Emmer & Rye

How I heard of this place: The exact way I heard of emmer&rye baffles my mind. It remains a mystery, but somehow I knew of it and knew I had to try it. When I found it on the Seattle Restaurant Week list of restaurants, it was a done deal.
Type of cuisine: Seasonally inspired and locally derived cuisine. According to their website, Emmer is a celebration of our reliance upon natural, interconnected systems. Rye’s peppery punch is both classic and contemporary. Rye is a celebration of our varied American heritage. The story of emmer&rye began with a vision of the connection between food and community.
Ambiance: A cozy, Victorian home, where patrons are greeted in the foyer and seated in one of the many small but open rooms. Colors are very warm with food-​inspired photo frames placed under antique wall-​mounted lights. Dark wood floors and doors are reminiscent of an elderly man’s reading room or den. A space where men would gather to drink bourbon and enjoy intellectual conversations.
What I ordered: Before our meals, we ordered shucked oysters, bacon, smoked porter mignonette off of the small plates menu ($ 5). We also ordered a board of artisanal cheeses, apricot bread and apple membrillo ($ 12 for four). Taking advantage of Seattle Restaurant Week, I ordered the roasted sunchokes and fingerling potatoes black truffle aioli (as did two of my other dining companions). The fourth in our party ordered the creamy parsnip soup with nettle-​mint purée and toasted hazelnuts. For the main course, I opted for the wild salmon dressed with a radish and parsley salad and served with three large asparagus spears. Two of the others in our party ordered the warm goat cheese, farro fries, spinach and d’angou pear salad. Our fourth dining companion chose from the traditional menu rather than selecting off of the three course prix fixe: gathered & grown mushroom tart with goat cheese, leeks, spinach and pears. For dessert we ordered all three of the fixed price menu desserts: a mini butterscotch pot de crème with fresh whipped cream and an oatmeal cookie. The second dessert: rocky road brownie with marshmallow squares and roasted hazelnuts served over a drizzle of caramel. Our grand finale: rhubarb shortcake with rhubarb compote and syrup.
What I loved: I loved the setting, the comfort of a home, the company and the experience as a whole. Food-​wise, I fell in love with the rustic presentation of the four cheeses and specifically the sharp Wisconsin cheddar. The salmon was beautifully seared crisp, remaining moist on the inside. The spinach was also very fresh and rustic. The black truffle aoili, while slightly on the salty side, was the perfect complement to the sunchokes and fingerling potatoes with roasted garlic. The mushroom tart was delicate, lightly pungent with the goat cheese and full of mushrooms. One of our dining companions, after trying the cheeses, exclaimed: «If I were a cow and had to make cheese…[I’d combine the flavor of the cheddar and the blue in the texture of the truffled brie].»
Why I loved it: It is always enjoyable to try a new restaurant and have only good things to say! Our server was all smiles, as were the hosts and the busser. It’s a beautiful site to find employees that are happy in their jobs and at ease in their work. As the restaurant filled up, it was delightful to see other neighborhood patrons in this neighborhood establishment and full of joy, eager to sample the gustatory delights of chef Seth Caswell and his kitchen staff.
Cost: Three course fixed price menu for $ 25? Awesome.

Had a three course meal here thanks to a Groupon. It was a fancy dinner date celebrating a special occasion. Their plates come in small and large portions and the small size was pretty small. The shrimp I had was very good but a little overpriced for the size of the plate. The wine was the best part of the meal. As well as the patio. Dining al fresco here on Queen Anne with their nice patio and strung lights created a very romantic setting during the Seattle summer. I might go back to try their happy hour but would seek out other restaurants before returning for dinner.

Lovely setting for Saturday brunch on a sunny day!
The bf & I came here for brunch and sat outside on the front patio area of this charming Victorian Painted Lady.
The bf ordered the biscuits with sausage gravy and eggs & oj. I had the eggs benedict with ham and a coffee. At the last minute I also snagged a bloody Mary.
We had really friendly service. The ambiance was perfect, sans the loud estrogen fest coming from the 2 women who sat next to us and talked loudly about their periods. The food and beverage presentation showed care from the kitchen, but I thought our food was ok.
The hollandaise sauce on my benny was mayo-​like. Our rosemary potatoes were overcooked yet tasty, but my biggest disappointment came from my bloody Mary. Although it was beautifully garnished, it was quite bland and watered down. I didn’t taste any alcohol and no spice.
The best thing between our meals was the bfs sausage gravy in which I dunked a potato to taste.
I don’t know how likely I am to return, but it was at least nice to experience. I asked our waitress if this place was a bed and breakfast and she told me that there was just more restaurant space upstairs and to go take a gander if I liked. So I did.
It was very cute upstairs. Black and white pictures of women with Victorian hair-​dos lined the staircase walls. There was balcony seating in the back and an upstairs bar. A large party could have a nice banquet upstairs.

Detached from my favorite corned beef hash breakfast (all varieties and preparations), I felt a need to satisfy that longing. While visiting the Queen Anne area this past weekend, Emmer and Rye (E&R) caught my eye for a future visit.
It so happens that E&R became a fall-​back location when 5 Spot advised me that their corned beef hash is mainly geared toward accentuating the beets component. Dismayed by this, I recalled E&R nearby. A brisk walk 2 blocks later, I reached my destination.
My partner and I decided on the salmon egg scramble and the corned beef brisket. Turned off by the prices, my stubborn self still made the order, justifying that quality food sometimes cost more. I don’t mind paying more for food as long as as that’s the case. So, who was right — logical Ken or stubborn Ken?
Simple view:
Salmon Scramble: smoked salmon that is house-​smoked posed nothing extraordinary by any means within the egg mix, laid on skillet style potatoes with a side of toast. $ 13. No smiles here.
Beef brisket — corned beef hash ($ 16!): poached eggs, hollandaise sauce with brisket cubes and skillet style potatoes with toast. Eggs and H sauce were just fine but brisket is mostly fatty. A disappointment compared to everywhere else I have had a variation of this dish, especially at a whopping 25−30% over the «high» average.
Server asked every table around us how they liked their food but did not bother to ask us how our food was despite her pleasant demeanor. High prices for what I consider borderline average breakfast food (over $ 40 with tip). I do not recommend E&R for brunch based on this experience.

Our friends booked a table for us to have the happy hour drinks and menu at Emmer & Rye on an exceptionally warm August night.
For the magic hour of 5pm to 6pm you can order off the happy hour menu OR the full dinner menu. Many choices off the happy hour menu are real deals at ¹⁄₃ to ½ the price of the same dishes on the full menu.
We enjoyed a half dozen fresh oysters. We also enjoyed a cheese plate with of four cheeses. This was complemented with a shard order of filling mac and cheese. To finish our meal we quartered a hamburger.
Thougtful beer, wine, and cocktail menu. Great outdoor patio facing Queen Anne Street. The indoor dining room looks coY for cooler days and there’s also a more private backyard deck on the second floor.

Best beer selection in QA. Forget the Hilltop Ale House and their no kid policy. Sitting outside of Emmer & Rye and enjoying a nice Belgian beer while watching folks stroll by is great. Food is exceptional and I like the portion size. Prices are a bit steep but hey. This is QA.
Go for the cheese platter and split the burger. You might even save room for one of their awesome deserts.

I wasn’t impressed.
They have a decent menu, but the lack of the taste leaves me with an overpriced bill.

Armed with an almost expiring Groupon, the four of us ventured into Emmer & Rye determined to cash in our 2 small plates + bottle of wine ($ 32).
What we discovered was that we wandered in during Happy Hour and then was concerned with the restrictions that could occur when you’re using a Groupon. Luckily, we had a server who was amazing and helped us with all the ins and outs of Happy Hour and the certificate. On top of that her recommendations were stellar.
The ones that stood out were the Garlicky Clams and Pork Bolognese. The Garlicky Clams was so good, we ended up ordering a second dish! Both sauces were so great that we sopped up the sauce until the bowl was clean.
With exemplary service and delicious offerings, Emmer & Rye is one of our favorite restaurants that we highly recommend for all occasions.

Every good Seattleite should check this place out. It has the Seattle Holy Trinity of seasonal, local and organic fare down. It’s an old Victorian house transformed into a restaurant that serves mostly local and seasonal fare — what’s not to like?
However, I felt that my meal — as well as my friend’s (we shared two different dishes) — was good but not THAT good. I got the salmon eggs benedict and it was sort of underwhelming. I mean, salmon is salmon so that tasted good but the English muffin was slighly cold. It kind of detracted from the dish. My friend got an omelet with wild mushrooms which I actually liked. You could taste the earthy freshness of the mushrooms but it the omelet overall was kind of dry.
Don’t get me wrong — it wasn’t a bad experience! I just don’t remember thinking much about the food throughout the meal and believe me when I say I am very vocal when I appreciate the food I’m eating. While said friend would probably like to take credit for being so interesting as to completely distract me from the food, I still think it’s because the food was not very exciting… I’d like to come back sometime though because I do think this place has promise.

I’ve been meaning to come here for a while and when I saw the Groupon for this place, I thought it would be a good way to try this place out.
Let’s just say it was a total disappointment. Maybe I should have read the Groupon more closely, but when I saw dinner for two, I thought it meant a complete dinner for two. But instead, for two persons, it was a choice of two small plates OR (key word I missed) two half-​portion large dishes. So basically, you’re getting one appetizer size portion of food per person. That’s not enough food to make ANYONE full. I don’t care if you’re a petite girl or a small eater, there is no way it’s enough food.
I don’t know the strategy of this deal, but they basically gave you a lot of wine and a pretty big dessert and very little food. If I had to guess, they want you to order extra dishes and they supply the wine. I thought restaurants make higher margins on alcohol.
Food:
Small Dishes:
–Garlicky Clams — the clams were great and then you dip the bread into the soup and BAM! The broth and the baguette were WAY over salted. I mean someone dumped a box of Diamond Crystal kosher salt salty. Too bad because it has potential to be a good dish if they’d just tone down the saltiness.
–Seared Albacore Tuna — the tuna was fresh and nicely cooked and went well with the two purees served with it. Nice contrast with the crispy sunchokes.
Large Plates:
–Pork Shoulder — very flavorful and tender. Basically cut it with your fork tender.
–Steelhead– I liked the crispy skin, but I thought the fish was slightly overcooked.
Dessert:
Grandma’s Cheesecake — no offense to grandma, but I thought the cheesecake was pretty dull. Not rich and just tasted like too much of the same thing after two bites. More like a no-​bake cheesecake I made when I was 5.
The restaurant had some good dishes, but I would not come back here again based on my experience with the Groupon deal. I always thought the purpose for the merchant is give customers a chance to try your restaurant in the hopes that they would come back. But do not advertise it as a dinner for two and serve one plate of food.

Had a fantastic sausage pasta. The pork shoulder was just okay, might be that the week before I had an AMAZING pork shoulder dish at Terra Plata that melted in my mouth and this one just felt a little too tough.
Roasted apple dessert was nothing amazing. The starter special salad had some very spicy salame which I loved. Had a bottle of red cab that was really enjoyable as well.

Fresh, organic, flavorful eats. That’s what comes to mind when I think about my experience at Emmer & Rye.
I’m becoming a fan of the house to restaurant conversions too by the way!
The vegetarian options were fantastic and Gramma’s cheesecake with huckleberries pretty much won my heart.
I can’t wait to come back!

Downgrading my rating because the burger is no longer made with wagyu beef. BOOOOOO! And it still costs $ 18 with the fried egg. BOOOOOO! And the fries were salty. BOOOOOO!

The hub and I saw Emmer & Rye as we took a walk after hitting up some Menchie’s and made a vow to return for a meal. A short few days later, we were seated outside on their patio with Mitch as our awesome server. He was knowledgeable about the food, the wine, and also rushed to get our order in before a large party submitted theirs. That kind of precognitive thinking helped us really appreciate our experience.
We started w/​the farro fries which aren’t for everybody… but they were for us! They were slightly heavy, outer crust crispy, inside warm and soft. Very different but likeable. We were discussing how the fries were made perfectly square and settled on them using a play-​doh like contraption to squeeze the farro through and form them. lol. We were wrong though. Mitch happily gave us the info on how these fries were made. They were served w/​a yogurt sauce that wasn’t very tangy/​memorable. I think a curried ketchup or something with tumeric would go nicely with the fries, for a kick.
I ordered the half size hangar steak with duckfat potatoes. It was tiny (since it was probably meant to be shared as tapas)! But tasty and well done. The hub ordered their burger w/​runny egg (per Mitch’s suggestion) that came with frites and we LOVED it. It was messy but soso good.
For dessert, we selected the lemon verbena pot de crème. It was delightful! And came w/​a small digestive/​cookie.
We had a couple glasses of wine (a rose and a red, unfortunately I can’t remember their names) and cocktail (Queen Anne sling). The drinks were great.
They have two restrooms, one single occupancy on the main level and multiple upstairs behind the thick curtains. Upstairs is also a more private space for smaller parties.
In all, it was a wonderful dining experience!
The next couple times were during the brunch hour and the service was just okay each time. We can’t always have Mitch. The gals were nice but the feeling of «being taken care of» /​«really knowing their stuff» just wasn’t there. For the first brunch, we each ordered the Emmer burger (since we loved it so much last time), which appeared cheaper than the dinner burger, only because it was deconstructed and they charged you for adding lettuce/​tomato. The egg was an extra charge (same as for dinner), as was bacon (which we decided to just share a side of). Without the lettuce/​tomato, the burger was less messy but in ordering, we were not asked (nor did we specify) that we wanted the burger med-​rare since the meat quality was so good. The burger was done-​done, still tasted good, but it would have been better as med-​rare.
For the other brunch I went for their farro fries again, but this time they were served in a teepee style with mushrooms in the center, topped w/​poached eggs and hollandaise. It was kind of disappointing. The mushrooms were tasty, but there were too few, the hollandaise was plenty but bland. The poached eggs were perfect, with their whites white and the yolk runny. The farro fries were as good as before. My friends had the chicken hash (which looked awesome) and the daily omelet (which also looked good). We were seated in the very back room (which was stuffy and dimly lit)) of the house next to two couples and their children. I was a bit miffed that we were shuffled back here when we had passed a few tables that had more lighting, air flow, and were not next to active children. To the families’ credit, they did acknowledge that sharing a room w/​their kids probably wasn’t top on our list for brunch. It wasn’t so bad.
And so, after 2 just ‘alright’ brunches and 1 amazing dinner, I leave this review as a 4, even though it should be a 3. Mitch gets the whole 4^th star to himself.

Meh — We came here for Seattle Restaurant week. There’s two classes of restaurants that participate, those who highlight some of their best dishes in order to attract repeat business, and unfortunately, those that simply put the cheapest stuff they can find on the menu to bump of their profits for the week. Sadly, this place was the latter.
For my main course I had the grass-​fed beef broth, rare tenderloin, emmer&rye grains, celery root. Think phở, only WAY saltier, WAY less flavor, and very little substance to it at all. After dinner was over I was ready to go to another restaurant and get some food that actually tasted good.
On the plus side, I now know that I can take some Campbell’s soup broth, add a few local/​seasonal ingredients and serve it for $ 30/​pop.

Came here with a Groupon, but I would have made it here anyway. I was already familiar with the chef because of an amazing Outstanding in the Field dinner that he was the chef for a few years ago. I was excited when emmer & rye first opened, but I don’t make it to upper Queen Anne too often, so it took awhile to get here.
The reviews made me a little wary, but I’m happy to say that we had a good experience. Seriously, the reviews had me worried that we’d be eating tiny bites of food, but that was not the case. We split four appetizer plates and two half entrees between two people and were stuffed. I think we would have been full eating two full entrees and one appetizer, too. The half portion options in both the small and large plates are really nice for allowing us to try many things.
First of all, what you HAVE to get:
1. The pork shoulder. The server told us that it’s always on the menu, but the accompanying vegetables change seasonally. It is delicious — rich, sweet glaze, tender, falling-​apart meat.
2. The clams. Huge, juicy, perfectly-​cooked clams… nice broth… delicious ham. (We didn’t try the mussels this time, but I’d definitely try them next time)
3. Cauliflower salad (like everyone else said).
The other things we had:
1. Tomato soup — I really liked it, my dining partner thought it was just okay.
2. Gravlax — I thought it was pretty good, my dining partner thought there was too much of a pickled flavor through the whole dish, and it wasn’t what he expected.
3. Rabbit sausage — Pretty underwhelming. The accompanying faroncini was nice, but the sausage itself didn’t have a lot of flavor.
Wine pours were generous, and service was great.

Todd and I went to Emmer & Bland a couple of weeks ago.
We both ordered a taste of celeriac leek soup and a taste of the seared tuna. Todd ordered the slow cooked beef with potatoes and brussel sprouts, and I ordered the chicken with grilled mushrooms and galette potatoes. For dessert, we had a taste of lemon cake and mexican spiced chocolate pot de crème.
The leek soup was incredibly bland. The tuna was really fishy which usually doesn’t happen with fresh seared tuna and the beets were pureed on the side, which I didn’t think worked out too well. Todd enjoyed his beef entrée, but my chicken entrée was just odd. It was basically greens with a piece of boiled chicken on top with a grilled mushroom on top of that and greasy potatoes on top of that. The desserts were both really good though — I liked the candied kumquat on the lemon cake and the mexican chocolate pot de crème had a piece of chocolate caramel corn on top which was amazing.
$ 60 later, we were still hungry and only ate two really good items — the dessert. Overall, I found our food bland, the atmosphere uninviting, and very overpriced.

This review is strictly for happy hour.
I have spent many an afternoon/​evening here sitting on their outdoor porch/​deck this past summer — watching the hustle and bustle along Queen Anne Avenue while sipping away the time and conversing with friends.

Though the prices for happy hour is a little on the high side, I’ve found that everything is quality here and that counts for a lot! They do have a seasonal menu, but dishes I’ve enjoyed: Garlicky Clams, Mac & Cheese, Pork Belly and Pulled Pork Sandwich. My friends swear by the Grass-​Fed Wagu burger. Oh, I can’t forget the cheese plate ($ 2 per cheese)! Yum!

Another great thing about E&R is their small, but unique draft beer selection. I’ve had a few beers here that I haven’t found anywhere else in the city. Beers like: Bear Republic Hop Rod Rye, Alpine Oktoberfest, Fremont Universale and Pike XXXXX Stout. If you are not into beer, then you should try their Rye Manhattan — that sucker is delicious! I can drink that stuff all day long (until I pass out)!
Sample (condensed) conversations during summer:
Health care. Budget cuts. Voters are stupid.
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My kids are great! Hookers & blow! Gotta buy a wedding dress!
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BOOZE! BOOZE! BOOZE!
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Rolling up, I could only think of Tilth. It’s a small house, that going to be homey and cozy. I love Tilth and we got here for HH and I was looking forward to a long evening.
It was pretty empty as we entered and the staff came quickly. Beverages came quickly, while we mulled over the menu. We decided this would be a night of experimentation and not the same types of food we usually lean towards.
Farro fries, a couple of oysters and the rabbit sausage were the lead items. The fries were like logs and the accompanying sauce didn’t add enough flavor or moisture for me. The sausage was dressed with a blueberry chutney and some brussel sprout leaves. It was an interesting blend of sweet and bitter and you have to blend each in a mouthful to offset each other.
Entrees were the crepinette, clams with pancetta and a cider vinegar pork. The crespinette and pork were recommended by the staff. We both decided the crespinette was not to our tastes (it had a mush texture, and was pretty bland) and the pork seemed of asian persuasion, but was really dry. The dish of the night was the clams. Most of the dishes were pretty heavily salted, too… a little more so than we would have liked.
Maybe it was an off night, but we didn’t seem to enjoy Emmer and Rye as much as everyone else. Either that or we expanded our horizons too much in one sitting.

Oh Emmer & Rye, You’ve been somewhat on my radar for months and months, but I’ve never felt the push to pay you a visit.
I am now happy to say that the push finally came… and just made me wish it had come sooner.
The waiter was absolutely fantastic. He knew the menu VERY well (even when it came to foreign names) and I loved his descriptions of their current cheese options.
They had a delicious Belgian (I think) beer that was exactly the kind of beer I enjoy. Perfect, perfect. I can’t recall the name for the life of me, but I’d probably recognize it if I saw it again.
I love that the menu is mostly local and seasonal. The things that aren’t local… well, I just can’t bring myself to complain about cheese from some fantastic sounding part of France!
My absolute favorite thing was the seared tuna salad. I loved the cherry tomatoes and the vinaigrette, thought I felt like it could have done without the greens. Those tomatoes and that tuna were just so fantastic on their own.
The farro fries were pretty tasty. Tasted like hashbrowns for some reason. I’m not sure if I’d order those again, but it’s fun to try new kinds of fries!
We enjoyed some other items on the menu, but I won’t go into those too much. Since it’s all seasonal, there’s too high of a chance that something will sound delicious… but not be on the menu when you find yourself at Emmer & Rye.
What I absolutely MUST mention (because that DOESN’T change) is the atmosphere. Emmer & Rye lives in one of Queen Anne’s beautiful old Victorian homes with stained glass windows. My co-​worker and I were just there for a light girls night dinner, but I could definitely see this being a romantic spot or a place to bring some family (or someone that you’d like to impress).
I absolutely can’t wait to return. I just hope they’ll still have that seared tuna and cherry tomato dish when I do!
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Edit: –1 star.
Came by for lunch several weeks after that first visit, and… I’m sorry… but the tuna melt is a no-​go. It was a heavy meal instead of the lighter, healthier option I was hoping to find at Emmer & Rye. The «frites» reminded me of fries that I might find at a burger joint.
I love the happy hour and certain other options, but… this particular item left me pretty darn unhappy and disappointed that they would serve such a plate.