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BOKA, which stands for Bold Original Kitchen Artistry, happily lives up to it’s name. Perfectly situated in downtown’s sleek new Hotel 1000, it is also perfectly staffed with Marc Papineau, who doubles as general manager and BOKA’s extremely talented wine director and Executive Chef Angie Roberts, a highly respected Seattle chef who has cooked at the James Beard House and was selected as a Gayot rising-chef for 2007. The two are in perfect sync, sharing a dedication for sourcing and working with Pacific Northwest producers to feature the best local, seasonal and sustainable ingredients.

Recently, I attended one of the monthly wine dinners which featured some incredible wines (to the tune of $200/bottle) from Andrew Will Winery. Winemaker, Chris Camarda, touted by Wine & Spirits, as one of the world’s 50 most influential winemakers, was on hand to explain how he blends his wines to express the terroir of a particular vineyard. Chef Angie stopped out to say hello (a refreshingly down-to-earth young woman) and discuss what inspired her food pairings. Rather than wax euphoric about her food (each course was more exciting than the last) I’ll simply print the menu and let you salivate on your own.

BOKA & Andrew Will Wine Dinner
salt roasted peach salad
bacon vinaigrette and ricotta cheese

cuvée lucia pinot gris
2007, celilo vineyard, columbia gorge

2nd
Melon gazpacho
House-made yogurt and mint oil

cuvée lucia semillon
2007, horse heaven hills

3rd
Polenta and oven-dried tomato terrine

cuvée lucia sangiovese
2006, cièl du cheval vineyard, red mt.

main
roasted rabbit loin
confit rabbit leg, rabbit liver mousse,
huckleberry gastrique

cièl du cheval vineyard red wine
2005, 2004, 2003, red mt.

dessert
blue cheese
bing cherries, aged balsamic and toasted almonds
surprise wine from the library
at andrew will

***I gotta tell you- a dinner of such high caliber is a steal at $75. Check out their website for upcoming wine dinners. Word of warning: they sell out quickly, so don’t dally.

Boka Kitchen & Bar
www.bokaseattle.com
1010 First Ave.
Seattle, WA (see map)

Phone: 206.357.9000