Gnocchi (knee-o-key): Pasta in the form of potato dumplings; simultaneously, every Italian pasta lover’s dream come true. Alas, more often than not, said pasta enthusiasts face a hopeless, defeating journey to find this elusive meal, which is (debatably) the best creation Italy has yet to grace our earth with.
I guess it’s pretty obvious that I’m a fan of gnocchi. So I was extremely excited to learn that while I was traipsing around Santa Barbara for the last four years, Seattle managed to make my dream a REALITY. That’s right – the hip, colorful neighborhood of Capitol Hill is now home to Seattle’s first gnocchi bar, appropriately named Gnocchi Bar…. basically, I moved home to try this place out:
Gnocchi Bar
1542 12th Ave
Seattle, WA 98122
(206) 328-4285
How precious is this view?!
I had no idea what to order, as each menu item was begging me for a taste (with respect to the meaty ones – sorry carnivores). But as the odds were clearly high that I would return, I went with the first meal that caught my eye:
Gnocchi with Roasted Portabellas, Mama Lil Peppers (straight from the Pacific Northwest), Artichoke Hearts, Basil Pesto and Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Check the beauty out:
It took a lot of self-restraint to stop for a photo.
The meal was everything I had hoped for: lots of spice (from the peppers), pesto on pesto, a balanced mushroom-artichoke ratio (I never go straight for either of these but Gnocchi Bar altered my thinking), carbs (because it wouldn’t be an Italian restaurant without bread), and the centerpiece… GNOCCHI (duh).
The only shortcoming I experienced at Gnocchi Bar was the portion size. Pretty small (I felt like the vegetables outweighed the pasta itself), but then again, I love my starches and carbs, and I LOVE to eat (hence the food blog contributor status, eh?). So in comparison, your average Cap Hill hipster may find this meal the perfect appetizer for their art-music-psychedelic-super-cool-Seattle-filled-day.
I’ll definitely be back for more Italian goodness. Oh, and I almost forgot… They sell gelato too. Say what?!
Ciao, foodies, and stay tuned for my next adventure. There are SO many restaurants around here I have yet to explore. This is only the beginning…
xoxo
