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Category: American (New) [Edit]
Neighborhood: Central DistrictTue-Sun. 5:30 p.m. - 10:30 p.m.
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Jason Wilson is serious about short ribs...like really serious. After 24 hours of finely temp controlled braising, they are no longer food - they are an experience. Usually served with a flavorful potato puree, some perfect carrots or microveg - and glazed with a rich reduction, they are the most outstanding short ribs you will find. After three trips to Crush (and two J-Will prepared, underground dinners) I'm a loyal disciple.
The menu changes frequently but there are staples not be missed. Always hit the crudo preparation - like hamachi with chardonnay oil. A rediculous soup - velvety cauliflower with white truffles and d'anjou pear. And of course the short ribs.
At our last visit, we sat at the bar for a serious cocktail and an absurd surf and turf - seared sea scallops with oxtail risotto. Add the complimentary amuse, house made chocolates - and maybe a stop by from the chef - this house on the hill is THE baller date spot of Seattle.
We went to Crush to celebrate the finale of Urban Eats 2009. I was really not impressed in comparison to their normal cooking.
Pork belly is very meaty it needs to cook a bit longer so its not that chewy and the accompaniment is not memorable. My main course Sous Vide sturgeon is delicious. It was accompanied by butternut squash puree and collard green with pancetta, which added a dash of sweet and salty to the main entree. The chocolate dessert is below average. I also ordered the rubbery octopus salad. I was so underwhelmed, especially since I had a much better octopus salad couple days ago at Tavolata.
I am really turn off by the waitress forcing us to order the dessert when we ordered the main entree. And thinking that we wanted to substitute an apetizer when we were adding a 4th course. All the restaurants that we went allow us to order the dessert at end of main course.
People thought this was:
I went here on a Tuesday evening with a friend for the Urban Eats 3 for $30 monthly special. I used to live right across the street, and was always a bit curious about such a classy place in the Central District.
The interior is hip and intimate, and the waitstaff was attentive and friendly (our waitress apologized profusely when she dropped off the wrong check at our table).
Maybe I need to judge from their usual menu, but I was a bit underwhelmed by the tasting menu. The presentation of the food was fantastic, but the food itself didn't seem to match up to the price.
Went to Crush with a friend for the 3 for $30 promotion. I was excited because I had previewed the menu online and their short ribs (even recently written up in Seattle Metropolitan Magazine) were on the 3 for $30 menu! However, when we got there, the menu was totally different. I debated not going with the the promotion so I could do the short ribs...but decided to stick with my original plan.
The atmosphere is great. Simple but fun...a two-story house converted into a restaurant. The bathroom is great...even has a clawfoot tub. I was tempted to settle in for the night.
Food was delish - I started with a pork belly appetizer, my appetizer was hand-rolled pasta with wild mushrooms and my dessert was a lemon olive oil cake with cranberries. No complaints. Be sure that someone at your table gets the ahi tuna....TDF. The highlight was the cocktail menu. Had I not already spent over $70 on dinner, a cocktail and a glass of wine, I probably would have had one more!
Service was very slow, but I didn't mind, as I was willing to make a long evening out of it. Would go back again when I'm feeling like I've got some extra money to spend!
People thought this was:
Definatly more bang for your buck! The amount of money my friends and I spent at Crush for dinner and drinks would have gotten us half that in Seattle's other fine dining restaurants! Portion sizes are normal but still beautifully presented, service was excellent and the energy was high and fun filled.
We arrived on a Saturday night at 8:15 for our reservation The host welcomed us and informed us our table would be ready in about 5 to 10 minutes. He took our coats and gave us a wine list to browse while we waited. Unfortunatly there was really no place to wait but we were entertained with the open kitchen right in front of us! after waiting 15 minutes he came back with a glass of champagne for us on the house and apologized for the wait and it would be a few more minutes than he expected. What an awesome gesture! That made us feel cared for already, before we even sat down!
The decor is modern and chic while keeping the essence of the old house. I would call it groovy sexy!
As soon as we took our last sip of champagne the host returned again and we were seated upstairs. The table was nice and the vibe in the room was good. Everyone seemed to be having fun while the service staff zipped around and hurriedly took care of the tables. Our server came and she offered us numerous options to choose our dining experience and took our water order. The host returned with our water a few seconds later. Wow, talk about team oriented service. In most places the host is just a greeter and seater. ( He also came later to help take our dishes away.) We asked him what he liked on the menu as he poured our water. He told us his favs and also gave us the option to create our own tasting menu. We decided to go with that. My friends and I all chose a dish or two and they did tasting sizes for all the dishes (7 total) for all of us! It was truly amazing. Everything was delicious especially the Scallops and the Duck. We alos did wine pairings wich made for a fun filled conversation with lots of laughter. We can be a sassy bunch with some borderline offensive conversations, and in other fine dining restaurants we can get sdme snooty looks or pretentious glances but not here! The staff smiled and giggled with us occasionally which made us enjoy ourselves more. Some of the food took a while but we barely noticed. Time flew by and the next thing we knew it was 11:30! We had one of the best friends nights out ever that night and thanks to Crush we all left with smiles!
People thought this was:
Ambience: 5
Food: 4
Value: 3
With great ambience and interesting cuisine Crush should be a five star place, but the 3 for $30 was so underwhelming that I'm going with a 4. I hope next time will be better.
I keep in the back of my mind the possibility of the 'fundamental attribution error'. In psychology, the 'fundamental attribution error' is wrongly attributing an action to the inherent characteristic of the person rather than to the circumstance of the moment. For example, when a person cuts you off, the erroneous conclusion would be that the person is a dushbag: attributing the action to the trait of the person. The kinder way of thinking would be that maybe the person has a real emergency and doesn't mean it . This is how I'm treating my experience with Crush.
The four of us went to Crush for their 3 for $30. Situated in a converted two story house, the modern chic ambience was lovely. The staff was very attentive and nice. Some friends had come here previously and spent $80 per person; so, with the 3 for $30 we were anticipating a delicious meal at a good value. It didn't quite turn out that way.
The highlight of the meal was the appetizer: pork belly. Well cooked and seasoned with the right amount of fat for flavor it was memorable.
The main course left much to be desired and a lingering question: maybe it's because of 3 for $30 that they served something sub-optimal. There are two reasons for this. First, three of us went for the three entrée choices: steak, sturgeon, and pasta. All three failed to impress. The sturgeon I thought was just like any other white fish. The steak chewed like low quality meat. The pasta was bland. Second, the sides and the other dish were very good. One of us went for a regular entrée (since we couldn't share that much appetizer). The scallops that she ordered was excellent, cut like a steak and was rich and tasty. The sides that came with our 3 for $30 were good. So this leaves me thinking that, probably for price reasons, they didn't put the best on the 3 for $30 menu (not the first time I've heard of this happening)
The $15 wine pairing that came with the meal was adequate. A nice Riesling and a good Cab, though at the price it wasn't a particularly good value.
All in all, this is probably a case of: you get what you paid for. I may come back here to do a real meal. Maybe then I'll see if my attribution is error or truth.
I've heard a lot of great things about this place and had to try it out. The restaurant is cute and the presentation of the food is nice. However the composition of flavors and size of the dishes do not match up to the high prices they charge. It was good for what it was, I would have ranked it higher if the prices were less. This restaurant does not compare to others in this price range.
I would not go here and pay normal prices. I would however dine here during the 30 for $30 or other promotionals.
People thought this was:
My husband and I were here last night for dinner to try out the Urban Eats menu (3 courses for $30). Despite some of the "just OK" reviews on Yelp for Crush, we decided to try it out for ourselves. We had a 7:15PM reservation and were seated promptly upon our arrival at the tables near the bar. My first impression had me a bit frazzled that it was so loud in the restaurant the lighting was very bright. Into our dinner though the lights were dimmed and everyone's conversations were drowned out by our own.
We decided on the wine pairings for $15 to go with our meal as the glasses of wine were well over $15 a piece anyway. I ordered the pear salad (which was AMAZING) and the homemade pasta dish with mushrooms and my husband ordered the pork belly appetizer and the flank steak. All the food was amazing! While the food portions were a bit on the smaller side, we didn't leave feeling hungry (but we weren't stuffed either).
Our waitress was very attentive and I liked how everyone took a minute to explain what was in each dish after placing it on the table. The wine pairings were also paired to each dish as opposed to 1 set of pairings for all the meals. I don't know if I'd come back here for a full priced meal as all the dinners started at $20+. I would however come back for Urban Eats again.
I really wanted to like Crush more than I did on my first visit but it had promise so I will try, try again, but not soon. I went as part of the 3 for $30 Urban Eats promotion which is a most excellent way to try a restaurant out. I had recently read Crush named as one of the top 10 restaurants in Seattle (!!!) so I was so excited to try it for myself.
What was good? The food was all above average and there were some really inventive dishes. The pasta, pork and sturgeon were excellent. They served small gougeres before we even ordered to accompany our drinks which was a nice touch. My 'Dark and Stormy' cocktail was tart and lovely. I think I liked the ambiance although the outside (older house) didn't match the inside (cool, modern, nice Ikea). The bathtub in the bathroom was fun, too. We took pictures!
What was not good? The service was snooooty. My friend and I are, in my humble opinion, easy diners. We always laugh and joke, never demand, say please and thank you, etc. Our waitress and the bus-girl were very rude, seemed inconvenienced by us and were just not happy to have us there. They weren't even busy! And, I am sorry, I am just not that thrilled to have the least expensive glass of wine on a menu be $14. I have been to many a fine, fine restaurant that had glasses under $10. My alcohol bill was THREE times my food bill and that is not ok. I know that during the 3 for $30 a restaurant has to make money somehow but I felt taken advantage of in the booze department.
I am struggling between giving Crush three or four stars. The food definitely should get four if not five. But, to me, a dining experience is just that - an *experience* - and I left Crush feeling kind of cold and not too hip on returning any time soon. Very disappointing!
People thought this was:
Took my wife to Crush for dinner last night for date night and was thoroughly impressed. I called to get a reservation the day of and it turns out it was the last night of Urban Eats so there were no reservations available until 9:15. I explained that with a 2 year old and 2 month old waiting for us at grandma's that was WAY too late. I told them this would be our first time out alone since the new baby was born. I got a call back later from the host asking what time we would like to eat, I told him we had been hoping for 5:30 and he said let me see what I can do. He ended up moving some tables around and we got in at the time I wanted! Right off the bat, already have to feel pretty good about that.
Thought the house type venue was really cool, and the staff were all very friendly. We both got the 3 for $30 and I got the full wine sampler. I thought that everything was excellent, the pork belly was so tasty, my wife enjoyed the gorganzola salad, I was disappointed they didn't have the short ribs as an option but we both got the steak and we weren't disappointed. Dessert was great, as well as the dessert wine served with it. All around a great meal, great night, and for the price we paid, totally worth it.
Crush is cute, in that it's all in an old remodeled house. You can totally tell, though they've used the upstairs and downstairs space in the probable best way for the restaurant, without losing the charm of it being in a house.
They seem to have the exact same music taste as me, in that they play upbeat jazzy house - there was only one song that I heard in the course of the evening that wasn't in my music library.
Unfortunately, my partner and I had the tasting menu, which should have been outstanding. Instead of being outstanding, it was only good. There was a squash soup with tarragon oil that was quite tasty - it had a little cold crab salad in it that was a bit better after you mixed it in and warmed the crab. Some little savory profiteroles with parmesan and chives on top were astounding. After that strong start, it pretty much went downhill.
There was a pork belly that was tasty and soft, some black cod in a wagyu broth that was very good and quite salty (but in a good way), an unremarkable lamb dish, a berry sorbet with marshmallows, a cheese course that was different for the boy and I (I got an outstanding blue, and he got something hard and pale that I can't recall the name of), and a dessert course that was again different for both of us, but neither was particularly great - a blueberry tart with lemon curd and a peach madeline with marshmallow sheets to help build the tower up. The last course was a few cookies that were pretty dull, and a marshmallow.
Marshmallows kept showing up and after the third course with marshmallows, he was very much over it. I personally hate marshmallows in any form, even though some of them were hard and small and others were larger and fluffier. We agreed that a tasting menu should be the best of the best, and while everything was quite tasty (the cod was so tasty I could take only very small bites - some would call this over-salted, some would call it delicious) it should have all been outstanding, or at least, above average.
Their cocktails were well done, though. The boy had a maple syrup sweetened bourbon, and I had something with rum and egg whites which was quite light and sweet without being cloying.
Great taste in music though, guys!
People thought this was:
The ingredients and the skill of the chefs can't be faulted. For me, everything lacked a certain 'je ne sais quoi' that transformed those into something wonderfully delicious. Portions are on the small side, coupled wth the slowness, I'm glad I wasn't super hungry. For the price paid for dinner, I don't feel it was great value for money. That being said, I would go again, but I'm not clamouring to do so.
People thought this was:
Went for the 3 for $30 and was highly disappointed. Fancy food doesn't mean the service staff should be snobby and unfriendly.
1) I asked our server if they have good ginger ale, perhaps from a local bottler. "No, but we just switched to a new purveyor for ginger ale and it's VERY good." Out came my ginger ale and it was a bottle of Schweppes. He sure made it sound special.
2) I opted out of the 3 courses and instead chose the duck for my entree. As much as I like duck slightly undercooked for tenderness, this was almost rare and as a result, way too chewy.
3) We waited 45 minutes after appetizers and still didn't get our main course. Our server didn't come by once to check on us or to apologize. It was only until we inquired about the wait that he came around to tell us there was a mix-up in the kitchen. He didn't even offer to comp us for a drink or maybe even dessert.
Overall, just a negative experience. I would not go back again, not only because the service was sub par but also because the food portions were small and pricey, yet tasted mediocre at best.
People thought this was:
I know this review is going against the norm for what everyone else is giving Crush, but honestly, I think the place is overrated. Ok, there are a lot of things to like about Crush, especially the location. It's in a cool old house that has been converted into a restaurant, and if you go during the summer they have a fantastic seating area outside in the back. they have an excellent wine selection and the waitress was great.
Now on to the food. This is where I think they are getting overrated. Yes, it's good, I just don't think it's as good as the price says it is. Between two people, a bottle of wine, dinners (I had multiple courses) and desert each, our bill came to $200.00 dollars. At no point in eating did anything touch my mouth that made me say, "Mmmm that is so good." And when I'm dropping two bills on a dinner, at some point I want to say those words.
Will I eat there again? Sure maybe. But I'm not going to go out of my way to have dinner there.
People thought this was:
Unbelievable. This place was actually even better than the hype. As cliche as the saying is, I do wish I had made it to Crush sooner. I chose this restaurant for a celebratory dinner with my gf. We both ordered the four course tasting menu which was fairly reasonably priced, where you choose one of two options per course. When the first course arrived, we joked that we'd have to hit up Dick's Burgers afterwards to be full. Fast forward to the end where we finished the meal satisfied and surprisingly full!
For starters, they brought us a plate of these bread puffs with chives and cave-aged gruyere on top. I could seriously eat 20 of these on the couch at home instead of chips/crackers! The Desserts were also very good, a blueberry tart and a rasberry tiramisu.
For the first course, we both skipped the beet salad and chose the ahi tuna tartare which sits in a sour avocado/tomato bisque. This cold dish really wakes up your palette, and was the perfect start to the meal. For each of the remaining courses, we chose different items and thus were able to try everything listed.
Next up I had the baby octopus which has a nice smokey flavor, along with a small piece of potato, onion, and house-made chorizo. It was delicious!! She had the house-spun with shrimp, peas, bacon, and uni roe in cream sauce which was great. Nothing fancy or exotic here, but quite good.
For the main course I had the salmon which is served with the crispy skin attached. I normally never eat salmon skin, even in sushi, but it worked well in this dish. She had the braised rib which was served boneless, soft, tender, and a gentle flavor. It was a nice combo of textures along with the mashed potatoes and carrots.
People thought this was:
Food is okay but it's way overpriced and the service is terrible!
My journey as a foodie began about ten years ago, when I got into a wine festival at the age of twenty and realized that to fully enjoy wine I'd better cook equally lovely food. And since then, I've nourished a dynamic, ever-changing mental list of places to eat with a reputation for success at a marriage of both.
Crush has been in my mind and on that list since long before I moved to Seattle. So it was one of the loveliest of privileges to sit on the back patio last night, in the early evening warmth, on the night of my thirtieth birthday, across from my most favorite man, and to bask and revel in long-anticipated delight. From the smooth, even service, the lovely wine that opened so nicely, the beet salad with dollops of goat cheese and plump golden raisins, the night was all I expected. But to one thing in particular will I speak....
The gnocchi, handrolled, bathed in a swirl of gruyere and parmesan cream, studded with porcinis and morels and wild mushrooms, finished with truffle oil, was so amazing that it felt like the most natural thing in the world to eat one small bite at a time and sit for a bit quietly to focus on the depth of flavor, the tenderness on the palate. To eat any faster would be to fail to honor the loveliness of the dream. Reverential.
As one should be, when you find something you wondered about for so long really was worth waiting for....
People thought this was:
I just visited Crush last night as part of the Urban Eats deal, which involves 3 course $30 meals on Sunday-Thursday evenings in nice restaurants around Seattle (http://seattletimes.nw...). It's a great way to get "fancy schmancy" food at a more reasonable price!
Summary: My friends and I savored all the dishes/drinks and will definitely be coming back again due to the uniqueness of the menu, quality/freshness of ingredients and attentive service. Plus, they had pop rock chocolate...anyone with the vision to combine pop rocks and chocolate deserves my patronage!
The food: Each course (appetizer, main dish and dessert) for the Urban Eats menu has 3 different unique options not offered on the main menu. Between the 4 at our table we sampled all of the appetizers, 2 of the 3 main dishes and all of the desserts. Out of the appetizers, we loved the celery root salad with braised ribs the most. The amazingly fresh salad and the pork belly grits were in a short second. Out of the main dishes, 2 of us had sturgeon and 2 had the pasta/mushrooms...the sturgeon was extremely tender (more like sushi) and was nicely coupled with the collard greens and butternut squash puree, although i would also have been happy with a bit more of an intense flavoring on the greens. The pasta was definitely fresh and the mushrooms done perfectly, so we were happy with all of them. Of the desserts, I thought the lemon olive-oil cake itself tasted a little commonplace compared to the uniqueness of the rest of the menu, but when combined with the cranberry compote and creme fraiche on the top if was divine. The chocolate dessert was amazing and Jenn seemed to enjoy her cheese, so you can't go wrong with the desserts!
The drinks: our group sampled 6 of the 8 cocktails and 1 of the 2 nonalcoholic beverages. Since I don't like to drink alcohol, I just had sips of the alcoholic items and ordered an UNBELIEVABLY GOOD "apple fizz" on the rocks, which contains fresh pressed ginger syrup along with fresh apples and of course sparkling water. It was incredibly flavorful and actually won the first round best drink award. The rest of the drinks were very unusual (can one be more unusual than just "unusual?" I think so). I know that the whole group loved them all, and one contained egg whites while another featured cucumber. Last note: i know it sounds a little bizzarly attentive, but I noticed that the ice cubes were pretty much perfect shape and consistency and crunchiness for those of us who enjoy chewing on ice, so I give Crush some extra props for that!
Ambiance/environment: as others have noted, the restaurant is located in a converted house, which gives it a nice cozy undertone that warms up the very modern interior design. My first reaction upon entering was, "This is where an iPod would go to eat!" It is mostly dark with space agey-white chairs and tables, which definitely gives it a unique look - again, think the ipod version of a cozy house. Of course, while dining with 2 engineers, the glasses/plates/cutlery became an object of dissection...the glasses were really beautiful and thin, made from some sort of expensive glass...I can't remember the name! We loved them, and the bread plates which are cool and curvy and, as the waitress told us, originally made to serve as cappucino holders. Last note: the bathroom features a 4 claw bathtub. That's cool. :-)
Service: we loved the waiter/waitress and bartender. The bartender himself delivered the drinks and chatted with us a bit about how he came up with them. He seemed to really enjoy working there, as did our waiter. I also love how multiple people delivered the main dish and appetizer and took time to explain them to us and answer our random questions (again: i'm dining with engineers here). We ended up getting in discussions about foi gras, glassware, and dance clubs in Seattle, among other things. We went at 8:15 on a Sunday night and didn't get out until 10:45, which is a little late for my taste...it seemed the waiting time between dishes was a bit uneven, as some others mentioned, but the food was so awesome we didn't mind.
Special note: Pop rocks + chocolate. Seriously! What kind of chef thinks of that? Only an awesome one. I'm definitely coming here again :)
For one reason or another I've waited over a month to write this review. Maybe it's taken me that long to find the words that appropriately define the amazing experience there. Maybe it's taken me that long to remember the copious amount of food that I ate. Maybe it's because I'm afraid that whatever the hell I write here won't do this place justice. And trust me, it won't.
After a week long cruise to Alaska, stuffing myself with mediocre cruise food and watery drinks I was looking forward to spending my last night in Seattle at Crush. Having spent hours reading reviews on various Seattle restaurants, we decided on Crush (it was also one of the few restaurants open on Sunday, July 5th).
We arrived at what appeared to be an unassuming house. Upon entering, we were wowed by the minimalistic white interior and a beautiful bar that overlooks an open kitchen. It was a beautiful Seattle evening, so we opted to sit outside on their secluded back patio. After perusing the menu, we opted to put ourselves in the capable hands of the kitchen staff. They had a 4 course tasting menu that we went for. And since I'm not a sweets person, I was able to sub my dessert for another savory dish (the servers were great all night).
We both started with a signature cocktail. I had a cucumber vodka concoction and the missus had a strawberry brandy something or other (it's been almost a month so I don't remember the drink details). Both were refreshing and there was an element of finesse to them.
A small bowl of "bread" started the food avalanche. It was actually more like an amuse bouche of cheese puff pastry. Incredibly light and tasty. Then a spoonful of tartare topped with caviar and foam was brought out. At this point, I knew that if this continued we were in for a good night.
What followed was plate after plate of O face inducing food-
1st courses- Japanese Hamachi Crudo
Spiced Asian Pear- fresh, clean tasting fish, Ginger & Carrot; Asparagus Soup with Jumbo Crab- very nice soup with a pile of beautiful crab.
2nd courses- Maine Lobster Gnocchi
Lobster Coral Butter, Tahitian Vanilla & Tangerine- buttery, soft pillows of potatoes, the flavor combination's for the sauce was also interesting; Grilled Calamari on a Bed of Chorizo and Onion- amazing! Sous vide calamari that was quickly seared. Incredibly tender. And the spicy chorizo and onions was the perfect condiment. The herbaceous green sauce that everything was sitting on rounded out the dish.
3rd courses- Handcut Tagliatelle Pasta & Caviar Sauce
Sea Urchin Roe & Quail Egg- one of my favorite dishes that night. Sea urchin, a runny quail egg and caviar... seriously?! I'm so glad I replaced dessert with this dish. Amazing ocean flavor from the sea urchin, then a textural pop from the caviar and that silky yoke from the egg. This might be the perfect pasta dish. Very inspiring.; Sea Scallop on Caramelized Onion Risotto- nicely seared scallop, although slightly to brown on top and a little overcooked. Risotto was nice.
4th course- Glazed Painted Hills Short Rib
Potato Gratin, White Corn Grits & Truffle Pistou- I had to continually whack my wife's fork away from my plate... like a pesky fly, she couldn't get enough of these short ribs and rightfully so. Fork tender, sous vide for 24 hours and painted with a dark, rich glaze and dotted with truffle oil... Simple, yet perfect. ; Wild Sockeye with English Peas- nicely cooked and I loved that they kept the skin on. A very light dish in contrast to the short ribs. And it's like a movie opening the same weekend as Titanic... it was hard to pay attention to the fish with those short ribs sitting next to them.
Dessert- Strawberry Tiramasu (I think... I was in a certifiable food coma at this point). I remember the bite I had being pretty good... for a dessert.
The night ended on a perfect note with us sitting inside at the bar, sipping another amazing cocktail, from the incredibly friendly and knowledgeable bartender, and watching the chefs diligently performing their craft. I wish we had another day in Seattle, if for nothing else, to simply eat here again.
That dinner at Crush embodies everything that a good dining experience should be. Perfect, friendly service that is neither pretentious or pushy. Beautiful ambiance in a setting that closely mimics the food. And a kitchen staff that knows how to deliver course after course of memorable, simple, yet delicious food. Having lived in "Wine Country" my whole life, I've ate at some impressive restaurants , but the culmination of the food, service and setting at Crush eclipses them all. One of the best meals of my life.
And knowing that I can hop on a Horizon flight out of Santa Rosa and be sitting on that beautiful patio in a matter of 90 minutes... An awfully tempting proposition. And a trip well worth it.
People thought this was:
Crush is one of my very favorite special occasion restaurants. If you include a bottle of wine it tends to be pretty spendy but definitely worth it.
My last experience at Crush was part of the 30 for 30 deal and we had an outstanding time. Even when they were busy with the special deal crowd we still had fantastic service. I think it's very rare that a restaurant is able to really pull off perfection in service but they did at Crush. There were three separate people that helped our table but they all were available at exactly the right time. They always knew when to stop by and see how everything was going, they were always attentive, and they were always helpful.
I was also really impressed with the food. Too often trendy restaurants serve very little food or food that is all looks and no flavor. Between the four of us we had the entire 30 for 30 menu and everything was great. To my surprise the portions were big enough that we weren't left wanting more but not too big that we left over full.
If you're looking for a fairly intimate dining experience then this is a great place to go.
People thought this was:
I happened to just look this place up because we were looking for a place to eat in Seattle, and how lucky were we?
FOOD:
We had multiple courses and they were all delicious. The portions are all set to be small to accomodate the multiple courses, but for me, they were a little too big. I had the feeling of being stuffed at the end, not a feeling I like having after such a great culinary experience. But I don't necessarily see it as a bad thing. I think it goes to their generosity. At least that's how I'm going to attribute it.
I'd write more, but I think everyone else has done a better job, even listing actual menu items. So yes, I agree with the positive food descriptions of other reviews.
STAFF/SERVICE:
The staff was warm, intuitive and very competent. They didn't have a good alternative for a non-alcohol drinker but suggested a citrus carbonated drink from the bar. It was good at first sip, but ended up interfering with the food, and they took it off my bill when they saw I wasn't drinking it.
OVERALL:
What a great experience! It was a great find for me. Pricey, but not as expensive as it could have been. I can't wait to go back when I'm in town.
Quaint, modern, electric restaurant with a intriguing vibe. Crush is located in a house on 23rd with two stories of space and a kitchen that appears to be located in the space that would have been the living room.
We used the 3 for $30 spring event as an excuse to cross Crush off the to do list. The experience from start to finish was wonderful. The starter, entree, dessert, and complementary ending taste notes were flavorful, detailed, and unique.
My dining partner and I had had the Carrot Soup, Seared Nantucket Bay Scallop & Tarragon Crème Fraiche and the Braised and Grilled Berkshire Pork Belly with Pinata Apples, Parsnips and Bourbon Glaze starters. We also enjoyed a seafood main dish, and meat based main dish, Vahlrona Chocolate & Spiced Chili Cake, and another tasty dessert. Our needs were attended to through out the meal and our wine service was on time and generous. One slight note was that the main dishes were on the salty side.
Based on our experience, Crush is now a favorite and high on my list of best places in Seattle.
Fyi's~
* Reservations are easy to obtain on Opentable
* Crush staff called me back on the day they were closed to assure me they did have the credit card I left
* The available wine flights are a great way to enhance your meal at Crush and are economical- most wine individually by the glass is +10
* The "bar" is a small section bellied up to the kitchen- it would be a great place for a late night dessert or glass of wine while enjoying the kitchen view- few seats
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I've been to Crush twice and both were great experiences. The first, with my wife, allowed us the opportunity to sit at the bar and watch the kitchen staff work their special magic. Our short rib on a bed of creamy mashed potato was one of my top ten lifetime meals. The service was good, though not great - due, I believe, to how busy the place was. Wine list is good and I was surprised that the prices were not marked up higher. The waiter was helpful in selecting wine and steered us to a cheaper choice that was a good pairing with dinner!
Crush is fine dining featuring French-influenced Northwest cuisine. The menu will have something for everyone and the food quality is of the highest caliber. Prices are reasonable for the experience. Expect delicious and visually attractive dishes with great attention to detail.
A minor complaint is the parking challenge in the neighborhood. Though I am not expecting Crush to buy the adjacent dirt lot and pave it, they could provide more hints and tips on street parking.
I'm going to go against the grain here and only give a two star review. There was no one major thing bad about this restaurant more of a culmination of little things, much like the meal.
First the decor was interesting and nice yet the tables are sterile Ikea feeling laminate and the chairs are the most uncomfortable chairs ever. Especially since dinner service was served at a snails pace, almost 2.5 hours for 3 courses. Plastic thrones that felt like child furniture.
There is a fine line that a restaurant can walk with pricing of dishes, I realize there is an artistry involved but at what price. They seem to compensate for all the "freebies" by inflating the price of the dish, as to make it palatable to your wallet.
I had the hamachi crudo, black cod, and pineapple upside down cake. All of which was okay, pedestrian at best. It seemed like it was trying to hard and just wasn't pleasant to eat. Everything had a certain "slimy" mouth feel to it, for lack of a culinary term and over seasoned and then seriously under seasoned.
So all together it was just not worth the $200 for two. I have had better food and service of equal quality at less esteemed and hyped Seattle restaurants.
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What a lovely meal we had at Crush last night. Originally headed to Harvest Vine, but when we arrived were told that it would be about 45 minutes to get seats. (even thought they had 2 seats at the bar and a 4 top on the main floor empty). We walked around Madison valley for a while then decided to try our luck elsewhere. (After about 45 minutes those seats at the bar were still empty...) Called crush and they got us right in.
Boy am I glad our plans changed we ordered 5 of the appetizers, the waitress(who looked and sounded a bit like Jennifer Aniston) offered to split most of them and took charge of the turning them into individual courses.
First came some delicious amuse of gougres with gruyere and chives. I have had a lot of mediocre gougres lately but these were delightful. Light and crisp yum yum yum. Then a second amuse of Steelhead caviar, whipped crème fraiche , and whiskey barrel aged maple syrup. All this accompanied by a delightful cucumber cocktail that was dangerously drinkable.
Next we had some asparagus and crab soup that although I think needed a bit of acid and maybe some salt was delightful none the less.
Two pasta dishes followed one a gnocchi that was the essence of mushroom with morels, oyster mushrooms and truffle oil. The other tagliatelle with quail egg and uni. Both were delicious although the quail egg didn't have much flavor and could have used a dash more salt.
Sous Vide and grilled octopus over house made chorizo was up next and just about perfect. I love the interplay between the smoky chorizo and the octopus one of my favorite combinations of foods. This was cooked to perfection.
Our final course was the foie gras "steak". To be honest I was a bit tipsy by then so am not sure of the components but it was tasty.
We ended with some bites of cheese, St. Auger if memory serves... Perfect.
Each dish was beautifully presented the flavors were spot on and the wait staff delightful. All in all a great experience we will be back.
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I've been mulling over my experience at Crush for the last couple weeks. We went with out-of-town guests to have a fancy dinner. We opted for the 11-course tasting menu without wine pairings. I've had more tasting menus than I can remember at this point, so I think I've had enough experience with the dining style to be critical. The good: the food was mostly delicious, with novel flavor combinations and impeccable preparation. The ingredients seemed to skew local and seasonal, which are huge pluses to me. Serving four desserts simultaneously (as well as four cheeses) for sharing around the table is a wonderful idea. Too many restaurants try to pack on cheese and multiple dessert courses for their tasting menu, which doesn't suit my tastes. Having a bite or two of each cheese and each dessert was just right. The staff were friendly and courteous, and even gave us a complimentary glass of champagne while we waited for the cab they were kind enough to call for us.
Now the not-so-good: the portions were too large for many of the courses. The foie gras alone could have been significantly smaller without diminishing the quality of the course in any way. Most of the fish and meat courses were larger than necessary. By the end we were over-full, something which is not desirable when you really want to savor every course. The service was a little weak, also. Our food came at an erratic pace which leaned towards overlong. We had to wait 10-20 minutes between some courses, which is unacceptable. Our eleven course meal took about 3 hours, which isn't crazy but is on the long side.
Overall I had a good time and enjoyed the food and the atmosphere. I will almost certainly be back, but probably won't opt for the tasting menu again.
Good food, good service, good all around.
I enjoyed my cocktail: rum, ginger ale, and egg whites. The amuse-bouche was also pretty tasty: bacon creme fraiche, salmon roe, and maple syrup. The lobster tail/sweet corn soup appetizer was so smooth and sweet; I could have asked for seconds. The scallops with house made prosciutto were just the right amount of melty and crunchy. The sassafras scented duck was good, but needed an extra kick or crisp.
Dessert was good, but nothing special: I ordered a blueberry tart, and he ordered flourless chocolate cake + hazelnut ice cream. Crush has a pretty extensive dessert wine and liqueur list, which we decided to be adventurous about. I'll just say that it's uncannily ironic that such a volatile liqueur as chartreuse could be made by monks. Monks!
Our server was very nice about answering all our questions and making suggestions. She also called us a cab as we finished dinner. That's money.
If I had one wish for Crush though, it would be that they change their name (and tagline) to something that doesn't sound like a Vegas club.
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Visited Crush in September 2009 after reading up on it -- and all of the rave reviews. As lovely as everything was, perhaps I'm just not *enough* of a foodie to TRULY appreciate every complex morsel?
I easily made reservations via Open Table on my smart phone the day of my dinner. The restaurant is a little house well outside of the downtown Seattle area and best reached by cab if you're not a local. Inside, we were greeted warmly by the staff and shown to our table. First thing I noticed was that the chairs used were the same exact chairs my client rents for their trade show booth! Nothing terribly fancy or plush, but unique and elegant in a minimalist way.
Each course for dinner was beautifully served - -and very small. We're used to seeing ridiculous-sized portions in most restaurants, so this was a huge contrast. Nevertheless, it was a perfect portion.
I started with the Japanese Hamachi Crudo, then selected the seared sea scallops for my main course. All three of us in my party split the a plate of each of the three desserts at the end. Like I said, the portions were quite petite, so it was just enough for a taste for each of us.
Between that, and about 2 drinks each (beer or red wine), the bill came to be approximately $130 for each of us.
This is definitely a special-occasion restaurant, and my clients enjoyed themselves, but I feel much of it was lost on me. Personally, the descriptions of the food and the very high quality ingredients sounded much more impressive on the menu than what I actually consumed. Again, maybe a person has to have a more sensitive, complex and evolved palate to truly appreciate Chef Jason Wilson's creations.
Went to Crush for dinner on Sunday night with two people that are big fans (and friends of the owner). Of course they thought the place was amazing. When we walked in they wanted to sit at the bar. The bar? At first I was annoyed...there are three of us so the only person that gets full conversation is the one in the middle. Kinda lame. After we got up to the "bar" I realized we were watching the kitchen. Ok, kinda cool. That kept me entertained. It also made it a little warm (FYI if you are a person that already runs a little hot....who wants to be sweating on a date). The service was great! Didn't hurt that Jason came over to say hi to his buddies so I would expect we'd get great service...plus we're right at the darn bar in their faces but either way I want to acknowledge it was really good service. We brought a magnum of wine with us. For a starter I had the beet salad which was truly un-freakin-believably WONDERFUL. That was the best part of the meal by far. Do not miss this item. YUM! I forget what the guys had and the website does not have their most up to date menu (Crush, plz fix that) but mine was the best. For the entree I had scallops and risotto. It was good...not GREAT but good. There is a very small amount of risotto that actually comes on this plate. We end up doing a bit of sharing and I was able to part with a whole scallop without thinking twice. At Daniels Broiler there is no way in hell that would happen. Those scallops at Daniels are the best ever (I should review them next!). I got to taste the lamb which was really good and chicken and gnocchi...I lived in Italy and LOVE gnocchi - this was again...good, not knock my socks off great but good. The kitchen gave us a short rib and we all agreed that was probably the best entree. Yum! Thank you staff at Crush!
It was a cute spot, I loved watching the kitchen, the service was great, and the food was good. I think it's a good date spot! Sit at the bar.
Oh, I ended up sitting next to a solo diner named Andrew that works at Serafina. He was so sweet (ok, and cute!). I plan on going there soon to check it out.
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I had a great meal this weekend at Crush. The duck comfit was delicious, they have a nice selection of cocktails (the Bourbon Bliss was a great combination on flavors, like a slightly sweet Manhattan), the service was excellent, and I'm always happy when I can finish off a meal with a cheese plate for dessert.
There was a slight wait (~15 minutes) for our reservation, but I don't begrudge it, and I was just happy to get a Saturday reservation in the middle of the week.
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This place was superb. We had the tasting menu and it was as good as many/any foodie places we've been to (and we've been to many).
Exquisite food, flawed service.
My mother and my girlfriend and I went here for our special dinner while my mother is in town visiting. The space if nifty, modern and spartan. Lots of white, black and beige. We had reservations and were seated promptly and the staff took our orders quickly (we all had the four course dinner). My martini was excellent.
Then things started going wrong. The glass of red wine that I had ordered to come with the spare rib course came with my foie gras (red wine with foie gras? bleh!). Not a big deal with a red wine but what if I had ordered the fish and had gotten a white? Then the red wine that my girlfriend ordered with her spare rib course got mixed up and they brought her white. Then they were out of the white that my mother ordered with the salmon, a fact our waitress did not inform us of, and the sommelier offered another, but it never came. When my mother was 95% done with her salmon she finally told the waitress to not bother with the white wine to which the waitress replied that they were "chilling it". Chilling it? What the hell? Wasn't it already chilled? If it wasn't chilled then why did the sommelier offer it?
Finally I ordered some coffee about five minutes before our desert courses came and I didn't get it until after I was halfway done with the desert.
At a restaurant of this caliber the service is supposed to flow, effortlessly and cleanly. A mixup now and then is fine but here they made one misstep after another. Part of going to a five star restaurant is that you hand yourself over to their power, you trust them to carry you through the evening with aplomb and grace; I wouldn't trust the service staff here with that.
Both of my visits to Le Gourmand have been far better.
Great, five star food Crush, but you need to clean up your wait staff, pronto.
I went back into the kitchen and sure enough Buddha and Jesus were cooking.
For a good night you will spend about 180$ but it will be perfect. Northwest cuisine in a home that has a retro stylish atmosphere. You will not be disappointed. The waitstaff explains everything and are just lovely to listen to. I could listen to the staff tell me soothing bedtime stories about salmon all night.
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The food here sure is good.
I was in the neighborhood, and have had a crush on Crush for a while. Crush's participation in the 30 for 30 Dine around Seattle promotion didn't hurt, either.
The first greeting was a bit rough. At first, when I asked if I could be seated as a walk-in, the host pretended that he had to "check" if he had room before confirming (ludicrous considering the vast majority of the seats were empty). Then, after seating and handing me a menu, he half-heartedly apologized by informing me that they are VERY much in demand. Ok, whatever dude - just tell me if you don't have room, ya know? Don't act like you're doing ME a favor. The whole time I was there, the restaurant filled up slowly, but not to capacity. Still, it seems the place definitely favors reservations, and they did seat me, so ok.
I ordered a glass of the only Cabernet on the wine-by-the-glass menu that was delightful (of course I forgot the name of it, Argh!). It's smooth as silk, light, yet with great depth -- just wonderful. Later I had their Northwest Sidecar, which was one of the best mixed drinks I've had in Seattle. It was an Oregon Brandy with wood infused syrup and apple slices floating on top. Seriously, that sidecar is amazing. They have many great looking "Hooch" specials, and considering all the effort that appears to go into each drink special, with a generous pour at that, $10 each seems like a bargain.
The bread is delicious, with a hint of rosemary (?) and sea salt. And it's served with SOFT butter -- big bonus for that -- I don't understood rock hard butter with bread -- just doesn't seem natural to me, so good for them... and me.
For the appetizer, I ordered the pork belly. It was moist, but with a crust on top that was a bit difficult to cut into. Still It had the perfect balance of opulent flavors complemented by the sauces laying around it.
My next dish was the flank steak. These little cutlets of steak lay atop pureed potato with a condensed lamb juice sauce (I think that's what the waiter said). Amazingly moist and flavorful.
My last dish was dessert -- the beignets. Four delectable beignets (little doughnuts, basically), were surrounded by jam, nuts, powdered sugar, and melted chocolate -- take your choice. Every element of this dish was wonderful, and I loved the clever, yet useful presentation with a line of jam on top, a line of nuts on bottom, and the chocolate in a mini-bowl -- so if you don't like something, it won't mix in with the rest. Perfect example of form and function in a dish.
Once seated, the service was attentive, but it was not quite as comprehensive and polished as what I found at Rover's -- still, aside from the initial greeting, the service really was a high caliber.
I was completely satisfied as I left this little house turned restaurant on Madison. This is the stuff that food is made of.
Driving home down Denny, the sun was setting over the purple Olympics, with the shadow of the city and space needle in the foreground, and the song "This is the Life" playing on KEXP.
And all was well with the universe.
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Easily one of my new favorite restaurants in Seattle. I went here with some friends for the 30/$30 promotion (http://www.dinearounds...) and could hardly have been more impressed.
One area where I think this restaurant stands head and shoulders above others is in service. Ever-present but not overbearing, we spent the entire evening feeling like we had a private staff, each of whom was assigned a different task in keeping us attended throughout our meal: refilling water; refreshing bread; clearing plates -- they managed to keep things moving at a comfortable pace without us even noticing. I think even if the food were only mediocre I would be tempted to come back to this restaurant for the sheer comfort and quality of the dining experience.
Fortunately for me, the food is also quite excellent! Each dish clearly had a lot of thought put into both composition and presentation, with novel blends of flavor mixed with conventional favorites. I thought my pork belly appetizer couldn't be topped but admittedly I was somewhat jealous when one of my companion's carrot soup and scallop arrived. (Not sure where else I have seen carrot soup, and certainly not paired with a scallop!) The same was true of the mushroom pasta and flank steak entree representations at the table. It's always good when you can like everything that is brought to you!
The cocktails are fashionable and classy - we had one topped in maraschino foam and the pear infused vodka came with a delicious slice of fresh pear in it.
If I were forced to choose a slightly weaker link in my evening's menu, it may have been the chocolate cake I ordered for dessert - which, while beautifully presented was a little dry and could have benefited from chocolate chips, less time in the oven, or more ice cream.
A bit pricey for an everyday meal but Crush is most definitely one of my top special occasion destination recommendations if you should find yourself in Seattle.
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Alright Crush, you win. You had me at the plate of tiny Gruyere cheese puff pastries that showed up pre-appetizers. If I could shave off a 1/2 star for the reservation debacle, I would, but I just can't give you 4 stars for a 5-star meal.
I'm going out on a limb to say this was the best meal I've had in Seattle. The food was divine, and the service was a dream. Four of us went to celebrate a birthday with their Dine Around Seattle pre-fixe menu (sorry about that cold Maggie B. - we missed you). I had the salad with Chevre (awesome), the flank steak (this can't be flank steak, far too tender), and the beignets (mmm, donuts). I also opted for the wine pairing, which was perfectly complementary. Oh, and after dessert, they brought us another plate of tiny treats! Cookies, who knew they could be that cute?
I find myself in a very rare circumstance of having not one thing to complain about. I loved it.
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I haven't eaten there yet, but Crush is getting 2-stars for making it impossible to make a… Read more »
5 stars is a big statement but Crush always delivers. And they just made a great restuarant even better by adding outdoor seating out back.
Every bit of our meal last night was outstanding; starting with an amazing amuse-bouche, definitely one of the best I have ever tasted: salmon roe on creme-fraiche with a reduction of bourbon and honey. Wow, really good.
The fried sweatbreads were fantastic - highly recommend them. The beet salad was really fresh and not your typical take on the popular salad. Black Cod with sea beans was great as was my wife's lamb loin with fava beans. Both offered local, fresh, spring veggies.
You can't go wrong with any dish there. Even the bread with Hawain black salt was fantatic. Its pricely but great.
Amazing experience... and after eating in most of NYC finest I was delighted to experience CRUSH!
They have everything I look for in a fine dining establishment from the sumptuous food, artistic presentation, professional service and attention to detail.
Well worth the trip.
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Okay so I am cutting and pasting my old reviews from http://citysearch.com over here to Yelp because the former is so 2002 and it is NOW a Yelp world. I ate at Crush again after this less-than-desirable night and the food was phenomenal as usual! Minus one star for that off-night.
I ate here before and it was fantastic. Unfortunately on this busy Saturday night, we couldn't even… Read more »
"As good as it gets" pretty much describes this place. Came for the 3 for 30 and it was spectacular. Left awe inspired, and perfectly full.
It's really hard to find fault. We didn't have reservations but got a neat little table in the kitchen area. This turned out to work really well in our favor. We also did the wine pairings for $18 (2 pours we were told), not bad considering some of the bottles of wine available went for between $2200 and $3000.
We both got the "Braised and Grilled Berkshire Pork Belly with Pinata Apples, Parsnips and Bourbon Glaze" which I could only describe as "Super Bacon". As our waiter described it was basically the holy grail for any pork lover. Very tender, initially appeared small but the flavor was so concentrated it was amazing. Preceding the pork was our first wine pairing.
As we were anticipating the entreé, we got our second glass of wine and then our first surprise showed up! We got this amazing surprise mushroom/gnocchi dish from the kitchen that was amazing. I wish I could have seen the look of delight on my face because these were incredible, so delicate yet flavorful.
Time for the second surprise, and entreés. I got the fish which was originally the cod, but that wasn't available so they had a rockfish prepared in the same fashion. It was good but nothing out of the ordinary I guess. My friend had the steak which she said was really really good. I tried some of the potatoes and they were really creamy. The second surprise, was a third glass of wine :)
Last but not least, we were still salivating over the appetizer and gnocchi we got the Vahlrona chocolate cake which was to die for. It was intensely rich and flavorful. I guess I could find fault that the cake itself was a bit dry, but the ganaché was incredible. The spiciness left a nice finish and paired handsomely with the chocolate.
Just as we were getting ready to marry our waiter, we got 5 little candy after dinner bites. A little nut brittle a honey-marshmallow, a lime "melt-away", and a red pepper macaroon (can't remember #5). The most interesting was the macaroon which had this bizarre unique taste a little bit sweet a little bit peppery. Very creative, but not super delicious a very unique finish indeed.
Other notes, the (tap) water came in these cool bottles but wasn't super cold, we probably could have sprung for the higher quality imported water but I think a restaurant should have a good cold filtered tap water (minor quibble). The bathroom was inviting and had a unique little lighting fixture. Also we gave our coats and were returned them (no ticket required). The place is a wee bit hard to find, but nicely appointed in an old house in a neighborhood where you might not expect to find such a great dining spot. I'd love to try the regular menu when my wallet permits, but until then, this is a MUST for the 3 for 30.
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