10 Things to Know About the Palladian Hotel’s Restaurant and Bar

When the Kimpton Group’s upscale Palladian Hotel opened on February 3 in the historic Palladian Building (originally the 1910 Calhoun Hotel, at the corner of 2^nd and Virginia), it came equipped with refreshments to match the momentous transition: a full bar (Pennyroyal) and seafood restaurant (Shaker + Spear) on site run by renowned local chef Walter Pisano (also executive chef at Tulio Italian Restaurant for 20 years and counting). Learn how each spot adds to Seattle’s food and drink landscape below, and what to order when you get there.

Shaker + Spear Restaurant:

1. At the helm: Pisano collaborates with chef de cuisine Chris Lobkovich (previously executive chef at Bookstore Bar & Café) to manage the full curated seafood menu at Shaker + Spear and the 11 small “bites” at Pennyroyal (enough for one or to share).

2. What’s in a name: For a restaurant advertising “richly detailed [seafood] dishes set in a neighborly atmosphere,” the name Shaker + Spear is a nod to the Northwest fishing tradition.

3. Locavore friendly: While the restaurant doesn’t bill itself as “full-on farm-to-table,” chef Pisano says the staff sources local ingredients whenever possible. Current household names on the menu include Mt. Townsend and Quillisascut Farm cheeses.

4. What to eat: Chefs Pisano and Lobkovich recommend:

• butternut seafood escabeche ($11; the fish and veggies balance beautifully in this light Spanish starter with a hint of acid)
• grilled opah with basil sauce, bulgur, spiced yogurt, topped with salmon caviar ($23; in this heartier alternative, the combination of herbs, spice and creaminess well accent the opah)
• diver scallops with golden raisin puree, bloomsdale spinach and sweet tart pinenuts ($28; hailed as “simplicity at its best” by Pisano, the rich scallops marry wonderfully with the “punchy” spinach and sweet golden raisins)

5. Upcoming: Shaker + Spear opened with breakfast and dinner service last week and will add brunch February 21 and lunch February 23. Two dishes to come back for: baked duck egg with ham, root vegetables and emmental cheese (for brunch) and the salmon pastrami sandwich (for lunch).

Pennyroyal Bar:

1. At the helm: Head bartender Chad Phillips (most recently manager of the Surfcomber Hotel’s bar in Miami Beach) mans the imbibing scene.

2. What’s in a name: Pennyroyal is an old snake oil ingredient and according to Lauren Lathrop, general manager of Pennyroyal and Shaker + Spear, the name speaks to the “sometimes questionable past of the American bar scene.”

3. What to drink: Barmaster Phillips suggests starting with:

• blood brothers: jasmine tea-infused pisco, syrah syrup, vermut, lemon ($13; a refreshing, unique, layered drink featuring Vital Leaf tea and Washington State syrah)
• new romance: banana-infused bourbon, Kalani coconut, oloroso sherry ($13; according to Phillips, this “crazy combination of flavors is somehow perfect for a rainy day in or a sunny day on the lake”)

4. Tea hour: Each day from 3 to 4 p.m. Pennyroyal hosts its version of happy hour, featuring a daily punch bowl concocted from locally sourced tea among other treats.

5. What to wear: Don’t worry about it. The 35-seat bar prides itself on being an unpretentious, social, old world European-style drinking hole that features a revolving menu of house cocktails, rotating punches and local wine and beer. Throw in 11 accessible—yet classy—eats by chef Pisano (including mini cod sandwiches ($8), pickled mussels ($7), and bar ceviche ($6)) and stay a while.