Sky City - Lunch from the top of the Space Needle

Have any of you eaten here before? It is the restaurant at the top of the Space needle which makes a complete circle every 47 minutes. Basically you get an amazing view of Seattle while eating a gourmet meal.  The Space Needle was construct in 1962 for the World Trade Fair.... and it only took nine months, amazing. According to our waiter, the concept was sketched by an architect in Germany on a lunch napkin.

I have to note, I really liked the fact that everything on the menu was with local items.

This butter , plain with sea salt ( left) and lavender maple ( right), was from a local creamery and was served with bread made at a local bakery. Both were amazingly delicious. They also had a bottle of hazelnut oil ( also local) to dip the bread into. Very different from olive oil, but the nutty flavor was refreshing  -- slightly reminiscent of nutella, without the chocolate.

My friend ordered this lentil soup with wild boar bacon ( local) which actually looked like small chunks of meat instead of the fried  version. I tried a spoonful - it was very flavorful, balanced and light. A perfect start to a meal.

It had simmered soft onions and carrots and was topped with fresh sage.

Something about Seattle's weather had us craving soup almost every day. That doesnt happen to me often in southern Cali.   ( No it didnt rain every day we were in Seattle - only one day out of six.)

My friend also ordered the Autumn Vegetable Gateau. The menu describes it as " Roasted seasonal vegetables layered between herb scented crepes, lemon bechamel and Rosecrest Farms herbed garlic swiss, and roasted red pepper coulis"

It was served with an array of baby vegetables includung : carrot, brussel sprout, and beets. The waiter referred to it as their "vegetable lasagna" , but I have a feeling the chef would not have been too happy about that.

My dish was the "All Natural Stuffed Breast of Jidori Chicken"  it included " Beecher Flagship Cheese, Prosciutto, gnocchi and tomato ragout"

Honestly I was drawn to this dish by the word " gnocchi". It is something I havn't made at home yet . However, I was disappointed with this batch. It was too rough and chewy, and was served in what tasted like a browned butter sauce. It didnt match well with the remainder of the meal. I think for gnocchi, i will have to stick to Maggiano's.
On the other hand, the roasted Jidori ( a local organic brand) chicken was perfectly roasted and just juicy enough. The "stuffing" did seem like an afterthought, snuck in under the bottom layer of the chicken, not really what i would consider " stuffed". Actually, the chicken would have been just fine without it.  The tomato ragout was delicious, it reminded me of a dish my mother used to make with a similar ragout, and an eggs. Again, thought this component tasted good, it wasnt the best match with the meal.

Nevertheless, I was satisified with our lunch experience.  Everything balanced out and it was a unique experience you cannot mimic in many places.