At Surrell, Chef Aaron Tekulve has created an entirely Washington state beverage program. That’s correct: 100% of the restaurant’s wines, spirits and beers are made in the Evergreen State.
Tekulve opened Surrell in 2012 as a pop-up and found a permanent home (literally a charming, old house) in Seattle’s Madison Valley in 2016. His nine- or 10-course tasting menu and 4-course prix fixe menu are seasonally inspired, beautifully presented, modern Pacific Northwest cuisine.
Tekulve is a vocal and enthusiastic advocate of both established and emerging wineries. To celebrate Washington Wine Month, on August 29, Tekulve and the team at Surrell are hosting an event called “Washington Wines on the Rise.” This limited-space event will be focused on small, super-niche wineries, several of which are so new they don’t yet have tasting rooms. Wineries at this event will include Devison, Prospice, Willow Wine Cellars, Gorgiste, Sonder Wines, Idilico and Madrona Bay.
This summer, Tekulve launched a new five-course “Inspiration” dinner series in which local winemakers share not the science of how their wines were created, but the stories of what inspired them.
“These Inspiration dinners are mainly going to be with wineries whom I have worked with a number of times in the past with a goal of providing new guests and our longtime ones, who love having these dinners, a new opportunity to interact,” Tekulve says.
Lake Chelan’s Cairdeas Winery kicked off the new Inspiration series in June, followed by Woodinville’s JM Cellars in July.
Tekulve intends to hold 24-seat Inspiration dinners monthly. “We are planning on dinners with Cadence, Avennia, Two Vintners, and Sleight of Hand,” he says. “And hoping to book more of them with DeLille, W.T. Vintners, Damsel Cellars and some of our other favorites.”
To learn more about Surrell, their Inspiration dinner series and other special events, visit their website at surrellseattle.com.
