The Walrus and the Carpenter
4743 Ballard Ave. N.W.
(206) 395-9227

The Walrus and the Carpenter, by Renee Erickson of Boat Street Cafe fame, rides into Ballard upon a mighty steed; a most welcome and energizing addition to the ever-burgeoning restaurant list in the GreBal (Greater Ballard) region.

It’s a stunner all right, from the food to the space. We’ve been in a few times already, and we’ve got an inkling that we’ll be back plenty more.

With the seafood shtick that has long adorned Ballard’s reputation, it’s surprising that there’ve not been more oyster bar entrees into the GreBal Food Sweepstakes. But even if there were, it’s highly unlikely that anyone would beat The Walrus and the Carpenter.

So what’s so great about the place? The oysters, for one. Served fresh and aptly chilled, with a wide variety of selections to choose from, oysters are the centerpiece here.

We’ve sampled our way around the entire oyster menu and have found each tender bite to be heavenly. Figure on two to three bucks per bivalve, which can add up to a hefty tab in a hurry. But hey, you don’t have to have 12! Have three!

And oysters aren’t the only bivalve here. Clams ($10) and mussels ($10) also dot the menu and look marvelous as they’re served steaming hot.

Other little fishies are also well represented on the mostly small-plates menu, including a knock-out plate of smoked trout with lentils, dill and pickled onion ($10). We almost burst into tears when we tasted this, the flavors were so harmonious, fitting together like the most sturdy of ship-laps.

Tuna checks in on the inevitable Salade Nicoise ($12), but this is one to remember. Plate composition is a big deal here, and digging in to this salad felt sinful to disturb such an artistic and inviting arrangement. But we did, and we made short work of it.

The poached tuna offered a nice break from the more common seared treatment, and if this wasn’t the tenderest piece of tuna we’ve ever seen, well we just don’t know what would be.

Continuing with this high-performance trend were the beefsteak tomatoes with vanilla salt and olive oil ($9) and the real dominator – we’re talking about the grilled zucchini with walnuts, ricotta and basil ($8). It’s one of the few items that is cooked on a grill, and this treatment of zucchini is absolutely without peer. Charred, firm, crunchy with the walnuts and creamy with ricotta, this dish defines balance and then spells it, with a capital B.

We did have one beef. The bartender who served us one night was totally winging it and not in a good way. The place has done a masterful job creating a destination cocktail list – current favorite: Porch Swing ($10), with Pimms, gin, lemonade and packed with cucumber, served over ice in a pint glass – but these drinks require an attentive and focused bartender because they’re all about execution. It would be an improvement if the bartenders could focus on the drinks.

When it gets busy here, the bartender gets slammed, and they have to pull double duty taking food orders and answering questions (a little testily). And when she did answer questions, she’d make stuff up, interchangeably using words like “briny” and “tender” to describe the various oysters. One couple who had ordered from B-Tender was actually told: “If you have questions about the oysters, next time you should sit down there by the oyster shucker.”

B-tender also didn’t bring us the bread we had ordered (hardly a crime), and when our dishes started arriving, each one begging for a bread accompaniment, we asked about it. We got back a somewhat snapped reply, with B-Tender saying, “You’ll get it when it’s ready.”

The variety of plates do come out as ready, which is fine, but bread should come first. We grew a little gun-shy about ordering more things because she was so busy. And that’s not a good thing, for diners to be afraid to engage wait staff.

But in the end, we were mightily won over, and we’re sure they’ll figure the flow problem out. We’ll be back, drawn by the vibe, the delicious fare, the jars of Boat Street pickled raisins and plums decorating the open shelves, and the commendable and attractive restoration of the old Kolstrand Building.

It’s such a summery place, with all the light and openness, including a back patio, we couldn’t help but wonder what they’ll do in the winter with the menu. Can’t wait to find out!

The Ballard Food Police visit all establishments anonymously and pay for all food and drink in full. Know anything we should know? Tell the Ballard Food Police at ballardfoodpolice@gmail.com.