Blueacre is the place to be....

I never once ate at the lovely Oceanaire Seafood Restaurant.  The super swank vintage art deco behemoth of a seafood restaurant on Olive.  I'm sort of sad that I didn't but I lost my DeLorean time machine so there's no point on dwelling on the past.  One of my favorite chefs in this still rising culinary town, chef Kevin Davis (Chef/Owner of my beloved comfy go-to joint Steelhead Diner) along with his dear charming wife Teresa Davis have opened Blueacre in the old Oceanaire's digs.  It just so happens that Kevin used to be the executive chef at Oceanaire prior to opening Steelhead Diner so it's a homecoming of sorts (minus the keg stands and getting felt up under the bleachers).  With some minor changes to the decor, Blueacre is more open air and bright color than the classic stylings of Oceanaire, although they did keep a lot of the beautiful deco railings and curves including the amazing revolving front door (of which my fear of getting crushed in can be overcome by the smell of yummy food).  There is also a motif of butterflies throughout signifying metamorphosis which I of course can relate to.  The dining room is giant and pretty and still inviting. Aside from the gawking, uptight business crowd, it still somehow feels cozy.  Perhaps it's just more of that Davis family charm seeping into the woodwork.

But what about the food you ask?  It definitely has Chef Davis' style in the form of Americana seafood fare with some Pacific Northwest focus thrown in for good measure.  On the menu the sections are broken up into sweet categories such as The Briny Sea, Boil and Bubble, and my personal favorite: The Hunger (which of course Kevin promises he didn't steal this idea from me but from the Catherine Deneuve / Bowie vampire film which is where I got the name as well, but I'll just pretend I was an influence in that decision).  So anyways, K and I ordered from a nicely curated selection of local oysters on the half shell.  They came with a variety of mignonettes all of which were delicious.  Then came the Kasu Marinated King Salmon Collars.  They were some of the meatiest, moist succulent salmon collars I've ever had.  If you've never tried salmon collars before, do yourself a favor and get these.  We also tried the Ultimate Blue Crab cake.  It was indeed ultimate but I couldn't decide which I liked better when comparing Steelhead's delicious Dungeness Crab Cake versus Blueacre's Blue Crab Cake.  I suppose I now have two favorite crab cakes in Seattle.  We had some time between courses due to a misfire in the kitchen (which to to be expected right after a grand opening) but were brought out some Dungeness Crab Bisque while we waited and it was so tasty and rich.  Besides, we were enjoying ourselves, our cocktails, and the sun pouring in through the windows and the staff took care of us so we were content.  So after a little bit we received the star of the show, the Crispy Whole Idaho Stream Raised Catfish.  It was a monster of a fish with amazing crispy skin and delicate buttery flesh.  It came with accoutrements to make Vietnamese-esque lettuce wraps.  We were so full by then but we still couldn't stop eating.  I can imagine the difficulty when frying a whole fish this size, but the presentation itself is impressive enough to knock your sock off.  We also had Fried Green Tomatoes but we had to take them home to avoid death by overeating.

So yeah, I'd recommend Blueacre to you.  The food was delicious.  The atmosphere feels luxurious, and the service thoughtful.  Success couldn't happen to nicer people.  Oh, and congratulations on your twins Theresa!  Pay a visit to Blueacre and don't forget to stop off at Steelhead for a Pink Laser cocktail on your way home.

photo courtesy (or swiped from) blueacreseafood.com

Blueacre Seafood
1700 7th Avenue
Seattle, WA 98101
Phone 206-659-0737