Table 219 – Fauxdie’s Review

Taste: Nothing out of this world. I liked that the pancake of the day was chocolate chip (even though it was “chocolate” according to the server), because that brings me back to my childhood when my great-uncle would give me chocolate chip pancakes with ice cream on top. For breakfast. Anyhow, these came with bananas on top and while they tasted good, there wasn’t anything special. Same for the eggs. The bacon, however, was thick and fatty and delicious, but again, nothing special. The fruit that came with the meal? Wretched awful. *5/10*

Drinks: I only had water, so I can’t say. I heard the juice was good.

Texture: The pancakes weren’t particularly dense nor fluffy, probably because of the chocolate chips, and the bananas weren’t mushy.. a very good thing. Nothing to write home about for the bacon and eggs. *7/10*

Prettiness: It was breakfast, so I didn’t particularly care how pretty my food was, and I don’t think the restau did either. You know, it’s bacon, eggs, and pancakes, with a couple slices of fruit on the side. Bonus points for not throwing in a sprig of curly parsley like other establishments usually do. *4/10*

Atmosphere: Kinda hip, but not hipper-than-thou. Dinner might be a different story, though. We sat at a high table, 3 bottoms on the booth and one on a bar stool. I noticed that there were candles on the shelf between the booth and the wall, which would make for nice atmosphere at night—although it could be dangerous if someone were wearing too much Aquanet, as the candle is at about hair level for anyone taller than Vern Troyer. *6/10*

Service: Inattentive but not rude. *4/10*

Price: Reasonable for brunch, and you don’t have to order multiple entrees to feel satisfied. *7/10*

Total: *7/10*

Summary: A decent brunch spot on Cap Hill, though if you’re squeamish about special pancakes, don’t go here (they’re always special and can not be made plain). If you want to take a long, relaxed brunch in a semi-dark room (or on the small patio on Broadway), this is a nice place to go, and you won’t feel guilty about spending too much or eating too little; that just doesn’t happen here.

Txori Bar – Fauxdie’s Review

Taste:  The octopus was yummy, perfectly seasoned with paprika and olive oil where I could still taste the star of the dish; the bread slice it was served on was good, too (not to mention they dished out a good-sized tentacle).  The oxtail was nice and meaty and didn’t taste like it had been microwaved, thank goodness… honestly, though, I have no idea what oxtail should taste like.  It was meaty.  *7/10*

Drinks: I had a cocktail that included olive oil as an ingredient.  It really wasn’t bad– just gave me Oil Lips after each sip.  I wouldn’t say it was great, either.  If you don’t want to be adventuresome with your cocktails, the fully-stocked bar is also home to ingredients for cosmos and other more familiar delights.  *6/10*

Texture: The octopus had a marvelous texture– it was typical octopus texture a la chewy without being a rubberband, and the bread on which it was presented was crunchy without being impossible to bite through.  The oxtail kinda reminded me of pulled pork, in a good way.  *9/10*

Prettiness:  Teeny white plates made the portions appear relatively large (and they were, for a Seattle tapas bar).  Nothing too special.  *4/10*

Atmosphere: The bar at which one may sit seems cool, especially if you enjoy facing a wall o’ liquor.   The tables are small and meant for small groups (and, of course, small plates), but you could probably seat up to 16 if you squished a bunch of tables together against the longest wall at the place.  Plain atmosphere that doesn’t scream “Espana!”.  *5/10*

Service: It was pretty empty when we got there, but we still had to flag down the waitress.  All plates came out at different times, so if you’re one of those people who feels awkward before other people get their food, you’ll have an awkward minute or four if you dine here. *4/10*

Price: Not bad for a Seattle tapas bar, and it at least admits to be a small plates place (Lark, I’m snarking at you).   Prices for smaller tapas were quite reasonable; they were a bit high for those plates meant to be shared.  Drinks/wines were expensive, and I didn’t see any happy hour specials for beverages. *6/10*

Overall: *7/10*

Summary:  This is definitely a good place for the more adventuresome to go for drinks and snacks; certainly one couldn’t make a meal out of the food here, unless there were plans of emptying the wallet and over-doing it on rich food.  Try a little bit of everything, because there’s a little something for everyone (even if Foodie didn’t like the meatballs, the less adventuresome diner with us enjoyed them).  And who can resist telling friends that they downed an olive oil cocktail?