THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Sapphire Kitchen & Bar

THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Sapphire Kitchen & Bar Restaurant Review:

Many moods permeate this intimate, dimly lit café and bar. Pre-theater, a dressed-up Seattle Center crowd settles into the throw pillows softening the racy red wooden booths. Then the neighborhood wanders in for a quiet dinner, followed by the young, the hip and the hungry that comprise the late-night drinking set. By then, the bar action spills into the dining room and the noise level escalates. A varied menu of robust flavors caters to these disparate groups; we tend to graze among the small plates, though some are not so little, like the generously portioned potato cakes topped with smoked cod and drizzled with truffle oil or the antipasti platter lavished with marinated mozzarella, roasted almonds, sun-dried tomato pesto and scallop ceviche. Add a basket of delicious breads and you have a meal. Though we’ve had mixed success sampling the tagines, baked salmon is particularly alluring in a sauce flavored with cinnamon, fennel, oranges and green olives. The chèvre cheesecake gets our vote for best dessert; runner-up is the silky espresso pot de crème adorned with a white chocolate rose and tiny shortbread cookie. The bar is stocked with a small, but well-chosen, wine list heavy with Iberian selections---ports, sherries and Madeiras included.