At Taste restaurant, the upscale-casual restaurant that opened earlier this month at the Seattle Art Museum, executive chef Christopher Conville is applying subtle strokes to create bold menu appeal for customers’ palates, young and old alike.
Conville says his objective is to create a menu simplistic enough that everyone understands and appreciates it. It has just enough information, but not so much it will put off diners. In essence, he says, he has decided to take a less-is-more approach with the preparation of the food.
“Stylistically, simple food should speak for itself,” Conville says. “It’s a lot more difficult to make simple food taste good rather than throw lots of things together. This is the kind of food I’ve always wanted to do.”
General manager Danielle Custer echoes Conville’s sentiments about maintaining the simplicity and integrity of the food.
AT A GLANCE Venue: Seattle Art MuseumConcept: upscale casualCuisine: bistroOpened: May 5, 2007Average check: approximately $13 at lunch and between $45 and $50 for dinnerBest-selling lunch items: wild salmon niçoise; asparagus and cheese frittata; and croque madame, made with fried farm eggs and Mornay sauce and served with local greensParent company:Bon Appetit Management Co.Headquarters: Palo Alto, Calif.Menu maker: Christopher ConvilleWebsite:
“At Taste, we want there to be an amazing sense of deliciousness to the food, but we also want it to be approachable,” she says.
The 90-seat restaurant, operated by Palo Alto, Calif.-based contract foodservice concern Bon Appétit, debuted May 5, when the museum reopened after being closed for about 18 months of renovation. It features bistro-style food with a Northwestern flare that is reasonably priced and made from local, sustainable and organic ingredients. The eatery’s hours of operation are 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. for lunch and 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. for dinner.
“It makes sense getting food from local suppliers,” Conville says. “It makes our jobs easier because everything tastes great, and we’re doing as much as we can to support our local vendors.”
He also notes that, though he hasn’t yet made changes to the menu, he plans to rotate it seasonally, changing it at least two to three times a year.
“As the seasons change, it’ll be a lot easier to rotate, especially if something tastes great, is really good and there is a lot of it,” he says.
The new dining facility features a 2,400-square-foot, state-of-the-art kitchen and employs 25 staff members to handle the museum’s catering arm as well as the restaurant operation.
Conville, a 14-year veteran of Bon Appétit who has worked on this project for the last three, says Taste’s best-selling items include wild salmon niçoise; asparagus and cheese frittata; organic top sirloin baseball steak; and croque madame made with broiled ham and cheese, fried farm eggs, Mornay sauce, and local greens.
“It’s not stuffy at all,” he says, “just relaxed good food with a good feel to it.”
Conville notes that on a daily basis the restaurant will do around 300 covers during a busy lunch and between 100 and 150 at dinner. The per-person check average is approximately $13 at lunch and between $45 and $50 at dinner.
Though the feedback from the public has generally been positive, one thing Conville says customers have expressed concern over is the smaller portion sizes of the meals, but he contends it will just take a little bit longer for people to get used to the idea and become more accepting of it.
“The thing I hear is people don’t understand the portions,” he says. “They feel they’re a little bit too small. But we’re here to feed people, not fatten them. Of course we want to make sure they feel they’re getting value, too. We don’t want them walking out displeased or hungry. But the way I designed the menu was to make it feel special, to provide a whole sharing aspect of food just like the sharing experience of the museum itself.”
Both Conville and Custer say they are excited about letting patrons know the restaurant is open not only during museum hours, but also when it is closed.
SAM TASTE RESTAURANTSEATTLE ART MUSEUM
| spring pea & sorrel purée | 4 |
| sweet onion broth, gruyère toast | 4 |
| simply full circle greens: shaved pecorino, olive oil & verjus | 5 |
| ADD ANY OF THE FOLLOWING FOR $2 EACH | |
| –house marinated olives & pickled red onions–white bean & sausage, rosemary, roasted fennel–roasted beets, fresh chèvre & black pepper curado cheese–charred spring beans, crumbled blue & hazelnuts | |
| moroccan spiced carrots & bacon over frisée | 7 |
| watercress & baby spinach, whole-grain mustard vinaigrette & crispy shallots | |
| –add grilled flank steak | 12 |
| wild salmon niçoise | 14 |
| roasted citrus thyme beets, potato, egg, spring beans & herbed vinaigrette | |
| poached organic chicken, celery & grapes on eight-grain with simple greens | 8 |
| half & half–half chicken salad sandwich & cup of daily soup | 7.5 |
| asparagus & cheese frittata | 9 |
| herbed goat cheese, fontina & free range eggs and organic lettuces | |
| croque madame | 10 |
| broiled ham & cheese, fried farm egg & mornay sauce with local greens | |
| uli’s famous hot Italian sausage & herb pizza | 9 |
| spiny arugula & cheese curds | |
| mini organic beef burgers & frites | 11 |
| local gouda, dijon aïoli & pickled jalapeño |
“We hope people will be happy with the food and make this a gathering place,” Custer says. “There are lots of condos and urban hubbub in the surrounding area downtown, and we wanted to create a place people could come to without getting sticker shock from the prices, enjoy a diverse menu and feel comfortable.”
“We know the public is pleased and happy to have both Taste and the museum open again, but I don’t think they are aware that the restaurant’s hours don’t coincide with the museum’s, that we’re open even when the museum is closed,” Conville says. “It’s a great place to come and dine for lunch and dinner.”
