Earth & Ocean

Earth & Ocean. The upscale restaurant in the W Seattle Hotel has an almost “ho-hum, one of the best restaurants in Seattle” reputation. Maybe it is just the high expectations that come with being in the W, and people aren’t surprised that Earth & Ocean is great. Executive Chef Adam Stevenson is a fantastic young chef, and he does a more than admirable job filling the shoes of Earth & Ocean alums John Sundstrom and Maria Hines.

Earth and Ocean Basics:
Earth and Ocean is located in the W Seattle Hotel at:

Earth and Ocean
1112 Fourth Avenue
Seattle, WA 98101
(206) 264-6060

• Breakfast: 6:30am-10:30am, Monday–Friday
• Brunch: 7:30pm-1:30pm, Saturday–Sunday
• Lunch: 11:30am-2pm, Monday–Friday
• Dinner: 5pm-10pm, Monday–Thursday; 5pm-10:30pm, Friday–Saturday; 5pm-10pm, Sunday (March and November only)
• W Bar: 11am-midnight, Sunday–Wednesday; 11am- 2am, Thursday–Saturday
• Parking: W Seattle Hotel Valet parking at garage on Seneca Street, adjacent pay lots, limited street parking
• Cuisine: Contemporary American
• Cost: Dinner with an appetizer, one drink, and dessert is about $65 before tax and tip.
• Full service bar, wine list
• All major credit cards accepted

Earth and Ocean Overview

Earth & Ocean is just a great restaurant. The food is outstanding, the service is good, and the atmosphere is upscale, but not stuffy. People have come to expect really great things from Earth & Ocean, and it still delivers consistently.

All of it has to center on the history of exceptional chefs at Earth & Ocean, and current Executive Chef Adam Stevenson is no different. John Sundstrom and Maria Hines have gone on to open their own restaurants (Lark and Tilth), and both were nominated for the 2007 James Beard Award for Best Chef Northwest (as was Holly Smith of Cafe Juanita). Sundstrom won.

Stevenson worked under both Sundstrom and Hines. Earth & Ocean doesn’t need to be worried about Stevenson filling the big shoes of those that came before him because he does more than that. Maybe they should worry he is going to leave and create his own award-winning restaurant, but history tells us they would just find another superb chef.

Stevenson’s menu highlights modern turns on American classics, and all of the food is simply outstanding. The wine list is excellent, and has some spectacular wines by the glass. Earth & Ocean has an upscale, but fun atmosphere with just the right amount spilling over from the adjacent W Bar, and the service is top-notch.

Earth and Ocean Appetizers

Executive Chef Adam Stevenson conceived and implemented the in-house charcuterie (shahr-koo-tuh-ree) program. The chef’s reserve tasting of five ($17) is a great way to start a meal. It is Stevenson’s specialty, so I recommend letting him choose for you. You can also taste just one or a sample of three. Our favorites were the Sweet Fennel Pollen (slow aged pork sausage laced with wild fennel pollen and fennel seed) and the American Cascade Cured Ham (organic pork leg, salted & air dried for up to 15 months, sliced thin). Stevenson plans to increase his house made preparation beyond charcuterie, adding smoked meats and fish, pickles and preserves. We’re looking forward to it.

If you don’t go for the charcuterie, or even if you do, the rest of the appetizer menu looks good. We had the Penn Cove Mussels ($13) with house-made chorizo in a paprika broth. The mussels were good and the chorizo was nice and spicy. The chef also sent out a Scallop Carpaccio with caviar. It was absolutely amazing, and perhaps the best thing we had all night.

Four Course Dinners

Earth & Ocean has two different four course dinners. The menu always features the Chef’s Four Course Vegetarian Menu ($45). Earth & Ocean also has a monthly four-course wine dinner ($55) with wine pairing ($40). We were fortunate enough to sample one of the dishes from the June menu. It was a radish and summer bean salad with a poached spring egg over grilled fennel, and fresh ricotta. The whole plate turned out excellent. The crème fraîche really cools down the radish.

Chef Stevenson has a knack for using fennel. I am normally turned off by the dominating flavor it has in most dishes, but he brings out just the right amount of flavor without being overpowering. He was able to accomplish the same thing with the Sweet Fennel Pollen sausage.

The Main Course at Earth and Ocean

As for the “Earth” (meats), Grilled Veal Chop ($38) with foie gras creamed spinach and smoked goat cheese couldn’t be more up my alley. The veal chop is both huge and delicious. The foie gras creamed spinach is a perfect complement, making for mouthwatering bites. It can also be ordered as a separate side dish.

The veal chop is only to be outdone by the Grilled Axis Venison ($39) with fava beans, roasted morels, and potatoes en cocotte. The venison is cooked perfectly, which hardly anyone seems to get right, and the little potato casserole is great. The presentation of the venison medallions is clever with the main spread across the plate, and then a few stacked near the potatoes en cocotte.

The restaurant wouldn’t deserve its name without the “Ocean” (fish). Roasted Halibut, Seared Ahi Tuna, Wild Pacific Salmon, and a fish special were all on the menu. The Earth dishes were so amazing that I would recommend them, but you won’t go wrong with the fish either.

Earth and Ocean Dessert

We were rushing to make it to West Side Story at the Fifth Avenue Theatre, but they were nice enough to send us off with some Truffles and Treats – chef’s selection of house-made rolled and molded chocolate confections. The dessert menu has some really tempting items. Blueberry Mascarpone Cake (mascarpone cream, vanilla sponge cake, blueberry preserves) with lemon basil sorbet, are you kidding me?