SEA: Julia's on Queen Anne (complete with violin serenade)
Julia's on Queen Anne
http://www.eatatjulias.com/_queen/ind...
It's currently a copy of Julia's on Broadway, but maybe they'll update it soon -- their unique QA menu deserves it.
I went to Julia's on Queen Anne a couple of weeks ago for dinner, and it was a very pleasant experience and different from the usual burger fare common to other Julias. My companion and I ate on the terrace which was very pleasant. I thought it might be too noisy, but the fact that it elevated put a certain amount of distance between the cars and us. On the other hand, having eaten brunch inside previously, I find the inside dining pleasant in decor but the high ceilings and lack of sound dampening makes for a very echoing experience, like eating lunch in a museum.
Back to dinner on the terrace. I had the coq au vin and my companion had the pork chop. Both were absolutely wonderful. The coq au vin and the other dishes on the menu fill an empty spot in Queen Anne dining between the fried chicken, pad thai, sushi and fois gras. The service was only fair as I had to ask for water, bread and silverware, but as a new place, perhaps the staff is still working out the kinks. The chef, Frank, came out and chatted with us and revealed that he's trying to make the food at this Julia's sophisticated but still homey and without any froo-froo presentation. I salute him.
BUT, the best part of the evening was the (I swear I'm not kidding) gypsy (or pirate) violinist. He came equipped with his own ipod serving as orchestral accompaniment and his playlist wasn't as much romantic dining music as well, show tunes and pop. That was interesting enough, but the true high point was when he serenaded us with the theme to Indiana Jones naturally followed by the theme to Star Wars. He was so earnest, but I felt like I was stealing ancient relics on the Deathstar armed with a chicken leg. I'm not sure this is what Julia's had in mind when they hired him, but who knows, maybe it was!
Anyway, thumbs up from me!
