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Category: American (New) [Edit]
Neighborhood: Eastlake
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One of the best parts of dining here is that each employee is really invested in the food. The chef is usually in plain view, and the food can be ordered by size, like if you're just a touch hungry you can order a small size of duck confit but a medium size of the potato dish.
Locally-sourced ingredients fill the creative menu which changes daily. No parking, so try to find some street parking in the neighborhood. Can be hard to get a table.
"We bring out the different dishes whenever they're ready"
ok, we're happy to share everything, that's fine
"Here's the plain potato side order dish you've ordered and the broccoli that's also obviously a side"
... 15 minutes later ...
"Here's your main dishes to go with your now-gone-cold potatoes and broccoli"
hmm, 2 stars
Hilarious location should not scare you away, this establishment is fine dining at it's best.
You know the drill, show up BEFORE they open, get in line, and get a seat. Awkward to read, centrally located menu informs you of the daily selection. Food was fantastic, very earthy flavors and simple presentation highlight the restaurants personality. Although there are no wine pairings (or even a full wine list), their few wine choices were spectacular. Prices were reasonable although nothing to write home about. I liked every dish I had! Get ready for an eclectic dining experience, no ingredient is off limits. You're at the mercy of the chef's local ingredients (this is a good thing).
when i am looking for a place to splurge and take my lady out for a nice meal...this place is not about dazzling you with cheesy decor and trendy dishes, just good seasonal, usually local and organic food. one of my top 3 in seattle for sure.
Got there around 7 on a Wednesday night- I guess we're in a recession because we got seated immediately at a corner table under the windows. The staff gave us some time to look over the menu and gave us the option to order all at once or as we went. Very comfortable and easy-going. Our waitress also gave us good wine recommendations.
The food was clean, simple, and delicious. My husband prefers saucier foods, while I enjoy both very simple seasoning that brings out the flavor of the food and complicated dishes. All in all I enjoyed it more.
I like this place but it definitely has a lot of competition.
I had a lovely time here with my dining companion. We were able to walk in without a reservation, but the space is small so if you're not lucky you could end up having to change your plans - they only take reservations for large groups to be seated at their communal table.
The food was marvelous - really nice flavor pairings with high, high quality local ingredients, including some unexpected ones (pickled fiddleheads - now that's a first). Sitka & Spruce does small and medium plates for tables to share and you choose off a big chalkboard. The waiter was very knowledgeable and helped us with some good choices. Service was quick.
I found it a little odd that their moderate wine list was mostly european even though they are 'new american' cuisine, but they did have a special rose from the columbia valley that was really tasty.
I'm being harsh here and staying with three stars. We went there before attending a show at the Paramount and were in luck, there was a table available. We got to share it with another group of four, but that was okay.
We had a bottle of wine, a pretty nice German Riesling, four small courses and a dessert. I was unimpressed by the scallops though the wife quite liked them and I found the grilled asparagus with fried egg much, much too salty. We both liked the rillettes with pickled fiddleheads and I enjoyed the octopus with chick peas a lot. The shortcake with rhubarb was nice too and the espresso was fine. The price was a bit high ($115 plus tip) but not outrageous. So three stars is a bit harsh but maybe we can give them a chance to improve by visiting again.
Do not be fooled by the location of this quaint little restaurant (next to a Subway and mini mart)! This place is as elegant and down to earth as I could ever wish a place to be!
The food, though they lacked on vegetarian options, was delicious and very inventive. The staff were so friendly and played excellent music (Of Montreal and Iron and Wine to name a few).
It's a little pricier than most places I go on a day to day basis, but it was a real treat, and I'll definitely be back when I want to celebrate or have a few extra dollars to spare.
P.S. They change their menu everyday, or so I'm told, and they had several fish options for the pescatarians out there.
I also hear they are willing to put together a special plate for vegetarians every now and then, but don't quote me on it! Oh, and I spied a gorgeous cook back there in the kitchen! Too bad I couldn't tell him how good the food was... or how much fun I had watching him make it!
Don't judge a book by its cover (although I admittedly do this all the time)! From the outside, Sitka & Spruce looks like a dive, since its smack in the middle of a strip mall. However, once you step through the doors, you'll be pleasantly surprised! First off, it's small. So, if you show up at prime dinner hours, you'll probably be in for a wait. They can take your cell phone number and call you once your table is ready, which is a nice touch. The lighting is a little too dark - I suppose they're going for the ambience thing. Dark can be nice sometimes, but that night was a little excessive. Maybe it was temporary? Fine. The restaurant is quite clean and you can see at least some of the kitchen (always a plus in my book). Tables are cramped. If the place is full, you're literally sitting close enough to comfortably eat off of your neighbor's plate.
Most importantly - the food. Excellent. You can tell when a chef puts thought into his/her dishes, and Sitka & Spruce is one of those places. The menu changes daily and they use local ingredients (fresh!). I happened to get the cod and some pasta dish (sorry, I can't remember the specifics). Seasoning was perfect, and the fish was perfectly done. Not too dry. Be warned however - the portions are small for each dish (they're going for the whole "tapas" thing). So, that means you end up ordering about 2 dishes or so per person. This can rack up the bill real rapidly. So, expect the dinner to be pricey!
Service - the wait staff was awesome. Very attentive and well versed in the dishes. If you drink wine, they're also great at recommending wine pairing. I am no wine connoisseur though - so who knows, I'm easily impressed in that department. Quick with the drink refills.
My ratings breakdown (out of 5):
Ambience: 3.5 (crampy tables. Can be quaint and comfortable for some people, but it's not really my cup of tea)
Service: 5
Food: 5
Price: 3
Overall: 4
Okay, I totally get it. It's small, it's exclusive, the menu changes all the time. (There's a place like this in Portland called Simpatica that's very good.) Be warned S&S is very pricey.
The food here was carefully prepared and just anticipating the next dish was in some cases better than actually eating it. In fact, I don't remember what I ate. Nothing stood out as fantastic, but the novelty and freshness of the ingredients made up for anything I didn't love in my mouth. The chef clearly takes the food very seriously ( maybe a little too seriously? )
Our waiter was definitely too serious. He was nice enough but visibly twitched when someone in our party made a mess and then asked him to wipe off the table. The interior is very modern and somewhat stark. I guess that's so people focus on the food more than the ambiance?
3.5-4 stars because dining is more than inventive, fresh food. Minus a star for service blips and the cramped dining room/lack of ambiance. Great bragging rights, but for the scratch, I would probably go to stumbling goat or try a new place.
It's been a year and half since I went here to celebrate my birthday with friends (reserved a table for 5 of us). If it wasn't so long ago, I'd write a more detailed review, but it still remains the best meal I've ever had. I recommend going with a big group who are open to eat anything and share plates.
My wife and I have been here 4 times. If I had written this review after the first time it would have been a solid 5. Amazing food. The second time was great, but just a tad under the first. The last two times left us wondering if Sitka and Spruce was headed into the solid average range. Our feeling is since the chef opened the Coarsen Building, his attention is divided. S&S has suffered. We'll go back. But I actually chose not to take out of town guests here recently because it has become so much less than it can be.
Overall, go if you've never been. But if you were there a year ago, you might wait until things turn around, so your memories of how good it was don't get off colored.
Like everyone else has said, the food is fantastic, changes daily and the menu is creative (although really hard to read...seriously, can someone with better penmanship write on the chalkboard already?) We had chicken gnocchi, octopus and chickpeas and meatballs w/couscous. It was all fantastic and well-prepared. The host was gracious and friendly.
My only complaint has nothing to do with the restaurant but for any and all of you planning to eat here: this place is quaint and tiny and people wait foreeeever to get a table...so after you're done with dinner, have paid your bill and now want to sit and talk until you're blue in the face, please GO SOMEWHERE ELSE TO DO IT! For the love of Pete, we got there early, were supposed to eat at 9:30 and were finally seated at 10:15. We watched 2 ladies gab for over an hour after finishing their dinner, knowing there were several people waiting to sit down and eat before hypoglycemia set in and someone dropped to the floor. "Blah blah blah, oh my gawd, blah blah blah." Yes, shut the hell up and GTFO. See how angry I get when I am so hungry I might pass out?
For future reference, while you are waiting for your table or want to continue your long ass conversation past dinner, there is a lovely coffee shop right across the street called Voxx that not only has great coffee but plenty of seating and you can see Sitka & Spruce right across the street.
So, go...eat a wonderful meal and then get the hell out. Thanks. :-)
I came in with two friends and we sampled most of the menu and three bottles of wine. All amazing. Seriously AMAZING! Possibly the best meal i have ever eaten! I know one of the cooks personally and he is fantastic. So fresh and full of flavor. Everything was incredible. The only thing i wasn't crazy about was a dish of peas and a poached egg. It was still good but just couldn't stand up to the perfection of the rest of the meal. I will definitely be back!
"We should try...(insert well raved restaurant here) next time" Sitka & Spruce was one of those places.
My friend and I decidd that Sitka would be such the place to try out to celebrate her birthday. Off we go to the rustic oasis in a stripmall. Thank gawd for the recession, we got a table straight away. Our server was friendly and warm, good balance between attentive and leaving us alone.
We started with Baby Butter Lettuce and Green Goddess dressing...not quite sure what exactly went into 'Green Goddess' but the addition of the marcona almonds balanced out the tartness of GG. Tasty, not extraorindary. Then there was the Hanger Steak...a little on the rare side - again, tasty but not extraorindary.
But the Strawberry Chicken and turnips..now that was yummy. Still not extrorindary but it was...very very yummy. I have never had radish in that way but it was surprisingly good soaked in the broth of the chicken. The radish wasn't mushy, and perfect amount of crunchy. mmm.....
Glad I tried it, but I don't have to go back. I also wouldn't need to be dragged there kickin' and screamin either. Overall A OK.
What a pleasant surprise! Look beyond the strip mall-ish restaurant front and experience the inventive menu and good service. We walked in on Saturday, put in our name and went across the street for a drink. They called us 30 mins later when the table is ready.
We had a party of three, ordered 5 dishes...
Scallop crudo(5 stars!), grilled octopus and chickpeas, grilled beets and carrots, emmer wheat salad with poached egg, leg of lamp. Favors were mostly Mediterranean, fresh ingredients, very well prepared. Even though the carrots and beets dish was kind of plain, the other dishes made up for it. Our waiter made good suggestions on dishes and wine and it was a nice change to have dinner at an intimate one room restaurant, kind of feel like a dining room at home, but with service and dim lights.
Price is a little high, but I would be glad to come back. Warm atmosphere, not pretentious at all. Makes a romantic restaurant, but we saw a party of 6 celebrating a birthday as well. Do go and try it to support this amazing restaurant. I look forward to the new menu at my next visit.
My favorite restaurant in Seattle. It is hard writing about the food because the dishes varies with seasonal ingredients and the chef, Matt Dillon is a creative genius.
Menu is written on the chalkboard and offered in small or large plates. I recommend the sharing small plates with fellow diners.
I don't think they take reservations for parties smaller than 6, so get there early for the first seating.
All of us are in love with the host, and yes, while I realize he is taken by a lucky lady down at the Courson Building, one can always hope! (btw, he's a cross between Josh Groban and that guy on the I'm a Mac/PC commercials who used to date Drew) BTW, this includes the men in our party, I know a man-crush when I see one!
The food was trying less hard but that was a disadvantage this time around. I think that for the money, Elemental is better with it's experimental nature.
We had the beet salad (putting goatcheese on this would have added a star), the lamb polenta (solid), the chicken (also solid), a chocolate ice cream and a tart (meh). All of this, paired with wine for 70 bucks..
Not bad - and they are ever so courteous - I'll be coming back again..
Can I write out loud the thought bubble that was above my head last night? I feel like they're… Read more »
1) Look for the Subway, then go next door. If I didn't know better, I would have missed it completely.
2) Go here with friends so you can try more dishes...they serve family style. Which I learned meant they put the dish in the middle of the table, not that they load each plate with tons of food.
3) Show up on a sunny day so you can be seated right away.
4) Order what the server recommends. Though the menu was small, we weren't going to order everything, so we made sure to not miss the best.
Our server was great--personable, knowledgeable, friendly, and attentive. Our food came out at a really comfortable pace, and it was all delicious.
Here's the breakdown:
- Creamed bok choy with morels and terragon
Add butter and cream to anything and it's delicious!
- Seared scallops with lemon essence and spinach
So fresh, so simple, and so excellent
- Coho salmon tartare (sp?) on a small toast
Again, I don't know what they added to this to make it taste so incredible, but it worked!
- Somewhere in there we had pickled fiddleheads, which I'd never realized were edible, but I really enjoyed them! How many people can say they've eaten baby ferns before?
- Rabbit with some kind of pasta-formed-into-potato-looking-cubes and olive relish
I'm not a game-eater, but the meat was perfectly cooked and again, the flavors weren't overworked. Everything complemented each other.
- Crepes with chocolate and olive oil ice cream
The ice cream was incredible! The olive oil flavor was there, but it had the creamy texture of ice cream. Baffling, but delicious.
- Rhubarb shortcake
First time tasting rhubarb and I think I may have to do it again.
All in all, I highly recommend this place. We'll see how it goes in their new location, but I hope they can maintain the cozy atmosphere and quality menu.
My first visit did not leave a good impression.
nothing was wrong - it's just that nothing was exceptional.
I don;t think of blood soup, pork belly or egg and pancetta as appropriate for summer - even if the soup is served cold. I am a bloody steak kinda girl, but drinking blood just did not sound appealing... I think that is best left to the mosquitoes on a warm summer evening.
The salad was lovely, as I expected; simply dressed uber fresh baby lettuces. it even had a tiny slug who entertained me the rest of the evening. She narrowly escaped the vinegar and I dubbed her Sidney and took her home to live in my neighbor's lettuce patch.
The trout was served whole and it was unremarkable - it did not have the sweet clean flavor i am accustomed to when I eat very fresh trout. The fact that it was rather flavorless, I am assuming because it was overcooked, was compounded by the fact that it was left on my table without an offer of skinning and deboning it for me. That was a first for me when ordering whole fish in an upscale restaurant. I realize the atmosphere is casual, but this just seemed like a huge gaff.
The pasta we ordered was disappointing ,the lovely morel mushrooms were overwhelmed by the addition of vinegar.
Our second salad was a miss as well: I love anchovies and I love raw tomatoes - but they do not pair well together
I did enjoy the two different glasses of rose I had: one French, one Californian, and the server was knowledgeable about them.
The service was fine, nothing exceptional.
SInce the menu changes nightly, I am looking forward to a better experience during my next visit.
We walked in about a half hour after they opened and managed to snag the last two seats at the communal table in the middle of the room. This place fills up fast, kids. The people who walked in 5 minutes after we did were told that they should come back in an hour and a half. Ouch.
On the advice of someone in the know, I asked our server to take care of us. He didn't disappoint. He brought us the best of what they had to offer that night, accompanied by some absolutely stellar wines. Standouts of the evening were the (KICKASS) pork belly with grilled lettuce and walnuts and the poached duck egg over radicchio and pancetta.
We had 5 plates and 4 glasses of wine between the two of us, plus a dessert to share, and our bill was about $100. Totally worth it. The menu was creative and seasonally delicious, the pacing of the meal was great, and the service was outstanding.
Maybe I'm missing something, but I wasn't head over heels in love with this place. Perhaps it was the pressure of wanting to like it, or perhaps it was doomed to begin with because of my high expectations, but I left Sitka and Spruce wondering what all the fuss was about.
The service wasn't bad, and the food was inventive. We had gnocchi with lemon which was lovely, and some beef with morels that was quite delightful. But the wait was ridiculous (over an hour, maybe more), the restaurant was crazy packed, and we had to share a communal table that was clearly not big enough for all of this. The overall air is one of "We're understated but still better than you, and if you don't like it, it's because you're gauche." That, and they don't take reservations, which cultivates a "We were here first, so back off" environment among those waiting. I'm confused as to the logic behind this: are they trying to turn the restaurant into an all-out brawl? Will it be a death-match on table 3, winner takes all (the radicchio)? That might be more entertaining - and more deserving of the hype - than Sitka and Spruce currently is.
Whenever I leave Seattle for long, I start to miss "Northwest food". Sitka & Spruce is exactly that. The menu (written up on a giant chalkboard visible from everywhere in the dining room) changes regularly, and is based on fresh, seasonal, local... you get the picture. This is one of the most inventive and interesting menus I've experienced in a long time, without sacrificing taste. I was drooling over every course. Thankfully, items are served in small portions, so you get to choose a few plates to share rather than just one.
It's also worth mentioning that the service and atmosphere is excellent. Don't let the surroundings fool you! It's in a strip mall, but once you're inside you'll forget all about the smell of Subway sandwiches you passed on your way in. The dining room is light and airy; there are only a few tables but it doesn't feel too cramped or crowded. Service was great - friendly and relaxed and could attended to all of our questions without any problems.
S&S was a little pricey, but for the quality of food and amazing menu choices, this is really a great deal. This is where I would take anyone visiting or new to Seattle. Or for that matter, anyone who just really loves food.
I'm torn! If you have been to Elemental:
http://www.yelp.com/bi...
you would understand my rating. Sitka and Spruce is amazing. However...the 5/5 experience of American fine dining was had at this wonderful place in Wallingford, Elemental, and though this place is amazing, I think I have to give it a 4/5.
I've been hearing about this place from my friend Ryland, who is actually friends with the Chef. No, not the main chef/owner Matt Dillon, but the second Chef maybe?In any case, this place- stuck between Subway and a random Pho place, is a jewel of Eastlake (well, steep competition there with East lake Zoo Dive bar ;) how can you beat Free Pool and Darts??)
When I went in, there was a 40 minute wait, so Jonathan (friend) and I went back to his place, and drank some wine. They called us when the table was ready, which was really great- since we didn't have to wait at Sitka and Spruce to have our table.
Like everyone has been saying below, the menu changes daily. They get the freshest ingredients from local farmer's markets (like the one in Ballard). It's written on the Chalk board, and though the handwriting is really hard to read, it is still quite charming.
We didn't know what to order, really, so asked the waiter to go nuts. Here are the things we got...
- Salad with apple, pine nuts, etc (A bit too vinegar-y)
- fritters with aioli (****GREAT)
- Porkbelly & vegies & duckegg (******* GREAT)
- Gnocchi
- Porkchop with rice
- Olive oil Gelatto with dark chocolate pie (REALLY AWESOME)
Ok, so if I had to point out a dish to talk about- I would pick Porkbelly & vegies & duckegg. This was such an interesting dish, and the combination of all three things created the tastiest explosion in my mouth! It was amazing. Oh, and the duckegg was cooked very nicely- it was just right.
The desert was amazing. The dark chocolate pie & Olive Oil Gelatto (WTF? so awesome!) went great together. Who knew?? It was delicious, and I walked out of the restaurant feeling full, happy, and awesomely intoxicated with their great wine.
Experience must be had if you live in Seattle. Make your way to Eastlake, and find this place sandwiched between Subway and Pho. You will love it. =)
Expensive, excellent food, tasty, tapas-style, small place, great service, good wine, ghetto location (in between a Subway and a Teriyaki joint), can't make a reservation for two, a little salty, short menu, fun atmosphere, strange name that I believe has nothing to do with the town of Sitka or Spruces or Sitka Spruces.
This is one of my favorite restaurants in Seattle and that is saying a lot in this town. It is a great place to go with a few adventurous friends and nibble on some very inventive dishes. The ingredients were of superb quality. I will always remember Sitka & Spruce as the place where I tried and loved sweetbreads for the first time. Go early or late, it is tiny and they do not take reservations. Aside from the food, I love that the menu is written on a chalkboard, it encourages people to share. I love that the chef stores his cookbooks on book shelves in the dining room. It is fun to see who the influences were. A word to the wise, don't go with a picky eater...
A great local neighborhood restaurant with a menu that changes everyday with the availability of fresh regional ingredients. The menu is handwritten on a chalkboard by the door. European/american dishes of all sorts.
They practice the communal table principle and if you are local you can call ahead and have them call you when space becomes available. Very small restaurant, so don't just show up with a group and expect space.
After the first time there, I just have the waittress pick dishes for my group.
Wow. Sitka and Spruce just served me the best meal I've had in Seattle. Lettuce and radishes, that's it, made the best salad I've probably ever had.
Now, I'm not much of a fancy diner, so I didn't really know what all of the things on the menu were. But it seemed like each of the items on the menu today had two foods i recognized mated with a third that I didn't. They have a way of putting food together in interesting and thoughtful ways that are simply inspired.
Everything from the octopus to the locally grown lettuce to the wagyu beef was just about perfect.
Man, I'm going to be thinking about this place for weeks. Can't wait to find an excuse to come back.
This isn't your mama's restaurant.
If you want to carb load on never-ending bread, there's a Olive Garden around here, somewhere. If you want the staff to fawn all over you and flirt and wipe the sides of your mouth when necessary, Hooter's is right down the road from Sitka & Spruce.
However, if you want damn good, seasonal gems and a professional staff that realizes that you're here for the food and not them, hit up S&S. Their limited wine selection is damn good too.
After having been here for brunch and dinner, I recommend dinner for a first visit to Sitka and Spruce. There are more choices for dinner, just look for the large chalkboard menu. Like the other reviewers, I really like the experience you get by coming here. The dishes are original, the ingredients are fresh, and the seasoning is complex.
Take for example the roasted turnip dish. The bite-sized, crunchy turnips were cooked with lardo (an Italian salumi which I'd never tried before), pine nuts, and thyme.
The combination of flavors was delicious.
A friend and I tried four other dishes and dessert with wine:
=Braised octopus with cress
=Halibut cheeks with roasted greens
=Roasted beet salad with grains
=Chicken, heart, and liver-stuffed ravioli
=Orange pound cake with olive oil gelato, yep it was really good
A constant theme at Sitka is that vegetables are cooked to perfect textures. The cress was crunchy, the roasted beets were roasted but crunchy inside.
Also, unlike a lot of restaurants, carbs and starches aren't used just to add volume to a plate. The food is prepared carefully so there's plenty of time to talk and drink some wine.
Highly recommended.
Went with friends..thought the food and service was thoughtful. I had a good time. The wine was great. The waiter helped us make up our indecisive minds and I would trust him again anyday! I would give it 5 but we were smooshed into a table for 2 and there were 3 of us. But it is a small place. I would go back!
HOT TIP! If you love this place, keep your ears open about the owner opening a new place in Georgetown this summer.
My review: Every time I go to Sitka & Spruce, I'm reminded of why I tell people this is my favorite restaurant. The menu always seems to have something surprising, and everything I order is delicious. The servers are warm, well-informed on the menu and the wine, and above all, they are gracious.
My parents were in town a few weeks ago, so I took them there for dinner. We shared the big table with a couple other parties, including a group of three guys that lived nearby and were regulars. I loved that on a Saturday night, we could enjoy excellent food and excellent service, all the while rubbing elbows with regulars who were wearing hoodies & jeans. I LOVE not having to dress up to go out!! We stayed for hours, ordering plate after plate of amazing food to enjoy with our bottle of wine. We were never once made to feel as if they wanted us to leave so they could turn the table over.
As for comments about the food being too rich, the service too slow, the staff too friendly....etc. This is the kind of place to view as an experience, not the quick in-and-out place with uninterested staff that you usually get.
They will take reservations for the big table, but I think only for groups of 6 or more. If you don't have a big group, just get there early. It's worth it.
This place wouldn't turn any head to walk past it. Nestled in a shopping center on Eastlake, Sitka & Spruce embodies that unpretentious mixture of high-quality sophistication and a welcoming, easy presence. Only two reservations for parties of 5 or more are taken a night, so be prepared for a bit of a wait, and for the possibility of sharing your table.
Americans can be extremely wary of this type of dining, but imagine you're European for a moment and embrace the fact that you may just meet your new best friend while munching through the most amazing beet salad you've ever had. Menus change daily so stop by often!!
Sitka & Spruce is one of those restaurants that will change the way you view other dining establishments. All those 5 star reviews I've been handing out like candy corn on Halloween, yeaaaah.. well, I was wrong. I'll be honest, I didn't know any better.
Now I do.
This place is a true 5 star, and quite possibly some of the best Seattle has to offer.
We strolled in and were immediately greeted warmly and were told that it'd be an hour wait, which was fine. I'd expected that, so no bigs. We walked across the street and had some wine at Pazzo since Serafina was all 'private party'd up last night. Boooo!
When we returned, we were seated promptly and told that the menu (which changes daily) and the wine list were on the chalkboard up front.
We decided on 4 small plates:
Hedgehog Mushrooms & Acorn Squash
Gnocchi with Black Truffles
Trout with a warm kale & olive salad in a reduction
Hanger steak (with all kinds of badass!)
and a bottle from the Navarra region.
Every dish was so unique and interesting and fantastic. We found ourselves in complete awe (no, seriously!) over the warm kale salad and steak. I'd tell you to order them when you're there next, but since their menu is always changing, so well.. good luck with that. Another great thing about S&S is that their small plates are bigger than most tapas' restaurant's small plates. You can also order most of the dishes in small or large sizes.
The waitress and waiter were extremely accommodating and friendly. We sat and ate and drank for almost 2 hours, an hour of it was just us, and it was totally fine. The space is cute. Yeah, it's in a strip mall.. yeah, get over yourselves..
And most importantly, get over there. Now.
5 Stars people. 5 REAL 'I know better now, MMAD' Stars!
The place was insanely hard to find since it looks like a real estate office from the outside. The decor inside is nothing to rave about. You could probably squint and assume that you were actually in a Real Estate office with it's relatively boxy furniture and small number of tables (6).
The food and the way it's served it fairly unique. With any dish you order, you get access to their "buffet", which is a counter full of hot and cold dishes, breads, jams, etc. The choice for your main meal is pretty sparse -- when we went, you could only choose between 2 items. If you didn't like poaches eggs or octopus that day, you'd be out of luck!
The service was excellent but given the restaurant is so small, it's hard NOT to have good service. The wait staff could probably feel a bad look on your face since they're basically sitting right next to you at all times :)
Overall, I liked it, but it wasn't anything to rave about. We got seated right away, but I wouldn't have waited an hour like other customers we saw.
This place is a one in a million kind of spot....Since moving to SF, I can safely assert that this is the best place I have ever been to....
This is saying a lot!
i dream of Sitka down here and nothing comes close...even Boulettes, Bar Jules, NOPA, Delfina, SPQR, etc. etc. etc.
I don't know what it is about that special little spot on Eastlake, but I dream of it at night when I push out nightmares of failing the bar. When I visit again in September this will be my first stop off the plane and the last before I go.
If I could ever convince Matt to partner up down here SF wouldn't know what hit it!
Alongside Lark, Sitka and Spruce is my favorite dining destination for many reasons...
1. it is small…
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I get the feeling this place is fundamentally misunderstood. Think of it as going to a friend's dinner party. You meet new people, you have some great food & wine, and you are served by a host, not a waiter. Note that there are, as far as I could tell, only two people working in the entire restaurant, so they are understandably not as organized as a larger venue. Recommendations are made on the fly. Dishes come out when they're done, but this should be the least of your concerns as hopefully you've eviscerated the previous dish. I found the server incredibly helpful with suggestions and descriptions as well as a generally nice guy.
The food was immaculate. Perfectly prepared guinea fowl in tarragon sauce, charcuterie that melts, and affordable wine that pairs with the best of them.
The waits can be tremendous. They open at 5:30 if you must get a seat through the door. They take one reservation per night, for more than 5 people "flexible between seven thirty and eight". But as with any great dinner party, the best part is drinking and mingling before the meal.
The food here is what the Herbfarm should have been had they not choked on their own pretension.
Alright, first off, this isn't the type of place you go and order ONE dish (you gotta try it all, baby)!
I came here last night as a part of a group of 4. We arrived to a busy restaurant located in between a Subway and a teriyaki joint. All I can say is, don't judge a book by it's cover. When you're inside, all that strip mall/convenience store feel slips away. They told us it would be a 45 minute wait. Which was a bummer because we were all starving! But, luckily Serafina is close by and has some delicious cocktails. So, we left them our number and then they called us when the table was ready and we quickly jotted over there.
Once inside, we sat at a long table with 4 other people. I actually thought that was great. It's a very social place. The server was very knowledgable and friendly. He helped me choose a wine that would go best with the courses. We started with two different salads, both of which were amazing. Then, we told them to keep 'em comin'! All the dishes went well together and were very share-able. We also had the salumi platter, pasta, lamb, duck and two desserts (one of which was a crepe, the other gelato). I don't need to get into all the details because, really, everything was amazing. It's rare that I go to a restaurant and love EVERY single thing. (Usually I won't even touch lamb, but they made everything enjoyable and tasty!)
As far as drinks go, they don't have a huge wine list, but the wines they do have are very good. Also, they only offer 2 beers. Both are German. But, I'd rather have wine than beer, so that part didn't bother me. They did have this weird celery ale (similar to a ginger ale), which was interesting and delicious!
The best thing about this place is that they offer a well-rounded variety of dishes: vegetarian, fish, poultry, meat, etc. They also offered different sizes (a small one or a large one) in many of the dishes which was great!
Last night's meal was one of the best meals I've ever had in my life. I orginally docked a star for the long wait and weird hours of business. But, screw that. The food was WELL worth the wait. And according to a couple of "regulars" there, it's amazing that we even got in that soon on a Thursday night.
I definitely think you should give this place a try...sooner rather than later! However, I recommend bringing an empty stomach, a fat wallet and an open mind. Also, it wouldn't hurt to make a reservation (if they take them) or showing up a while before you want to eat, putting your name on the list and going to one of the nearby bars while you wait.
It was a spur of a moment decision to try this restaurant. Driving up, it was strange to find this restaurant tucked in a cheesy strip mall next to a (gasp!) Subway and a Vietnamese pho place. So I was sent in alone by my two dinner companions to "check it out."
And I was sold right away. Super intimate, dimly lighted and warm décor. Open dining and kitchen. Seasonal menu and wine list nicely written up on a huge chalk board. Friendly and pleasant host. Cozy and spacious solid wood tables that can be communal or private. All the diners were chatting happily and relaxed. I put down my name and phone number at 8pm on a Saturday night, went across the street for a drink, and was called with a free table within 30 minutes.
The food - what a surprise. I was impressed how balanced the seasonal menu was, given it only had about....a dozen items. But we did not feel limited and ordered a nice variety to share. We had the scallop crudo, grilled beets with carrots, emmer wheat salad with grilled artichokes and poached duck egg, grilled octopus and leg of lamb. See how diverse the menu is? The flavors of everything were excellent and the details of each dish were not ignored. For example, the leg of lamb was grilled so I did find it a little chewy, but I still liked that dish because it was paired with this awesome green onion slaw, and the lamb was perfectly seasoned. Another example is the emmer wheat salad which had such a nice balance of texture between all the ingredients. And the theme rang true for all the dishes. We did not leave a strand of food on our plates.
The service is also really good. Our waitress was knowledgeable. Each dish came out at the perfect time. We never sat around waiting for the food, or be bombarded with dishes which could happen at a small plate restaurant.
Best meal I've had in seattle. IBetter than how to cook a wolf for starters. t's freaking expensive but I can't wait to do it again. Rabbit liver ravioli-sounded so strange and tasted like heaven, ditto on the clams and apples, waiter was so sweet, brought us a complimentary proscuitto when they heard there was a bday among us, suggested a fantastic wine. I love this place. Its tiny, get on the wait list and then go hang out at the nearby dive bar.
Oyster Hour Weekdays 5 -7pm!
Neighborhood: Columbia City
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