At Home With Eric Rivera
It started in 2017 with two seats on Tock. The booking was for the kitchen counter in Chef Eric Rivera's Seattle apartment.
Chef Eric Rivera and his Tactical Blowtorch | Photos: Megan Swann
interior of addo
Dabob Bay Oysters, Soda-Dill-compressed Walla Walla Sweet Onions, Charred Heirloom Summer Squash, Squash Broth
It is Chef Eric Rivera’s homecoming. Rivera is from Olympia and had spent years with the Alinea Group in research and development and traveling the world as Grant Achatz right hand man.
His restaurant, addo:incubator, is where you can finally see Rivera stepping into the fore and doing his own thing. It grew quickly, and eventually addo:incubator moved to Ballard, where Rivera has free rein over a larger chef’s counter, cafe, dining room, and rooftop space.
“addo is about me being a Puerto Rican kid in Washington, and everything I’ve learned along the way,” he says. Dinner at addo is interactive and affects all the senses. Dabob Bay oysters are served deep in a wreath of shells. As you peer in, the scent of the seashore washes over you. Sparks fly for the presentation of tembleque, a humble Puerto Rican coconut dessert. “I love to burn shit,” says Rivera, who keeps a flamethrower in his tool kit.
adda is an incubator of ideas; new ideas and as well as ones that have been percolating in Rivera’s brain for a while. He’s playing with experiential dining and fully fueling his creative freedom, making for an exhilarating dining experience for Seattle or anywhere else.
