying their food and wine. I can easily see Loulay becoming one of my favorite Seattle restaurants.

Amuse Bouche of Ceviche on toasted baguette.

Almost as soon as we sat down in our booth, we were greeted by Chef Thierry Rautureau himself! Thierry is well-known to visit with guests at his restaurants. He loves to chat with his patrons and get to know them. I've had the pleasure of talking to Chef Rautureau at Luc, and I was very pleased to see him yet again at Loulay. He mentioned that everything on the menu was delicious, and after looking it over, I agree, it all sounded very good.

Appetizers of Beet Salad, Duck Sliders, and Crab Beignets.

For a started, we were treated to an Amuse Bouche of Ceviche on a toasted baguette. It was the perfect little starter to what would be a most enjoyable dining experience. For our appetizers, we ordered the Beet Salad, Duck Sliders, and the Crab Beignets. All of which were spot-on and delicious.

Lamb and Polenta

For my main course, I chose the Lamb and Polenta. As expected, I was not disappointed. The lamb was tender and the delicious sauce gave the dish so much flavor.

Beignets with sour apples, malt ice cream, and caramel.

For dessert, we ordered the Beignets with sour apples, malt ice cream and caramel. The powdered beignets were reminiscent of the ones I've tried at Cafe du Monde in New Orleans. 

Chocolate Truffle Cake with a praline bar, lemon cremeux, roasted white chocolate ice milk.

I also ordered the Chocolate Truffle Cake. It was complete with a praline bar, lemon cremeux and roasted white chocolate ice milk. This dessert was the perfect finish to an amazing night of delicious food.

It was a pleasure meeting The Chef in the Hat, Thierry Rautureau.

Chef Rautureau was nice enough to take a picture with us. He is an amazing Chef and I wish him all the best with Loulay. I will definitely be back for many visits.

The Stanley Farm

A good friend of mine, Dave, owns a small farm outside of Olympia, WA. I have visited the farm a few times over the past several years. My boyfriend and I drove down and spent a weekend on the farm helping Dave out with some chores. Dave decided to buy this farmhouse and land several years ago. During that time he has purchased some animals for the farm. He currently has chickens, turkeys, ducks, pheasants, cows, sheep and pigs.

Dave's good friend Steve helps him out quite a bit on the farm. Steve is an excellent cook. For Friday night's dinner we had Lamb, turnips and sweet potatoes, and salad. We also had some homemade bread with goat cheese. All of this, of course, came from the farm. All of the food was delicious! It was definitely nice to have some fresh food from the farm.

Steve and Dave even brew their own beer! Friday night we enjoyed a dark Porter they brewed. The beer was very tasty!

Saturday morning Steve made a delicious French Toast Casserole with Plum preserves. The eggs and plums are from the farm, and the bread that was used is from the homemade loaf. This casserole was so tasty. It always feels good to eat a good meal with fresh ingredients straight from the farm.

One of my New Year's resolutions is to try and eat more fresh, organic foods. I'm going to visit more local farmer's markets and purchase my fruits, vegetables and anything else they have to offer that I can use in my meals. I want to support local businesses and farms.

Saturday night, my boyfriend made us dinner. It was just as delicious as the other meals. We had breaded pork chops and mashed potatoes with carrots. The pork, potatoes and carrots are of course from the farm.

After reading the book "Fast Food Nation" by Eric Schlosser, and watching the documentary "Super Size Me", I made it a point to eat healthier. I'm currently reading two books, "Plenty - Eating Locally on the 100 Mile Diet" by Alisa Smith & J.B. Mackinnon; and "The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan. I'm only half way through both of these books, but I already want to switch all of my food purchases to local farmer's markets. Both of these books are further encouraging my New Year's resolution. I'm going to even start to grow some of my own herbs to use in my cooking. When eating food straight from the farm, you can definitely taste the difference from the store bought food. Farm food is fresh and you know that none of it contains any hormones or pesticides. Plus you know that the animals that are providing the food are fed properly and are treated well. You can feel a more direct connection with the food, and that is something I want to experience with every meal.

I can't thank Dave and Steve enough for allowing us to spend a weekend at the farm and enjoy spending time with them and the animals. Not to mention to be able to enjoy delicious food and beer! I can't wait for our next visit!