eLt A B U R e t e (CHEFS & SOMMELIERS ON WINE)

Above: Carolin Messier de Jiménez
and Joseba Jiménez de Jiménez.
Right: view of Txori.
All photos this spread courtesy of
Txori restaurant.

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About the author: Cynthia Nims is a Seattle-based food and travel writer who has written a dozen cookbooks and contributes to a number of national magazines. Her blog, Mon Appétit, can be found at www.cynthianims. com/blog.

with the nomenclature of the dishes. It cites pintxo as literally translating to “thorn” or “pick,” which has come to reference the small bites or snacks typically eaten in a Basque bar. Their raciones (a “ration,” or “portion”) are slightly larger plates meant to be shared.

txori is located at 2207 2nd Avenue Seattle, Washington 206.204.9771 www.txoribar.com

A LITTLE BIRD TELLS OF TASTY PINTXOS

By Cynthia Nims

It was a quarter to noon on a chilly, grey Seattle day and folks gathered on the sidewalk waiting patiently for Txori to open. Within moments of the sign on the front door being flipped from “closed” to “open,” customers were sipping rosé cava and chef Joey Serquinia was turning out small plates of flavorful delights: piquillo peppers stuffed with blood sausage, bocadillos (sandwiches on small rolls from a local bakery) filled with cured chorizo and roasted garlic, pears with a slice of blue cheese broiled on top. And simple, unadorned plates generously covered with thin slices of jamón serrano.

For Seattle, Txori is far from a run-of-the-mill lunch spot, and popular because of it. Come afternoon, downtown shoppers drop in, as do chefs stopping by for a bite before their own restaurant service starts, leaving just as the first of the after-work crowd comes in for happy hour. The late-night weekend revelers benefits from the 1:00 am closing for a sustaining snack before heading home. One charm of Txori is that of serving up delicious dishes and superb wines at (nearly) all hours. The menu helps out guests who may not be familiar

Carolin Messier de Jiménez, owner of Txori, and her husband, chef Joseba Jiménez de Jiménez, opened Seattle’s beloved Harvest Vine restaurant eleven years ago, serving authentic, inspired dishes deeply rooted in the Basque region. With Txori, the distinct and refined flavors and presentations echo those of Harvest Vine, but in a more casual setting in Belltown, one of Seattle’s most dynamic neighborhoods. Carolin sat down with me before lunch service to share the story of Txori.

cynthia: How did you come up with the name txori for this pintxos bar?

carolin: Txori is the Basque word for “bird.” For me, it relates to a very good day I had in Spain about 5 years ago. It included spending time with cheese-maker friends, attending a seasonal

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