Ned Ludd

Ned Ludd Restaurant Review:

With its rustic lumberjack décor, wood-fired oven, community space, and collaborative dinners prepared with local food producers, Ned Ludd (named after the anti-Industrial Revolution activist) takes itself seriously. Some might say too seriously, but despite this, the food generally lives up to its hype. Chef Jason French prepares farm-to-table dishes with care and passion. His weekly changing menu has few surprises, and is generally Pacific Northwest in inspiration and provides a creative interplay of flavors. Guests have encountered a gratin of creamed greens, sweet onions and Alpine cheese; crab and blood orange salad; sturgeon with clams; and charcuterie and cheese plates, which feature a wide array of homemade pickled and fermented vegetables. Your best choice for dessert is a gargantuan "oven-kissed" chocolate chip cookie paired with a glass of vanilla bean milk. If the entire table feels like an adventure, turn over the menu choice to chef French for a "family feast" ($55 per person). Sunday brunch highlights baked eggs with smoked trout, oysters on the half shell, and a cherry crêpe with a brown sugar and sour cream sauce. Plenty of wines are available by the glass, along with an interesting selection of ciders.