picture-perfect market dining (matt's in the market, pike place market)

I'm not sure why I waited so long before trying Matt's in the Market. Well, that's not exactly true. A few prior attempts with wait times of 45 minutes or more may have been a deterrent, but I certainly could have tried harder to plan ahead and make a reservation. This week, Matt's was the first place that came to mind for a festive lunch with a friend, and alas we arrived with a reservation at arguably one of the most popular lunch spots in the Market.

You've likely unknowingly walked past Matt's on a past visit to Pike Place Market. It's located on the third floor of the Corner Market Building on Pike Street, just across from the main entrance and glowing red clock of the Market. There is no obvious restaurant signage from the street, but it's not hard to find if you know what you're looking for. As you're walking down Pike Street towards the Market, there will be an open stairwell on your right just before the large produce stand on the corner. Head up the stairs, and Matt's will be at the top.

Matt's in the Market: 94 Pike Street, Suite 32

I'm always surprised by the number of people waiting for a table inside this somewhat hidden location. Granted, Matt's readily comes up on internet searches and is nestled in several recommendation lists (check out the New York Times' "36 Hours in Seattle"), but it's not exactly the kind of place that you stumble upon while perusing the Market. Nevertheless, we walked in at 12:30 pm on a Wednesday afternoon to a room full of people (even the bar seats were full) and happily announced to the host that we had a reservation. We were even happier when we were promptly led to a coveted table next to the big, arched windows with a view overlooking the Market and Elliott Bay in the background.

View of the Market from our window-side table.

Our very animated server greeted us immediately and filled our water glasses while telling us about the daily specials. It was a sunny but cold day, so we decided to start with a cup of each of the two soups: warm borscht and lentil with Italian sausage. The borscht was a beautiful reddish-purple-pink color with chunks of beets and cabbage and topped with a creamy white dill sauce that gave the soup a nice depth of flavor. It was both sweet and savory, and hearty without being heavy.

Soup: Warm borscht with creamy dill sauce.

The lentil with Italian sausage soup consisted mostly of lentils with some onions and parsley sprinkled on top, but it imparted a deliciously rich Italian-herb and garlic sausage flavor despite the lack of any sizable chunks of sausage in the soup. Both soups were very good, but I would have appreciated them being served 5 degrees warmer -- so they would have been hot rather than warm, which in fact is what our server emphatically insisted they would be when we ordered them!

For entrées, we ordered the lamb burger and the "Cobb" salad. According to our server, Matt's has "the best lamb burger in town!" and I might have to agree. I've ordered a few lamb burgers around Seattle, and this one surpassed them all. The ground lamb was juicy and warm, and cooked with perfect grill markings. It was served atop a warmed, buttery-eggy and light brioche bun with greens, thick slices of bacon, creamy goat cheese, herbed aioli, and a sweet onion spread. All this delicious goodness that was so expertly placed in between the brioche bun oozed slowly out of the sides with each bite, but the mess was well worth the enjoyment of this burger.

Lamb burger with goat cheese, bacon, greens, herbed aioli,
and onion jam on a brioche bun. 

The lamb burger was served with a generous side of garbanzo bean-sultana salad -- basically a mixture of garbanzo beans, sweet golden sultana raisins, celery, and something resembling cabbage that was tossed together in a light dressing. It wasn't terrible, but not worth filling up on with a hearty lamb burger to enjoy instead.

Lamb burger served with garbanzo bean-sultana salad.

The "Cobb" salad was a slightly different but enjoyable take on a traditional Cobb salad. It consisted of butter lettuce, poached chicken breast, avocado, bacon, and bleu cheese crumble. It was tossed in a light bleu cheese and herb vinaigrette and served with two halves of a deviled egg. On appearance, the salad seemed overdressed, but the dressing was light in flavor and didn't overpower the other components of the salad. The poached chicken was also tossed in this dressing and was moist and tender. I didn't really understand the addition of deviled eggs other than the fact that Cobb salad traditionally has chopped hard boiled eggs, but they were good even if they didn't quite fit with the salad -- the egg whites were cooked to a good texture and the yolks were creamy and had a light, whipped consistency to them.

Matt's "Cobb" salad.

We considered dessert but our talkative server failed considerably at describing the menu options. When we inquired about the house-made ice cream and gelato flavors, he pretty much said that he wasn't sure but they might be out of the pumpkin. Pumpkin ice cream or sorbet? I never found out since he didn't seem too eager to check. Regardless, our stomachs were pretty full and content with our soups and entrées.

hhf says: If you haven't been to Matt's in the Market, make a reservation and try it now. With delectable food and trademark Seattle views, it's the perfect locale for entertaining out-of-town guests this winter. But be warned: your server may be a little quirky!

Holiday shoes: Manolo Blahnik bordeaux red suede heels with rosette detail.

Shoes: Manolo Blahnik bordeaux red suede heels with rosette detail above the pointed toe. Fancy and fun for the holidays!