Cascadia

[Foodie-Girl]

Had our first meal at Cascadia on Tuesday night and we were blown away (almost literally by the tornado-like wind!!!)

First, it's a beautiful restaurant.

Second, the service is professional.

And, most importantly, the food was incredible !!!!

With my favorite local restaurants being Mistral and The Herbfarm I quickly put Cascadia in their category.

I had the Vegetarian Tasting Menu (since I just went to the Met I'm obviously not a veg-head) only because it sounded SO interesting and I think a vegetarian menu really challanges the chef.

My husband had a different tasting menu (more things to share) and we were set for a wonderful evening.

If anyone is interested I'll try to find my notes on the specifics...but, for now, I just want to say that Cascadia was an overwhelming hit for me.

Edited April 29, 2004 by Foodie-Girl (log)

[Abra]

Please, tell us what you had and what it cost! I've been wanting to try Cascadia.

[Foodie-Girl]

VEGETARIAN TASTING MENU $50

Minted Romaine Salad

Tomato Basil Sorbet

Posh Mac & Cheese

Braised Stuffed Fennel

Goats Cheese Crottin

Ice Cream

FOOD FROM HERE TASTING MENU $65

Smoked Salmon

Ginger Oyster Clam Chowder

Douglas Fir Sorbet

Pan Seared Alaskan Halibut

Fenugreek Crusted Lamb

Whipped Oregon Blue Cheese

Lemon Creme Brulee

With 2 cocktails and a bottle of wine and gratuity we made it out the door for $200.

Their Three Course Tasting Menu looks to be a steal at $25, bye the way.

[girl chow]

I know Abra already knows about this, but for others who want to give Cascadia a first try with a minimal investment (in theory anyway), a group of us will be gathering May 8 in Cascadia's lounge to sample the bar menu and cocktails.

Click here to find out the details.

[Abra]

And now the bar menu is looking better and better. Those tasting menus look pricey, for the dishes named. Did it seem correctly priced?

[Foodie-Girl]

Abra, though it's a subjective issue, for me the quality and presentation of the meal were well-worth the cost.

[Steve Ramsey]

Douglas Fir Sorbet

Please tell me about this one.

Was it an actual fir needle infusion or something?

[tsquare]

Douglas Fir Sorbet

Please tell me about this one.

Was it an actual fir needle infusion or something?

Recipe and technique here

Thanks to Kerry

[Foodie-Girl]

All I know was it tasted like heaven !

[girl chow]

Douglas Fir Sorbet

Please tell me about this one.

Was it an actual fir needle infusion or something?

How funny you mention the douglas fir sorbet ... MsRamsey, LEdlund and I swilled a few of the Cascadia alpine martinis made w/the sorbet at our bar outing to Cascadia on Saturday (a good time was had by all).

We loved the drinks -- especially when the douglas fir sorbet melted into the absolut vodka. The sweetness of the sorbet was perfect with the vodka. The beginning of the drink was very much a chilled vodka martini... but as the sorbet melted, it totally transformed into a different drink with almost gin-like flavor from the melting fir sorbet. Very cool effect.

As for the bar menu... the sliders (made with ground filet) were superb.. and I think we all agreed the calamari cone was worthy of its $2 happy hour price. I thought the bucket of fries were fine, but I would have liked them cut a little larger (just personal preference). The service was outstanding.

[tsquare]

With the alpine martinis and post Cascadia drinks at See Sound - how was Mother's Day morning ladies?

And girl chow - the calamari - not sure how to read your comment...good 'cause they were cheap, or a deal? Good to hear they made a nice evening for you.

[girl chow]

With the alpine martinis and post Cascadia drinks at See Sound - how was Mother's Day morning ladies?

And girl chow - the calamari - not sure how to read your comment...good 'cause they were cheap, or a deal? Good to hear they made a nice evening for you.

heh heh heh. I was fine in the morning. We spread our drinking out over several hours, so we never quite got to rock star behavior mode.

Ok, the calamari.. a screaming deal at $2 for a cone. But I have to add that a few of the pieces I ate were on the rubbery side of being done (can't speak for the rest of the cone). I'll cut them some slack considering everything else was splendid.. and $2 is nothing for a cone of calamari. Next time, I plan on sampling more stuff from the bar menu too.

[reesek]

i enjoyed the bar at cascadia last night. had the mojito...slushee? can't remember what it was called, but it (like several of their bar drinks) has a lump of appropriately flavored sorbet in it. it was divine! i had 3!

3 of us shared sliders, calamari, salad & "posh mac & cheese" - note that we arrived after happy hour so we ended up with a bucket of calamari rather than a dainty cone. the chipotle mayo that came with the bucket was excellent. i thought the calamari was ok but in need of all 3 wedges of lemon and salt. the salad was lovely, sweet baby romaine hearts, radish sprouts and an addictive lemony dressing. the star by far (not having eaten the burgers) was the mac and cheese.

that should be my last meal. the cheese was stilton, it was topped with a generous dollop of chopped truffles, a knob of steamed cauliflower and decorated with celery leaves. amazing.

oh - and it was a TON of food. great option and it just feels so nice in there

[LainerX]

After hearing so many good things about Cascadia, my college roommate and I decided to give them a try on the last day of their 25 for $25 promotion. Reservations were hard to come by, so we decided on an early dinner at 5pm. (My neighbor who saw us leaving my apartment asked where we were going, and when we replied, "dinner", he asked if we were trying to hit the Early Bird Special at the Royal Fork Buffet! )

In any case, we were seated in the dining room. Our server asked if we wanted a cocktail and I wanted to try one of these Alpine Martinis you folks are always talking about. She said, in the most condescending tone, "You know, we don't do happy hour pricing in the dining room, right?" Uh, yeah. I proceeded to order my cocktail and my friend ordered a glass of wine.

Later, we had decided to do the wine pairings with our meal, but only wanted one flight to split between the two of us (my friend is an extreme lightweight, and I was driving that night). When I told her of our plan, she offered to either split the wine between two glasses or bring out an extra glass for us to split it ourselves. I told her either would be fine (I'm not a high maintenance diner, really!) Strangely, she brought out only one full glass for us to share between the two of us throughout the entire meal.

I ordered the roasted squash with hanger steak for an appetizer which was excellent. My friend ordered the tuna appetizer which was HORRIBLE. After 2 bites, she does the "here try this, does it taste wrong to you?". It seriously tasted like it had gone bad, the paper thin strips of tuna had this weird fish-leather texture (like it hadn't been wrapped well for overnight – or longer? - storage in the fridge) and a flavor more like Mackerel than tuna. So fishy. Unfortunately, my friend was a little intimidated by the snotty server so didn't want to complain. I would have sent it back, but didn't want to get in the middle so I said nothing.

On to the main course, I got the osso bucco which was again, excellent. My friend ordered the turkey tenderloin, but was so weirded-out by the tuna experience that she was unable to eat except for a few green beans. I ate all of mine. When the waitress finally returned to clear plates she said, again, in that tone, “Well, I really don’t know what to do here, I’ve never seen anyone not eat before.” My friend politely asked for a box and explained that the tuna didn’t sit well with her, that it had tasted spoiled. Our server replied with a flip, “sorry”.

We were served dessert and the check at the same time, but never asked if we would like coffee, which I did. Perhaps I would have told her, except that I couldn’t catch her anywhere near our table. It was like she couldn’t wait for us to get out of there. I keep reflecting on last night and feeling like it was a huge waste of time and money. Too bad, as it was an $100 meal, which for me as a student is quite a splurge and I was looking forward to a nice relaxed dinner with an old friend.

[lizard]

Lainer,

So sorry to hear about your experience. I would seriously consider circling back with Cascadia's management AND the organizers of 25 for $25. Unlike other cities where the number of restaurants is unlimited, participation in the Seattle event is a privilege that can be taken away.

If possible, try to get the name of your server (look on your receipt) and give it to the management. There are dozens of restaurants clamoring for those 25 spots, and they'd be interested to know that their poor service put their status in jeopardy.

It's a bit too late now, but I will tell you that we enjoyed a fabulous 25 for $25 meal at Flying Fish last week. Their service and selections were impeccable. Next time around (March '06, I think?), pay close attention to the "secret shopper" reviews. They give feedback on the actual diner experience. Cascadia's review was noticeably absent this time.

[little ms foodie]

Have you thought of talking to the manager about your experience? It sounds like most of the problem was with the server (and the tuna) and they would probably like to know about that.

[kgaddis]

This not the first time that I have heard of substandard service at one of the participating 25 for 25 restaurants. The servers often act as though you are only out to save a few bucks, therefore you are cheap and probably won't tip. I agree with Lizard, and I think you should mention that it is all too common a problem.

So many restaurants do it soley for the purpose of getting people in the door for a first time, and to get rid of weekend inventory, they forget that whether or not the guests come back is what really matters.

[Foodie-Girl]

I would definitely contact Chef Kerry Sear personally and report on this unhappy evening.

I know I've recommended Cascadia numerous times and this is not a typical Cascadia experience. (at least at the 10+ times we've dined there)

I've also taken cooking classes at the restaurant I found Chef Sear to be very much interested in feedback from both class attendees and diners.

[tsquare]

The sad thing is, Cascadia has a $25 dinner every night of the year (excepting holidays and when they are closed) so they are used to diners ordering that type of thing. I would just avoid it during the promotion as the place does get crushed.

I have to admit I didn't do a single meal of the promo type last month, though I attempted a lunch at E&O, and had a bite at the bar at Zoe. I also noticed Union didn't do the business they have in the past when they tried to compete with this.

I did go to La Medusa for Couscous night. Wednesday's $25 three course meal. Pretty good, not too busy, a nice change of pace.

[MT-Tarragon]

I went for a 25 for $25 dinner there a few years ago with a group of 6 friends, and we were all underwhelmed. None of us have gone back. I hadn't mentioned it before because everyone seems to think they are so great.

[wonderbread]

I've eaten at Cascadia at full price, and during the $25 deals. I wasn't blown away by the $90 tasting menu I had, but the food I had during the $25 promotion was definitely substandard. I ordered a turbot that was past its serve-by date - very fishy. My friends who ordered the same dish had the same problem with theirs. I was surprised, since the restaurant seems to pride itself on local fresh ingredients.

I've had a positive experience with the happy hour, but I don't plan to return for dinner.

[hungry_moose]

Oh-oh, this is bad news for Chef Kerry. I had "chilly" service there before and my sister and hubby recently dined there (they ordered off of both full menu and $25 menu) and was not happy with their meal. They are not going back and it was their first experience at Cascadia. I am not in a rush to go back there either, maybe for the sliders and other bar menu, but not for the dining room. I will print out this post and send it to Chef Kerry as an FYI.

-Moose

[LainerX]

Well, to be fair, I didn't complain to anyone. And, by not doing so, I didn't really give anyone a chance to make it right. Perhaps I will contact the restaurant and let them know of my poor experience there. Judging by my entrees, I would be happy to return and give them another try.

[Foodie-Girl]

Well, to be fair, I didn't complain to anyone.  And, by not doing so, I didn't really give anyone a chance to make it right.  Perhaps I will contact the restaurant and let them know of my poor experience there.  Judging by my entrees, I would be happy to return and give them another try.

←

In my experience taking the time to complain to the right person (Chef Sear in this case) can turn a disappointing experience to many great ones in the future....

[Sue Flay]

We had a lousy meal there too, last Tuesday, and definitely won't go back (we've just moved to Seattle). We were there for a birthday party and the woman who organized it said the restaurant was very unhelpful--cancelling her original time because it claimed she hadn't confirmed, refusing to have a birthday cake available, calling her the night before the party, after she'd called everyone with the new time, and telling her she was scheduled for the original time, etc. etc. I did the Flying Fish $12.50 lunch the next day though and that was spectacular.