Foodie-Girl

Will be in Seattle for a concert on Sunday afternoon and would like to combine it with an early dinner. Fresh seafood is what we're craving...Ideas? Thanks so much !

Thanks for the additional suggestions and thoughts, oh toro. I'm following all the links. Yes, I know what you mean about half-assed California cuisine. I lived in CA for most of my life and other than New York I haven't come across cuisine to rival LA or San Francisco when it comes to that light touch with French-inspired cooking. It's foo-foo but it's good! Sticking to regional cuisine seems to work best when traveling. Can't beat the ribs in St. Louis, for example or the seafood in New England. But, that said, I always ask local people, newspaper food writers, etc. for their suggestions. Thankfully eGullet has food-crazed people all over the country for me to rely on!

oh toro.....so you wouldn't recommend North, Bistro Zin or Wildflower? They 'look good on paper' but I haven't seen anyone post a comment. THANKS

Thanks mark! I will check them out. Now the search continues for a great Mexican breakfast and also at least one or two upscale dinner destinatins...

Thanks for replying, oh toro and markovitch. I was beginning to wonder why no one had any comments. I'll look into your recommendations....Sounds like slim-pickin's for high-end creative cooking but we do love regional cuisine. Have you heard of a Mexican breakfast conconction called "Chile Quilies"? I'm probably not spelling it correctly. Eggs/tortillas...yum! Any ideas for a place where we might partake? THANKS

syd...Well, there was a "loud-talker" at one of the round tables but he and the others did quiet down once their food was served. We may have eaten at different times as there was no "happy birthday" singing while we were dining. I realize a restaurant can't be responsible for the volume of its guests...LOL We've already planned a return visit for January as so many people had a great experience and I do respect Nancy Leson's very astute opinions (hope you're reading this Nancy !) I still feel that our personal experience fell a bit short but we're happy to re-visit Union very soon.

Hello Southwest eGulleteers! Any suggestions for our upcoming visit to Tucson would be appreciated. Love just about anything as long as preparation/ambience/service are top-notch..not on a budget...What say you? Thanks so much. CJ/chuckjohnson50@hotmail.com Char

Wow, ts, you do make it sound very appealing !

Thanks, tsSquare. I'll read-up on Lark !

We could have been sitting next to one another! I'll wear a Finicky Diner sign next time...LOL

Yes, that is certainly possible. I remember my first visit to Le Cirque in NY. We had such high expectations and felt the meal was a bit flat. By comparison Le Cirque in Las Vegas (not usually thought of as the place for fine-dining by some folks) has dazzled us with at least 3 dinners over the past few years that were close to French Laundry (probably one of my favorite restaurants) in quality of preparation and service. I hope Union irons out the wrinkles and proves to be more consistent over time. It does have a lot going for it in terms of interior space and location...and Ethan is obviously very interested in hearing what his patron's have to say or he wouldn't venture out of the kitchen. From reading other posts people have had some incredible meals at Union...so there is definitely great potential there.

We dined at Union recently and I was asked to share my impressions....To be brief.... The exterior with the odd opaque glass didn't seem to mesh with the warmer exterior. The room was about half-full but still bordered between lively and just plain noisy with large round tables inbetween the smaller ones for two or four guests. Service was frequently slow or absent and the pace was annoying (ie our cocktails came quickly followed by our first courses with our bottle of wine not appearing until a bit later (and then only after I inquired about it) No tablecloths? I guess I just like the way a crisp, clean white tablecloth looks in a good restaurant. No bread until we asked and never replaced once we ate what was consumed (not that anyone really needs to eat more bread..but that's not the point) The Amuse was a tasty bit of some sort of sashimi on a tiny cracker...tasty but I think a little commonplace these days. Food: Oysters On The Half Shell had a tiny bit of marinade but not enough to satisfy. Crab Salad was good but overpowered with (?)pineapple pieces. Seared Foie Gras was over-cooked by a few seconds but still yummy though the over-cooked Hamachi in Duck Fat Sauce really suffered from being less than rare. Seared Sea Scallops were tasty but not extraordinary while the Squab (Guinea Hen was "sold out") was a bit flat. The chef, Ethan was very congenial as he came out to visit with most of the customers throughout the evening and the waitstaff seemed to be "trying" but things simply didn't flow. I think the restaurant has potential...but needs some "tweaking" to really make it worth the cost. ($175 with tax/tip). There were only flashes of great tastes sprinkled throughout the meal which made it hard to gear-up for dessert...so we split a piece of Pecan Pie with Bourbon Ice Cream....not too exciting. I hope my comments are taken in the context of "constructive criticism" from a rather finicky diner....

We're confirmed at Union. THANKS !!

Thanks X Two! Excuse my ignorance...but is UNION the name of the restaurant or is it Union Street Grill? I'm looking for their website.

Good morning and, as always thanks to all of you who have helped with my dining quests since we moved to Poulsbo, WA (culinary capital of big portions/bad food). But I digress.... We're celebrating my husband's birthday on Sat. plans have changed from a creation outta my kitchen to dinner in Seattle. We've been to Mistral (loved it), Lamphreia (under-impressed) Cafe Juanita (wonderful )Dahlia Lounge (good) Oceannaire (fun/good) and a few others. For something extraordinary I think you-all favor Rover's...am I correct? If not I'd sure appreciate any other suggestions. I know this is a bit last-minute..but hope you can help. THANKS Char charcoop@yahoo.com

For what it's worth...visiting SF right now and had some GREAT meals: Jardiniere ****, Elisabeth Daniel ****Fleur de Lys**** Also found Gary Danko*** good but not nearly as good as I would have expected. Only real disaster was Dim Sum at Yank Sing.--* We tried at least 8 different plates and found the overall tastes/textures flat and lacking distinct flavor. Oh well...the place was packed so maybe it's just us. Tonight...Masa's ! Thanks to everyone who helped with advice....more after Masa's !

I'm on the road...currently in Sonoma...but I had to write. We had dinner at Patina last week...did the whole-nine-yards tasting menu and they were on top of their game big-time. You'd never have guessed they were closing in a week. Great food, service....wish I could recount all we ate..but it was fantastic !!

I'm glad you echoed my feelings about Cafe' Nola. I hate to say something negative about any restaurant because it's such a subjective thing. Went to Breezy Hill Bistro about a year ago. It was very good....but I would say Four Swallows is much better. I'm into the small portions/tasting menu way of eating...so for me it was plenty of food.

Now you're in my neck of the woods (-: In order of my preferences: Four Swallows, Bistro Pleasant Beach, Bainbridge Island Sushi. I've been to Cafe Nola a few times...gave them the benefit of the doubt after a very mediocore dinner and subsequent lunch...sorry, but I don't think it's very good...in terms of food and especially service. charcoop@yahoo.com

OK, I spoke with our friends (who also read the LA Times article) and I think we're going to re-group. MsRamsey....what sayyou for a second choice. Remember...great food..but not a screaming scene...top-notch service...and somewhat close to Hollywood/West L.A.

We have reservations for Oct. 9th. Hopefully they won't have started packing up yet....

Thanks for all the great suggestions....I only wish we had more time in LA but it's a quick stop before the major eating extravaganza in Northern California. Our friends are semi-regulars at Patina and really want to take us there...so it seems that will be the place. I've only been there once (years ago)...but if anyone has thoughts on what to order (or avoid) that info. would be welcome. Thanks so much !!!

I can only reiterate my impressions of Mistral...Incredible food, atmosphere and service. It is absolutely top-notch. Cafe' Juanita in Kirkland is also wonderful but not quite as sophisticated in presentation...still a knock-out. OK sue me, I also love Herbfarm.

Yes, I agree on the Hungarian wine..it was a wonderful pairing. No, I don't know who was doing the cooking that night...but I'll tell you...I can't imagine how it could have been better prepared. Chef William said he'd be out of town for just a few days..by the way. I'm sorry I didn't make note of the wines...I didn't bring pen/paper but there was a Mason Sauv.Blanc that was excellent. So far we haven't eaten anywhere in Seattle that comes close to Mistral...but we have more to try. This is the fun part of moving to a new area!

Yes, Ben, it was a perfect evening! P.S. My fingers were moving faster than my brain and I hit "send" before I had a chance to edit my post. I apologize for the typos, etc.....I usually do a better job...LOL.