Food & Culture

Pike Place’s Aerlume Delights With Views and Seasonal Flavors

A new Pike Place restaurant capitalizes on epic waterfront views and farm-to-table ingredients

By Chelsea Lin May 9, 2019

1-SEM10094_0519_Eat_and_Drink_Review_Aerlume_0287

This article originally appeared in the May 2019 issue of Seattle Magazine.

This article appears in print in the May 2019 issue. Click here to subscribe.

As good things often do, it started over a plate of bread and butter. As they nibbled, two chefs—award winner Jason Wilson of now-closed Crush and Seattle newcomer Maggie Trujillo—brainstormed and conceptualized both the menu (farm-fresh and hyperseasonal) and how they wanted guests to experience Aerlume, their glossy eatery near Pike Place Market that opened in late December.

They eventually landed back at the bread and butter: a welcoming restaurant that celebrates simplicity. At Aerlume, as at culinary director Wilson’s other Fire & Vine Hospitality restaurants (such as Miller’s Guild and The Lakehouse), simple food from quality ingredients is key. The bread is made with local grain and baked daily at Proven Bread and Pastry in Woodinville; the butter is churned and cultured at a farm in Duvall. Produce is grown, largely to order, by Amanda Marino of Fall City Farms, and might include a head of cauliflower, divided into parts: florets that are batter-dipped, fried, and served with raisins and red curry yogurt ($16), and leaves that are used in a sauerkraut served alongside excellent pastrami-spiced short ribs ($46). Executive chef Trujillo, whose 16-year background in hospitality has, for the most part, centered on farm-to-table cooking for restaurants and catering services in Oregon, says the relationship between farm, chef and diner is crucial: “You can really taste the difference in the food when you get it off the truck that comes from the farm directly.”


FANCY FEAST: At Aerlume, you mustn’t miss the bread service, best when ordered alongside chicken liver mousse, gravlax and farm-fresh butter. Short ribs, top right, are an excellent follow-up

Trujillo talks about farming, butchery and preserving in a way that could easily make you think she worked on a homestead, rather than in the indulgent, flashy setting that Aerlume inhabits: 5,500 square feet of contemporary design showcasing hypnotic views of Elliott Bay through west-facing, fully opening windows. Though there doesn’t seem to be a bad seat in the house, the best ones are those surrounding an indoor fire table or along the seasonal outdoor patio.

The owners of the building in which Aerlume is located first approached Wilson a number of years ago, suggesting it as a home for Crush. The timing wasn’t right then; but now, with the Alaskan Way Viaduct, right outside, rapidly being demolished, and the waterfront drawing more attention than ever, the location makes total sense. 

MUST TRY: Pastas (such as dumplings paired with perfectly seared sea scallops, $46) are made by neighboring Mercato Stellina, where pasta maker Joe Obaya is a master of his trade. Chef Maggie Trujillo says they could make the pastas in house, but why would they when perfection can be found just steps away?

Downtown, 2003 Western Ave., Suite C; 206.539.2200

Join The Must List

Sign up and get Seattle's best events delivered to your inbox every week.

Follow Us

Seattle Restaurant Week kicks off

Seattle Restaurant Week kicks off

Expect a broader range of dishes at several different prices

At times referred to as “Restaurant Weak” for menus limited in scope and portion size, Restaurant Week is coming of age after 20 years. In the beginning of what would become Restaurant Week, chefs and restaurateurs often compromised on portion size and sometimes quality.  Chef and restaurateur Brian Clevenger, who owns General Harvest Restaurants (Vendemia,…

Fish Feast

Fish Feast

Take part in an Italian-American tradition while enjoying Seattle's fantastic seafood

Consider Paju’s fried rice a seafood dish thanks to the addition of squid ink. The catfish sandwich at Matt’s in the Market has been a menu mainstay for years.Is it a hush puppy or a crab dish? At Emerald City Fish & Chips, it’s both.

The Best Of Seattle’s Classic Dishes

The Best Of Seattle’s Classic Dishes

From salmon to teriyaki to the famous Seattle Dog

Seattle is known for many things, and some of them are not great. We’re looking at you, drizzling mist. Thanks a heap for the rainy reputation. Thankfully, when it comes to food, this great Pacific Northwest city has quite an edible bounty to call our own. From seafood caught in local waters to iconic hot dogs eaten…

The Restaurant Tipping Point

The Restaurant Tipping Point

Fire & Vine's Chad Mackay knows his restaurants must continue to innovate to survive

Chad Mackay, owner of Seattle-based Fire & Vine Hospitality