Over the past few months I have seen magazine articles – and even a spot on TV – about a restaurant in downtown Seattle called Miller’s Guild. I happen to love steak, so the thought of a place that caters mostly to a carnivorous pallet sounded perfect. Miller’s Guild was only opened in December of 2013 but with its already tremendous popularity, you would think this is an older establishment. The Chef and owner, a James Beard Award winner, Jason Wilson, prides the restaurant on butchering everything in-house and grilling it on their masterpiece of a grill, which is the main backdrop to the restaurant. At nine feet long, with cranks and fire galore, the channel grills move up and down, grilling essentially everything on the menu, even the vegetables. With a more rustic-industrial feel, you know you immediately get the sense you have stepped into a place where you can eat a hearty, meat-centered meal. The bar, which has a more simplified-urban feel to it, with back-lit wine glasses as the main stage décor, will concoct special craft cocktails from some of their barrel stored alcohols or tap their wine-stocked kegs.
Our group had the mindset that we would each trying something different so we could rotate and maximize our tasting opportunities. The menu is small and simple, making it easy to decide on your cut of meat as well as appetizers and side dishes. I had heard about their Niman Ranch aged cuts of meat which were unfortunately sold out the night we were there. However, over focaccia bread with a lardo spread and the very knowledgeable input from our server, we were able to find out about, and try, new cuts of meat we hadn’t tried before. We started with appetizers – sweetbreads and curried prawns (with heads on) then moved to our next course – butter lettuce wedge, kale salad with currants and hazelnuts, and a salad of beautifully roasted golden beets. Miller’s Guild sides are wonderful and unusual, complimenting their meats well. For dinner I had the Bavette Steak – a cut of meat also given the unappealing title of “flap steak” because it resides just under the ribs, where the more familiar flank steak and a layer of fat are. This cut of meat is very delicate in texture, but boasts a big time meaty flavor. It was a fabulous cut, very tender and perfectly done to my liking of a “rare plus” – a cut you should definitely try! We also tried their famous short ribs which were presented on a full cutting board, highlighting the true beauty of the long rib where the meat essentially melted off the bone. All of us agreed that the gruyere mashed potatoes would be our side and they were some of the most rich and heavenly mashed potatoes any of us have ever tasted.
The wine that we brought with us (though the restaurant has its own impressive wine list) was the 2010 Clew, by Maze Wines. I had the pleasure of meeting the winemaker at a tasting in Napa Valley this past February and was very impressed with this bottle. This wine complemented every flavor, texture and smell that came from our dinner. The 100% Cabernet from Napa poured from of the bottle as one of the darkest and richest purple/blacks I have ever seen. While the price tag on this wine doesn’t make it an everyday wine, it is most definitely a bottle I would buy again as well as try other wines from this collection.
As we wound the night down, we decided that dessert was something we had to try since we had already done such a good job trying quite a collection of other dishes from the menu. An order of the Whiskey Cake (with its bacon garnish!), Malted Milk Cheesecake and Lemon Chess Pie were soon lining the center of our table. Each was so different and brought a new flavor dynamic with each bite. Overall, Miller’s Guild was everything and more than I could have imagined. Our entire experience – the unique food, ambiance, wait staff was a grand production. Anyone looking for a great date night spot, place to bring out of town guests or brunch location, Miller’s Guild is a MUST try.
© Rachel Davidson and Wine, Dine and Wander, 2014. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Rachel Davidson and Wine, Dine and Wander with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
