Planning a year's worth of eating out

[lmcsherr]

Crazy, I know, but my sweetie and I are planning to eat out at least once a month for the next year. We figure this will allow us to visit all of the 'musts' in Seattle.

Here's the list of places we want to try, from first to last:
1. Chez Shez
2. Rover’s
3. Mistral Kitchen
4. Georgian Room
5. Kingfish Café
6. Matt’s in the Market
7. Copperleaf
8. Salty’s at Redondo
9. Serafina
10. Mama Melina’s
11. Café Campagne
12. Restaurant Zoe
14. Crow
13. Steelhead Diner
14. Crow
15. Lark
ADDED: Tilth, Olivar, Dinette

Any thoughts on the order we're going to be trying these in? Any place we left of the list that is a 'must'? (We don't consider Asian to be a 'fancy dinner out' meal. Not saying it isn't, just saying we don't think of that cuisisne when wanting a fancy meal.)

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Restaurant Zoe
2137 Second Avenue, Seattle, WA 98121

Steelhead Diner
95 Pine Street, Suite 17, Seattle, WA 98101

Campagne
86 Pine, Seattle, WA 98101

Mistral Kitchen
2020 Westlake Avenue, Seattle, WA 98121

[lmcsherr]

UPDATED List

We've crossed a few places off of our list, reviews posted to the board.

1. Chez Shez -- done
2. Rover’s
3. Mistral Kitchen
4. Georgian Room -- reservations coming
5. Kingfish Café
6. Matt’s in the Market -- done
7. Copperleaf -- done
8. Harvest Vine
9. Serafina -- done
10. Mama Melina’s -- removed from the list
11. Café Campagne
12. Restaurant Zoe
13. Steelhead Diner
14. Crow
15. Lark
16. Tilth
17. Olivar
18. Dinette
19. Cantinetta
20. Il Terrazo Carmine
21. Andaluca
22. Spinasse
23. Cafe Juanita
24. Boat Street Cafe

Alternates:
Salty’s at Redondo -- removed from list
Volterra

We've been to:
Waterfront Seafood Grill
Canlis
Tilikum Place Café
Melrose Grill
Il Bistro
The Pink Door
Cutter's
Etta's
The Dahlia Lounge
Palace Kitchen
The Brooklyn

The year is running out -- we might not get to everythign!

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Canlis Restaurant
2576 Aurora Ave N, Seattle, WA 98109

Palace Kitchen
2030 5th Ave, Seattle, WA 98121

Harvest Vine
2701 E Madison St, Seattle, WA 98112

Pink Door
1919 Post Aly, Seattle, WA 98101

Restaurant Zoe
2137 Second Avenue, Seattle, WA 98121

Cafe Juanita
9702 NE 120th Place, Kirkland, WA 98034-4206

Steelhead Diner
95 Pine Street, Suite 17, Seattle, WA 98101

Waterfront Seafood Grill
2801 Alaskan Way, Seattle, WA 98121

Spinasse
Seattle, WA, Seattle, WA

Olivar
806 E Roy St, Seattle, WA 98102

Il Bistro
93A Pike Street, Seattle, WA 98101

Andaluca Restaurant
407 Olive Way, Seattle, WA 98101

Boat Street Cafe
909 NE Boat St, Seattle, WA

Campagne
86 Pine, Seattle, WA 98101

Volterra
5411 Ballard Avenue NW, Seattle, WA 98107

Dahlia Lounge
2030 5th Ave, Seattle, WA 98121

Melrose Grill
819 Houser Way Sd, Renton, WA 98055

Mistral Kitchen
2020 Westlake Avenue, Seattle, WA 98121

Copperleaf Restaurant
18525 36th Ave S, Seattle, WA 98188

[Thiebaud]

How fun!

I'd remove Crow -- just went there and it wasn't good at all.

I'd add Art of the Table, Book Bindery, and maybe Sutra.

About Matt's in the Market -- "Matt" has left and started Lecosho. I've heard that Matt's in the Market has since gone downhill, although I haven't checked it out myself.

Cheers!

[mrnelso]

Art of the table is a treat. Try Happy Monday.
Paseo is completely necessary, but do plan to take it home for re-plating (be ready to use lots of dishes). It's just a crime to present this wonder in Styrofoam in a fractious room with bad tables.
Bizarro is worth a look, but varies. We've had perfectly wonderful experiences there, but see that your mileage may vary, as has ours.
Perche No (why not?) is lovely. You'll see things on this menu you never knew existed.
If a sandwichy thing works, see Baguette Box, in Fremont or downtown. Another great sandwich is the Reuben at George's deli, on pill hill - be ready for the full Bavarian experience.
If divey works. have fish & chps at Pacific Inn, on Stone Way (or maybe Stone Avenue), and their grilled Reuben.

The proprietors are ASIAN

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Baguette Box
1203 Pine St, Seattle, WA 98101

[lmcsherr]

Yeah, we didn't much care for Matt's when we went -- Chez Shea was far better.

I'm adding your recs to our 2011 considerations. :-)

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Chez Shea
94 Pike St. Suite 34, Seattle, WA 98101

[Thiebaud]

:-)

Another thing: The chef that made Harvest Vine so great has left, and I have no idea what it's like now. Anyone been there lately?

Lecosho was excellent when I went there, by the way. The best pork dish that I've had in Seattle (you can't go wrong when the name of the restaurant means "pig"). I had the pork chop because I didn't think I could handle the richness of the porchetta.

[Tom Armitage]

Is the food still good at Harvest Vine? Yes. Is it as good as when Joseba Jiménez de Jiménez was there? For most dishes yes, for a few others, perhaps not quite. But the difference isn’t dramatic, probably because Jiménez de Jiménez’s right-hand man for many years, Joey Serquina, continues to supervise the kitchen, and he carried a lot of the day-to-day responsibilities even when Jiménez de Jiménez was around. On recent visits, some Harvest Vine classics weren’t available, like the fabulous Galican-style octopus (“pulpo a feira”). The explanation was they didn’t have the freezer space to handle the large volume of octopus required for a purchase from their supplier in Spain. However, I recently saw a picture on Fickr of octopus that appeared to have been served last February, and I verified with the restaurant today that the pulpo a fiera is back on the menu. Hooray! I also like the Saturday and Sunday brunch at Harvest Vine. It’s quite a wonderful and delicious departure from most brunches around Seattle.

[Thiebaud]

Thanks! (Sorry this reply is so belated.)

[calmossimo]

I really enjoyed the butter sage pasta at Spinasse. I was at Olivar for New Year's Eve this past December and had the special prix fixe menu -- everything was well done, except I should have balanced out the heavy/fatty and lighter fare because I ended up switching a few plates with my dining partner to counter the heaviness of all the foie gras and butter in my dishes.

[Tom Armitage]

Ahhh, Spinasse. I had the great good fortune of eating there twice in one week recently. The butter-sage pasta (“tajarin al burro e salvia”) is a classic and always ethereally good. I have it on almost every visit. My last meal also included the wonderful “Pio Tosini” prosciutto di Parma, the poached egg with fonduta and black truffles, a wild watercress salad, chicken with “negroni” flavors, and exquisite baby turnips. It was an absolute home run from start to finish, with wonderful service to add to the great experience.

[Thiebaud]

Ooh, I love Spinasse, too. I always get the butter-sage pasta along with other pastas. It's great that they have appetizer-size portions so you can order more than one.

Also, just went to Sitka & Spruce last night -- I think that this is a must for any list. The food was incredible and really blew me out of the water!

[bighound]

fun topic. here is my list for 12 months of fantastic dinners.
LE GOURMAND
ROVERS
CAFE JUANITA
MATT'S IN THE MARKET
SITKA AND SPRUCE
HOW TO COOK A WOLF
VOLTERRA
IL TERRAZZO
CROW
MISTRAL KITCHEN
CORSON BUILDING
SPINASSE
now here is a list of great seattle meals, not necessarily dinner, that are well worth planning to visit over the course of a year. you will have great food and spend half as much money overall. all are "musts" of the non fine dining variety. you can thank me later.
PASEO
SALUMI
MARKET GRILL
MIKE'S CHILI PARLOR
PORTAGE BAY CAFE
TOLOUSE PETIT
LOCKSPOT
AGUA VERDE
PAIR
KINGFISH CAFE
MEDITERANEAN KITCHEN
TANGO

[lmcsherr]

I'm really enjoying everyone's comments and revisions. :-)

Last week we hit a few 'old favorites': Melrose Grill and Waterfront Seafood Grill.

Tonight, it's Palisade.

I'll keep updating as we go.

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Waterfront Seafood Grill
2801 Alaskan Way, Seattle, WA 98121

[pusherman]

In the same vein -- what about Elemental, Joule, Jax Grill, Spring Hill, or La Medusa?

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Spring Hill Restaurant & Bar
4437 California Ave SW, Seattle, WA 98116

La Medusa
4857 Rainier Avenue South, Seattle, WA 98118

[lmcsherr]

Joule doesn't appeal, nor does Elemental, but La Medusa does. Jax Grill seems like a duplicate of our 'neighborhood' restaurant, Melrose Grill. Spring Hill also looks interestign.

thanks!

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Spring Hill Restaurant & Bar
4437 California Ave SW, Seattle, WA 98116

La Medusa
4857 Rainier Avenue South, Seattle, WA 98118

Melrose Grill
819 Houser Way Sd, Renton, WA 98055

[Tom Armitage]

Conclusions are always more interesting when you understand the reasons behind them. So, if you don't mind my asking, what is that doesn't appeal about Joule but appeals about La Medusa? Is it the fusion thing at Joule, or the Korean inflections, or something else?

[lmcsherr]

Hi Tom,

Good question (sorry for the delay -- I thougt this topic had died). The fusion thing is usually a turnoff for me -- fusion frequently equaling CONfusion. Also, the asian flavors have often been unpleasant. In general I prefer the European flavors/textures/combinations to Asian.

[Tom Armitage]

Thanks. That's very helpful in understanding your post.

[terrier]

A Saturday dinner at the Corson Building is a glaring omission from your original and updated lists, if it is your intention to visit all Seattle's "musts."

[thelastspike]

I can't recommend Buenos Aries Grill enough, that is, if you love good meat. Here's the website, but don't let the snobby look of it get you down. Trust me, it's not snobby at all.

http://www.buenosairescuisine.com/

Each and every time I find myself in Seattle, I invariably end up there, and am never disappointed with the Entrana skirt steak, the garlic mashed potatoes, and the braised spinach. Pair it with a nice bottle of wine, and you'll have the most wonderful Meat Sweats­™ you've ever had, I promise!

[lmcsherr]

as an update, based on suggestions and further research, our list looks like this:

1. Chez Shez
2. Rover’s
3. Mistral Kitchen
4. Georgian Room
5. Kingfish Café
6. Matt’s in the Market
7. Copperleaf
8. Harvest Vine
9. Serafina
10. Mama Melina’s
11. Café Campagne
12. Restaurant Zoe
14. Crow
13. Steelhead Diner
14. Crow
15. Lark
16. Tilth
17. Olivar
18. Dinette
19. Cantinetta
20. Il Terrazo Carmine
21. Andaluca
22. Spinasse
23. Cafe Juanita
24. Boat Street Cafe

Alternates:
Salty’s at Redondo
Volterra

We've been to:
Waterfront Seafood Grill
Canlis
Tilikum Place Café
Melrose Grill
Il Bistro
The Pink Door
Cutter's
Etta's
The Dahlia Lounge
Palace Kitchen
The Brooklyn

[blue2000]

This is fun! If you are trying to limit yourself, I'd take off:
Andaluca
Dinette
Steelhead (totally overrated, IMO)
Mama Melina
Serafina
Georgian Room

I'd add:
Crush

You have Crow on twice.

Have fun!!

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Andaluca Restaurant
407 Olive Way, Seattle, WA 98101

[Victor Lieberman]

Don't be dissuaded from Steelhead Diner. Like a lot of restaurants that have been around a few years, there are heightened expectations which invariably lead to a let down. But Steelhead is exactly what it tries to be: Good food, honestly prepared and priced, delivered hot to the table and rarest of all: consistent. As I am sure you know, these places are very, very different and they don't do everything well. Like the Pink Door is mostly only ok but they used to have a pasta in brodo with brocoli which was incredible. At Etta's only eat the appetizers or the small plates and share. Il Terrazo Carmine has a terrific linquine and clams. Cafe Champagne is great to sit at the bar and drink and eat a little and hang out. Good luck.

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Pink Door
1919 Post Aly, Seattle, WA 98101

Steelhead Diner
95 Pine Street, Suite 17, Seattle, WA 98101

[landguy]

I can't believe you left off Spinasse, Bisato, and Cafe Juanita

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Cafe Juanita
Kirkland, WA, Kirkland, WA

Spinasse
Seattle, WA, Seattle, WA

[lmcsherr]

I didn't know about them!
Spinasse looks yummy, if complicated. I can't find a menu for Bisato, so we'll have to pass on it. Caef Juanita also looks yummy. thank you!

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Spinasse
Seattle, WA, Seattle, WA

[Lauren]

Here's Bisato's menu: http://www.bisato.com/

[lmcsherr]

THANK YOU!

ok, another to add to the list . . . .

[GreenYoshi]

Dinette's nice, but I feel like it's more "casual meal" than it is the kind of fine dining the rest of list seems to be.

And if you're doing fancy, why not throw Canlis on there as the topper?

[equinoise]

I agree with both points re: mamma melina and dinette. Italian at Il Terrazo Carmine is very good. I also think the upstairs fine dining campagne suits you more so than the casual cafe. Kingfish is also casual and the food isn't very memorable, IMHO. Crush is must do for me, and I'd add Joule and Monsoon/East as knock-out asian-inspired options that are not especially fancy in ambiance.

[lmcsherr]

I'd forgotten about Il Terrazo Carmine! Oh, and Il Bistro.

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Il Bistro
93A Pike Street, Seattle, WA 98101

[GreenYoshi]

I haven't tried Mamma Melina's since they move down to 25th, but at their old spot on Roosevelt, they were mediocre at best.

Cantinetta (which some people haven't liked, but I've enjoyed) and Tavolata would probably be my choice for better italian. Maybe Volterra.

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Volterra
5411 Ballard Avenue NW, Seattle, WA 98107

Tavolata
2323 2nd Ave, Seattle, WA 98121

[christy319]

Or La Spiga. Yeah, Mamma Melina was bad 15 years ago, and I haven't heard anything to change my mind about them since.

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La Spiga
1429 12th Avenue, Seattle, WA 98122

[GreenYoshi]

I've actually been kind of disappointed with La Spiga the last couple of times I've gone (definitely left them off on purpose...). The pastas weren't as rich and well textured as I remember them being, and the meats weren't as well prepared as I had hoped. Used to love them, but now only kind of like them...

The cocktail bar is nice though.

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La Spiga
1429 12th Avenue, Seattle, WA 98122

[lmcsherr]

thanks for this feedback -- Tavolata doesn't appeal, but Volterra does.

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Volterra
5411 Ballard Avenue NW, Seattle, WA 98107

Tavolata
2323 2nd Ave, Seattle, WA 98121

[lmcsherr]

P.S. There are a number of places we've already been to, and enjoyed.
Canlis
El Gaucho
Tilikum Place Cafe
Waterfront Seafood Grill

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Canlis Restaurant
2576 Aurora Ave N, Seattle, WA 98109

Waterfront Seafood Grill
2801 Alaskan Way, Seattle, WA 98121

[lmcsherr]

We've also been to Il Bistro and The Pink Door.

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Pink Door
1919 Post Aly, Seattle, WA 98101

Il Bistro
93A Pike Street, Seattle, WA 98101

[Lauren]

Salty's needs to come off for sure. And possibly Mama Melina's. There are so many I would add: Anchovies and Olives or How to Cook a Wolf, Corson Building, Boat Street Cafe, Bastille, Cantinetta and Joule are one's I can think of off the top of my head.

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Boat Street Cafe
909 NE Boat St, Seattle, WA

[lmcsherr]

No interest in How to Cook a Wolf or Anchovies and Olives (sorry, but the menus don't appeal).
Corson Building sounds fascinating. I need to look into that more.
I used to love the Boat Street Cafe, but haven't been there since they moved. Now added to my alternates list.
Cantinetta looks good (added), but Joule doesn't appeal so much.
Thanks!

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Boat Street Cafe
909 NE Boat St, Seattle, WA

[Leper]

I would substitute Harvest Vine for Salty's. (And make sure you budget properly for Rover's.)

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Harvest Vine
2701 E Madison St, Seattle, WA 98112

[lmcsherr]

Harvest Vine is now on the alternate list. And thank you for the reminder about Rover's.

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Harvest Vine
2701 E Madison St, Seattle, WA 98112

[PaqpIn]

Fun idea. I would add Poppy to your list. http://www.poppyseattle.com/
Copperleaf is an excellent idea.

I might suggest that if you are looking for a good basic Seattle seafood place then I would swap Ray's for Salty's - unless you are thinking brunch at Salty's. Just for the general overall experience I prefer Ray's. I also like Ray's upstairs better than downstairs, but it does depend what you are looking for.

You might also want to consider Canlis. http://www.canlis.com/food/

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Canlis Restaurant
2576 Aurora Ave N, Seattle, WA 98109

[lmcsherr]

I have heard some so so reviews for Poppy's, so they didn't make my list. I'll hold them in reserve though.
We've eaten at Salty's in Alki and didn't enjoy it. We'd heard that the chef at Redondo is really passionate, so I'd put it on my list. May reconsider that choice.

[pairswellwithwine]

I would add Tilth, Olivar and Sitka & Spruce. I am dying to try Dinette, All my friends rave about it but I have not been yet, so I can't assertively recommend it.

I have only done the Georgian room for Xmas Eve. The service was excellent, I wasn't that impressed with the food though.

This sounds like something I would do. This year I bought a mixed case of wine on my Birthday and each month on the 12th we drink a bottle.

I hope all your meals are fabulous.

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Sitka & Spruce
2238 Eastlake Ave E, Seattle, WA 98102

Olivar
806 E Roy St, Seattle, WA 98102