Blue Heron

I'm curious... has anyone been to the Georgian Room at Olympic Four Season's since the remodel and menu change that can give us a report? (I'm not saying they are over or underrated... but didn't know where to post this)...

In Parma we enjoyed a memorable plate of risotto w/ shaved white truffles and of course grated parmesan (I don't remember what they called it though).

It has been my experience that filing a BBB complaint yields results, as no respectable business wants to have a blemish on their BBB report. Over the years we've filed a couple of complaints with the BBB and not until that time did we receive any satisfactory customer service & compensation for our disputed items (non restaurant related). Both times the complaints were resolved to our complete satisfaction.

At the Olive Oil tasting last weekend, nightscotman's friend D and I were lamenting over the loss of a lot of good restaurants in Seattle over the years. Especially some up on Capital Hill. A couple that I miss are: Henry's Off Broadway - An elegant upscale fine dining restaurant that was in our neighborhood when we lived on Capital Hill in the late 80's. Was a great place to meet in the lounge for cocktails and listening to piano music (performed by a live piano player of course, and there was also bar type seating that wrapped around the grand piano which was nice), or for special occasion dinners of Rack of Lamb. It went out of business and is now the site of condos. Settabello - A really nice Northern Italian restaurant that used to be on the corner of Olive Way in the 80's (replaced by Hamburger Mary's). We used to go there for delicious stuffed calamari appetizers and Osso Bucco. Luciano Bardinelli was the chef, and I understand he is at Sans Souci in Bellevue (anyone eaten there?). What restaurants in the Pacific Northwest do you wish were still around?

I think there is a big difference between salsas & chutneys. I am relatively new to chutney, as for a long time I didn't like it because of the particular spices included in it (infact it is something I am still working on acquiring a taste for as it's something I want to like). However, I have always been a lover of salsa's, even fruit salsas. So I can't explain the difference (other than spices), but my taste buds can tell the difference. Another thought I just had, is that I don't think I've tasted a fresh chutney, only jarred, which tastes kind of like spicy cinammony jam with fruit in it to me. Whereas salsas are more fresh-like and don't have that jam like consistancy.

I don't think naming specific chefs or analyzing specific chefs is a good idea, as it could have the potential to become a critique of the chef as a person, rather than chef as the chef...especially when it gets to matters of taste that are outside food or outside of ideas/presentation on food (IMHO).

I would not expect an exceptional chef, with exceptional taste & creativity in food, to be exeptional in other areas, such as taste in decor, clothes, architecture, etc. But if they were to shift their focus from food, it could be possible. An observation that I've made is that people who are particularly brilliant & successful at what they do are focused in their field to the point that what they do, they do exceptionally (and brilliantly) well...but have some short comings/problems in other areas. I'm not sure if this applies to brilliant creative chefs, but it could. The exception to this observation might be the left brain/right brain argument, which would be that one who is gifted as an artist whether it be in painting, decor, creative cooking, etc... is creative in all aspects of their lives. The engineer, scientist, mathematician, etc. is gifted in those aspects of life. And occasionally one will meet someone who is gifted in all areas.

heyjude, thanks for the timely review. I was just asking about the Brasa bar menu at the Olive Oil tasting last weekend as I've been curious about it, too. Glad to hear you had a good experience there. I think it would make a great place for an eGullet get together, too. It looks like it is offered 7 days a week. Here is Brasa's bar menu: Click Here

This is a link to the Herbfarm's website, which includes links to newpaper & magazine reviews as well as their outrageous cancellation policy as described by southerngirl. Click here edit: Actually, I read now that their policy says "A full refund is given with 30 days advance notice. With less than 30 days notice, the full charge may apply if we are unable to re book your table." southern girls table did not have to be re booked as she was sitting at it that evening. They should give her a refund.

I was going to say God help the Herbfarm if Steve Klc gets wind of this new development. But I see he is already weighing in... The Herbfarm deserves any blasting they get from their ridiculous policies. I have read rants by customers about the Herfarm in the rant column of the Seattle Times, but can't recall anything negative by a reviewer. Perhaps they are unaware of the cancellation policies?

I'm stunned with this latest revelation. I thought the 30 day $50 policy was bad enough, but charging for the full meal? I can't even believe it. Especially in Seattle. Is this known to be a policy at any other restaurant anywhere? Herbfarm has gotten way too big for their britches. Boo Herbfarm.

ahr ... those look delicious. Thanks for the info & photo.

Todai sushi Japanese buffet has gotten mostly poor reviews in Seattle & Portland (I have not eaten there), and their sushi is not considered top quality. The kind of buffet I like has smoked salmon & other assorted smoked fish, fresh cracked dungeness crab legs, peel & eat shrimp, steamed clams & mussels, ceviche, fresh fruit in season, excellent cheese. There are a couple of places out in the Northwest that offer these types of buffets/brunches (The Lobster Shop and Rosario's come to mind, as well as Salty's which I've heard mixed results on). I totally skip all pastries, container casserole type dishes and other fillers and just have the items I mentioned. That said, I rarely go even to the type of buffet I have just mentioned. fried clams... I've never had whole belly fried clams but they sound intriquing. Are they like fried razor clams or more like steamers?

That reminds me, not only is our dog in & out of the kitchen, but the cat likes to jump up on the kitchen counter. Considering all the germs I've been exposed to all these years, it is surprising that I do get sick when traveling to some foreign countries. Ellen, I also love your pics.

I recently took a 7 day Holland America cruise to Alaska out of Seattle. The scenery & nature along the way and up there is beautiful. Dining on the ship has improved in some aspects, but deteriorated in others (as compared to previous cruises I've taken). Many thanks Jaymes, for her cruising tips. I made friends with the maitre d' right away much to my benefit. He happily arranged a private tour of the kitchen for just my husband and myself, which not only saved us from having to stand in a long line with 1000 other passengers snaking their way through the kitchen during the ship's scheduled tour (which I've done in the past), but we also got to be in the kitchen while the crew was busily at work, preparing salads, appetizers, filleting fish, etc. and I was able to get all my questions answered personally, and take my time. Unfortunately, when the kitchen is trying to serve 700 people all at once, much of the work is done ahead of time, and therefore quality can (and does) suffer. They realize this is a problem and try their best, but there is no way to avoid this, and as has already been mentioned, is banquet style food for the most part. That said, if something is not up to your standard, the waiter will make every effort to get things just the way you like (and our waiters happily did this for us). The best news re: food on cruises, is the new alternative dining room, which on our ship was The Oddessy dining room. It's by reservation only for dinner and open first come first serve at lunchtime. It's elegant, has only 25 tables seating up to 60 guests, has it's own kitchen, serves only a total of 110 meals per night (over 2 dining seatings), and everything is cooked to order and very beautifully & artfully presented (I will insert some pictures when I get a chance). Reservations fill up fast, so it's best to reserve right away (however suite guests can dine there as often as they like). My most enjoyable meals (both lunches & dinner) were in the Oddessy dining room. Other dinner meals were taken in the regular dining room, lunches in either the Oddesy, regular dining room or lido restaurant or deck, and breakfasts I took up in the Lido Restaurant & deck. I didn't make it to a single midight buffet or even the chocolate dessert extravaganza as I was always too full from dinner. I enjoyed smoked salmon (nova) for breakfast everyday, as well as an occasional cooked to order omelette from the omelette station (the way to go for the best b-fast..although there are many b-fast options). Smoked salmon is offered at every breakfast and lunch, & some dinners, so if you like it (like I do) you will be happy. You can also get smoked salmon and some other meals available room service 24 hours. Lunch choices are immense. My favorite lunch was grilled salmon w/ dill beurre blanc sauce in the Oddessy, and cracked dungeness crab & clams & mussels on the Lido deck. I also enjoyed the curry bar (w/stir fry to order), & varieties of smoked fish. Favorite dinners were twin lobster tails in the Oddessy, and steamed Alaskan crab legs, as well as a good filet mignon, and NY steak. I discovered when ordering steak, if you like it MR, order it Rare and it will be just right. On the ship there was a noticeable difference in the quality of steak for those who ordered rare and those who ordered MR or more done (ie. rare was always the best cut). Salmon & Halibut are also on the menu, but I only ordered 1 of each, as they are also something I cook at home a lot already. Desserts were fine, cheese plate was poor. The salads suffered, as well as potatoes. Also (outside of the Oddessy) the fish tended to be overcooked and a bit dry (no one seemed to notice but me, though). I disliked that the kitchen to save time would put croutons in the salad & soup ahead of time (thus losing crispness), so in the regular dining room I asked for mine on the side. The maitre d' said he would make a note to change the menus to reflect an option for croutons on the side, but he may have been humoring me. Bottom line is cruising is not for everyone. I love it, though. (a family member is in the cruise biz, so I've been cruising a long time). People looking for a top dining experience (unless you are booking a suite and plan to eat in the special Oddessy/alternative dining room restaurant every day) are likely to be disappointed in the food at times. However, if you like wonderful scenery, relaxing or shore excursions (ie. float planes, helicoptor rides, kayaking, dog sledding, whale & other nature expeditions), as well being pampered by a crew who's main goal is to please and give you a great vacation, I would highly recommend it. Conde Naste has rated Crystal cruise as #1 in food, Holland America as #2. btw, all of Holland America's ships food orders (from the Chefs) are handled through the Seattle office. pictures of food to follow...

Hi, and welcome to eGullet! I have not been to the Mediterranean Kitchen in Bellevue, but many years ago remember eating at one somewhere near Seattle Center? I remember my meal being pretty garlicky, too, as well as inexpensive.... but don't remember any more of the details.

Steven, will we ever get to read anymore of your US trip web log? ie. the part that is totally written? (would that be the Calif. part of your trip?)

I thought scientists were still in disagreement about which is cleaner... a dog's mouth or a human's mouth? My own scientific experiment conducted in Jr. High (or High...I forget which) School biology showed that dogs had less bacteria in their mouths than humans.

btw, Jaymes recipe for salsa is my absolute favorite (and best results of any salsa I've ever tried to make). It's very easy, but if you try it, you must follow the directions exactly as given for best results. I've made about 6 batches of it so far. You guys should PM her for the recipe.

Liza, great question, as I was just looking at an ad today for a mortar & pestle and wondering the exact same thing. What I've wondered about them, is after crushing the garlic and spices in them, do they wash up well so that no remaining scent of garlic or other remains? The ones I've seen look like some kind of porous rock (volcanic rock?) that made me think the garlic or curry scent would permeat through and never leave. Can they go in the dishwasher?

tighe, I hadn't thought of Canlis lately, but having read the recent threads about Herbfarm and Cascadia got me to thinking about where I would go to have a splurge/fine dining meal experience, and I remembered how much I liked Canlis (and I don't hear much about it anymore). Elegant setting, beautiful view, good service, and our meals were excellent (not to mention they've been open for 50 years so they must have some satisfied customers). I think I would choose another elegant meal at Canlis over trying the Herbfarm. That said, after reading Ben's great review of Mistral, I'm anxious to try Mistral for a special occasion meal. I don't think Mistral receives much newspaper coverage, and so it could also qualify as a good place (albeit one that I have not been to yet) that deserves more coverage. I agree that French Dining has for the most part been underrated/overlooked in Seattle (with the exception of Le Pichet and Campagne). I've been curious about Brasserie Margaux before, too. tighe, are there any dishes that you particularly recommend there?

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That's a good idea to go to the Tilth Festival that you mentioned on Sept. 14. We've never been, and I think we'd enjoy it. We use cages for out tomatoes, but don't pinch off any of the branches, so the plants get quite dense, as well as they seem to get planted too close together, so all that adds up to not enough light & air circulation as I would like. I keep asking my hubby to space them farther apart. We usually have about 30 plants planted. How many plants do you have?

On another thread tighe and I mentioned Ponti is a good restaurant that gets overlooked, maybe because it's been around so long, or for whatever reason? What are some other underrated restaurants? Good places that have stood the test of time and are a reliable choice for an expertly prepared meal... (and why do these places get overlooked?) Three places we sometimes go to with Swiss friends of ours are Kaspar's, Tosoni's (in Bellevue), and Geneva. All 3 places serve European cuisine in a lovely setting, and we've always had very good meals (2 chefs are Swiss & 1 is Austrian), as well as good service. I've heard Kaspar's also has an excellent wine bar, but I've only eaten in the main dining room so far. Canlis is of course great, but probably doesn't get mentioned since it's been around forever, and is a special occasion place. If money was no object, I'd dine there more often. Have any of you eaten there lately? It's been almost a couple of years since I went. What are some of Seattle/Bellevue's other underrated or overlooked restaurants? edit: I can elaborate on one of the reasons Tosoni's gets overlooked, and that's because it's located in a Bellevue strip plaza on NE 20th. Doesn't look great from the outside, but once you get inside it's charming & cozy.

tsquare, thanks for the report, and also for the words of hope! I didn't recognize most of your tomato names as ones I have seen in the nurseries I shopped at, but seem to recall you grow many of yours from seeds. Do you start them out with special grow lights, or have a green house? One of the problems in our planting tomatoes late this year, was that it seemed the nurseries also received their starts late too, and the variety of tomatoes was really limited. I would have liked to purchase Stupice, which was our earliest tomato last year, but this year was not at our nursery...but I will look for it next year. I will also look to buy Champion, which was our biggest w/good flavor tomato last year, too, but never saw them this year. As it is, I think we ended up with Early Girl, Celebrity, Romas, Sweet 100's, and Sungold cherries. Some of our tomatoes have blossom end rot (I think from uneven watering?), and now that the weather looks like it will be more moist, I hope that doesn't mean blight is far behind (we've been pretty lucky in that dept. in past years, but there always seems to be a bit of blight). Has anyone been eating the tomatoes from Queen Ann or Admiral Thriftways? I saw some yesterday, but they did not look all that good. How are tomatoes at the farmer's markets this year? Eastern WA should have some really good tomatoes, I would think.