Club Foody Resto Review – Petra Mediterranean Bistro… An Amazing Culinary Experience! June 14th, 2017

 
A trip from Vancouver, British Columbia to Seattle, Washington is quite quick… actually less than 2 hours without a lot of traffic of course. Even though they are neighbors, these two Northwest Coast cities are quite different in many ways. I won’t start to compare one to the other but let’s just put it this way… when I need my “Toronto fix” (I lived there for 17 years), Seattle takes care of it.
 
We just returned from the Emerald City, spending a few days with our friends Louise and Tim, and the urge to write a restaurant review on an incredible restaurant replaced the wine tasting review I usually do every two weeks. I couldn’t resist sharing another great dining experience in Seattle – a fantastic “foodie destination”.
 
Just around the corner from the condo we were renting, there is a very intriguing Bistro located in the Belltown area. I decided that on our last evening in Seattle, David and I (our friends had already returned that afternoon to Canada) would dine at a place where my partner would be out of his comfort zone and so we went to Petra Mediterranean Bistro!
 
From start to finish, every single bite was amazingly flavorful! The fresh herbs combined with fresh ingredients made every dish delectably delicious. David was totally amazed with every plate we – or perhaps more “I” – ordered from our lovely server Paola Morales.
 
At first, I wanted him to taste two great appetizers that belong in my favorite recipes; Baba Ghanoush (Ghanouje) and Falafel. As per David as an introduction to Eastern Mediterranean (Levantine) cuisine, I couldn’t have picked better. Both dishes were served with warm pitas and these two appetizers complemented each other with their flavors. The eggplant dish (Baba Ghanoush) mixed with olive oil, garlic and other herbs was exquisite! It was prepared just the way I anticipated and the same applies to the Falafel. The crispiness of the ground chickpeas combined with other ingredients was fantastic! The flavors from these two appetizers set the stage for what was to come.
 
As we were progressing through the menu, David Simon, the manager of this lovely bistro came by our table and we started talking about the restaurant, food, the Club Foody website and so on. While the two Davids were chatting, I just had to order one of my favorite salads from Paola that I had already scheduled to post for next month and it was Tabouli – I spell mine Tabbouleh… tomato/tamato, right? It was just the way I expected; simple with healthy ingredients all flavorfully wrapped together! Accompanied with a tahini sauce, this salad was absolutely succulent…
 
At this point I was getting pretty full so we decided to share a main course. Although Paola’s favorite dish is Petra Royal, we chose the manager’s suggestion and went for Chicken Shawarma! AMAZING! Not only did the dish awaken our taste buds in a magnificent culinary manner but also took me way back to when my father was living in downtown Montréal and got acquainted with this gentleman from Egypt. It was the same dish with incredible flavor that my father’s friend made for us and that I so enjoyed when I was 12 years old! My partner couldn’t stop complimenting on how amazingly delectable and spectacular this Chicken Shawarma was. Let me mention that we didn’t have the “gyro” style but more the dining version where the shawarma is served over a bed of rice.
 
To add the finishing touch to our scrumptious dining experience, we shared the House Baklawa which is similar to the Greek version along with a perfectly brewed Turkish Coffee with a hint of cardamom. Neither of us had ever tried Turkish coffee before and it was great to sample it for the first time together.
 
I believe this is the first time I’ve seen David so impressed from start to finish while dining out. He was totally amazed with his dining experience and so was I. Although I’ve had this kind of cuisine before, I was extremely happy that Petra Mediterranean Bistro delivered it so well. Of course, it wouldn’t have been possible without the skill of Chef Garcia Delmar that we had the pleasure of meeting.
 
That evening, David thanked me many times even after we left the restaurant for choosing this bistro and making him discover a new taste sensation. My intention was to prove to him that trying other cuisines would bring a new culinary dimension that he could add to his “favorite food list”. Obviously my suggestion to go to Petra Mediterranean Bistro was a success and although I had a hidden motive linked to it, now I know he will have no hesitation when I decide to make Levantine cuisine at home.
 
As a foodie and a home chef, this dining experience was among the best I’ve ever experienced not only for its delicious food but also for the friendliness, skill and professionalism of the staff. Next time you are in the Seattle area, do yourself a favor and visit Petra Mediterranean Bistro… your taste buds will be happy you did!
 
Francine Lizotte
Wine & Restaurant Aficionado