Vittles Neighborhood Bistro & Bar tells a story of the artisan. Stemming from the opposing cooking influences of two Pike Place Market food cart vendors in Seattle, the Belltown district joint is the Mediterranean hybrid creation of Chef/Owner Darlene Boline (formerly of Zaccagni’s sandwich stand) and her business partner Cajetan Mendeonca, proprietor of Indian eatery Saffron Spice. While Portland has many food carts and trucks that grew into brick-and-mortar restaurants, Seattle’s shortlist sticks to a few names—such as Skillet, Where You At Matt (with restaurant Roux), Marination and El Camion—and now Vittles moves from cart to counter.
Meaning “food bites” in Old English and Old French, Vittles takes the name to heart. Embracing a 1,700-square-foot interior and a minimalistic street-side patio, the restaurant somewhat embodies the small plate and milieu of happy hour. Inside, lighting is dim with humble wall art, simple wood tables and low price tags that allow the vibe to be comforting and forgiving of the wear and tear of the day. Bites are beyond affordable all but three and a half hours of the restaurant’s opening—dinner menu rules apply from 6:30-10pm, but the rest of the time, the hour is happy.
Stocking the bar with French and Francophile-inspired local products, along with bar manager Brian Troxell (previously of Café Flora and Mezcaleria Oaxaca), Vittles signature cocktail menu features new spins on classic mixers. Take the Our-Attan, a Manhattan made with rye whiskey, Carpano Antica and Scrappy’s Bitters. Or the Parasol, featuring Seattle’s Sun Liquor Hedge Trimmer gin shaken with mint, lemon, crème de cassis and elderflower. Wine and beer lists match their surroundings with a straightforward French and Northwest offering—including Rainier for two bucks and two quarters during happy hour.
Positioned in the heart of Belltown, a neighborhood riddled with drug-crime intermixed into its rowdy night scene, the late night food offerings have to keep their market in mind. Vittles steps up to the challenge with fried snacks and hearty meats that will satiate the cravings of the inebriated and the culinary gourmand. Dig into corn and crab beignets served with a malt vinegar aioli and do not skip the crispy fried and battered green beans and broccolini. Hand-cut frites and dipping sauce are a no-brainer while the grass-fed bacon, mushroom burger topped with gruyere on a brioche bun will fill eaters for a day.
After late night weekend munching, daylight harkens back and stomachs begin to rumble—hunger not as Vittles provides a brunch menu to soak up to sober or simply start the day full. The brioche French toast stuffed with sweet marscapone should do the trick. Needing less sweet and more savory? Try the Carlton Farms roasted pork and gravy over waffles or the roasted vegetable omelette.
Catch Chef Boline in the kitchen at Vittles most days, most likely enjoying the vast measurements of her new kitchen and not missing her market-sized cart in the least bit.
Vittles Neighborhood Bistro & Bar || 2330 2nd Ave, Seattle || vittlesseattle.com
Follow on Facebook: Vittles Bistro
Track on Twitter: @vittlesbistro
