The Anchor

This past weekend Mr EA and I were on a short jaunt through downtown, and planned to revisit the Teriyaki Box, which we had previously visited and liked rather a lot. However, as we wandered down 4th Ave, a sign for The Anchor caught our attention. It listed a few appetizers, including a baked Brie with some other stuff. We LOVE Brie, especially baked.

Well, this knocked our previous plans right out of our minds, and we're glad it did!

We got there a bit late for lunch, around 1:30, and had the place pretty much to ourselves. Outside, the place affects a sort of ship-style theme that doesn't much carry through inside. It is part of the block surrounding the Captain Cook hotel, around which there is a sort of generally nautical zone. This may well be planned, but it's kind of odd, since most of the places don't really go with the theme in any organized way - it's just sort of there. The decor inside is like a warehouse with a few tiki and sportsbar touches here and there, and a nicely appointed bar. Which, to be fair, has a big brass diver's helmet on it. Seating arrangements consist of big semicircular booths with movable tables in the middle that look kind of like a plusher arrangement of a carnival ride.

Anyway, we ordered the Brie and another appetizer - mini gyros, which were kind of like little lamb burger sliders. The Brie came out bubbling hot, with roasted garlic, pesto and pine nuts on it and bread for spreading it all on. The flavors mingled well, with the earthy garlic cutting the rich cheese and pesto. All in all, an outstanding dish! The gyros were three to the plate and were garnished with sharp greens and a yogurt sauce that tasted like it had blue cheese involved somewhere. Split between the two of us, these two appetizers made a satisfying and delicious lunch.

So our recommendation, if you are downtown and would like to try out some unusual and tasty appetizers, is to try the Anchor. You won't be sorry!