For some reason, I had expected Asteroid Cafe to be a sandwich and soup place with a retro feel. Instead, it’s a rather upscale Italian restaurant nestled behind Dad Watson’s on Fremont Ave. I joined a couple of friends for a small birthday dinner tonight, which started off with some amazing foraged morel mushrooms sauteed with olive oil, greens and sea salt. Not only can I remember all of that, but so could our waiter, who rattled off the three specials flawlessly and then proceeded to describe half a dozen wine flavors to one of my dinner companions.

Actually, Asteroid’s staff is half of the fun- one friend, who had been there before, regaled us with stories of heated political discussions he’d had with Asteroid’s owner. As I mentioned, our waiter was brimming with knowledge on the food and drink, and towards the end of the night, the kitchen staff broke into a slightly off-key rendition of Red Hot Chili Pepper’s “Under the Bridge.”

The food was fantastic- antipasto plates full of olives and almonds and pears and cheese; artichoke and marscapone ravioli; peppercorn-encrusted tuna; and last, but not least, the most amazing tiramisu I’ve ever had. Their mojito and ferrari cocktails were also yummy.

As you can probably gather from the food descriptions, Asteroid Cafe is, well, upscale. Not incredibly expensive (Tulio, I’m looking at you), but edging towards it. Then again, I still think everything in Seattle is expensive, so perhaps you should check Asteroid’s menu for yourself. But this hidden gem in Fremont has a good atmosphere, good food, and a good staff, certainly enough to convince me to return for a romantic date in the future.