Lunch at Lowells

What would a Pike Place blog be without posts about Pike Place? When M and I went to the market to pick up ingredients for this week's recipes we decided to stop by Lowells and have lunch. For those who haven't been there in a while, Lowells is located in the upper floor of the market and is generally a place you either work hard to get into or simply are pushed into. The near-constant stream of humanity shuffling along the main market corridor will either block your entrance or shove you right in. Once inside you'll notice a cafeteria-style counter oddly bereft of food in front of booths sporting first class views of Elliot Bay. Signs will tell you to order first at the counter and then have a seat after which servers will magically find you and deliver your food.
What is really interesting about Lowells is that a steep staircase runs along one side of the restaurant and provides access to the second and third floors of the restaurant. Even if you walk up to an upper floor the servers will come, they will find you, they will serve your food.

The second floor is where the magic happens and is my favorite. It is dark and atmospheric, featuring dark wood tones and high booths around the outside. Also, a bar sits squarely in the middle of it all taking up about a third of the total floor. Oh yeah, it also has great views of the water.

M and I dodged the wait and snagged two stools at the bar. We struck up a conversation with a vendor from Constantino’s Produce. He told us about his 14 years of working the market while he cheered on the Huskys as they played USC on the bar tv. It seems that over the years he tried many times to find work outside the market but failed. I'm still not sure if it speaks of the positive power of the market or the evil side, like The Firm or something. Either way he finished up his PBR and hustled off to face the "cattle herd" of tourists who visit his booth.

The bartender revealed that he was a huge football fan and even coached at Whidbey Island High School. He winced at the tv as the dawgs took their knocks and then took the opportunity to tease two WSU fans who unwisely wore their crimson and gray into the bar.

Lunch was served and was absolutely fabulous. I had the seafood plate with grilled salmon, prawns, and a crab cake and broccoli and rice for sides. The salmon was delicious with subtle seasoning allowing the salmon's flavor to come through, same for the prawns. For me the rice and crabcake were the stars of the plate however. The crab was very fresh and the cake was not overly oily. A house cocktail sauce added a fair amount of heat. The rice appeared unassuming but was buttery and spicy. I washed it down with a glass of Georgetown Brewery's Mannys.