Coop

I come to Seattle to do business at the marina in Shilshole 4 or 5 times a year. I never eat down there because there isn't really much activity during the week. Ray's Boathouse has seen better days and I'm still pissed at them for a dinner i had at Ray's Downtown in the 90's. I stopped at Paseo which is a large outdoor food stand. There was a half dozen people in the kitchen and I didn't have much other choice so I gave it a try. Seriously the pork sandwich (the #2, most popular evidently) was one of the two or three best sandwiches I have ever eaten. Lots of tender pork loin, fried onions, fresh romaine and lots of juicy dressing and meat juice. All this served on the best sandwich bun I've ever had. I found out later they come from the Macrina Bakery. The place got very busy at 12 and everyone seemed very stoked to be there. Evidently these people have a place at 41st and Freemont according to a Seattle Firefighter who seemed to be a regular. Can't wait to go back.

What about Oceanaire. It's quiet, the food is good and the service is very professional.

[quote=tighe I'm beginning to think there's some phenomena where restaurants not in one's hometown just seem better. Very true. As for Purple, we went there in May with no reservations, the place was full and they had no reason to do anything but turn us away. They however gave us the best table in the place, right in the corner window and treated us like VIPs. The wine list there is fairly decent and the food was better then we had the night before at BOKA. Besides the two wives loved it there.

tighe, I have had good and mediocre meals at Mistral in Vancouver. The last time was at a private dinner and everything went well until the mains which were very poor. Other times everything was very nice. We ate at BOKA last time and found it decent. The macaroni with lobster and the mini burgers were very nice washed down with a bottle of Felsina Chianti Classico. The main courses were a bit poorly done and the service was a bit amatuer. I'm sure we will eat breakfast or lunch there at least once. Ling, thank you. I'm glad you like Cremant because I was leaning that way. If we go anywhere for cocktails it would probably be Vessel, now that I know it's really a bar and not a department store window.

Last time we were at the Harvest Vine it sucked. The food was fine but the service was comedic. They couldn't find the wine we ordered, charged us for food we never recieved and generally let us sit un-attended for large periods. Odd because we were there trying to spend money. Managed to spend $500+ for 4 people even without the bottle of Clos Magador. Mistral may be a little too formal for this trip. I think Lark may be a possibility. Jonathan Sundstrom's food interests me. A lunch at Earth and Ocean a few years ago was quite good.

My wife and I and another couple are making our thrice annual trip to Seattle for golf, food and wine. We ususally eat at least one meal at Le Pichet and one at either Campagne or Cafe Campagne. When we came down in May this year we had a great time at the Purple Wine Bar across from the Olympic and will probably return there for one meal. I would be interested in hearing people's opinion on some of the other possibilities. We will be staying at the Hotel 1000 and are pretty good drinkers so driving is out. So what do people think of: Cafe Beato Cremant Ethan Stowell's Italian place Volterra I would also be interested in other suggestions.

I completely agree with Keith's opinion on the chef's vision. Yes it works for me, but not always for everyone. I think every owner needs to attract the customers that aren't quite as serious as us. Though I may share a chef's vision that doesn't mean everyone at my table feels the same way.

Myself and my two sons got out of Hapa for $90.00. We had 11 dishes assorted pops and 2 Sake cocktails. I can't remember if that included tip or not.

For me the worst cieling in Vancouver has to be at Hermitage. Old office style cieling tiles stained by...Gawd I hope it's water.

This is a strange question in my opinion. In any business a fine line is walked to keep the customer happy. In the business I am in right now the answer to the question is (is the customer always going to get what they want?) If they are willing to pay for it, yes. This may get lost in the restaurant business, where everyone is trying to keep thier prices low and thier costs reasonable. I believe the garde mange may have a different opinion then the owner.

Lost me on Osteria Napoli. Found it to be very uninspiring. Boxed pasta in flavourless tomato sauce. May have been a bad night though.

Went last summer and it was excellent. Not the place for a quiet meal though.

I ate at Sami's a couple of months ago and it had the feel of a soon to be closed place. The ladies working there were less then inspired. the food was okay though, but the room was cold and the waiteress seemed to disappear into the kitchen for long periods. I actually had to look for her to get my bill.

You are wrong about Whole Foods, they got lots of love here when they first opened. I think thier produce and meat are exceptional. The prices for both are competitive for the quality. If I didn't live in Maple Ridge I would shop there regularly. Santa Barbara has excellent produce, especially Italian style items like artichokes and rapini.