Usually when I threaten to order half the menu at a restaurant, I’m joking. But at Lark, I was quite serious. Located on an easy-to-miss block of Capitol Hill, this gem specializes in intricate, small plates with bold flavors and surprising combinations. For example, the roasted eel with saba and new potato salad ($12, pictured above, left) paired a predictably sweet and sticky eel fillet with a most unlikely and delicate (you guessed it) potato salad. This was one of my favorite dishes – my only regret was sharing it with three other people.
Lark’s menu is designed for family-style ordering, but with more than 2 people at your table, each plate portions out to an amuse-bouche or so. As a result, we nearly ended up ordering most of the menu! Every dish was delectable and I appreciated the variety of our dinner, but I couldn’t help feeling unsatiated. I respect the “small bites” philosophy and I enjoy that manner of eating, but with flavors so compelling, there was a discord between my stomach and my wallet.
Even so, I would recommend Lark for foodies and adventurous eaters. Of particular note were the Carpaccio of Yellowtail with preserved lemons and green olives ($15, pictured top right), the Crispy Liberty Farm duck leg with watercress and pomegranate salad ($11, pictured middle right), and the Valrhona chocolate hazelnut mousse with cocoa ladyfingers and candied hazelnut ($8, pictured bottom right). You may want to consider ordering two of each!
now’s an especially good time to go to lark and support them against the foie gras protesters. the picketers say they’re going to be there every friday night until foie gras gets taken off the menu. and since that’s never going to happen…
I would like to share my opinion about this restaurant and specifically that you really liked the Eel/potato salad dish.
We were really excited to check this restaurant out (especially after so many great reviews) and visited it some time in 2011.
For a high level restaurant that calls itself “local northwest cuisine”, we found, that serving an Eel that was bought in Uwajimaya from a plastic bag, surprising. Is it respectful to serve customers a dish that came from a bag that is ready to serve and came pre-frozen?
I thought that there’s truly lots of great local fresh fish that can be made real delicious. The saddest thing is that mine and my husband’s opinions were ignored by the server. And that’s just a part of it.
I would really like to know your opinion of this, because i found your blog very inspiring.
Thanks!
Amber 🙂
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