How am I doing?
0 Friends10 Reviews
1 person likes my reviews
| What am I eating? | |
|---|---|
| American | 57% |
| Seafood | 52% |
| Northwest | 47% |
| Mediterranean | 14% |
| Sushi | 9% |
| Where am I eating? | |
| Belltown | 28% |
| Downtown | 28% |
| Ballard | 9% |
| Green Lake | 9% |
| Woodinville | 4% |
| Which cities? | |
| Seattle | 21 |
Find Friends
Search for friends on Urbanspoon by alias or email.
Kerana
|
Reviews
|
Seattle reviews
|
Campagne "Hearty French Country (25 for $25, March 29, 2007)" March 30, 2007 - We were glad to score a table on the last night of the promotion in this ever popular restaurant. All the praise for Campagne is well-deserved because of their impeccable attention to detail from the welcome gougère to the goodbye truffle. Their take on the quintessential French starter, liver pâté complete with trimmings, was very enjoyable and better than the oily butter lettuce salad tossed with a few tiny morsels of salt-cured mackerel. The Choucroute Garnie entrée, sausages and cured pork with sauerkraut, came highly recommended but the preserved meats did not appeal to me as I am a believer of “the fresher, the better”. More agreeable was the Boeuf Bourguinon, succulent fork-tender chunks with mushrooms, outstanding with a glass of Bordeaux. Divine desserts of warm chocolate cake and blood-orange tart brought a satisfying evening, and month, of bargain fine dining to an end. |
|
Flying Fish "Scrumptious Lunch (25 for $25, March 14, 2007)" March 30, 2007 - Flying Fish’s marvelous lunch offering is a dying breed among the 25 restaurants. Consequently, I feel somewhat guilty for what I have to say...The Good: Food and service were top-notch. My husband enjoyed the Crispy Calamari with cilantro oil; the green curry based Thai Bouillabaisse; and the rich Chocolate Parfait with a cute tea cookie. I was happy with the Roasted Beet Salad, though a bit heavy on the dressing; the Mexican White Bass, perfectly cooked and flaky with spiced lentils and carrots; and the awesome Frozen Almond Nougat. Their lunch portions were more generous than dinner at some restaurants.The Bad:We got sticker shock when charged $5.25 per person for tea. Nifty new teapots replaced the old dysfunctional ones but that does not justify the jump from $3.25 for the same teas.The Ugly:The smelly restroom is noticeable even in the dining area so ask for a table far away. |
|
Fish Club "Best Bread (25 for $25, March 12, 2007)" March 30, 2007 - Although we love the inventive seafood dishes at Fish Club, we could almost eat the fabulous bread alone which is usually a warm onion focaccia and a crusty olive baguette. The quality of the 25 lunch this time is better than last November. For appetizer, we savored the rich thick asparagus soup. The Ahi Tuna entrée was a treat, beautifully rare-seared and a decent portion. The Panna Cotta dessert, topped with ginger syrup and fresh berries, was the way to go, compared to the uninspiring lemon sorbet. Our server was excellent, but I can’t say the same of the Maitre D who was missing when we arrived and failed to credit my OpenTable points even after I had confirmed with her that we showed up for the reservation. |
|
Wild Ginger "More Fusion than Asian (25 for $25, March 22, 2007)" March 27, 2007 - Having grown up in Southeast Asia, I can tell you that Wild Ginger’s cuisine may sound Asian but is not always the real deal. That being said, our dining experience was much better than expected. We put them to the Benaroya Hall pre-concert test and they passed with flying colors: thanks to our thoughtful and efficient server. Our favorite starter was the aromatic Cambodian Beef Satay, with a close second the Otak-otak, steamed salmon in a spiced paste with coconut milk wrapped in a banana-leaf pouch. The Satay Bebek appetizer, ground duck on lemongrass skewer, could be more interesting if there was a peanut sauce. Very tasty stir-fried with shallots, garlic, ginger, and chilies: Malacca Prawns (in Malaysia there is no such dish named after the historic city). Rather delectable tender cubes in runny yellow curry: Beef Rendang (should actually be a dark brown dry curry with toasted coconut shavings). Hopelessly bland: Cambodian Steamed Salmon, a Chinese-style steamed fish with soy sauce and julienne green onions. We appreciated the vegetable side dishes that came with the set dinners: Thai Green Bean Salad, Asparagus with Black Bean Sauce, and Curried Broccoli; not bad with the latter bordering on the bizarre because the sauce only had yellow color but no flavor. Overall, I’m glad that Wild Ginger is on the 25 list because it is a beautiful restaurant with an exotic menu. |
|
Ray's Boathouse "Hit-and-miss (25 for $25, March 15, 2007)" March 26, 2007 - Ray’s exudes Northwest charm like no other restaurant on the list, with views of wildlife like seals and herons right by the window. But it’s the exquisite seafood that brings us back every time and the Alaskan Weathervane Scallops entrée did not disappoint. There were FIVE perfectly seared and seasoned large scallops served on top of a healthy helping of vegetables. The Grilled King Salmon, equally impressive, was melt-in-your-mouth tender. Crisp bacon accented the endive and apple salad that my husband enjoyed, while I puzzled over the cold piece of smoked scallop, better if warmed, in my creamy cauliflower soup. Dessert was a bit weak: the Just Chocolate cake, a dark floured cake had overly sweet icing; and the Glimpse of Spring, a citrusy pound cake ring, though tasted ok, sat like a life-ring that needed rescuing in the red rhubarb soup. The wine flight from Chateau Ste Michelle’s Indian Wells vineyards was a good deal at $14 for three generous pouring, and the winery information card was a nice touch. Our server was not present most of the time: did not check on our entrées, or if we needed beverages with dessert, and could not be located when time to pay. The bussing crew and food runners made up the slack so all in all it was worth the drive to Ballard. |
|
Nell's "Neighborhood crowd-pleaser (25 for $25, March 25, 2007)" March 26, 2007 - Nell’s dishes tasted super fresh and the service was speedy and courteous despite a full restaurant. The menu changes every week but their website is slow to keep up. Excellent: puff-pastry sweet onion tart with a drizzle of walnut sauce, seared Mahi-Mahi with fennel and pea vines, and chocolate hazelnut torte with caramel ice-cream. Also good: the asparagus and frisee salad. Other entrees on the menu were a pan-roasted chicken and a risotto dish. Very nice wine pairing for $20; the light Pinor Noir worked well with fish. The tables were a bit cramped on the upper-level corners but they allowed for more of us to partake in this simply elegant cuisine. 1 person likes this review - Recommend |
|
Eva Restaurant "Some fine-tuning needed (25 for $25, March 21, 2007)" March 26, 2007 - Bustling on a mid-week night, we were happy to get in on the last minute, but noticed very quickly that they could use more wait staff. For appetizer, the goat cheese soufflé was the better choice because the grilled Szechuan tiger prawns were disappointingly un-spicy, and the fermented black bean dipping sauce just added more salt flavor. The slightly-seared, rare-inside Albacore Tuna was the star entrée: perfectly executed with roasted fingerling potatoes, mild saffron vinaigrette, olives, and topped with fresh watercress. The Thai Beef salad was missing key flavor components and the beef, though cooked medium was tough. Both desserts we sampled were creative and good—one could actually taste the rosemary in the chocolate rosemary hazelnut tart, and the poached diced apples sandwiched between two meringue discs was finished with relish. Moral to restaurant: omit the Asian dishes; you don’t come close to getting it. |
|
Earth & Ocean "Pleasantly Surprised (25 for $25, March 19, 2007)" March 26, 2007 - I almost canceled my reservation due to poor reviews but I’m glad I gave E & O a chance as neither the kitchen nor the wait staff missed a note on my visit. Great appetizers: Cauliflower Potage was a non-cream soup of pureed vegetables enhanced with some minty green apple pieces, and the salad was a tower of mildly smoked trout. The Wild Salmon Cake entrée, a pan-fried burger-sized salmon patty, tasted fresh and flavorful. All three desserts looked lovely; we envied other choices that were delivered to neighboring tables. The Truffles and Treats, consisting of two luscious truffles and three tiny cookies, capped a very satisfying $15 lunch. |
|
Six Seven "Heavenly Halibut (25 for $25, March 18, 2007)" March 26, 2007 - Six Seven has changed their menu for the second half of the month (I kicked myself for having missed their crabcake offering). Nevertheless, on our visit, the meal was superb—the halibut entrée was perfection: tender and succulent served atop a slightly tart combination of artichokes, capers, hearts of palm and balsamic vinegar that balanced the richness of the fish. This marked improvement over our last visit is attributed to their new chef. The sweet corn bisque was smooth, topped with a delicious crispy crab fritter studded with corn. The spinach salad may be one of the best appetizers yet; it had a sweet touch from the caramelized endive and candied walnuts. The raspberry semi-fredo dessert was so-so. Our knowledgeable server was prompt and gracious throughout. It was hard to imagine a better setting by the window with the sunset over Elliot Bay. |
|
Andaluca "Used to be better (25 for $25, March 13, 2007)" March 26, 2007 - My Linguica Clams entrée had a total of 4 tiny clams and about 15 clam shells. What happened to all those clam bodies? Did they end up in some lucky guy’s entrée that was cooked with mine? The linguini had no trace of saffron flavor and not worth the calories. The tomato bread soup and gelato dessert were decent if not creative. Even the professional service could not make up for the indifferent attitude placed on the food. |