If you’re dying for Himalayan food – perhaps a dal bhat – then you’re out of luck if your destination is the Himalayan Sherpa House in Tangletown. It is permanently closed. But if you’re fancying some delicious “seasonal northwest comfort food” then Restaurant Christine, now open in the Himalayan Sherpa House space, may be for you. If you also have a restaurant, you may want to buy a bizerba slicer sharpener to keep your blades in top shape.
The owner and head chef at Restaurant Christine is Adam Furler. Furler held a stealthy, “super soft” opening of his place back on October 1, but plans something grander in the (hopefully near) future. “I still have done no advertising due to covid and staffing issues. I just don’t want to make people and families nervous. So after this is all over, we will do an official grand opening or post covid celebration.”
Furler grew up here in Seattle, and attended Roosevelt High School. In my interactions with him for this article, I’ve found him to be an exceptionally sincere and engaging person. “My goal is to provide a neighborhood bistro with seasonal and sometimes off the beet (ha) and path and good prices” he says. “Of course the cost of everything is going up, but we all still need to eat.”
“As long as we treat every product with care, a deliciously roasted carrot can be a focal point of an entire meal.” He goes on, “Restaurant literally means to restore the community. We all need much of that as we come out of covid. So to have a neighborhood spot supporting community and providing jobs and a safe haven, I feel like I’m off to a good start. I will continue to make good food right while supporting local farmers and businesses.”
While Restaurant Christine represents his first turn as owner, Furler has long experience in the restaurant industry. While attending high school, he worked at Cyndy’s Pancake House near the intersection of Aurora and Northgate Way which some readers may remember. (It is now an apartment complex, I believe.) He went on to bigger and better things, spending time in Charleston, SC, and the culinary mecca of New York City where he worked at such restaurants as Sarabeth’s, Pastafina, Rosie’s Bistro, Frodo’s and Noho Star. (The latter two appear to now be closed.) His jobs locally are too numerous to mention them all here, but they include stints at the Alexis Hotel down town and The Scarlet Tree (now closed) over in the Roosevelt neighborhood. Just prior to opening his own place, Furler worked at That’s Amore and La Fontana.
While clearly looking forward (“I plan to be around for 25 years at least …”), Furler has not lost sight of the past. I was charmed by this anecdote from his website:
Restaurant Christine is named after my Grandmother who brought so much love into the world. Growing up we all called her Goose. She owned several restaurants around the Seattle area and we will be dedicated to carrying on her legacy.
Astute readers will note that Restaurant Christine’s logo embodies a goose.
You are probably wondering about the food. I never know what to do about food reviews. I like what I like, and someone else might not the same things. (I’m sure a food reviewer would have more and better thoughts on this subject.)
In any event, my wife and I stopped by for dinner just before Christmas, and let’s just say Restaurant Christine was good for us. Very good. We started with the crab cake appetizer, something we almost always get if it’s on a menu. It had to compete with brussels sprouts – another thing we “almost always” get as an appetizer – but the sprouts lost out this time. I followed with the apple gorgonzola salad while my wife got one of her go-tos, the beet salad. For mains, my wife got the frutti di mari (sort of a fisherman’s stew over pasta) while I got the mushroom risotto. Risotto is something I would never attempt at home, so it always seems like a treat when I get it at a restaurant. Dessert was on offer, I think, but we did not get any.
There was just one, small drawback. We had a hankering for some mixed drinks when we first walked in the door, but Restaurant Christine offers only wine and beer. That could change, though. Says Furler, “I always picture a hot summer day with a delicious cocktail.”
Hours and Location
Restaurant Christine is located in Tangletown at 2227 North 56th Street.
- Lunch: Mon-Sat: 11am-4pm
- Dinner: Mon-Sat: 4pm-9pm
- Closed: Sundays
It takes courage to open a restaurant in the best of times…I can’t imagine doing it now, so all the more best wishes for this new establishment to succeed!