SeAAttle

A search turned up nothing specific. Has anyone been to the new location? Did it actually open? Even a Google search turned up only reviews of the old site near the U.

Ah, that explains it. We had the foie gras terrine, fish soup and salmon tartar, along with the venison and quail. Outstanding. Maximilien remains one of our favorite spots, especially for out of town guests. (and with the new law in WA, no smoke drifting down from the bar/upstairs!)

We are going to Maximillien. They have had Rouge perform for other special dinners - although not exactly my favorite type of music, they are good. ← We thought the Maximillien NYE dinner was one of the very best special dinners they have served. The actual menu was quite different from that shown online but much better, IMO. Main courses were venison and quail stuffed with foie gras mousse. Both excellent. The wine pairings were so-so. The entertainment was also quite enjoyable.

We are going to Maximillien. They have had Rouge perform for other special dinners - although not exactly my favorite type of music, they are good.

After an excellent experience last year, we dined at Cascadia again on Christmas Eve. Unfortunately, I missed this recent thread. Overall, it was a very disapppointing experience. They food was quite average and the service was poor. We brought our own champagne and had to ask at least twice for an ice bucket. Our waitperson was pleasant enough but simply did not do her job. One example - she did not bother to take our appetizer plates (even though it was obvious that we were finished) when the main course arrived. Eventually, we put them on the adjacent empty table. This happened a second time with another course and I noticed that people around us got up to visit the dessert table and returned to eat dessert with the main course plates still on their tables. Inexcusable for a restaurant that considers itself top tier. Despite several visits to Cascadia in the past year, we will not return.

Thanks, shelora. What a great list for lunch! In reviewing the online menu for Brasserie l'Ecole, I was not as taken by it as the three selections. Perhaps the website menu is not a good reflection of what to expect. Would you rate it above Cafe Brio, Lure or Rosemeade? I picked Lure for the seafood and view. Since we are flying from Seattle via seaplane, I will not be able to take my laptop (very limited baggage allowance). Not sure I will check-in again. Will try to report back on our experience. It all sounds terrific.

On the spur of the moment, we decided to spend a long weekend in Victoria. This thread has been a great help in the most important aspect of our travels - restaurants! We have reservations at Cafe Brio on Thursday, Lure on Friday and Rosemeade on Saturday. A few more lunch suggestions would be most appreciated. Looking forward to our first visit to Victoria! Thanks

We have had a couple of dinners at 35th St. Bistro, both times with winemakers following a tasting at Fremont Wine Bar (sadly, now closed). Based on the Eggs Benedict thread, we went today for brunch and had..........eggs benedict! We agreed with the review - excellent. The service was subpar but otherwise, a nice relaxing Sunday brunch.

Fremont Wine Bar has closed. Very sad.

We had a terrific experience at Elemental a couple of weeks ago. Fortunately, we know Phred a bit from his days at Union Bay and had been told how things work. Arrived at 5:30 and got the last table. It was a Tuesday when they start a new menu for the week so things were a bit slower than usual. However, we were served wine while we waited. They start taking orders at 6pm (or rather, the menu is distributed, one table at a time, at 6pm). I did notice that Phred was rather abrupt in telling late arrivers that they were full. The food was terrific and the wine servings were superb. We left at 8:30 and were the first to leave. The cost was very reasonable, including the wine flight (I stopped counting at 7 wines!) at only $15. Service was included and the credit card slip had no space to add gratuity. Phred happened to walk by as I took out my wallet to leave cash and said "Put that away." We will return but not on a Tuesday. I wonder if they will survive based on the small number of tables and relatively low prices.

Based on the reviews here, we tried Volterra tonight and it met all of our expectations. The noodles with duck sauce (with a few chunks of duck) and the wild boar were excellent. Nice setting, fine service and excellent food. We had a nice chat with ?? (the chef's spouse) on the way out. Definitely will go again, especially since it is close to home.

Time for the report. Langley is farther from our living quarters in Coupeville than we realized so we "dined" locally the first night, skipping Trattoria Guiseppe. The event at the Inn at Langley was exceptionally nice. We had a table near the door with a view of the garden and the fireplace. The person who took our reservation was very careful to tell us about the table so we would not be disappointed that we would not be able to watch the chef. We found that this was preferable since the larger room, with the view of the kitchen, was rather noisy. Ironically, chef Matt Costello was in Seattle for a special event. The guest chef was Will Russell from Dahlia! I am not very good at remembering the menu but can say that it was excellent. The service was also exceptional - attentive but not intrusive. My only complaint (a small one) was that one of the main courses could have been a bit hotter. The Inn has an excellent wine list, so we passed on the wine we had brought with us and had half bottles matched to the menu (we had a 45 minute drive afterwards). Also, the corkage is rather pricey - $35! Overall, I highly recommend dining at the Inn and understand that the accommodations are also quite good. Looking forward to spending a relaxing weekend there in the future.

All set for the Inn at Langley for Saturday evening. Thanks for the recommendation. Wow - last week you were helping us with Vancouver restaurants, and now Whidbey Island. Will let you know where we are going next!!

We will be spending the weekend on Whidbey Island and would appreciate any recommendations. Has anyone tried Trattoria Guisseppe? A bit of browsing suggests that Langley may be the best bet. Thanks.

Chambar was fully booked for Saturday as was West (except for late times). The new plan is to go to West Friday evening and Fiction on Saturday. Thanks for the links, appreciator. Will have to find something else for lunch, but that should not be a problem. The weather is gorgeous again today! We had a nice walk in Stanley Park yesterday.

We were lucky enough to hit Lark the last time we were in seattle. it was a fantastic place, and i don't think we have any place quite like it in vancouver. the menu seemed to focus on regional foods (i especially remember the artisanal cheeses) in small, tapas-like servings so that you can try many different tastes - but not a tasting menu. very sophisticated food and room but still very casual and not too trendy. it was about letting the food have the glory - no see through restrooms, v.i.p. tables or palm piloted waitstaff. apart from a regrettable debate at our table over whether britney spears is "hot" or "not", we had a great evening. i think the closest thing to Lark in town would be aurora bistro on main street near broadway ave. as a bonus, it is a great neighbourhood with a great used book store (pulp fiction right next door) and coffee shop (soma). ← We have been to Lark a couple of times and enjoyed it very much. Chef Jon Sundstrom left one of our favorites to found Lark. You might want to try Union on another visit south. I would put it in the same class with Lark (and perhaps a bit above) according to your list of important features. May try to work in Aurora Bistro for a lunch. I am at UBC Thursday but Friday lunch is open.

Thanks for the amazing list of suggestions. Now, the challenge - how to choose? Just returned from a wonderful experience at Vij's. We have nothing like it in Seattle. Amazing food, excellent service, all supervised by the owner (Vij, I assume). What a charming fellow. We are staying at the Westin Bayshore so I was happy to see Lift recommended. I think we will have brunch there on Saturday am. Tomorrow night - C. I am inclined to try West and Chambar for our remaining two nights, but will read a bit more first. Thanks to you all. I will check back daily.

Thanks for the recommendations and the links. I had found Chambar and Lumiere as possibilities. Will keep reading and make some decisions. I note that C is not on your list - should we switch to another restaurant?

We will spend 4 nights in Vancouver and would appreciate recommendations for restaurants we should not miss. Arriving Wed and plan to go to Vij's which we really enjoyed 4 years ago on our last (and first) visit to Vancouver. We have a reservation at C on Thurs night. Again, a restaurant we enjoyed on our last visit. Opinions about these two restaurants would be appreciated, since much can change in 4 years. What about Bin941? For those of you who know the Seattle dining scene, we frequent Union, Brasserie Margaux, Waterfront, Lark, Wild Giner etc, just to give you an idea of the level of restaurant we prefer. Thanks in advance for any suggestions. Perhaps I can reciprocate should anyone want Seattle recommendations.

We have the same problem. With only one or two exceptions, we will not go to a restaurant that has smoking. For new restaurants, we call to make a reservation and then ask if they are totally non-smoking. If not, we decline and let them know why.

Fremont Wine Bar in the Red Apple market is another possibility.

I wish I had read this thread before trying Troiani last weekend. Uniformly disappointing. Occassionally, I enjoy a good steak but not here. Way past medium rare, with little else to offer, except a pleasant but rather slow wait person. Cannot imagine trying again.

You might consider Maximillien in Pike Place Market. Not exactly inexpensive but lunch would not be unreasonable. The view is hard to beat.

I had a smaller event at the Warwick and it was very successful. The room shown in tighe's response is very nice and probably just the right size for your group. The event's manager did an excellent job. PM me for some additional information if you are interested.

With those "recommendations", I think we will pass. Thanks