Kirkland Tap and Trotter

          I tried Kirkland Tap and Trotter when they first opened almost a year ago and had a great meal. I recently tried them again and since the menu had changed quite a bit, thought an update post was in order!

        I went with the fiance and another couple for the last night of the anti restaurant week menu. Our server explained that any of the dishes on the special menu could be ordered a la cart, and that we could mix and match courses from the two menus.

          We started with a few apps to share including the pate and Spanish octopus. I loved both of these, I always think of pates as one of Tony Maws specialties and this did not disappoint. The octopus was cooked perfectly; it had great texture and wasn't at all chewy.

Housemade Pâté de Campagne red onion compote, pickled mustard seeds

Spanish Octopus Salad zucchini & yellow squash hummus, za’atar flatbread

          For my main course I was really tempted to try the burger, but I just had to go with the pork belly. It was smoky and tasted like extra thick bacon with the perfect ratio of fat cap to meat - everything I hoped it would be!

Slow-Roasted Pork Belly cranberry bean ragoût, braised radish & turnip

          The others at the table all enjoyed their dishes, and I tried to steal a small bite of each!

Grass-fed Chesseburger kimchee Russian dressing, emmantaler  with the fried egg

Grilled Kielbasa with kraut and whole grain mustard

Swordfish with chickpeas and baby clams in white wine broth

          We shared a side of Green Beans à la Plancha with crispy shallot-ponzu vinaigrette and though I don't normally like green beans, I really loved the flavors of the sauce.

          For dessert we shared an ice cream sandwich from the special menu - two crumbly cookies rolled in chopped nuts, filled with vanilla ice cream and topped with warm chocolate sauce. It was just enough for each of the four of us to have a couple of bites, and with all of the other courses it was all we needed!

          The biggest difference I noticed when comparing my most recent visit to when they first opened is that the menu had less of a tapas feel, although you could definitely make a meal of the apps and small plates. It's fun to see places grow and evolve, and I can't wait to see how Kirkland Tap and Trotter  - still relatively new- continues to do so over time!