Ever-changing menu at Blind Pig Bistro makes it a worthy restaurant to revisit

Steak with smoky eggplant paste, carrots and potatoes, photo by Christine Willmsen

Octopus with fingerling potatoes, photo by Christine Willmsen

Rainbow trout in anchovy sauce with cauliflower and corn, photo by Christine Willmsen

Zucchini salad with tarragon dressing, bacon and bread crumbs, photo by Christine Willmsen

Duck with lobster mushroom and corona beans, photo by Christine Willmsen

Porcini mushrooms with farro and fennel, photo by Christine Willmsen

Gnocchi, chard and white chanterelles, photo by Christine Willmsen

Beet salad with rhubarb, feta and mizuna, photo by Christine Willmsen

International Food Bloggers with chefs at The Blind Pig, photo by Christine Willmsen

Three words describe the Blind Pig Bistro in Seattle’s Eastlake neighborhood: seasonal, local and creative. This small restaurant seating less than 30 people is sandwiched between a Subway and teriyaki restaurant in a tiny strip mall at 2238 Eastlake Ave. E. But don’t let the size of the restaurant be the judge of what this restaurant can cook.

The small kitchen at the Blind Pig Bistro prepares a 12-courses tasting menu for visitors. A large blackboard on the wall is a menu that serves as a cheat sheet for what your palate will be tasting throughout the night. Come hungry and pace yourself at this casual restaurant that takes no reservations. It’s best to plan this dining excursion with a group of friends (a total of 4 works best) so that you can order the tasting menu that’s shared at the table for a total of $130-$170 depending on the fresh menu. For about $40 per person, you can try numerous dishes that will wow your taste buds.

Chef Charles Walpole modifies the menu every couple of days, and overhauls it about once a week focusing on local ingredients and fresh seasonal products coming from farmers in the area. Through the International Food Bloggers Conference and Urbanspoon, several food bloggers from across the country, included myself dined at the Blind Pig Bistro. Bloggers said the food was fresh, provocative and well-balanced. The favorite dishes were the steak with charred eggplant, duck and zucchini salad.

If you need to nibble, experience their happy hour of small bites of the chef’s desire for $5 and wine by the glass for the same price. Recent reviews of the restaurant include:

The Seattle Times

Eater Seattle

Seattle Met

Cheers

Christine