Review: Wallingford’s Tilth is divinely fresh

I found my new favorite restaurant, which is financially and calorically dangerous.

Tilth, in Wallingford, was one of more than 150 restaurants offering three-course meals for $28 during Seattle Restaurant Week, which ended last week. Sound like an amazing deal? $28 per person before tax and tip, not to mention wine, wine stains, laundromat bills and general blowsiness, do add up quickly. But you don’t have to do your taxes for another full year, so who’s counting?

For our first course, Ben ordered a divine garlic flan that has diminished my appreciation for sweet flans; savory flan for the win! My apple soup, which surrounded a little island of gruyere, crouton and caramelized onions, was drained to the last slurp.

The albacore was oh-so-light, with a pillow of herbed creme fraiche and a bed of white beans. I ordered a pork shoulder that was fork tender after being slowly cooked in a vacuum-sealed bag in water (a cooking method called sous vide) and then smoked to give the pork its summery barbecue flavor.

Come here with a date, so you can try his or her dishes as well. That’s pretty much the best perk of dating — having a spare person to avoid the social discomfort of ordering two people’s worth of food for one. I’m kidding. (I’m not.)

The waitstaff were kind enough to split our one shared wine pairing into two glasses — and then to give us half-glasses of the wines that matched our dishes so we could each enjoy the pairing.

They even sold Ben on raisins, which has been his go-to hated food. Mine might be rhubarb, which is endlessly depressing since it’s so prevalent right now. But I can’t complain when rhubarb comes as a topping to decadent chocolate pudding.

This is definitely the restaurant I am taking my next out-of-town guests. Tilth’s attentive waitstaff, its local-food-inspired menu and its adorable craftsman-house-esque space make this a spot you shouldn’t miss.

Pray for my wallet (and my waistband).