****NOTE: This review was done prior to the Covid-19 outbreak. Of course, things are much different at the moment, but we hope things get back to normal soon and hope you will continue these local businesses****
Cantinetta
Recommended by: After having created blog posts on some of our favorite Italian restaurants such as Via Tribulani, Tavolata, Pasta Casalinga, Cantinetta and Bizzarro Italian Cafe. We realized we’ve never done a blog pot on our favorite Italian restaurant in Seattle.
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Description on the Cantinetta’s website: We are an Italian restaurant based in Seattle, Washington specializing in Tuscan culinary traditions, authentic hand-made pasta and seasonal, organic ingredients from the Pacific Northwest.
Neighborhood/Type: Wallingford
Address: 3650 Wallingford Ave N, Seattle, WA 98103
What we ate/drank: Various. See below.
Comments: When Seattle restaurants briefly opened back up in the Fall of 2020, the first restaurant we decided to go to after 6 months of not being able to dine in, was Cantinetta. That shows how much we love Cantinetta.
This small unassuming restaurant is right in the middle of Wallingford. And when we say right in the middle, I mean it really is in the middle of the neighborhood away from most of the Wallingford businesses on the main street of 45th. It really has an initmate neighborhood feel with high society dishes.
Cantinetta is located on a corner It’s a very intimate setting with huge windows that lets in a lot of sunshine during the daylight hours, but when sun goes down and the lights dim, it’s transformed to a romantic ambiance.
Another cool feature is the open window into the kitchen, which gives you a show of how the meals are prepared and cooked. Like most great Italian restaurants, they had huge wine list of both Italian and PNW wines.
The dishes are always new every time we visit so we know we’ll have something new to try. Two of our favorite dishes we’ve ever had Cantinetta were co-winners of our Top Seattle Dishes of 2018. Here’s an excepr:
Cantinetta -Co Winner Dishes: Tomato Farfalle, rabbit sausage, basil and Tagliatelle,guanciale, farm egg, black pepper
This little Italian gem of restaurant in Wallingford could have had seriously 5 or 6 dishes in the top 15 dishes we had in 2018. The Lopez Island Clams with Nduja Sausage, Shallots, Vino Blanco, the Black Pepper Tagliatelle, Carbonara, Prosciutto, and the Flank Steak with Black Trumpet Mushrooms and Port Butter also could have made the top 15 but the best dishes of 2018 are….
Tomato Farfalle, rabbit sausage, basil– The main issue we had with this dish is that it was a small portion and it was gone and eaten in no time. We really don’t order farfalle that often and basil is not one of my favorite herbs, but I was really interested in the rabbit sausage, so we ordered this dish. So glad we did. Put it all together and it was perfect. No one ingredient overpowered the others and together worked so well. The minty-ness of the basil, the tomato farfalle pasta combined with the slightly gamey, but so savory sausages. Perfect.
Tagliatelle, guanciale, farm egg, black pepper– So simple, so good. It was like a spin on a carbonara. Again, with a raw egg yoke it already had an advantage to being named a best dish of the year. Combined with hand made Tagliatelle and quality cured meat from the jowl/cheek of pork and it got us wondering how something so simple could be so damn good. We broke the yoke, mixed it all up, devoured it and ordered it again.
Here are some of the other dishes we’ve had in our many visits. Lopez Island Clams, nduja sausage, shallots, vino bianco 15. Pane della Casa – house-made focaccia, extra virgin olive oil 3.5. Black Pepper Tagliatelle, carbonara, prosciutto 20. Flank Steak, black trumpet mushrooms, port butter 29
$45
Most of these dishes are 5 out 5, so when we taste one that is 4 out of 5 here, we are surprised even though a 4 out of 5 would be great at any other restaurant. We are so used to Cantinetta being great, they have an unfair standard in our eyes, but more times than not they exceed our expectations.
Friendly and educated service that sets the stage for the dishes and drinks you’re about to enjoy.
Great for date night, intimate dinners with guests from out of town or small celebrations for birthdays, graduations or anniversaries. We came to Cantinetta for our anniversary. Cantinetta may not be a good fit for parties over 4, maybe 6 max and I’d definitely get a reservation.
Everybody we know who’s been to Cantinetta loves it. Loves it. But we are shocked by how many locals have never been there. Like we mentioned, it’s not in a trendy restaurant neighborhood like Capitol Hill, Ballard or Belltown. And it’s not even on the main street of Wallingford, which may be the reason it doesn’t get a lot of publicity. All we know is that when we’re getting ready to go to Cantinetta we get giddy, because we know we’re in for a special evening.
Ratings:
Atmosphere: 5.00
Service: 5.00
Food/Drinks: 4.75
Bang for the Buck: 4.50
Overall: 4.75
Locals Only Factor: “Locals Only” grading-We’ll assign a grading as to how “local” a place is.
-
- Well known or Touristy. Most locals don’t go there unless they have business dinners or visitors in town.
- Most locals know about it
- Locals “in the know” know about it
- Only those who live close by know about it.
- You’re in on the secret. Don’t tell anybody!
Servers recommendations to visit in the future:
Related Articles:
Secret Congee
Recommended by: On one of our trips to pick up from Dumpling The Noodle, we noticed around the corner a group of people standing out in the rain. We assumed that if people were willing to stand out in the rain for something it must be good. We did some research and figured out people were getting congee.
Description on the Secret Congee’s website: Secret Congee is a congee specialist shop located in the Wallingford neighborhood of Seattle. Our congee is authentically influenced by the South East Asia style of cooking.
Neighborhood/Type: Wallingford
Address: 4405 Wallingford Ave N, Seattle, WA 98103
What we ate/drank: Garlic Blue Crab Congee – 3 ounces of blue crab lump meat. Fried garlic. Jasmine rice cooked in chicken bone broth. Chopped ginger and scallion. Pepper. Soy sauce -$16. Tom Yum Shrimp Congee – Colossal shrimps. Fried garlic. Jasmine rice cooked in chicken bone broth. Chopped cilantro and scallion. Pepper. Tom Yum sauce -$14.00. Slow-Cooked Beef & Kimchi Congee – Slow-cooked prime brisket. Jasmine rice cooked in chicken bone broth. Young’s Kimchi. Chopped scallion. Pepper. Sesame oil -$14.00
Comments: I give credit to any restaurant that decides to open during the pandemic. Secret Congee, which opened in October, is actually located in Juisala, which is a vegan smoothie and juice bar. It’s located right off the busy corner of N 45th St & Wallingford Ave and is a take-out only operation.
Congee is a thick rice porridge that’s found throughout Asia. It’s Asia’s version of what chicken soup is to Americans. It’s a meal often given when people are ill. The rice porridge is often served with different types of toppings depending on what country your in. And as far as I know Secret Congee is the only place in Seattle that really focuses on congee as the main dish.
Before diving into each individual dish, what we enjoyed most about the congee, is that the flavor is not reliant on the toppings. The toppings add to it. If you eat the congee all on it’s own without the toppings, it’s still a very flavorful dish, but the toppings definitely take it to another level. Even though it’s take-out, the presentation is still very good and the congee was delivered piping hot.
It also mentions on Secret Congee’s website that “in an effort to help with sustainability, we use organic meats and sustainable seafood in all of our congee choices.” if that matters to you.
My favorite is the Beef & Kimchi Congee. The beef is perfectly seasoned and paired with the kimchi and congee provides the perfect “slurp”. Savory, a bit spicy and warm.
Slow-cooked prime brisket. Jasmine rice cooked in chicken bone broth. Young’s Kimchi. Chopped scallion. Pepper. Sesame oil. $14
My wife’s favorite is the Tom Yum Shrimp Congee. We weren’t sure what to expect mixing Tom Yum’s sourness with congee, but it really works. What we really loved is the size and quantity of the shrimp . There were 5 huge pieces of jumbo shrimp that we were not expecting.
The Garlic Blue Crab Congee was no slouch either. Like the shrimp, we were shocked by the amount and size of the crab toppings. The fried garlic and ginger were perfect compliments(again) to each other and the congee. A really good combination of flavors.
You can also add in for $1 a soft boiled egg or a century egg. The other side you can get is Youtiao Crispy Fried Dough which is great for dipping in the congee.
We’re not gonna lie, the price is a bit on the high side for the quantity, but trust us, the topping quality and the amount of toppings(especially the crab and shrimp) along with the deliciousness make it worth it in our minds.
Secret Congee is only open from Wednesday – Sunday in between 11AM – 3PM, so if you are ordering for dinner, you’d better plan ahead.
We ordered from Secret Congee right around the time of the February 2021 snow storm in Seattle and this was the perfect cold weather comfort meal to get us warmed up. Quality ingredients and ample amounts of toppings. The other thing about congee as a hot comfort food it keeps better for take-out/delivery better than some of our other comfort foods like pho or ramen.
Ratings:
Atmosphere: N/A Take Out only
Service: 4.50
Food/Drinks: 4.75
Bang for the Buck: 4.50
Overall: 4.60
Locals Only Factor: “Locals Only” grading-We’ll assign a grading as to how “local” a place is.
-
- Well known or Touristy. Most locals don’t go there unless they have business dinners or visitors in town.
- Most locals know about it
- Locals “in the know” know about it
- Only those who live close by know about it.
- You’re in on the secret. Don’t tell anybody!
Servers recommendations to visit in the future:
Related Articles: