My Seattle Bites: Westward & Little Gull Grocery

There is nothing better than summer in Seattle and unfortunately I am hardly ever in town during the best season.  So during this past trip in the middle of August back to the Pacific Northwest, I decided that there was no better way to enjoy it than with a dinner lake side at Westward & Little Gull.  Hugging the north shore of Lake Union, one can literally sail up to the restaurant for dinner or for the rest of us Westward is located just a few feet off the Burke-Gilman trail.

LZ and I arrived for our rather early reservation but even then, the outdoor dining area as well as the Adirondack chairs out in the front were already crowded with those enjoying their drink and the lovely sunset.  We gave up the idea of a pre-dinner drink and resigned to a table as close to the open doors of the restaurant as possible to feel as if we were still dining outdoors.

We started our meal at Westward with a plate of oysters, as one must because they are delicious and fresh and really, do we ever need a reason to slurp down some of these sweet West Coast varieties?

And to accompany our oysters and drinks, a plate of beautiful radishes with goat butter and smoked Admiralty salt to nibble one.

Westward offered an elegant take on clam dip with housemade potato chips.  The creamy dip was chock full of meaty clams and the smokey flavor was addicting and had us scrapping up every last bit with the chips.

Flash fried calamari here was sprinkled with sesame seeds and served on top of a chilled skordalia, infusing a nice touch of Greek cuisine into the Pacific Northwest fare.  I tried to appreciate the creativity but even the tender calamari couldn’t save the surprise of finding the cold skordalia underneath.

For our main, LZ and I decided to take the heartier route with a plate of the braised Anderson ranch lamb shoulder.  Served with a vibrant herb and onion salad, the tender lamb shoulder was glazed in a sweet pomegranate sauce.  The richness of the lamb was cut by the cooling tzatziki and the grilled pita bread made this a hearty enough dish to share.

Just to make sure we were extra full, I insisted on a bowl of oven roasted new potatoes.  These little gems arrived tableside with large flakes of salt and were wonderfully creamy and sweet under the blistered skin.  I could have eaten an entire bowl all by myself had I not been distracted by the lamb.

And for dessert, we chose a slice of the light almond olive oil cake.  Served with a light creme fraiche and slivers of plums, the barely sweet cake was perfect to round out our meal.

Judging by the lively crowd dining outside, the night was still young at Westward when we finished up our meal.  Even though it was much chillier than earlier in the day, the now blazing bonfire by the Adirondack chairs kept patrons warm as they enjoyed the Seattle summer well into the night.

Westward & Little Gull Grocery | 2501 N. Northlake Way, Seattle, WA 98103 | www.westwardseattle.com