Elysian Brewing Company

Favorite Bites: Eggplant Parmesan Sandwich
Food: (poor) 1 2 3 4 5 (excellent)
Service: (poor) 1 2 3 4 5 (excellent)
Appearance: (poor) 1 2 3 4 5 (excellent)

It's all about the brewed rootbeer. At least it used to be, as they don't brew their own rootbeer anymore. As brew pub places go, they do have good food, but I do go less often now that I can't get from the tap brewed rootbeer.

The nice thing about the Elysian, as with a lot of Seattle restaurants, is that you can get good vegetarian and vegan food, in addition to the traditional meat fare pubs tend to serve. If you like cheese, the Arbol Nachos is a very good appetizer to start off your meal. Mounds of tortilla chips are covered in red onions, black olives, diced green chilies and tomatoes with jalapeño jack cheese sauce. The Black Bean Cakes would be a better alternative if you're trying to avoid lots of cheese, although it's a bit bland for my tastes. They're made from black beans, onions, roasted garlic and shallots which are hand-pressed, pan-seared, and served over mixed baby green salad with guacamole and topped with sweet corn vinaigrette. It can't be made Vegan due to the breading. While I've not had it, another good looking option would be the Oasis Platter - Hummous and baba ganouj with feta cheese, kalamata olives, hot peppers, diced tomatoes and warm pita bread.

My favorite vegetarian sandwich option (it can't be made Vegan due to the breading) is the Eggplant Parmesan, which is served on a french bun with marinara sauce and mozzarella (it also comes with aioli, which is made with raw eggs, but you can ask them to hold that.) Unfortunately the last few times I've had it, it's been too dry, partially because it didn't have enough sauce but partially because it was overcooked. A friend of mine really likes the Camden Cheese "Steak," which is made with vegetarian Field Roast, and is smoothered cheese, sauteed peppers and onions on a hoagie roll. He also recently tried the Vegan Sloppy Joe, which is also made with vegetarian Field Roast. He wasn't expecting it to be so spicy, but liked it that way. Personally, I'm not a fan of vegetarian Field Roast, so I tend not to like the dishes that are served with it. The nice thing though, is that any of the vegtarian dishes that are made with the Field Roast can be adapted to be Vegan. The veggie burger however has dairy in the burger, so it can't be made Vegan. All sandwiches are served with really good tasting fries or a mixed baby greens salad with raspberry vinaigrette, avocado balsamic vinaigrette or wasabi vinaigrette dressing, if you're feeling the need to eat healthy.

In addition to the sandwiches, they do have some Vegetarian and Vegan entree options. I recently tried the Vegan Golden Curry, which is made with potatoes, carrots, onions and fresh tomatoes in a coconut milk curry sauce served over basmati rice. It also comes with warm grilled pita bread. The pita bread is the best part of the dish - the curry is good, but there's just not quite enough sauce for the amount of rice they serve. Also, don't expect it to be very spicy, it's actually quite bland. I have not yet tried the Vegetarian Mushroom Stroganoff, but from the description it sounds really good: buttered egg noodles topped with sautéed oyster, crimini and white button mushrooms in a rich cream sauce with caramelized onions, fresh baby dill and thyme. They usually also have either a Vegetarian or Vegan option on their changing Specials menu.

The space is very comfortable, with wood furniture, huge windows that let in a lot of light, and high ceilings. There's a lot of space, so you don't feel like you're crowded in next to other groups. There are tables, booths, and space at the bar for those that wish. You can also see through to where they brew their beer. I've had both good and extremely slow service when eating here. The friendliness of the staff is pretty consistent however.