Press
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Seattle Weekly
Belickis is still an envelope-pushing cook, and Mistral Kitchen’s ever-changing menu is representative of this, offering many secret tricks and high-tech evolutions which, on the plate, taste like nothing more than some of the best food you’ve ever eaten.
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Seattle Weekly
Photo: Peter Mumford
I had just been served my first great meal in Seattle. Not just decent, not merely good enough, but truly great…The crudo had been wonderful, the charcuterie so smartly chosen…the whipped and butter-jacked purée of potatoes arrived in their small, white bowl…Mistral Kitchen’s short rib is the standard by which all other entrees will be measured…It was my first love in the city of Seattle, the first instant I knew for sure that there would be greatness and adventures to be had here.
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Seattle Magazine
With gleaming design, top-flight equipment and talented people, Belickis has created the ultimate chef’s playground…his food is marvelous. His scrupulous cooking makes for dishes with a crystalline, almost gem-like appeal—no murky flavors here, no overuse of butter or fat to blur the edges of a less-than-perfect dish. On one night, Belickis built our Jewel Box meal into a crescendo, each plate more satisfying than the next.
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Northwest Palate
Chef William Belickis is back, and his cuisine is as dazzling as ever…The dinner menu features elevated bistro fare—from soups and composed salads to crudos, gratins, and coq au vin. The best seats are at the kitchen-side counter, or reserve the intimate Bijou private room…where you’ll feel like the pearl in an oyster.
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Seattle Magazine
A unique way to impress out-of-town guests, this table offers a front-seat view of chef William Belickis and his team preparing delicacies that might include hamachi crudo with shaved red-and-white French breakfast radishes, striped bass with escarole, or an over-the-top, decadent plate of rabbit loin wrapped in rabbit belly, with seared foie gras, pancetta and green beans. Included in the experience is a private cocktail demonstration with mixologist Andrew Bohrer…and a parade of refined, not-too-sweet dessert creations by arguably the most notable pastry chef in the city, Neil Robertson.
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Seattle Metropolitan
Photo: Lindsay Borden
Mistral Kitchen is a knockout. Belickis’s multicourse extravaganzas remain a heady thrill for food snobs—but here, amid the buzz and visual exhilaration of that stunning main room, his food has finally found a showcase for the rest of us…on our weeknight visit, it was vital as a heartbeat. Urban sophisticates slammed the place…They may be drawn by the inventive cocktails and an admirably wide-ranging wine list. But I suspect a bigger reason is that Kundig’s forthright design and Belickis’s down-to-earth, affordable menu together deliver a single clear message.
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Seattle Times
Photo: Dean Rutz
The a la carte menu is frequently tweaked, but count on finding up to two dozen plates ranging from crudo, fresh oysters and foie gras to clay-oven baked chops and steaks, as well as the world’s most sublime mashed potatoes. “Potatoes Robuchon” is a faithful reproduction of the pot I swooned over at L’Atelier in New York. Just as sinfully seductive was foie gras mousse tucked beneath a sweet film of pear and riesling gelée. Each bite rippled with the bitter chocolate crunch of cacao nibs and a burst of salt. Deep-cupped Kusshi oysters dabbed with orange-chili granita startled the palate with its piercingly clear flavors.
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Seattle Metropolitan
Restaurant Preview, December 2009
Photo: John Keatley
The food, the ambience, everything sort of fits together and a magic happens. You never forget it for the rest of your life.
