LEdlund

That must be new. I've been there for lunch many times but the last time was probably a couple of months ago.

Lunch Friday: Salumi PS. I had to Google the Moore Hotel. I had no idea the building which houses the Moore Theater was a hotel!

What a great description of The Herbfarm For a 15th Anniversary meal featuring a Seattle Tasting Menu.... I would call Crush, Union or Veil and see what they could put together for me.

The OTT decor, the dog and pony show and the banquet feel to the experience at The Herbfarm are deal breakers for me. I think the chances of getting a good meal are better at Mistral. And I've heard that some of the offending servers are no longer there. Again if I had to pick between only Mistral and The Herbfarm.

Without knowing more about what you are looking for in a dining experience, it's hard to say. I've eaten at both and they're very different. Think of dining at The Herbfarm as a performance. Basically you are dining with a group of people eating the same thing on the same schedule. There will be breaks for introductions (the "dog and pony show") and to stretch your legs. The service is good and the food can be great. I'm not a fan of the frou frou decor of the dining room and the dog and pony show to be unbearable. I've had one stellar meal at Mistral and one so-so meal at Mistral. Both times the service was iffy and one time bordered on rude. But, if I were to pick one place over the other, it'd have to be Mistral.

That's been exactly my experience as well. In fact, I need to look into another stay at Willows Lodge.........

I have not heard of Spitfire but I wanted to note that it's 9 blocks from the Sheraton. It would really require picking up your items in a car, as walking 9 blocks through the heart of downtown with a catering order might prove interesting!

We had this dish last time we were there and I agree, it was fabulous. Who'd a thunk that pork belly and romesco sauce would go so well together?

What about Tia Lou's? They're not too far from the market. They might have something they could prepare and deliver.

I've done this quite a few time and never had a problem. Of course we were having food/catering delivered to our guest room or suite as opposed to one of the hotels meeting rooms. Maybe that's why the hotel was okay with it.

I agree with all of brooklyncooks comments...including the predicted final four and especially the part about the image of Marisa and her calendar! My take on Betty is: I'm sure she thought it was within the rules to tweak her recipe as long as she stayed under 500 calories. The problem with that logic is - how did she know that the rest of her team wasn't doing the exact same thing? If everyone thought they had an extra 60 calories to work with, and tweaked accordingly, what do you know? You're now at 620 calories! Unless the rest of her team did know...............

I just bought a package of that. I found a recipe in my local paper for a mushroom "risotto" made with fregola sarda so I tried that but I didn't think it was very good. Franci's method sounds much better.

I love this! What a great observation.

Wow - you guys are a tough crowd. Marisa drove me crazy in last weeks episode. Here is a group of people who went shopping together. When walking back to the car, one of them says 'I don't think we were charged for the lychees' or something like that. No one responds and they all keep walking to the car. Only later does Marisa decide to bring it up. Why? If it was an issue, why not stop right then and investigate? Give me a break. If I were Otto I would have been less than patient with their accusations. It's not like he deliberatly or maliciously stole something. Sheesh.

I've been there a couple of times, both early and late HH. Neither time was it particularly loud (except for our group ) and it was definitely not scene-y. The ambiance is wonderful - dark, leather banquettes, that sort of thing. The service is fantastic. IIRC, it was opened by some folks from El Gaucho. I've been to El Portal for drinks and appetizers a couple of times. I loved it and I really want to go back for a full meal. The guacamole was particularly good. ← Thanks for your feedback LEdlund. I'm glad to hear that you liked it! Their menu looks good to me. How was the ambiance and the service? Also, was it loud, crowded/scene-y when you went? I love dining late but do not enjoy yelling over my entree. thanks! -Jme ←

I've been to El Portal for drinks and appetizers a couple of times. I loved it and I really want to go back for a full meal. The guacamole was particularly good.

I had dinner at Purple a couple weeks ago and liked it. The bar appetizers and cheeses were great. My biggest problem is the volume. ← The apps and cheeses were fine, it was the wine pairings that were off. The staff simply did not have the knowledge to discuss appropriate wine pairings and seemed more interested in turning the tables (seats). We were seated at the upstairs wine bar which may have affected our timing issues.

Your experience at Purple was vastly different than mine, despite having nearly the same items. The service was so slow and the staff's knowledge of the wines was so slim that I decided not to go back - despite the fact that it's only one block from my office. Maybe I should give them another chance. Your description of the Herbfarm's decor as foofy is perfect! That's exactly how I felt when I was there. I'm curious about your vegetable comment, which vegetables that you've never heard of are you seeing on menus? I forget where you were visiting from......is it maybe a regional thing? I haven't noticed that trend myself.

Yes, thanks for the suggestions! We had a fantastic, leisurely lunch at Mistral on Saturday. Everything was so good! The favorites at the table were the extra buttery squash soup, the pate's and the desserts. George was the perfect place for us to go for cocktails. They have an extensive cocktail menu which includes classics as well as "new" cocktails. Our waitress was the best. She even called Feenie's to move our reservation when we ran up against it! We didnt' make it to Nu after dinner, so we'll have to go there on the next trip. Thanks!

Sorry, I forgot where I was for a second!

I think we've settled on Kirin for dim sum. I'm very excited for that. Tell me more about Nu. Who's Jay and where did he go? Should we be going there instead?

How about if we go to George before dinner and Nu after?

Our burger location is set in stone (we do this often and the location is chosen about a month in advance) but I'll remember Browns for another visit. Opus sounds interesting (they actually mention that they have innovative cocktails on their website). Have you been?

George seems more like what I was thinking of. The velvet rope comment scares me though. The only Lolita's I found was Lolita's South of the Border Cantina. Is that the same one you mean?

Both of these look good. In checking out the web sites, it looks like Nu, C and Rain City Grill are all part of the same restaurant group. Is that correct? Do you think we'll have a problem if we don't get there until 11 PM? There are a few of us in this group that are quite enamored with good cocktails (and at least one who is proficient in making them for us!) None of these web sites talk a lot about the food and wines offered but don't mention anything about the cocktails. Is there any place that might me more "cocktail forward" (if that makes sense)?