Our Dinner At Union

[Foodie-Girl]

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....

[tighe]

Thanks for the review "poster formerly known as ...." These are the times when I have to remind myself of my experiences at places like Babbo and the Joel Palmer House, restaurants that so many people love, but for me barely reached mediocre.

One thing I took from your comments is that some of the service foibles we experienced on a slow night, worsened considerably under the pressure of a busier evening. Not terribly surprising I guess, but not good either. I'm also wondering if the food quality suffered under pressure. That would be unfortunate and wouldn't bode well for the long-term viability of the restaurant. Hopefully it was just one of those off-nights.

Edited December 9, 2003 by tighe (log)

[Foodie-Girl]

Hopefully it was just one of those off-nights.

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.

[Coop]

I'm dissapointed you didn't have as good a time as our table had at Union. We were happy with the food and the service. I understand that a new place working without the safety net of regular menu items can struggle. I do believe that Ethan is in it for the long haul. So I hope people will keep trying the place so it's still there in November 2004 for my next visit.

[NATURALSEATTLEITE]

My wife and I had dinner at UNION Restaurant last weekend. It was quite an experience.

First let me comment on the decor. UNION is a lovely space, and very well balanced, from its lighting, subdued and pleasant, to its woodwork, which is crisp and clean. It is very minimalist. You feel at home, in a very un-stuffy atmosphere.

We were greeted at the door by a long time Seattle server, Hans, with a warm greeting. We hadnt seen Hans in quite some time, and yet he still remembered our names as if it were yesterday. We were offered an opportunity to sit at the bar or at a table. We chose a table, one by a wall lit by candles, a very nice touch. We were greeted by our server with a lovely Amuse of Ahi on a crustini.

Our server was extremely knowledgeable in all resepcts. Some of the menu items were new to us, and our server answered all questions. His knowldege of the wine list was amazing, and his choices were perfect. We ordered a bottle of Beycheville, a 100% merlot. We then shared a Crab Salad, which was 99% Dungeness Crab, and found it to be splendid. My wife then had Stewed Oysters from the Tasting menu, while I had Rabbit rolled in prosciutto. Once again, the flavors were awesome. Each flavor stood out, and the treatments were unique. For main course, she had Muscovy Duck Breast, which was accompanied by a lovely Cardoon Gratin. I had a generous steak, cooked perfectly. This was followed by a Cheese selection, which had my favorite Cashel Blue on it, and we then shared a Pecan Tart with Bourbon Ice cream, very simple and delightful.

All in all, Union was delightful. The prices were approachable, and service was great. We will definately return.

[syd-vicious]

Wow, do I love this eGullet group, and this thread in particular! Those who enjoy their meals expound deliciously on the event for the benefit of the rest of us and those whose experience didn't live up to their expectations for one reason or another, are actually CONSTRUCTIVELY CRITICAL.

Although a big Ethan fan, I appreciate the negative reviews as much as the others that "qvell" (loosely translates from Yiddish to "going on about a subject positively", maybe even to gush) about the place. I'm so happy that NATURALSEATTLEITE re-connected with Hans, a prince of a guy, and had a great experience. I love that Foodie-Girl cares enough to hope that her comments are taken in the spirit given - coming from someone who loves food and the experience of dining in a great restaurant and thus has high standards for such. I believe that Ethan welcomes both responses equally (though, the "qvelling" is more fun I'm sure). Union may never make everyone on here equally happy, but in general I think the folks that post here do a service for those willing to use the feedback to their benefit.

You guys rock.

p.s. Almost forgot, based on the food descriptionsand my recollections of what we ate last Saturday night, I think it's entirely possible that Foodie-Girl, NATURALSEATTLEITE, me, my husband, his co-worker and wife may have dined at Union on the same night. Pretty high eGullet percentage for a non-planned event.

Wish I had checked out the rest of the room some more, since I've never met anyone on this board

Edited December 12, 2003 by syd-vicious (log)

[boris]

Although a big Ethan fan....

Ethan seems to be well known by all of you. Where was he before? Hopefully my wife and I can stop by for dinner in the next two weeks!

Mark E.

Edited December 12, 2003 by boris (log)

[tighe]

Where was he before?

Ethan's background has been discussed some on the other Union thread. He's worked at a number of the better places in town including Painted Table, Lampreia and Nell's.

Edited December 12, 2003 by tighe (log)

[mamster]

Nancy Leson loves the place.

[Coop]

Wow that review is a little over the top. I have not read many of her columns, is she legit?

[Foodie-Girl]

p.s. Almost forgot, based on the food descriptionsand my recollections of what we ate last Saturday night, I think it's entirely possible that Foodie-Girl, NATURALSEATTLEITE, me, my husband, his co-worker and wife may have dined at Union on the same night. Pretty high eGullet percentage for a non-planned event.

Wish I had checked out the rest of the room some more, since I've never met anyone on this board

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

[tsquare]

Wow that review is a little over the top. I have not read many of her columns, is she legit?

Very legit - and generally full of good humor. Glad she liked it - and appreciated the "gift."

[tighe]

Nancy Leson loves the place.

That's one of the most positive reviews I've ever seen Nancy write. I'm very happy for the restaurant.

Edited December 12, 2003 by tighe (log)

[Coop]

As am I. As you could tell from my post on the other thread I loved Union too. Having not read her column before I don't know where exactly she is coming from. It was just so posititve I was worried it was paid for.

[girl chow]

Coop, as others have said, she's legit and has the respect of local foodies (this one included).

Now I know I really need to bump Union up my list. I wish I had gotten around to it before the Times review because I imagine now that reservations will be a challenge through the holidays. I'll probably wait until January.

[syd-vicious]

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

Now I'm curious…If YOU happened to be looking around the room, I was w/my husband, his co-worker and his wife, at a round table nearere the back of the room by the window/back door. We were laughing and talking in probably less-than-quiet tones, but not overly loud, I think, but only because I had lost most of my voice from the flu

The only folks I noticed for very long were a group in a nearby banquette (I can't remember how to spell that) who had a birthday among them - or at least decided to sing "happy birthday."

As far as the review goes, wow, I was hoping for a good one, but that one took my breath away. As one of the managers of that bldg, I've been waiting and waiting for someone to do that place justice and at least now he'll get to do it for a larger audience. Sounds like reservations have picked up some since this morning, so that's good.

It's exciting to be able to watch the process of a new restaurant coming in to its own. Kind of like my own personal "The Restaurant" (Rocco's) show, just without a lot of the drama

Oh, and girl chow, though I hear you on the busy Holiday thing, I'd give it a go anyway.

You can always tell 'em you read about it on eGullet

sydney

[Foodie-Girl]

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.