Seaplane Kitchen & Bar opened its Kenmore doors in November 2018. If the crowd I experienced this past Friday night was any indication, Seaplane will remain a staple just off the Lake Washington waterfront for decades to come.
I live in West Seattle and don’t get up to Kenmore as often as I’d like, so I was very excited when I was invited to come in to try their new On the Fly menu. This new online ordering option offers crisp fried chicken, stone hearth pizzas, shareable appetizers and more, all to be enjoyed in the comfort of your own home. Not only can you pick up eight pieces of juicy fried chicken, your choice of veggie and a salad for $28 or two pizzas and a salad for only $39, but the full menu is also available for takeout. Their full menu includes award-winning garlic knots, burgers, Taylor Shellfish Mussels and rigatoni without having to preheat the oven or boil a pot (which is great for me because I don’t really cook for myself that often!). I was also very excited to see that you can also add a bottle of wine or a Crowler to your to-go order – and when you do that, you’ll receive 25% off its listed price!
I brought my boyfriend, Kyle, with me to help with all the taste testing and right away, we were both awestruck by how enormous Seaplane was. The building itself is open and airy with two levels of seating. With wood panel accents, model airplanes and some of the coolest light fixtures you’ll ever see – it’s definitely one of the more hip places for a dining experience. The wait and bar staff were incredibly friendly and we were excited to dig into the On the Fly menu.
The starter snacks were fried green olives, and my goodness they were good! Kyle mentioned how he did not like olives but he really enjoyed eating these. Frying makes everything good, right?
We then ordered a charcuterie board with paprika salame from Washington, coastal cheddar from the UK and boucherondin from France. The board also came with some preserves, mustard and pickled vegetables, along with crackers and bruschetta. The preserves with the salame and boucherondin were my favorite combination together, but I could also eat that cheddar all by itself every hour of the day.
Next on the agenda were leafy greens, tossed in a delicious white balsamic vinaigrette. So light and tasty!
Brussel sprouts have truly become my favorite go to item at restaurants. As a child, I couldn’t stand the taste of them but now, if I see them on the menu, blistered, baked, flash fried, you name it – I want to try them and I almost always do now. Seaplane’s were no exception, blistered with salted black beans and ginger, they were savory and the kick of ginger added to the overall flavor profile.
Last but not least, the centerpiece of our meal arrived on stage. Instead of ordering the eight pieces of juicy fried chicken offered on the menu, due to stomachs that were becoming fairly full, we opted for only four pieces. The chicken was to die for! So plump, moist and tender, while I was full, I wished we had ordered the eight pieces so I could take the rest home for later! We could probably take up the challenge of cooking to recreate the chicken at home with some fried chicken breading like the one offered by Lefty’s Spices, and it might just come close to Seaplane’s! That’s something interesting to try another day. Anyway, along with the chicken came the best macaroni salad I’ve possibly ever had. It was tangy and packed a huge punch of flavor, both Kyle and I were like, “damn!” We raved about the macaroni salad to our servers and the manager – it was that good.
Now that I have finally been to Seaplane, I cannot wait to return and I want to bring all of my friends with me. Take note, our Friday night reservations were at 5 p.m. and we left around 7 p.m. and the entire restaurant was full. I highly recommend making reservations if you plan to dine-in. Or go online, order from their On the Fly menu and take all the deliciousness home with you for the night and skip the crowds. It’s totally worth it – the food is ahhhh-mazing!
Disclosure: I was not financially compensated for this post. I received comped meals and beverages for review purposes. The opinions are completely my own based on my experience.
WHERE:
Seaplane Kitchen & Bar
6704 NE 181st St
Kenmore, WA 98028
Order online: https://seaplane.alohaorderonline.com
