Four years ago, I reviewed new-to-Fairhaven restaurant Estelle, a new age take on French cuisine in the defunct Swimclub bar space. I raved about the steak frites, the cocktails, and the duck confit.
Since then, Estelle has made it onto the Esquire 50 Best New Restaurants list and cemented itself as a mainstay for date night dining in Bellingham. In April 2025, Carnal Group put Estelle up for sale, transitioning the ownership to Davis Hammer. Not just content to run the joint, Hammer also spends his time in the kitchen, and even provided some sharp pushes towards specific dishes on my second review visit.
That’s right: We’re going back. For a restaurant that I reviewed as highly as Estelle, circling back to make sure my recommendation doesn’t need to be recanted is important. I’ve done it with The Admiralty Lounge, and more should be expected in the future. After all, one must stay up to date with the state of things.
On this visit, the ordering went easily, focused on the two all-stars: steak frites and duck confit. We also added the chicken liver mousse, marinated cucumber and, at Hammer’s urging, the sugar snap peas.
The marinated cucumber ($14) is a frequent flier on the Estelle menu, but varies widely each time it returns. This specific interpretation featured salsa macha and cotija cheese. The salsa macha provided a fantastic heat to the snappy, cooling cucumber slices. Those slices are hefty — a solid half-inch long — which keeps the cucumber from becoming overpowered by the salsa macha and cilantro.
Crispy sourdough and an apricot-cherry-yuzu mostarda compliment Estelle’s chicken liver mousse. (Santiago Ochoa/Cascadia Daily News)
Chicken liver mousse ($16) dressed with a cherry-apricot-yuzu mostardo, served with crispy slices of grilled bread, made for a particularly indulgent starter. The intensely fatty, savory, gamey liver is tempered by the sweet and tart fruit, whole mustard following with a proper bite. Mousse and pate are somewhat acquired tastes, so I won’t go so far as to recommend this to someone without a preexisting affinity for chicken liver. Still, an adventurous table will find themselves rewarded for ordering this.
On to the duck confit ($38), one of the staple dishes on the menu. The duck leg is plump and decadent, owing to the nature of being cooked in duck fat. The tomato-strawberry relish is where this dish fell flat for me. The acidity of the tomatoes was not adequately countered by the sweetness of the strawberry, leading to the dish as a whole feeling like it was missing something.
Estelle’s steak frites come served with a chimichurri and a side of duck fat fries, which contributor Mark Saleeb believes to be among Bellingham’s best. (Santiago Ochoa/Cascadia Daily News)
From a technical level, the duck itself was cooked as well as I expect from Estelle: that is, extremely well, crispy exterior playing off a juicy interior. The rotating and fresh nature of the menu means that I wouldn’t shy away from ordering the duck in the future, or even this exact presentation once the local strawberries start ripening up.
Ending on a high note is important, though, and that’s easy to do with the steak frites ($38). Topped with a chard chimichurri, the 7-ounce hanger steak was cooked to my preferred medium rare and sliced into sizes that are just the right side. Alongside sat a respectable pile of their house fries, which are, in my (and many other’s) opinion, the absolute best you can get in the area. Fried in duck fat and topped with gremolata, these french fries are a bombshell of savory fatty crispiness, offset by the pop and vim of lemon zest and parsley shaved over top.
Carrot harissa, mint and black lime raita blanket a bed of sugar snap peas in Estelle’s sugar snap pea salad. (Santiago Ochoa/Cascadia Daily News)
The surprise hard hitter (and my favorite dish on this visit) was the snap peas ($16). Snap peas bathed in a sweet and spicy carrot harissa are topped with black lime raita and chopped mint. It’s one of those dishes that I can still recall with near-perfect clarity. The crunch and sweetness of the snap peas contrast amazingly with the spice of the harissa. Slightly sour but creamy raita and cooling mint provide those final touches that turn a good dish into a truly great one. I don’t know how long it’s going to be on the menu, but I’d take any opportunity to have it again while it’s available.
The years have been kind to Estelle. The menu maintains a level of comfortable familiarity for anyone blessed to be a regular diner, while always having something new for the adventurous. I can still happily recommend it as a top-tier dining experience. Hammer has elegantly taken over the reins of this Fairhaven anchor, and I have a feeling that’s not going to change any time soon.
Estelle is open 5–9 p.m. Monday–Thursday and 4–9 p.m. Friday–Sunday at 1147 11th St. Info: bistroestelle.com.
Mark Saleeb is a frequent enjoyer of food. Find him at instagram.com/eats.often.
Dining and Cooking