Foodie-Girl

For me, no matter how sexy the atmosphere...mediocore/bad food throw cold water over the whole thing. So....we seem to agree that El Gaucho is a combination of good food with sex appeal...there must be a few more places that have that combo plate on their menu.......

I agree with you 100%, lemony. It IS a very sexy room. The lighting is perfect, the booth was big and cuddly...LOL Yeah, I loved it !

The waitperson was totally cool...I'm sure they don't expect most people to put away an 18oz steak on their own... No, the spinach wasn't creamed...which was why it was a little disappointing (to me) My husband loves spinach any old way but for me to get it down (cooked, not in salads) I need LOTS of butter....LOL

We didn't order the steak tartare becuase I generally perfer it with a lot less ingredients than used when served as performance art. That said...we LOVED our dinner: Shared the Caesar Salad (modest showpersonship by our server but a perfect dressing coating the romaine) Shared a shrimp cocktail (how exciting can that ever be) Shared the 18oz Frenched Rib Steak. Despite a few lukewarm comments I read online we decided to give it a try because it's pretty much our favorite cut of meat. Perfectly cooked (medium rare) and loaded with flavor...sides were spinach and a baked potato. We lucked-out when we saw the dessert options as Cherries Jubilee is one of our favorites in the Tableside Preparation Olympics. Yep, a big old plate of fruit/cheese/nuts did arrive after the meal. OH...the drinks were super...Mohito and Cosmo for me (no I'm not tired of them yet) I won't tell you about the wine as we are so wimpy as to enjoy a dry white with even a steak at times. The room is way-cool.....service professional, thoughtful and not overly intrusive. The two $50 gift certificates from KIRO made the evening even better.... We're adding El Gaucho to our short, but growing list of places we love in Seattle...

tighe, I think the Bananas Foster will serve as our retro "bring it to the table ablaze" portion of the meal.....LOL Thanks, reesek...Yes, I do think one other person mentioned the c-salad being really good.

Thanks for the heads-up ms foodie. From looking at the online menu I'm sure we'll just share a dessert.

We're going for our first visit tonight (using KIRO gift certificates). Any thoughts on ordering? Thanks

I think you're probably correct, tighe.

tighe, I've gone there because we have friends who live in Gig Harbor...so it's a convenient place to meet. I can't say that I'd drive FROM Seattle to eat there given all the great places in the city. That said, we've had the duck a few times and also salmon. It's what I would call 'straight-forward' cooking rather than anything that tries to be as creative as Union, for instance.

I've been to The Beach House several times and think it's really good. It's a little hard to spot from the road at night...but worth finding.

You must keep it going, Abra...Such great reading and pictures!!!

I wish I had written down everything we ate...it was SO good. We had the Tasting Menu which featured TOMATO There was a Gazpacho, a Mousse Terrine with three types of tomato, A rosemary tart with a tomato filling of some sort....a delicious piece of salmon with a 'tomato crust' on top... I know...these are very poor descriptions of what was a wonderful meal.... A cheese plate came next (two strong/two mild) and I had the Bing Cherry/White Chocolate dessert while my companion opted for the Tapioca Pudding. At $68 I thought this meal was a steal !! I had a Cosmo and we shared a Cain Sav Blanc which went perfectly with the meal. As a very nice touch.....we asked to have a cab called (we'd been walking all over Seattle for hours before dinner) and when one didn't come promptly Scott walked us out the door...whistled-down one and helped us cross the street. The Tomato Tasting Menu will be available through mid-September (I asked Scott about it) and I'll be going back with my husband (the tomato addict)

My hand was shaking as I dialed BRASA and hoped for the best... YIPPEEEEEE We're in ! Tamara told me she had already had a few eG calls for reservations. This will be a lot of fun for sure !!!!

Green with envy !

Yes - Scott suggested just coming in for appetizers when I chatted with him on the street corner. I'll forgo the tasting menu this time so my friend won't get bored watching......

Thanks for the suggestions....which I'll file away for future dinner. Got a table at Lampreia which I think will be just right for this dinner. THANKS !!!

Never been....might be a good time to try it. I'm still hoping we can get into Lampreia...which I hope has an a la carte menu...I remember ordering the tasting menu last time...she's a picky one...oy vey!

Of those you mentioned Trattoria Carmine comes closest in terms of atmosphere, service, good food...but I took her there on her last visit. We've been to most of the others on your list...good in their own way....'wall to wall meat'....LOL

You're so funny, tsquare.... Well, let me think about those choices...

I messed-up big-time and need some help. My high-maintenance L.A. friend is arriving tomorrow and I FORGOT to make a dinner reservation for Saturday night in Seattle at "the great restaurant I found"...that being Cascadia. They are booked for the range of times that work for me (with the ferry schedule) as is Union. Love Mistral but they only do tasting menus which would be too much food for my 'thin as a whippet' friend. I've left a phone message at Lampreia and hopefully they will have room. So........as a back-up what would be the next choice? Something walk-able from ferry...great food...yadda, yaddda...yadda THANKS !!!

Bleachboy has made some great points. I've also been to both places...Craftsteak once and Prime 3 or 4 times. I enjoyed Prime more...spent more..but what the heck. We (5 of us) shared the shellfish platter one night...having no idea it cost ($200) ..but it was fantastic. They usually offer a Ribeye for Two and it's out of this world.

Good question. When I'm in a restaurant that seems to be under- (poorly)staffed I have to assume it's economics....

Foodie-Girl, can you please give examples of how service at NYC restaurants is much better than Seattle's "better restaurants"? Is it food knowledge, table service or attitude? What makes a good server in your opinion?

There is no comparison (as I think Bux mentioned) in terms of restaurants such as Le Bernadin, Jean George, Babbo or about a dozen others I've been fortunate enough to enjoy. For me, the biggest disappointment in even the better Seattle restaurants is the lack of professional service. Sure, things run smoothly at Mistral or Lampreia but why must we spend $300 for dinner to get that level of service??? For me, this is one reason Seattle is not a 'restaurant city'....love it though I do

In March when I ate at B.O. I did, indeed have the 7-course tasting menu. Portion sizes were perfect and it was a great way to part with a few hundred dollars. (I met a friend for that trip and when we split the check I recall it being about $200 each). As for Steve Wynn's newest hotel...OH YEAH...I can't wait for the reservation lines to open. It will be expensive, I'm sure, but I'm a big fan of his imagination! Bellagio was open but a month when I celebrated my birthday there with 21 friends! It rocked and made turning 50 something to really look forward to..... I'll have to read-up on Guy Savoy...not familiar.