Best Meal, Best Cause, EVER

So, on February 5th my friend Becky and I went to FareStart for dinner, before we went to see this new musical Memphis at the 5th Avenue Theater. Memphis was pretty good, it has some work to do before it gets to Broadway, but it was a fun night at the theater none the less.
But, before the show, we went to the COOLEST restaurant in Seattle, and possibly anywhere on earth. FareStart is a restaurant in downtown Seattle that is also a nonprofit that teaches homeless and disadvantaged folks culinary skills so they can work in a kitchen and get a job. They are open week days for lunch, and only on Thursday nights for dinner. BUT, for dinner, they have Guest Chef Night, where a local celebrity chef comes into the kitchen and puts the meal together.

When Becky and I went it was Sabrina Tinsley of Osteria la Spiga. The food was FABULOUS. If the name Sabrina Tinsley sounds familiar, you watch too much Iron Chef America, because she was on last month. She's tiny and adorable and LOVES FareStart. The food was ridiculous, I cleared all 3 courses. It's always a 3 course pre-fix menu, with a vegetarian option. We had this yummy fresh salad with fava beans (but no Chianti on the menu...) and gnocchi with sausage in a cream sauce (amazing, so much better than it sounds), and these awesome cookies for dessert.

And also for dessert...a graduation ceremony. The folks who have gone through and completed the program get to graduate in front of the diners. It is one of the NEATEST experiences I've ever seen. One woman graduated on our night, and one of the staff chefs talked about how great she is, and then they give her a book, and a really nice set of chef's knives, which is an amazing gift.

AND, with all the famous restaurateurs coming into the restaurant, they know the quality of the work and usually look to Fare Start for their hiring. So there you have it, a new date night, and the most "feel good meal" you can eat in Seattle.