Recently we were in Capitol Hill to see an awesome documentary on John Coltrane at the SIFF Cinema Egyptian. It was our first time at the Egyptian, and it was a really fun experience. The theater is huge, seating 500+ with a main floor as well as balcony seating, and the sound/viewing experience were great.

If you’re interested in seeing independent films in a unique venue, I highly recommend you see what else they have lined up for this theater!

After our movie I was able to talk Brian into sticking around for dinner. I have a ‘Things to Do’ spreadsheet for Seattle that has tabs for places to eat, places to drink, activities by Seattle neighborhood, things going on over holiday weekends, etc. When you sort ‘Places to Eat’ by neighborhood, it results in a laundry list of restaurants on Capitol Hill, many of which we have yet to try.

One that was only a block or so away from the theater was Stateside, a restaurant that describes itself as French + Vietnamese fusion fare. Count. Me. In! It had been on my list for a while, and it was the perfect afternoon to check it out.

We arrived to find the entryway packed with people waiting for tables. My hopes were dashed when the host said it would be at least an hour for a table—we really didn’t want to wait that long.

I was just turning to Brian to say I would make us a reservation for another time when two people stood up from the bar. The host asked if we were interested (apparently no one else in line was?!), and we immediately jumped on it!

Once we were seated, I had a moment to look around. It’s a fairly small space and feels international—from the palm branch wallpaper to the interesting mirrors and lamps. It was packed and every seat at the bar was full so I felt pretty lucky we arrived when we did!

I ordered a delicious sparking passionfruit sour with a spicy chili in it that gave it a nice heat, and we spent some time perusing the menu. We decided to take our usual approach and share a few plates, choosing one each from the small, medium, large, and side options. We ended up getting:

• Poached White Asparagus (with one-year soy-fermented garlic and a six-month salted duck egg)
• Hunan-style Chili Cumin Pork Ribs (extra spicy)
• Bun Cha Hanoi (pork patties and belly in caramel fish sauce with imperial rolls, rice vermicelli and herbs)
• House-fermented Mustard Greens

I was THRILLED to see spargel (aka white asparagus) on the menu! Last year when we were in Hamburg, I was desperate to find it on the menu somewhere since it’s a traditional spring dish in the Schleswig-Holstein region. Although unsuccessful in Germany, I was successful in consuming more than my fair share of this dish, which was delicious.

Our ribs came out second and were very good, although it turned out extra spicy meant more spice, not more heat. I loved the extra spice– it was literally falling off the ribs, there was so much of it!

Their version of the Bun Cha Hanoi was delicious. We both agreed there could have been a little more meat, but otherwise the dish was excellent. It was very flavorful, and I loved soaking the rolls in the broth for a semi-crunchy bite every now and then.

Despite the various flavors, I didn’t mind having this dish along with our mustard greens, which were also tasty. At one point Brian asked why we didn’t make them more at home. I’ve purchased them a few times for salads and wilting, but I guess I should rotate them into our leafy greens repertoire more often!

We were stuffed and satisfied after sharing these four dishes–it was the perfect amount of food for two hungry people. If you’re wandering around Capitol Hill looking for a trendy but relatively low-key dinner option, I highly recommend Stateside. I look forward to taking some of our more adventurous friends and family there again soon!