Check out the various reviews and interviews below.
**NEW** Seattle Weekly - The Second Coming of Cyclops ~ April 2, 2003
Citysearch - Editorial Review~ August 2002
The Seattle Times - Cyclops pulls artistic coup with exuberant menagerie ~ January 20, 2000
The World's Best Bars - Review
Seattle
PI - Relocated Cyclops still adept with savory dishes from sunny climes
~ June 25, 1999
The
Stranger - WHERE TO EAT DOWNTOWN~
Vol 11 No. 45, Jul 25 - Jul 31 2002
The Stranger - BIO: CHOW- Wilum Hopfrog Pugmire
~
Vol 11
No. 41, Jun 27 - Jul 3 2002
The
Stranger - The Eye Reopens~ Vol 8 No. 31, Apr 22
- Apr 28 1999
The Stranger - TTS! ~ Vol 9 No.
9, Nov 18 - Nov 24 1999
Seattle
Weekly - Restaurant Review ~ Current
Seattle Weekly - The Top 50 Haunts ~ Published
October 26 - November 1, 2000
Seattle Weekly - Eye-popping ~ Published
June 17 - 23, 1999
---
Seattle
Weekly - The Second Coming of Cyclops ~ April 2,
2003
by Katie Millbaur
In the six
years since chef Robin Leventhal left Cyclops, the Belltown restaurant's
seen some changes. First, it moved from Western Avenue up to First. Then
it rode the Belltown popularity wave, at first chic, next all-but-forgotten
in the shadow of trendier new neighbors. But now, after stints as a teacher
and as founding chef at Columbia City’s popular Deux Tamales, Leventhal’s
been back at Cyclops since July, and the little restaurant has settled
into a none-too-shabby niche. As Belltown’s spiraled into hoity-toity
land, Cyclops (and its humble counterparts such as the Frontier Room and
CJ’s Eatery) has become the anti-Belltown—still operating
on the same block of land but closer to the ground; the kind of place
you can go for quality food without having to iron your slacks or remember
which fork’s for salad and which one’s for the main course.
And despite the comfortable, funkier environment, the menu doesn’t
slouch (yet feel free to slouch down in one of their dark, oversized booths).
On a recent visit, Achiote-marinated grilled prawns ($9) were meaty, the
mild spice balanced by a rich saffron aioli and a sweet, grilled pineapple
salsa. The house salad ($6) was well-presented, the baby arugula dusted
with toasted pine nuts and a caramelized shallot-sherry vinaigrette, surrounded
by a halo of mandarin orange slices and crowned with an Asiago crisp somewhat
like a crunch cheese waffle.
Entrees were equally impressive. My companion ordered the roasted vegetable risotto ($13): nontraditionally filling, with large slices of portobello mushroom, herb-roasted roma tomatoes, and zucchini displayed upon a mound of creamy Asiago-laced rice. The double-cut pork chop ($15), with its chipotle-applejack glaze, was also satisfying. A restaurant pork chop that’s not overcooked always makes me happy, so the spicy greens and Cabrales blue cheese mashed potatoes it came with, tasty as they were, went all but unnoticed-I was already smiling between sweet, juicy bites of pork.
The chai crème brulee ($5) was a little weird-moderately spicy, with pockets of warm and cool custard-but, to Leventhal’s credit, it tasted better than it sounds.
---
Citysearch - Editorial Review ~ August 2002
Gina Kaukola and John Hawkley maintain a shrine to the original Cyclops. Belltown's favorite bohemian hangout was reincarnated with retro flair in this location under the blinking gaze of a single blue eye. The original was forced out of business in April 1997 when its premises on Western Avenue were razed. The old lavender-hued cafe, adorned with Jell-O molds and bundt-cake pans, had been home to grunge bands, artists and other bohos, and its passing was much mourned.
Artists/owners Gina Kaukola and John Hawkley give Cyclops a comfortable new lease on life in an old brick building -- once a rooming house, later a mission -- downstairs from the new, ultra-hip Ace Hotel. It's a retro look: concrete bar; blue ceiling; varied wall colors; UFO-shaped aluminum light fixtures; one big, red, tufted booth and the other seating (booths, banquette, chairs and stools) in glittering red vinyl like the front seat of a hipster's '57 Caddy. Yes, there's a shrine to the first Cyclops' molds and pans.
Food has
been brought up to date -- but not far out, man. Appetizers like hummus,
sautéed mussels, crackerbread pizza, tamales and jerked ribs get
the menu off to a savory but safe start. Next come soups (excellent) and
salads. Finally, there are entrees such as grilled vegetable terrine,
root-vegetable gratin with goat cheese, grilled salmon with ancho-honey
glaze, lamb souvlaki, pork chop with cherry-bourbon sauce, and grilled
chicken breast with rum-spiked coconut curry sauce.
One blue eye blinks in the Belltown night.Our early samplings found surprising
finesse. But the kitchen wilts a bit under pressure of SRO business. Clumpy
rice, overcooked salmon and bread salad short on greens and long on big
bread chunks manifest the effect. Penne with eggplant, tomatoes, olives
and capers comes with a way-too-sweet sauce.
On the other hand, a moist-and-tender pork chop arrives off the bone and
sliced, with the meaty, gnaw-able bone embedded upright in superb whipped
potatoes spiked with chipotle. Ancho chiles flavor ravioli wrappings enclosing
shrimp/pepper/roasted corn filling, the whole swathed by tomatillo-cream
sauce. The roasted corn lifts the ravioli above commonplace.
When a dish is designed to be spicy, the kitchen shows no restraint. Fruit chutney accompanying pork ribs sears soft tissue satisfyingly. Likewise, Cyclops' chile relleno scorns the usual wimpy Anaheim pepper for an assertive poblano chile and adds a bit of fire to the roasted-squash stuffing, too. A smoothly spicy mole rings another note on the side, and a scattering of feta contributes salty accents -- altogether a brightly flavored dish. On the non-spicy side, linguine with mussels achieves admirable delicacy.
Desserts demonstrate this is no funky diner. The list varies, but anything chocolate, like a chocolate-espresso-mousse tart, and any fruit tart rank with the finest uptown pastry chef's creations. Prices are moderate (for the short wine list, too), portions modest. A sweet-tempered staff proves that hipness and hospitality are not mutually exclusive. As one would expect, background music is loud enough to claim the foreground. (go to article)
---
The
Seattle Times - Cyclops pulls artistic coup with exuberant menagerie
~ January 20, 2000
by Cynthia
Rose - Seattle Times staff reporter
If you want a quick lift out of the winter doldrums, look no further than the paintings by David Perry Christensen on show at the Cyclops cafe. Slathered with paint as thick as icing on a birthday cake, vivid and fertile as a garden in July, the giant works have been an instant hit with viewers and customers.
Here, the art is perfect in both size and theme. (One painting in the bar, "Absolut Dave C.," features a riot of fanciful bugs cavorting in front of a bottle.) The works' brilliant colors, towering scale and irresistible rhythms add immensely to the decor of this boho eatery.
Following equally welcome shows by Stefan Knorr and Randy McCoy, Christensen's paintings set a new standard for the cafe-as-showplace, and clinch the Cyclops' resurrection as a mini-gallery.
Represented by the Esther Claypool Gallery, Christensen is well-known for his personal brand of style sauvage: paintings in which every element whirls, spins, curls into another. Next month, however, he will show a different side, premiering a suite of black-and-white works on paper at Pioneer Square's Zeitgeist. These new etchings have won Christensen an East Coast residency; they are slimmer and stricter, albeit limned with the same rhythmic grace.
Meanwhile, one can dine and drink with an added exuberance, under works like the wonderful "Scratch," a zany "Finished With Sunday's" and, again in the bar, "Droopy." It's definitely worth a Belltown expedition to see these - as long as you're prepared to keep pace with their frantic energy. (go to article)
Back to top.
---
The World's Best Bars - Review
A Belltown classic serving up tasty cocktails and spicy-flavoured food fare. Dˇcor is cool '50's diner with red vinyl booths and stools, although it's the retro chic you're reveling in - just as you do at the minimalist boutique Ace Hotel just upstairs. Dishes include empanadas and pepper-flavoured mashed potatoes but the cocktails are simply superb: generous pours, great top-shelf selections and fresh juices as mixers. Cyclops regulars are cool and laid-back in a designer-grunge Seattle kind of way and most of them have two eyes.(go to article)
---
Seattle
PI - Relocated Cyclops still adept with savory dishes from sunny climes
~ June 25, 1999
By GREGORY ROBERTS
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER RESTAURANT CRITIC
Cyclops is a restaurant that's as much about attitude as appetite. It's a hip, high-energy hangout, with a lively bar and an artsy dˇcor mixing retro, camp and avant-garde. And isn't that Bus Boy George clearing the plates off that table?
Cyclops opened, or rather, reopened, in April. This Cyclops is the successor to the legendary original, which for seven years occupied an artists'-lofty building adorned with gelatin molds and cake tins a block down the hill at Western Avenue and Wall Street. When developers razed the site in 1997 for a condominium project, Cyclops owners Gina Kaukola and John Hawkley scouted a new location, ultimately settling into the ground floor of a renovated former mission, downstairs from a boutique hotel.
A single eye, rendered in metal and blue neon, winks above the sidewalk outside the new Cyclops. Inside the door to the dining room, a wall-mounted collection of kitchen molds pays homage to the past, but that's really a footnote in the design scheme.
The Cyclops space is divided into a tile-floored dining room, done up diner-style in vinyl and laminate, and a barroom, defined by exposed brick and cigarette smoke. An eclectic array of art hangs on the walls: sprawling contemporary canvases, a shiny-faced Elvis, an oversized cross, a checkerboard photo image of Malcolm X. The soundtrack leans to jazz or Sinatra, but it can be drowned out by the clamor from the bar.
Chef Khristian Baker, an ObaChine alumnus, said he's guided in part by an article he read about the original Cyclops serving food from wherever the sun shines. That puts plenty of Mediterranean, Middle Eastern and Southwestern imprints on the menu, though there's no rigid formula.
The hummus is made from scratch, and it's first-rate, faintly grainy and lemony, served in a generous mound garnished with tomato, cucumber, kalamata olives and triangles of pita whimsically branded with a cyclopean eye. A dab of fruit chutney provides appealing contrast to the chewy, tingly Caribbean jerked pork ribs as a starter.
The kitchen shows a deft touch with quesadillas, nicely understated with a light-handed filling of rock shrimp, onions, cilantro and jack cheese, then accented with a spicy jalape–o-cumin crema. Savory roast chicken stuffs the flaky-good empanadas. But the fresh salmon in the fish tacos gets lost amid a blizzard of red cabbage and carrot.
Cyclops offers a couple of soups du jour, such as a tasty cupful of white beans floating in a basil-laced broth. The citrusy jicama salad refreshes in a mix with carrots, peppers, red onion, watercress, cilantro, radicchio and pine nuts.
Grilled halibut delivers straightforward satisfaction as the fish of the day, though it's oddly perched on a cool salad of penne, arugula and bell pepper.
The wine list is relatively short and includes nothing costing more than $30 a bottle, but ranges widely to take in, for example, a pinot gris from Alsace, a malbec from Chile and a Sancerre from the Loire. Be careful with your drink order: The waitress may insult it, if good-naturedly.
Pastry chef Sharon McConnell confects some luscious desserts, among them a nearly irresistible apple tart, its firm slices of fruit layered on a crispy crust and drizzled with a rich caramel sauce. The lemon blueberry cake also makes for a memorable treat, with each whipped-cream-frosted wedge melting into scrumptious yellow-and-blue goo. (go to article)
Post-Intelligencer food critics arrive unannounced and pay for all meals and services.
---
The Stranger - WHERE TO EAT DOWNTOWN ~ Vol 11 No. 45, Jul 25 - Jul 31 2002
Kitchen badass Matt Costello has come and gone, but his sublime creations continue to elevate this hipster watering hole underneath the Ace Hotel. The versatile, modern menu offers soothing classics (matzo ball soup, handmade ravioli) alongside playful treats such as citrus-cured salmon and crepes filled with warm goat cheese; free-range buttermilk fried chicken with a sweet/sour apple slaw; fresh mussels wrapped in banana leaves and steamed with lime butter and hints of saffron; and duck salad with a fragrant orange-flower vinaigrette. Roll in for weekend breakfasts, too, and nurse that hangover with hearty omelets, scrambles, and corncakes.
---
The
Stranger - BIO: CHOW- Wilum Hopfrog Pugmire ~
Vol 11 No. 41, Jun 27 - Jul 3 2002
Dishwasher/Server, Cyclops
If David Lynch opened a restaurant, he'd definitely want to hire Pugmire as his maitre d'. This charming punk drag queen of ambiguous age has been a fixture at the Cyclops for nearly seven years, filling whatever role (server, busser, dishwasher) suits him at the time. His free hours are often taken up by writing endeavors; Pugmire has published several Gothic short stories and a handful of music- and memoir-themed zines.
I hear
you recently converted to Mormonism.
"I was raised Mormon, but I was excommunicated 25 years ago for
being gay."
But
you were working as a missionary?
"Yes. [Before excommunication] I worked as a missionary for two years
in Ireland and Las Vegas, knocking on doors and preaching the gospel of
Joseph Smith. And lately I've kind of missed it; I've been so bored that
I needed to do something shocking and interesting. It's so funny--one
day I'm a drag queen and the next I'm a Mormon missionary again."
So
what do you wear when you're knocking on doors?
"I
call it 'the Mormon Bondage Suit': It's a black suit, white shirt... and
I love it--it's still drag, just a different kind of drag."
So
if you were excommunicated, how is it that you're getting, um, re-communicated?
"I have to be baptized again. And I have to completely give up
boys, coffee, and Dior lipstick. The lipstick will be most difficult.
That's the only thing I really don't want to let go of."
Coffee
and boys?
[Waves hand dismissively.] "Coffee and boys--been there, done
that!"
How
would you characterize the writing you're doing now?
"I write in the tradition of Poe. I'm very Gothic. I'm very old-fashioned.
People look at me and think I'm really modern, but I'm a very old, old
soul, so my writing style is very antiquated and Victorian. I just finished
a collection of my best writing, which will be published this fall on
a small press. It'll be a limited run of 300 signed copies. It took me
two years to do it, so I want to take some time off, do the Mormon thing.
Then when I'm ready, I want to write a collection of ghost stories."
Well,
since we're in the Gothic/Victorian vein and I should probably ask you
something about food, tell me three literary figures you'd choose to share
your last meal with.
"I'd have Jesus, Boy George, and Oscar Wilde."
Why?
"Jesus because he was cool and rebellious; Boy George because
he's my soul sister; and Oscar Wilde because he was not only a brilliant
writer, but one of the best conversationalists in the world. It wouldn't
be boring at all!"
Interview by Hannah Levin (go to article)
---
The
Stranger - The Eye Reopens ~
Vol 8 No. 31, Apr 22 - Apr 28 1999
by Jim Anderson
CYCLOPS IS BACK, AND IT'S ABOUT TIME. Few local establishments can match the Cyclops magic. On the solid bedrock of excellent food and moderate prices, owners Gina Kaukola and John Hawkley built an ineffable, truly special dining experience. Judging from our initial visit to the new location at Belltown's 1st and Wall, they've found a way to bottle the Cyclops recipe for success: the new place explodes out of the chute looking like a perennial champ.
Like an eager young Boy Scout, Cyclops' food has always been trustworthy, loyal, brave, and friendly. When my full-time and well paid Administrative Assistant (AA) and I dropped in recently, we were prepared to go easy on the place, as it surely takes time to re-establish kitchen/staff/customer chemistry, never mind that special Cyclops rhythm. Imagine our glee at finding they've hardly missed a beat; it's like the place never left!
Our food was as superb as we'd become accustomed to, the service was friendly and occasionally comedic, the decor continues in the pretty-yet-whimsical vein, and the waitstaff remains marvelously eclectic. You got yer Hawaiian shirt, yer 1950s sweetheart of the rodeo, yer big guy in make-up, skirt, and combat boots. The world is a splendidly huge place, and it's edifying to be in a comfortable and (dare I say it?) stylish establishment where diversity is so obviously valued. Looking around at all these nice and unpretentious people, you can't help but say, "Dammit, let's eat!"
And eat we did. The Tacos Pescado appetizer ($6.95) charmed us with its modesty and simplicity. The Grilled Salmon ($13.95) was a star, supported ably by a cast of fresh and crunchy red cabbage, bold jalape–o-and-cumin sauce, and gingery mango salsa. We passed on the hummus, although we had developed a passionate love affair with it in the old place. Action-packed with fresh garlic, this pungent stallion of a dip kept me smelly throughout the next day. Still, I know I'll have it again, probably on an evening preceding a day of yard work at home.
While many new menu items sounded promising (root vegetable gratin, lamb souvlaki, and the grilled vegetable terrine), we both decided to go with old Cyclops standbys, as a salute to the past and a way to compare old to new. The AA chose her simply titled personal favorite, Trout ($12.95). Coated in cornmeal and studded with sunflower seeds, Trout has been cleverly tweaked, buffered by stalwart mashed potatoes and crunchy julienne-style vegetables. My Chicken Cha Cha ($12.95) featured an artistically angle-sliced chicken breast, kissed with rum and OJ-sweetened coconut curry sauce. Its seared exterior seemed to actually lock in the flavor, which I quickly unlocked and devoured discreetly. The black beans and cumin rice weren't just along for the ride; both made their presence known, and their self-assured spiciness amplified the logic of their choice as accompaniments.
Though neither of us are real dessert fans (at least not in public), we couldn't help but order flan, and were exceedingly pleased with the results. Our round little custard buddy had been draped with a light caramel sauce and perfectly chilled. Room-temperature flan is about as appealing as room-temperature deviled eggs, and this attention to proper flan climate control is further evidence that Cyclops does all the little things necessary to be a consistent contender.
One of the other nice touches of the Cyclops resurrection is the owners' decision to stick with vinyl and Formica tables and booths. Hawkley and Kaukola are lucky owners of a trove of pristine original '50s Formica, and the red metallic vinyl booth coverings give the place a cool, hot-rod club feel. Interesting art and music fill both the dining area and the attractive full bar, and the open and spacious feel is as warm and welcoming as the staff.
Hawkley tells of an interaction with a passerby during construction of the current venue. "This guy came walking by, and sort of poked his head in to see what we were up to. He asked what the place was gonna be, and when I told him it's gonna be a restaurant, he got this real sour look and said, 'Oh great, just what Seattle needs, another restaurant.' So I just said, 'Listen, Seattle DOES need this restaurant.'" To that, we say amen. (go to article)
---
The
Stranger - TTS!
~ Vol 9 No. 9, Nov 18 - Nov 24 1999
from the desk of Shirley Rodell-Szyzmyjec
CYCLOPS CENTRAL: Move over, Belltown Billiards -- this week all the baby celebs are wining and dining at the Cyclops Cafe! Spotted Fri 11/5 was hotty-hot Q13 weatherstud Jim Castillo, looking VERY buff in a tighty-tight T-shirt. (On the Q13 website JC lists "working out" among his hobbies!) A nosy fellow diner notes, "JC's 'pec-tacularness' was matched only by that of his male companion!" Who says they don't serve six-packs at the Cyclops? įįį Stopping by the 'clops for a spot of brunch Sun 11/7 was Pearl Jam bassist/ freaky dude Jeff Ament -- and on his arm was "something brunette, wispy, and female" (NOT Heidi Wills). Later, the glamorous pair popped into the Meridian for a matinee. įįį On Sun 11/7 Mo had a tasty political discussion at the Cyclops with bass-playing punk activist Krist Novoselic -- seems Krist voted against I-695! I know! (go to article)
---
Seattle Weekly - Restaurant Review ~ Current
Cyclops is a little vintage, pretty cozy, and also sort of classy--and now, weirdly, old-school in all-new Belltown, so you can feel hip but not ickily so while you chow or just drink at the bar. The menuÕs eclectic and good: mussels in banana leaves seasoned with saffron and butter, handmade ravioli served with asparagus and goat cheese in green garlic and olive oil. And they make a mean mojito, the now-popular mixture of rum, simple syrup, soda water, and enough mint leaves to be julep-worthy--it's delicious and deadly. (go to article)
---
Seattle
Weekly - The Top 50 Haunts ~ Published October
26 - November 1, 2000
BY
SEATTLE WEEKLY STAFF
Baseball, politics, and hosting major international events clearly aren't Seattle's strengths, but when it comes to going out and drinking, we rock! Take a drive (sober, of course!), and you'll see this city metamorphose into clusters of drunken hamlets--from the nattily dressed crowd spilling onto Belltown's streets to the frat-infested clubs of Pioneer Square, from the colorful quilt of queers and crazies on Capitol Hill to the Bud-swillin' types in Ballard--not to mention the refugees hunkered down in West Seattle watering holes or singing "You Oughta Know" at the top of their lungs at an International District karaoke joint. There's one problem, though. With so much variety conflicting with the human impulse to frequent the same place over and over until the bartender knows your social security number by heart, we Seattleites face an emotional tug-of-war each time we make a date, set up plans with friends, or simply escape the drudgery of our rain-soaked, hard-workin' lives. Should we go with what we know, or try something new? Shaking up the routine's the best way to achieve that fresh, vivacious feeling. We at the Weekly ventured out into the wilds of Seattle's nightlife and picked the 50 top spots to have a drink and a bite, check out a band or DJ, shoot some pool, or check out the action. Of course, there are dozens, maybe hundreds, more places out there, but these are the hangouts, dives, saloons, or--as we Halloween-spirited folks call 'em--haunts that we'd recommend to friends, Romans, and fellow Seattle night cats. (go to article)
---
Seattle
Weekly - Eye-popping ~ Published June 17 - 23,
1999
BY
KATHRYN ROBINSON
DESPITE THE FACT that one of the staff members at Cyclops sported Boy George makeup and a fetching headdress, and another's cleavage was barely contained by her red sequined vest, and our busboy had bright red horns--despite all this, the new Cyclops feels like coming home. For seven years it was home, to a late-night, after-the-party crowd or a weekend-morning, go-out-for-breakfast crowd, in that building on Western and Wall bedecked with all the copper Jell-O molds. When that building went the way of all characters (read: to be replaced by condos), Cyclops impresarios Gina Kaukola and John Hawkley vowed to return. This they have done, about three months ago now, on the corner of First and Wall--where a display of Jell-O molds greets you at the door.
And that's the thing about Cyclops: despite the intergalactical denizens, and the raw brick walls, and the huge weird artistic statements on those walls, and the arty video screen over the bar, and the single Cyclops eyeball surveying the Belltown sidewalk out front--Cyclops is summed up perfectly by its Jell-O molds. The tables and chairs and red banquettes shout "1952!" Servers, indeterminate genders notwithstanding, are the girls next door. Even the menu, which roams the world but lingers longest in the southern and eastern Mediterranean, ignores the fanciest elements of those cuisines in favor of the simple and satisfying. Terrines, tagines, tacos, and trout dusted with cornmeal--that's Cyclops.
We came to see how it tasted, starting with a smattering of items off the good-sized appetizer menu. Penn Cove mussels ($7.95), very lightly sautˇed with garlic, shallots, and white wine, were fine. Crackerbread pizza ($8.95), topped that evening with basil, red peppers, and red onions, was considerably better than fine, with savory flavors mingling nicely atop a crackly crust. Spicy, meaty Caribbean jerked pork ribs ($6.95) also disappeared quickly, along with the refreshing pineapple chutney alongside.
One among us tried the Caesar salad ($3.95, $6.95) and pronounced it fresh and garlicky. He also ordered the soup du jour ($2.50, $4)--a lustrous vegan curried-yam-and-coconut-milk number--and bore our envy with every slurp. Improbably creamy, thickened with the meat of sweet, sweet yams, and suffused with the silky Thai flavors of curry and coconut milk, this soup was a thoroughgoing smasher. We also sampled the other soup of the day--an earthy corn chowder--which was also very good, filled with a ragged dice of hearty vegetables. A solid A for soups.
The appetizer special was even heartier: portobello mushrooms and polenta in a rich nutty sauce ($7.95). Everything about this dish was robust, from the richness of the mushrooms to the uncommonly heavy, grainy consistency of the polenta to the spiciness of the sauce, with whiffs of all sorts of North African spices. And though lightened somewhat by a few sprigs of al dente asparagus and nicely charred carrot, this dish felt heavy by clumsiness rather than design; the kind of creation you might greet in your own kitchen with a critical analysis--then gobble down anyway.
BUT THE BEST OF the appetizers--I told you it was a long list--was a splendid shrimp quesadilla ($6.95), made with marinated rock shrimp, red pepper, grilled onion, cilantro, and jack cheese. Clearly this is a whole-greater-than-the-sum-of-its-parts dish, since merely listing those ingredients gives no hint of the sultry, smoky essence of the finished product, or its delectable textures. I'll come back for more of that one.
On to--burp--the mains. One special was monkfish, a rich whitefish often compared to lobster, dredged in cornmeal and served in a bright grapefruit-ginger sauce with jasmine rice ($12.95). This was a solid, tasty little dish, with a lush combination of textures and a creative intelligence behind the sauce. Another seafood dish, grilled salmon ($13.95) off the regular menu, revealed a similar intelligence: Its ancho chile-honey sauce was boldly sweet and marvelous with the fish, and served alongside feisty chipotle whipped potatoes and sautˇed green beans.
I too ordered fish, but found mine to be the loser of the bunch. Trout dusted with cornmeal and sunflower seeds ($12.95) was topped with a festive herby confetti of corn, tomatoes, oranges, and olives--but even this wild decoration couldn't redeem the bland, greasy fish. Between that and the spicy potatoes alongside, my flave-o-meter was toggling back and forth between lifeless and way too lively.
Other entrˇes were much better. Lamb souvlaki ($14.95) featured skewers of tasty, slightly overcooked meat over nicely fluffy coriander couscous alongside grilled vegetables, pita bread triangles, and a yogurt mint sauce. (Note the trademark Cyclops eye branded into the tender pita bread.) Chicken Cha Cha ($12.95), already Cyclops' signature dish, features grilled breast of chicken in a spicy coconut curry sauce throbbing with citrus and dark rum, served with black beans and cumin spiked rice. I've ordered this twice now, and found it first to be overcooked and lackluster, then later tender and zingy. On that curve, it ought to be food for the gods next time.
We all agreed that one special, vegetable tagine ($10.95), already was. Beans, carrots, peppers, chickpeas, and assorted other garden goodies arrived supine in a pool of cuminy stew over a bed of fragrant couscous, with another one or two of those branded eyes winking back at us from the plate. Talk about your home cooking: This dish got the citizen-of-the-world at our table rhapsodizing about hitchhiking through some fine Moroccan kitchens that served dishes just such as this one.
Creative and unpretentious global cuisine, executed (mostly) well--that's Cyclops. That service was generally terrific was highlighted by the fact that sometimes it glaringly wasn't, as when we were twice left standing forever at the door upon entering. And that everything was generally simple and homey was highlighted by the one time it most assuredly is not: when you get the check. Buyer beware: Cyclops winds up pricier than you might expect such a rigorously countercultural place to be.
One final note: order dessert. Proof positive that Betty Crocker resides in this kitchen is the uncommon finesse of the desserts created there, from a sumptuous coconut flan ($5) to a dense chocolate espresso torte ($5.50) to a rhubarb-strawberry cake special ($5) that tasted like strawberry shortcake with attitude. Our fourth dessert, a fried apple tart drenched in thick caramel sauce ($5), was outright wanton. I guess Betty Crocker's got horns, too. (go to article)
<< Back to About