Cassis

When you're on vacation, it's always hard to pick a romantic dinner spot. Recommended to us by locals, my husband and I decided to come and try it out. Using the Yelp online reservation system, making a reservation for 2 on Friday night was easy.

Parking was a little tricky, there is an adjacent parking garage but only for a few cars and meant for compact cars. So leave that giant Hummer at home and bring that tiny eco-friendly car. Who am I kidding, this is Seattle and nobody drives anything other than a bicycle.

Once inside, the atmosphere is dark and cozy. Stand at the very front and somebody will come and seat you according to your reservation.

The menu is French and before you order dinner, look over their cocktail menu and order something exotic. I ordered something fruity and strong, I guess it was good because I don't remember a thing.

Now onto the appetizers: I got the steamed mussels and they were perfect and divine. Perfectly cleaned and perfectly steam they were delectable.

For dinner, I had the duck. Oh my God, can I tell you how much I love duck? This duck was perfectly cooked and moist. It was meaty and tender. Definitely do yourself a favor and order this.

For dessert we ordered the chocolate lava cake which requires about 15 minutes ahead of time to prepare. Once you break into the warm chocolatey gooeyness, your mouth will be in heaven. The cake and filling are not overly sweet and yet decadent and leave you with an amazing mouth feel. Mmmm yeah.?Perfectly paired with fresh fruit, it was divine.

Everything here was perfect. The service was impeccable, our water was always filled and our waiter was very attentive.

I will be back the next time I'm in town.

Best 'date restaurant' on Alki? Quite possibly; read on...

Every now and again I have a dining experience that leaves me fairly champing at the bit to share with everyone and write a great review. This is one of those times, and I honestly hope I do this establishment justice.

Let's face it, Seattle simply isn't a French restaurant town. We are lousy with great Italian, Asian, gastropubs, and what-have-you, but as far as French restaurants worth talking about, well, you can probably count them on the fingers of one hand. Happily, West Seattle has one of them, and it's Cassis.

WHO SHOULD GO: Foodies, anyone who's either (1) been to France, (2) wants to go, or (3) just wants an honest French 'bistro' experience.

WHO SHOULDN'T GO: Anyone who regularly patronizes Olive Garden, Claim Jumper, or has ever called the French 'cheese eating surrender monkeys'. Do yourself (and us) a favor, go back to Cheesecake Factory. You'll never 'get' this place.

A little prequel: I love France, and I am partial to any establishment that can truly capture the essence of 'la vie Francais'. One of my favorite movies is the seminal Jaques Tati comedy, "Monsieur Hulot's Holiday". Set in the picturesque village of Saint-Marc-sur-mer, and the bistro of the Hotel de la Plage, this really leaves me longing for the more relaxed times when people could enjoy good food in a relaxed setting with a waterfront view. Happily, Cassis delivers the seaside bistro experience in spades!

THE ROSES: Where does one start??? The space is airy and peaceful, with lovely scenes from French cinema and various art on the wall. Of course the best view is right out front at Puget Sound, with the ferries and all going by. The staff is exemplary from the top down. The owner, Jeff, circulates through the dining room with practiced ease, greeting regulars here, describing a dish there. Whether you're a regular or new, you are truly left with the feeling that your presence here is truly appreciated. The rest of the staff is equally delightful; attractive but extremely professional, you start to wonder if you've wandered into a movie set.

And then there's the food: forget everything you think you know about French cuisine. You think it's complex, excessively rich, and prohibitively expensive? Think again, friendo! There is a reason why, as the book title says, "French Women Don't Get Fat". The dishes here have exquisite flavor, but don't leave you feeling like an Airbus A380 waddling down the taxiway to the longest runway. Our beet salad was such a delight to the eye, it was a shame to eat it. The cream of mushroom soup was light and delicate, with a lovely mushroom flavor. Steak frites featured a cut of aged beef that would be quite at home at Daniel's or El Gaucho (but at a much more agreeable price!), and the pasta special was creative, well-balanced, and well, brilliant! Pastries are well-executed, and made in house, and the kumquat sorbet is nothing less than a revelation!

Another rose is their cocktails and drink pricing. They feature a large list of really clever artisan cocktails at very reasonable prices. They also boast a really fine wine list, but have some very nicely priced house wines for those who understand and appreciate having a ready glass of 'vin ordinaire' to accompany every bite of their delicious cuisine.

The pacing of service is, well, not slow, but it is leisurely. If you've got a curtain time to make, be sure to let your server know, so that they can speed things up for you. Otherwise, sit back, relax, and enjoy a dining experience the way it's meant to be!

THE THORNS: Charging for bread. Okay, I 'get' that better restaurants charge for a basket of really nice bread (in this case lovely demi-baguettes from Tom Douglas' Macrina Bakery), but if you don't think to order it, what will you have to sop up every last bit of their delightful soups, sauces, and dressings? I personally feel there should always be a basket of bread at the table with the meal. Normally, this would cost a star, but Cassis is so exemplary in every other way, I'll let them off with a warning.

THE VERDICT: Alki is lousy with overpriced burger joints, chippies, and pizza. Cassis is the third leg of Alki's triumvirate of truly fine dining (joining Beach Drive's La Rustica and the nearby Phoenicia). I also think it is probably one of the best 'date restaurants' in West Seattle. Seriously, if you want to really impress a 'top chick', are you going to take them to a burger joint, a formulaic 'bro-ville' like Cactus, or are you going to try to show them that you have a little more sophistication than the typical 'brogrammer'? The best part is, it's top drawer dining that won't break your budget!

By all means check them out!

Steak tartar! Five stars. And if you are like me and thought cassoulet was full of tasteless white beans and peasant food then this is the place to reset that. Best. Cassoulet. Ever. Made.

I mean it. Stunning!

Oh! Oh! A special of horseradish crusted sweetbreads! Magnificent!

Delicious food! I'm not fond of French cuisine (only their pastries and other sweets). But I brought my mom to Cassis for her birthday as a special treat (yes prices are on the higher end). I was pleased to find a vegetarian dish that I loved (the lentil stuffed acorn squash). It was the right balance of texture and flavor. The dessert was just as exquisite!

Where do I begin...

Service - good
Drinks - good
Food - dreadful

French onion soup - at a French bistro I don't expect the French onion soup to have onions that haven't been fully cooked, or broth that is bland and under seasoned, but this is what I got.
Cassoulet - this had all the components of a cassoulet, however it fell short when it came to execution. Beans were undercooked, broth was again fairly bland. The pork belly was chewy, and the duck confit was dry. This felt more like a bowl of beans with a little meat on top that was placed in the oven.
Pasta Du Jour - today it was Penne, this was clearly box pasta that spent about two minutes too long in the water. The sauce was pretty bad as well.

I'm not so upset that the food was bad, I'm more upset that someone actually took the time and effort to create this terrible food. Either the chef was off tonight, or he simply doesn't care about the product he puts on the table. Either way I'm terribly disappointed with my experience!

Happy Hour till 6pm was great! mussels were good, cheese platter excellent. The normal entree's, like the bouillabaisse, were on the small side (like appetizer size) for the price, but tasted good. Next time we'll stick with the Happy Hour menu!
Service was good!

Delightful dinner with very good service and delicious food. We had cocktails, pate du jour, two entrees, wine, dessert and coffee.

Of the bajillion places that have popped up in Seattle claiming to be bistros his one really is. Meaning a local neighborhood places with good food and alcohol, but also a place to relax and feel at home. In Paris people feel so comfortable they bring their dogs in and even let them eat from the table(ick).

Hopefully no dogs are allowed inside but this place is cozy warm and friendly. My wife and I both noticed that no one was rushing to leave which meant that everyone was truly feeling relaxed and happy. That's a rare thing to see in this see and be seen, rush and go culture.

The food is really good too. The duxelle timballe is really great with a buttery savory flavor. The beef cheeks confit were good but a little dried out although the rhubarb sauce that came with it was great. There was an okay hamburger and very nice grilled asparagus and proscuitto. We had the beignets and rhubarb crepes with chantilly cream for dessert and they were great.

I can see walking down here on a drizzly afternoon, having some wine and a few appetizers and watching the boats pass by off of alki.

Not your typical fancy French restaurant...
Ok, I've only been here once, but I loved it and will return!
I wish Alki had more places like this. It was intimate, great for a date night, without being pretentious. I've lived in West Seattle for over 2 years, and I can't believe I just now discovered this place.
It appears that the menu changes every month. The duck breast that I had in September is no longer on the menu. But it was truly amazing, and I hope they bring it back. If they don't, I'm sure that whatever else I try will be excellent as well.
Great location on Alki, perfect for leaving dinner and going for a walk on the beach.

Went here a week after they had their grand opening.We expected a romantic dinner atmosphere. After we were seated we knew that was not going to happen. We were seated in the middle of three tables that were less than 30" apart. You got to know the people next to you if you wanted to or not. As the waiter approached we asked a couple questions about the menu he couldn't answer. He promptly grabbed the waitress and she help explain to us about our questions. When the food came to the table next to us it look delicious, only problem was the waiters butt was hanging over our table due to the small gap between tables. This was our biggest complaint. There was no personal space for our meal and felt if we discussed anything the two other tables would be listening.
The restaurant as a whole had a good vibe and was decorated well. Just a bit to small or to many tables.
The food!!!
The food is what made this back up to three stars I was tempted to put four. Everything we ordered was well seasoned and cooked. We had zero complaints on the food. The drinks were tasty as well.
Summery: Great food with a casual/noisy atmosphere. If you want great food and a beautiful view of Alki this is a new place that should do well.
If we weren't expecting a romantic dinner it would have been great, but when you have a date set in your mind and it turns out different it influences your judgment a bit.

I will repeat because they deserve this. The food was GREAT!