House Of The Rising Hops - Seattle

This review is specifically about the Pinchy Bois pop-up that occurred during Seattle Restaurant Week in Spring 2021. As a longtime fan of Ethan Stowell's restaurants, I have to say he hit it out of the park once again with these pop-up concepts! They really should consider making Pinchy Bois a permanent fixture; it's simply too good to only enjoy occasionally. The $35 Seattle Restaurant Week deal included a choice of lobster roll, fries, and a lemon bar. The Maine-style lobster roll was hearty, with just the right amount of mayo to create a satisfying lobster salad. The fries were perfectly crispy, and the lemon bar had the ideal balance of acidity, reminding me of the perfect New England picnic. I paired my meal with the spring Diablo drink, which was also delicious. I can't wait for Pinchy Bois to return, and I'm already regretting that I only had the chance to enjoy it once!

The interior is stunning, with beautifully ornate details ranging from the intricately designed ceilings to the cozy, library-style booths featuring small desk lamps and bookshelves. Our server was fantastic—very friendly and attentive. Naturally, we both ordered burgers, and being from Chicago, we've had our fair share of excellent burgers. However, these were some of the BEST we've EVER tasted! And don't get me started on the fries—they were phenomenal! I have no idea how they prepare them, but they were seasoned to absolute perfection with a delightful blend of salty herbs. I also appreciated the variety of sauces that accompanied our meals; they tasted homemade, which I always love. Generally, we don’t revisit the same restaurant while on vacation. Unfortunately, we discovered this place on our last night. However, if we had found it earlier, there's no doubt we would have returned multiple times just to enjoy their incredible food!

I'm not sure why it says this place is closed, but they are actually open right now as an ESR pop-up called Pinchy Bois. You can choose between a lobster roll or a whole lobster, served with seasoned fries, and for dessert, there are gourmet "worms in the dirt." I devoured everything the moment I walked through the door with my treats. What can I say? It delivered exactly what I expect from ESR restaurants! Everything was spot on. The portion sizes were generous—I had more than I could eat and ended up with leftovers. I'm really hoping they keep this pop-up around for a while; it's the perfect summer indulgence!

Brewski Old Fashioned! Oh my goodness!!! Bourbon, vanilla-stout sugar, bitters Stoup Porter. Just popped in for a pre concert drink but got some Everything Pretzels as a beer sponge. Just a little too greasy for my taste. I like my pretzels dry; these were coated in butter. Mustard underneath (which was too sweet in my opinion) so a bit hard to handle. Just kind of weird. Would not order again. Excellent bartender. Great happy hour menu!! The other food that went by looked and smelled amazing! Will be back!

Bramling Cross's Happy Hour is top notch! if you're in Ballard, this is the place for some great food. My friend and I met up on a Sunday just as they opened at 5pm. Happy Hour is from 5-7pm. When we walked in, we were the first two to sit at the bar, so we took the 2 seats closest to the kitchen. I love watching the chefs cook. There's just something about watching chefs working in unison that satisfies me. It's so zen watching their craft on display. As I looked at the Happy Hour menu, I was amazed at all the different food items. There must've been 12 different food offerings. My friend read a Seattle Times article that was raving about Bramling Cross's Happy Hour and specifically, the Bramling Burger so he ordered that. The burger was cooked to a perfect Medium-Rare and came with Pickle Fries. When he was done with it, he thought it was the best burger he had eaten in over a year. Trust me, he's eaten a lot of burgers. I had a little taste of the burger and I too was impressed. The patty was cooked over a wood fired grill and had the perfect char. Everything was of high quality and the contents of the burger complimented so well with the burger bun from Macrina Bakery. While my friend was noshing on his Bramling Burger, I decided to order something from the regular menu. I heard so many good things about their Dynamite Fried Chicken, so I couldn't pass it up. A small order came with four juicy pieces of chicken. The crispy skin was perfect, but you know it's good fried chicken when the breast piece was just as juicy as the chicken thigh. I could've eaten another 4 pieces if we didn't order other things off the Happy Hour menu. In addition to the Dynamite Chicken, you must not forget the biscuit that accompanies the dish. It might've been the best thing I ate that night. The sweetness from the honey on the biscuit just absolutely blew me away. Combine that with the saltiness from the chicken and I was in heaven. As for the rest of our order, we also got the Castelvetrano Olives, Beef Tartare, Deviled Eggs, and the Half-a-Wedge Salad. Each dish from the Happy Hour menu was equally satisfying, but it was the subtle detail that really impressed me. The Deviled Eggs contained salmon roe with each egg. The egg in the Half-a-Wedge salad looked like it was sous vide. There was enough rye toast for the entire Beef Tartare. Just all these subtle details that went into the food just made the experience that much better. As we're finishing up our dinner, we noticed the chef who was working the wood grill started grilling pork belly and pork loin. If we weren't so full from all the other food, we would've ordered those two items as well. You definitely know that I'll be back for those in the near future. You win this round, Bramling Cross!