Seattle in winter may conjure images of dreary, drippy cityscapes and steamy-windowed coffeehouses — this time of year that’s about what you’ll get. But those who find themselves in town during the waning days of summer will discover a city in full bloom. Sunsets are golden and fall on a verdant yet modern city with a bustling wine scene. 

The Corson Building, one of Seattle’s very best fine dining spots, is also one of its best-kept secrets. Tucked away in the lively Georgetown neighborhood, the woodsy eatery’s menus are inspired by the agriculture of Washington state. Featuring meticulously delicate, whimsical dishes in a rustic, botanical space, it's a true hidden gem. 

Husband-and-wife team Matt Dann and Emily Crawford Dann have owned and operated the restaurant since 2017, with Emily serving as head chef and Matt as wine director. 

“Nothing should ever be monolithic. We always want to do a pairing that's going to elevate the specific ingredients that Emily has chosen,” says Matt. “I want the wines themselves to be delicious enough to just drink on their own but also to highlight all of these gorgeous, fresh ingredients that we're lucky enough to work with. We want the wines to be reflective of the values that are evident in our food. We want them to be practicing very meticulous viticultural work farming organically, biodynamically, and most importantly, putting their individual mark on their wines.”

This year, the restaurant debuted a summer tasting menu that harmonized with its lush surroundings. The summer dishes won’t be back for a few months, but maybe the Danns’ tour of their carefully composed courses and wine pairings will tide you over until the weather turns.

Dish: Smoked Chinook Rillettes on Cucumber

Cocktail: Stone Fruit Kir

This is a way to welcome everyone. Up until the pandemic, we would do one seating: Everyone would arrive and be seated at the same time. There was an opening aperitif for everyone. And that was a conversation starter. When the pandemic forced us to restructure everything, we wanted to keep that alive, which is why we always have this amuse bouche. 

We make a simple syrup with these beautiful peaches that we have in August. There are some nectarines and plums in there, too. Cook that down and it gets this really dense, sweet taste but it still has a little bit of that acidity to it. And then we just pour really zesty Cava with it. It's bright, it's fresh. It's a way to open up everyone's palate.

Dish: Salad of Billy’s Tomatoes, Beets, Treviso, Dates, Tarragon, Almonds and Ricotta Salata

Wine: 2021 Lyrarakis Vóila Assyrtiko, Crete, Greece

Emily is great with salads and something she talks about when discussing her culinary goals is the layering of flavor. With this dish,  you see the dates there; it's like almost a date-syrup vinaigrette. You have the bitterness of the Treviso which is grown right here in the Snoqualmie Valley. You have the complexity of the tarragon which is a challenging pairing, because it has that licorice to it, and a little bit of the bitterness of the almond with the sweet tomatoes, and the sweet beets.

I've had Assyrtiko from producers that are very, very high-toned, and this being from Crete, it's got the loamy soil, so it's got a little bit more of a textural piece to it. You wouldn't necessarily know by just looking at the wine in the glass, but it has some skin contact on it. You've got a little bit of richness on the palate, but it sits in the background. It's enough to walk that fine line between bitterness and sweetness.

Dish: Albacore Tuna Confit with Green Beans, Roasted & Raw Fennel, Flageolet Beans, Caper Aioli and Tapenade

Wine: 2019 Királyudvar Furmint Sec, Tokaji, Hungary

When people think of the Northwest, they obviously think of salmon. But we have great albacore tuna, too, and we like to use a lot of it in the summer.

This is served almost chilled and it's meant to emphasize this summery dish. You have the crunch and the really verdant element of the green beans. You have a background richness from the flageolet beans, which are slow-cooked. Then you have this challenging licorice component of the fennel, but also that great brininess of the caper aioli which is complemented by the olive tapenade.

I wanted to have something that met richness with richness — to almost elevate it. Királyudvar is probably one of my favorite producers in the world. There's tons of stone fruit with this and there's also pear and white flower. It has quite a dark complexion in the glass, but in the end, it has this really lovely, long finish. A lot of acidity and a lot of brightness on the mid-palate. This is just an exceptionally delicious wine.

Dish: Ricotta Dumplings with Butter-Braised Lobster Mushrooms, Corn, Basil and Preserved Lemon

Wine: 2018 Le Piane Mimmo Vino Rosso, Alto Piemonte, Italy

These dumplings are a mainstay of the menu. They're like denser gnocchi.

We keep those dumplings as a sort of base. We’re really lucky to have a great relationship with our forager friends here. We get lobster mushrooms because they have a way of almost functioning as a meat in that they're really dense and rich and work very well with long-cooked butter braising. We have the bright elements with the corn and this beautiful basil and preserved lemon, as well. Lots of layering of flavor here.

A wonderful component of Nebbiolo is the vibrant red fruit, but also the interplay with the acidity. This is critical as a pairing with this particular dish. Le Piane is from Boca, Alto Piemonte. It's one of the highest vineyards in the area. Those wines have such an intense tannic structure to them and they're wonderful to drink, but Nebbiolo has a more delicate side and I love that. With the addition of Croatina and Vespolina grapes, you get a wine that's incredibly balanced and has these great dried cherry notes. That acidity and that lightness on its feet help coax out all of those fun, richer elements from both the lobster mushrooms and the dumplings themselves.

Dish: Grilled Pork Loin with Marinated Sweet Peppers, Zucchini, Potato Skordalia, Garlic Scapes and Green Sauce

Wine: 2021 Bedrock Wine Co. Old Vine Zinfandel, California, USA

We have this funny little grill that we've been using for years. It's outside, which is so fun, and the smoke from the grill is profoundly influential on this dish. You look through this list of ingredients and it just speaks of summer.

The sweet peppers are so fresh and bright. The summer squash and the zucchini are lovely. The skordalia has a very pronounced garlic element to it. The fat and the richness and smoke from the pork help layer that intense garlic.

I wanted something that was going to meet those summary pieces with something that has its own vivaciousness and aliveness. I've never been particularly drawn to Cabernet but I love Zinfandel. Bedrock's project is working on finding old vines — like 80-, 90-, 100-, 120-year-old vines. They're sourcing grapes from these incredible places. This wine obviously has density to it but it’s still so alive. That's a great complement to the pork.

Dish: Nectarine Crostata with Strawberry-Vanilla Ice Cream

Wine: 2021 Domaine Labranche Laffont, Pacherenc du Vic-Bilh, Southwest France

You know, [Madiran] Tannat is like a total mystery to me. Adjacent to it is this appellation that makes dry white wines but is really well known for its dessert wines. They’re just ethereal. 

This dessert is a great way to bring this menu full circle. The crostata is prepared open-faced. It has a buttery, crisp crust, but the fruit itself has real honey, syrupy notes to it. It has a lot of tang and acidity, and then you’ve got the strawberry ice cream. 

I'm looking for something that lifts that honeyed element of the crostata. This is a true late-harvest wine; it’s not botrytized. We're talking harvest here between November and late December. It’s not too sweet, but it’s still mouthwatering and delicious.