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Category: American (New) [Edit]
Neighborhood: West Seattle
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I had a 5-star night, the food and ambiance were "a-ok!"
I think our table of 4 fabulous folks tried nearly everything on the menu, and it was all good, and fresh, and unfortunately a bit bland. Nothing blew my mind. And at this level, you've got to at least shock me some!
Maybe it was an off night, or an off season, the late fall harvest surly isn't as grand as early in the season.
I'd go back, I'd give another try, but for now, I'll find my thrill on some other hill.
We went to Springhill to check out the hamburger--which my husband ordered. He enjoyed it--but prefers one you can eat with your hands (it's pretty thick and he thought the bun was a little tough). The fries are really good and I was impressed with the amount they served--enough for me to sneak a few!
We plan on trying out a burter at Jak's in WS to compare...
I had the short ribs which were nice--my meal was a little cool (temp) which surprised me. I was impressed with the raviolli.
Nice place--just not our style. Glad we checked it out. Service was much better than I expected after reading the Yelp reviews.
This was one of the best meals and experiences I've had in Seattle. I'm SO happy with everything this evening, and look forward to my return meal.
The boyfriend and I knew that dine around was happening, so that prompted us to give Spring Hill a try. We didn't even bother with the dine around menu, as the regular menu was just so tempting. I ordered the tagilatelle with pork belly, swiss chard and hen of the woods mushroom and the boyfriend ordered the wagyu sirloin steak. The steak is a winner, hands down. While my meal was so fresh and tasty and yummy, the steak was melt in your mouth delicious. My pasta bowl was HUGE, and I ate about half of it only, so I'm excited to have the leftovers tomorrow for lunch. Ok, to be honest, I MAY have convinced the boyfriend that steak does not do well as a leftover as it can get overcooked, so as a result he should share his wagyu steak with me. :P
The waiter was great too. Funny, efficient, and had just the right amount of presence. He was there when we needed him, but he didn't bother us at all. He gave us a great wine recommendation as well, so I really appreciated that. We were also seated right next to the kitchen, and that was so much fun! I loved watching the chefs go at it and make all the different dishes. It was fun and exciting to watch and I felt like I was probably oogling the food too much and I hope that the chefs weren't too upset by that. :P
Dessert? I was a bit skeptical about the peanut butter chocolate crunch that came with popcorn ice cream. The ice cream was SO good...not the buttery flavor you get from jelly beans, but more of a sweet corn flavor. I liked the peanut butter chocolate crunch too, although it wasn't that crunchy, so I was a bit disappointed by that. It kind of had a fudgy, rich Snickers like taste....but better.
Lastly, as we were paying our bill, we were presented with ginger snap cookies. What a wonderful surprise, it was definitely the cherry on top of a wonderful meal. Thanks Spring Hill!
This place is great. The people who work there are incredibly friendly. The food is so obviously made fresh and in front of you. The decor is beautiful and thoughtful. We sat near the kitchen and loved watching the meticulous work that went into each cut of the pasta. Monday nights are great - affordable prices on the pared down menu. Delicious pastas. I loved the croutons in the salad and the popcorn ice cream was shocking - in a good way.
Good place for brunch. The chicken part of the chicken and waffles is forgettable (think McNuggets), but the savory quinoa waffle is great. Get the sausage gravy as a side, even if you are a vegetarian. A better choice is the ham steak, which is sort of like the most decadent pork chop ever and comes with cheesy grits, braised arugula, and a "bathed egg". One of the better brunch entrees I've had. Prices are reasonable, even for coffee, and they've got plenty of breakfast booze.
Service has alternated between good and iffy, but even the iffy service wasn't too bad. Honestly, breakfast service in Seattle is always a gamble if the place is only open early two days a week. The restaurant looks very nice inside, ticking all of the boxes on the "hip and modern" checklist while still feeling uniquely Seattle.
The parking is free and it only takes 15-20 minutes to drive to Spring Hill from North Seattle on a weekend morning, so you really have no excuse for not giving Spring Hill's brunch a shot.
I agree with m.g. what Spring Hill lacks in location but makes up in food and service, and thanks for many reviewers' comments on the water. I made sure that I ordered the regular Seattle finest tap water rather than the two type of water (distilled iced and sparkling) that the water told us that they have.
After the server presented the menu, I decided on lamb tongue salad, handmade tagliatelle, confit chicken and pumpkin pudding for my meal.
The warm potato and lamb tongue salad is pretty nice. The lamb tongue is very soft and tender. The warmed potato dressed with rich egg yolk and mustard seed sauce make this a very nice starter.
The handmade tagliatelle is nicely flavored with diced pork belly Swiss chard. The Parmesan cheese is piled sky high.
The juicy confit of chicken served with one deboned thigh with very nice crispy skin. The red wine braised mushrooms and pearl onions reminds me of coq au vin.
Dessert is a miss for me. The pudding is nicely flavored but I think they should call it pumpkin puree rather than pudding. I don't think you can "PIPED' pudding in the serving dish right before serving.
For me, this meal gives me a warm and comfy feeling during the crisp Fall weather. I would visit the restaurant more often if it is not located at West Seattle (commute to there is just too long for me).
One big minus on the restaurant, they nickle and dime you on everything based on the menu (3 dollars for the toasted warm bread and 2 to 5 dollars for the water).
I had heard such wonderful things about Spring Hill among the Seattle foodies that perhaps it could not live up to the hype. It was excellent, yes, but there were a few slip-ups that let me down, just a little.
Have you tried the 3 for $30 promotion that Seattle has twice a year? It freaking rocks. I gain 5 pounds that month. I can't help but try all of the lovely new restaurants.
We started off with a cocktail and mine was excellent. It had rum and cherry and was delicious and frothy from the egg white. My friend ordered a drink and it came out hot. As in made-with-apple-cider hot. That is fine but I was quite surprised the waiter didn't give us the heads up that it was more suited for the end of a meal. Our server was very cool, though, and laid back and did an excellent job convincing me to try the lamb's tongue salad. I am so glad he did. It was excellent. I next tried the chicken confit which was fancy fried chicken with greens and sauteed mushrooms. The 'shrooms were sensational and the chicken was very tasty. My dining partner had the hanger steak with beef fat potatoes. They were...ok. The steak was excellent but the potatoes could have been a little something more. So, we ordered the wine pairing which, at $15, was a great deal. The problem is that they brought out our second glass of wine and the food then took another 15 minutes. Wine = gone. They were cool, though, and brought out an extra glass of wine for us to share. I had the candy bar dessert which was rich, rich, rich and a little denser than I thought. It came with ice cream and, again they were delayed, this time on the wine. The ice cream was melted by the time the wine came and that is just a bummer. My friend got the pumpkin mousse that was very light and very tasty.
Spring Hill has the ability to be excellent and I will definitely give it another go. The food was way, way above average but the whole dining experience needed just a little fine-tuning.
Whoa, maybe because it was a quieter night...I'm not sure, but i enjoyed myself more this time that my previous dining experience here.
I could make a meal of their small plates. I loved the geoduck. Crunchy, with hints of citrus and spice. Wonderful. The duck egg raviolo was rich, yet mild and soothing at the same time. Mussels are simple but an easy dish to mess up. These were plump and briney, not shriveled up and fishy.
My beef was done to temperature, as requested, and came accompanied by three little potato rectangles that were excellent. Like some of the small plates, I could eat an order of those myself for an entree.
An assortment of sorbet closed my night. Banana/chocolate, coconut and plum were the trio. Quite interesting and just the closer I needed for the evening.
I think I'm a fan now.
I'm torn on Spring Hill. Its a solid 3 and half stars.
Staff was very good. They were quick to…
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Review for Brunch:
If you're going to be listed as one of the ten best restaurants in Seattle, I want you to be effin spectacular. You know?
What Spring Hill lacks in location (Okay, they're really convenient if you live in West Seattle.), they make up in everything else; Flawless service, Disney-like details, Opinion-altering food, Interesting menu.
We started out with Bloody Marys that may have just been the most interesting "regular" bloody mary I've ever had. The glass was rimmed with something tasty and unusual, and the dilly bean inside must have been presoake
We had a 8:00 reservation and the first bite didn't hit my mouth until almost 9:00. Once I started to get a little shaky I flagged down the manager to get someone to take our order. Helpfully the waiter asked if I was in a hurry. Well, sort of. The service would never have been called attentive but skated just to the good side of atrocious. It actually kept me from ordering a bonus drink because a) he never even approached the table in the almost 30 minutes between the first and second course (more on the first course below) and, b) I knew full well when he put the burger down (more on the burger below) that if I ordered another beer (more on the beer below) that he would bring that at least 20 minutes later when I would be finished with, and stuffed from, the burger and be vastly less enthusiastic about the beer. I evaluated whether to chance it and then either a) find myself surprised and get to enjoy the beer and burger together or b) find myself with an empty plate and full beer whereupon I would make a stink and tell him to take it back and how in the high holy hell would it take 25 minutes to get a glass of beer to my table from 7 and a half feet away. Anyhoo I passed on the beer.
More on the first course: this was a roasted chanterelle mushroom with egg, cheese and grits. When that yolk broke and mixed in and grits and the cheesy goodness and sunny light in the world hit me it was really good and yes, yes this was a good dish.
More on the burger: CRIMINY this was a good burger. I'm not really even sure why I was possessed to order it but HELLO. The secret sauce and Beecher's cheese all mixed and melted is good, there's no question. I find myself really impressed with the small soft roll. With a 1/2 lb burger they sometimes give you a massive roll and you fill up on bread and get exhausted half way through. Now, granted, I was ravenous having scarcely eaten since 11:30 (it's now 9:30) but I put that sucker away. The last bite felt like the last bite and I left fries on the plate but I got through it efficiently and I feel like the little roll was the lynchpin. It kind of reminded me of when my old man used to put homemade burgers on English muffins which I'm still sort of torn about because it always seemed a little screwy and he's clearly nuts (not because of this mind you, but still, it clouds these kinds of memories) but I digress and I want to say this was the best burger I've had in Seattle in the past five years and I know my memory is going to be tainted because I ate this burger, oh, LAST NIGHT, and there might be better burgers I had in 2006 but, hey, the mind is a fickle thing and I am not scared of the hyperbole so this, this burger was the best, call it, City of Seattle, King County, whatever, it's probably a function of me being hungry and having not had a really good burger since the Palace Kitchen back in April that is empirically very good but was, sadly, that night, just a little overcooked and, as such, taints my memory of all Palace burgers and lets me make this pronouncement today. Whoops, this is way too long a paragraph.
More about my beer: On the menu it says Manny's Pale Ale (18 oz). OK, wait, what? That's a nice sized beer! Comes in a cool wide, round glass too! Plus it was cold, like really cold. I'm not going to pretend that 18 ounces of cold Manny's didn't hit my bone empty stomach and taste awesome. Bars keep putting things in pint glasses which I thought were all 16 ounces but they seem to be making ones that are actually 12 ounces or 14 ounces so hey-hey! I may have paid $8 for it....I'm going to check the internet and see if it's online, the price....and we're back....and it's $6!
So we give four stars for the mushrooms and burger, deduct one for marginal service, add it back for the beer and we feel good about the rating, this seems well thought out and supported not all scattershot or capricious.
Good food.
Way too snooty vibe for West Seattle. We're in an almost empty restaurant for brunch and the staff is running around with their noses in the hot spot. At best, the waitress was patronizing, at worst it was almost impossible to find someone to refresh the coffee.
I could overlook this if the food was amazing, but the Saimin with pork belly was bland, with flavorless noodles. The ham with Beechers cheese grits was okay, but that's only because of the ham and cheese, neither of which were made on site. The homemade grape jam and popovers were the only thing we'd see ourselves going back for.
We sat near the prep station and could see all the beautiful fresh ingredients being cleaned, trimmed and cut up for dinner service so maybe dinner is a little more spectacular. But between the mediocre flavors and the way too full of themselves staff I have a hard time seeing myself dropping a ton of cash for a dinner meal here to find out.
My BFF took me here for my birthday and WOW. Loves it. I had halibut encrusted with some tasty junk (don't know what it was). The dish came with oysters, which I don't care for, but I was feelinga adventorous and ate them. Guess what... the were delicous! Can't wait until I get to go back again next year.
Super patchy everything here. The butter lettuce salad was divine. Loved the toasty rolls and salty butter. But the main course (chicken confit) was odd. The chicken was okay. Not as good as Kingfish or even Ezell's fried chicken. The sauteed button mushrooms were fine but unremarkable. The uber-smashed potatoes with an unseasoned soft-fried egg plopped on top was kind of disgusting. The texture was slimy mush en mush,
We had a helluva time getting decent service too. Dishes arrived out of order (bread followed salad). We wanted some salt (not a good sign) and were almost done before we found someone to help us (after embarrassingly having to shout "Excuse me! Excuse Me!"). No one ever checked to see if we liked the food. We ordered the seltzer water and kept getting our glasses filled with the free tap water, which kind of nullified the expense of the seltzer water.
Oh well. Overall it was decent. Just not really worth the haul to West Seattle. I'd go to meet friends again and order differently. And hopefully revise my so-so review.
PLUS SIDE: Amazing food, complex layers, presentation worthy of a photograph. Wine list was extensive and selling in the front of the house (wine knowledge) was fantastic.
DOWN SIDE; seats, benches, really uncomfortable
Also, we spent over $100 and i was hungry when i left, portions were not large and barely medium sized.
Too Dark in there, "Spring" should be fresh and light, but it feels like a cave
I really tried to like Spring Hill. As a devout foodie and West Seattle resident, I had high hopes for this chef and restaurant and I have been there four times. I won't go back. The food was uneven--a mussel dish that was full of fat, fresh morsels and a rich broth one night was a disappointing bowl of broken shells and a few stray fish pieces in a dish-watery broth the next time. More on the mussel dish below. The food was also overpriced and over-hyped for what it is. On another occasion, a friend and I tried the heavily promoted spaghetti dinner night. It was really disappointing. The pasta--their signature dish that night--was over cooked and mushy and a single meatball was $3-4! It seemed outrageous to be charged that much--or at all--for a meatball in the spaghetti and meatball dish. On another visit, my dining companion and I were really turned off by the incessant socializing by the hostess. She would not leave us alone! At first, it was OK that she came up to our table and said hello, etc. But after the fifth or sixth uncomfortable, extensive conversation that she forced on us, interrupting our dinner and our own conversation, we were very annoyed. To top it off, when we sent back that wimpy mussel dish, which also showed up with burnt--I mean black--toast, the hostess basically told us that maybe we would prefer the cheap burger joint down the street! Talk about adding insult to injury. And all this in the guise of being cooler than cool. Gimme a break.
The giant clam/geoduck ceviche preparation is quite excellent; this is an admission from someone once adamant that pristine on sushi rice/mirugai is the only way to savor geoduck. The beef steak hot and cold is another star entry -- lovely slices of wagyu accompanied by a marvellous tartare.
My only quibble with the menu is that the entree selection is a bit limited, this restaurant is a better choice for many small plates and drinks. The service was warmly attentive, although the room is a bit austere and probably deafening when a full house.
I was torn between three and four stars but based on our server, I have to give it a four.
We had play tickets at ArtsWest at 7:30p, so arrived at 6p to make sure we had plenty of time. As a party of two, we were seated at a very small two top. There were several booths open so I asked if we could have a booth and the host was insistent that they were all for reservations that were coming in the first turn. We told him that we would not linger and be gone by 7:15 at the absolute latest and he said they weren't available. Well, we left at 7:15p and there were still two booths open that had not been seated - you know both of us looked before we left.
The menu was a bit confusing with a M.C. after a couple items. When I asked the host about this (I had looked online at the menu, so I knew this I had this question), he told me it meant Main Course and the server would be telling me about the menu. At this point, we were getting a little iffy about staying but we never dealt with the host again so the rest of our visit so it was better.
The menu did seem light on main courses and we struggled a bit to figure out enough to order so decided to order one entree and two appetizers and could get dessert if we needed. The scallop entree was good with the brussels sprouts and green apple. My fiance ordered the duck egg yolk raviolo appetizer and thought this would have perfect as an entree - it was so delicate and savory - lick one's plate yummy. I ordered the tagliatelle with chard, hen-of-the-woods mushrooms, pork belly and fresh grated parmesan. The flavor was so intense and I was thinking how I had the better dish. The pasta was obviously home made and to die for. However, since we were talking and enjoying sharing (thus not hurrying), my pasta became inedible because it was too salty. I think the combo of the parmesan and pork belly (and the fact the kitchen did not skimp on either) became overwhelming and the pasta and mushrooms filled up with sodium. I debated saying anything but decided to because I thought they should know because it had so much potential. (Maybe as an appetizer?) I tried to be polite about it and even wrote an amusing comment card. I could tell our server felt bad but we weren't expecting anything. We are not big dessert eaters and this was the right amount of food for us both so as the bill came, she said that because we both had birthdays and our meal wasn't perfect that the desserts were on them and they brought us an apple tart (I know it had a different name) with parmesan ice cream and a chocolate thing with popcorn ice cream. The flavors were spot on. My fiance even said that while he wasn't a cheese on apple pie guy, mix the cheese with the ice cream and he was all for it. By the way, the desserts came out with candles. Very festive
Anyway, it was this end part that really saved our experience. I thank our server and her manager who we really appreciated when it was all said and done.
i had order's remorse. i had the oyster scramble....
but then i took a bite of the quiche and i didn't want anything else..
i don't even love quiche.
but i love their quiche.
We had a great dinner here the other night. We had a great experience, staff sat us quickly and we had a great table right up front by the window even though they were pretty busy.
I ordered a la floridita cocktail (it really wasn't that great...just ok and I usually like rum based drinks). Anyway, we ordered starters, I had the smoked halibut rillette, just perfect. I found the duck fat on top to be a perfect compliment to the halibut. My partner had a newaukum valley farm salad with a citronette dressing and mild shallots. It was great.
We also had bread and butter, the bread was outstanding and the butter and sea salt was a great compliment to the crusty rolls.
Our main course came, I had the tagliatelle, and it was perfectly done, the noodles were cooked just right. The pork belly was crispy on the outside and soft inside. Our other dish was the sauteed halibut, which was a tad salty for my partner, but I found it perfectly seared and tasty.
We decided not to do a dessert, but we will save room next time. I found the price for 2 on the higher side, but for the service, the amount of food and the atmosphere, I found it acceptable...the best thing about Seattle is that you can find mediocre food at a great price, but you can find better food if you are willing to pay a bit more.
Would you like water? Sure! Would you like tap water, mineral water or sparkling water? My wife: "I'd like sparkling water." Me: "Is there a charge for that?" Yes, it's either 3 or 5 dollars. Not a very nice way to treat a brand new guest -- trying to sneak in an extra charge right from the start. 4 oysters showed up in an absolutely huge bowling ball-like thing full of many pounds of crushed ice. Oysters had rock salt on them. Seems like kind of a distraction from what should be a delicate stand-alone app. Oysters were small and somewhat tasteless otherwise. Drinks were acceptable. Beet and goat cheese salad used a Harry and David cheese log covered in WAY over toasted nuts. Beets were slightly overdone and somewhat flavorless. Entree was tagliatelle, salt pork, chanterelles and chard. What showed up in a cold bowl was an unbelievably hideous cone of salad shredder parm covering absolutely every inch of the plate to uniform depth. Underneath was our pasta. Both serving and dinner plates were cold so the pasta got cold very quickly. The main ingredients were not highlighted and sank to the bottom of the bowl. Forgot what I had ordered until almost done. Everything was cold within minutes. Place was cold and loud. Spent about a hundred bucks for 2 and doubt we'll ever go back.
Update: Regarding the passive-aggressive comments of one of our little Limbaugh reviewers, -- I was not raised in a barn. Simply having the audacity to disagree with your review means I was 'raised in a barn'?
Spring Hill tries to get a bottle of house-made sparkling water onto your bill. In my opinion, this is penny wise and pound foolish and I didn't appreciate it. There are plenty of other restaurants to go to and, if you don't mind being jerked around, may I recommend the rock-salted oysters in a bowling ball at spring hill? How about the gigantic cone of grated parmesan? (Hypothetically), before you get settled, would you like your candle lit ($2)? Would you like me to hang your jacket up ($2.50)? How about a booster seat for your child ($4)? Some crayons for your older kids ($3.50)? Already you've spent twenty five bucks and haven't even ordered anything.
As always, use these reviews at your own peril. We won't be going back to Spring Hill any time soon as the only review that matters to us is OURS. Raised in a barn? Dude? Please...
Been twice now, and the food is really good. I even tried the vegetable tasting plate, just so I could get the opportunity to try more dishes, because I knew they would be amazing, and that says a lot coming from a meat-lover.
But at these prices, you expect great service and atmosphere too, and this is where the place falls down.
* first time, I nearly froze because the place is so cold in winter.
* it is LOUD in there. Even at an intimate table or booth you can strain to hear your tablemates if the place is full.
* the servers know their material and are very thoughful, but the bus staff are amateurs. The oyster plate was empty, all shells: "Can I take this for you?" No, I want to chew the ice? My wine glass and the bottle were empty and the bill was on the way. "Can I take these glasses for you?" No, I like the look of an empty glass on the table? Good service happens without you noticing; these guys were annoying and very interruptive of our conversation.
* and like others we got there at 6 on a Wednesday, when there was no one, and stayed for over 2 hours. There were a total of 4 other tables when we left. We were seated next to the bathrooms! The privacy of a booth was nice, but we could have been at any of 8 other booths. This was just rude. IMHO. Stuff like this makes it not worth it...
...popcorn ice cream, that is worth it.
What a mixed bag!! I brought a friend here and felt so bad that his experience was so unpleasant. On the night we visited we were relatively forgotten by the staff even thought we were at the bar- when we were served, after aggressively flagging down someone on their way in and out, they were pleasant though... BUT we did purchase a wine flight and they FORGOT the main course wine and hurriedly poured the port with the dessert. We did three courses.
My starter was beets, pears, and blue cheese. When it arrived it was oh so pretentious... The taste and texture though was present- the salad was chilled. The vibe the dish was giving off did not match the interior of the space or what I had come to expect. I have received this style of presentation before, but in a restaurant that didn't make me laugh at it. What were they going for? It seemed against their grain. My friends starter was a joke- he poked at it. Both of the starters came on the those trendy miniature white square plates we have all started to see everywhere.
To further the confusion- my entree came in a rather large presentation "bowl". The chicken was perfectly cooked and the Parmesan puree that coated the "bowl" was intoxicating, but my dining partners hanger steak was a disappointment. A few small poorly cooked strips of meat. The contrast between our entrees was very great. They can cook chicken... but that is not enough... I have heard others complain since about the same dish.
Our desserts were again a return to pretentious presentation. I selected a apple "cake" and my partner the chocolate option. My cake was dense and deep in apple flavor, but I could have picked up some coffee cake in the market and it would have tasted the same. The chocolate option was minuscule and a miss. When you are dining with a hungry guy and he doesn't want his dessert you know something is wrong.
The space is pleasing and the menu inviting, but we had so many misses. All throughout the meal was POOR service, a jumble of food presentation styles and missed flavors, and uncertainty. Why?
A really exciting place for Seattle, and just what West Seattle needed, great food, great service, the chef-owner is there, and everybody is proud of the fact that they really care about local food and produce. If you like duck, foie gras, chilled boulibasse,etc., etc. and eating in a relaxing atmosphere, Spring Hill is the place to go. One of my friends has serios dietary restrictions, and the waiter went out of his way to make sure he could have a great and satisfying meal.
I took a friend here for a birthday dinner and was blown away. I had visited this restaurant for brunch and always wanted to go back for dinner. So glad i did. It was a busy sat. night, we had a res. We were seated right away and had great service through out the night.
The entire meal was delicious, right down to the Choc. tart with salty peanut ice cream. Ill be coming back, soon I hope.
It's a small, unassuming store front right next to Seattle Fish, and they produce small, but hugely flavorful dishes with clean and simple presentation. We had squid ink pasta, chilled seafood boulibasse, halibut and duck egg yolk raviolo.
As a West Seattleite, I apologize on behalf of some of my misguided brethren who were all clearly raised in barns. Some of you guys are annoyed that they charge for bottled water? Really? The last time I checked, restaurants were in the business of selling food and drinks to their customers. Now, tap water is typically free, yes, but the kind that the restaurant has to order and buy from a distributor...yeah, they charge for it. C'mon West Seattle, take your straw hats and hillbilly overalls off for a minute and quit pretending like you know how to play the banjo. We're not really that backwoods are we? Spring Hill is fantastic! We are blessed to have a place of such caliber on this side of the bridge. And not only do they have some of the most exquisite food in town, they have the biggest, messiest, tastiest burger I have ever had the privilege of being put into a meat coma with. Having that burger on the menu is what really sets this place apart. It is like having an elegant girlfriend of refined pedigree that goes all dirty south when the lights are off. Sexxxy.
4 stars for brunch
It sure was excellent..... great portion, well balanced. not too heavy. just perfect.
tasty......
we tried dine around Seattle, this month, and that also was nice....
We accidentally came in on Monday, and it was "spaghetti night" That didn't do us good, so i took a star away.
looking forward to come back for regular dinner menu and brunch menu.,,
With all the recent media hype about Spring Hill and chef Mark Fuller it took me a little while to digest my experience there and decide that it didn't meet the bar that has been established.
Reservations for 6 through Open Table worked without a hitch and the service was fine, though nothing remarkable. The space itself is attractive in a modern sort of way and I was glad to find that it was warmer inside that it looked.
An order of the bread was surprisingly ordinary, though the accompanying butter and sea salt was delicious. There are certainly better breads out there, however, even if you are featuring the fatty component.
Further appetizers of a trio of rillettes (tuna, port, duck) and seared scallops were probably the stars of the night. The rillettes were delicious, particularly the duck, and were enjoyed by all. The scallops were perfectly cooked, but they did not pair at all well with the salmon roe that was used on the plate. There briny saltiness of the eggs distracted from and overwhelmed the delicate sweetness of the star ingredient.
Entrees were hit or miss. Three orders of the tagliatelle with pork belly and hen-of-the-woods mushrooms were all enjoyed. The portion size may have been a bit too large and the noodles themselves not all that remarkable, but the fatty pork and expertly cooked mushrooms were ample and delicious. Orders of the halibut and the burger were both received mostly without remark while the duck was found to be disappointing.
Desserts were also a mixed bag. The trio of icecreams (popcorn, ovaltine, and cinnamon-toast-crunch) were all delicious. The bread pudding was extremely boozy but nothing about it made it superior to any other bread pudding out there. The coconut-bar had good flavor but was very difficult to cut through and made it a chore to manage.
Spring Hill's food certainly is good, but the price is high and for that the offerings should be more remarkable. At the same (or lower) price point Seattle already has a slew of restaurants that offer a more exciting experience.
I loved the food here! I don't think that I've had more memorable food at a restaurant for quite sometime. We had the raviolo, a few kumamotos, short ribs, and the trout.
The layers of flavors in the raviolo were amazing, and the duck egg yolk was so rich; it was off the charts and a great way to start the meal. Kumamotos are perfect as is and the mignonette was subtle enough to not overpower the clean and fresh taste of the oysters. Bring on the decadent short ribs, MMMMmmm... so well cooked and the marbling was outstanding!!! who doesn't love fat? The brussel sprouts were a great touch with a slight char. The gf ordered the trout, and I didn't really care for it; it seemed rather dry and over salted. That was probably our least favorite dish.
The space is nice, but the hard surfaces really make the place loud. The wooden chairs also aren't that great... not horrible, and of course a very minor critique. I love the open kitchen though, you get to see the cooks and the chef at work. They have a bar area, but should add a chef's counter like at Crow.
It's a bit spendy, but worth it for the great food.
Tom Douglas is probably sitting at home wondering where it all went wrong. Envious would be what I would be if my name was Tom Douglas...well envious and filthy rich. For all cuisine that is amazing and stamped with the initials TD, it is also redundant and the same old. TD menus are the definition of NW cuisine, but it is sooooo refreshing to see a fresh perspective on the same old nuevo french cuisine.
Unpretentious is something that I admire about a restaurant. I like to see the life, the blood line, the sweat and tears that goes into food. I like to see the soul of a restaurant and Spring Hill has that in a nice package. The diners, the food, the service are all laid back with style. ;-) The open kitchen offers a good perspective as to the development of food from one station to another if you take the time to track the dish. But the time is better spent in the company of good friends and conversation than the obsession and dissection of the food, b/c I feel that was the vision of Spring Hill. Based on its decor and restaurant ambience, the place is meant to be a laugh heartily, eat and be merry kind of place. Don't let your wine glass empty, make sure to order enough appetizers, and definitely enjoy some of their made in house desserts. The food is amazing...it is green and fresh as most NW cuisine is. But its savory and full of depth thanks to the French base. It has texture, freshness, depth, full of flavor, wonderful presentation, service is attentive, the owners are friendly and at both ends of the house (front and in the kitchen), the prices are well within acceptable for this kind of meal, the decor is spot on, I don't know what's not to love.
And Spaghetti night is always a relaxing inexpensive date night too. ;-)
Spring Hill serves the quality and creativity of food you'd find at an overly fancy fine dining restaurant, but in an atmosphere that is much more warm and inviting. Its tasteful and tasty without being pretentious.
I tried the duck egg raviolo and (not meaning to be redundant) the duck entree. Both were so amazing and subtly original. I've never had ravioli filled with cheese and the duck egg yolk, but it was incredible smooth and savory rather than overly cheesy.
The duck entree was cooked so perfectly and had unique accompaniments like spaghetti squash and a quinoa waffle! So fun and inventive without going over the top theatrical. Others tried fish and the short ribs and were equally as pleased.
The staff was so friendly and attentive, making jokes and ensuring that we were happy. I'd love to come back again to see what other fantastic options the chefs here dream up.
Nummy Num Num. :)
O.M.G. Brunch goers, you can now end your search (although you may have to look twice to find it)...
It began with the most amazing bloody mary I've EVER HAD. So much flavor & delightfully, I must admit, sooo much booze. Then came the bread pudding. Light & fluffy with a delciously crispy top. And finally, my day (which had only just begun) came to a most fruitful finish with the duck egg Benedict. Never have I been in the presence of a more perfect hollandaise. Egg perfectly cooked & the proportions were just right. Top off the experience with a home made ketchup & sausage links.
I just may have had a glimpse into heaven.
My second visit, several months later, was a bit uneven. I'll go over the good and the bad (it's still not bad enough for me to not go back, but it was disappointing):
The good:
Duck egg yolk raviolo appetizer. Sublime. I could make a meal of these.
Grilled prawn appetizer on grits. Also fantastic.
Signature drink "Smith": apple water, sparkling wine and apple sorbet, lovely.
The not-so-good:
I ordered the burger and asked for it well-done. I think maybe the burgers they serve are too thick for this to be possible. Maybe -- if that's the case, I wish they would have mentioned it to me. So when my burger arrives, I cut it in half (just to make it easier to eat) and I see that the inside is rather pink. I'm not at all a fan of rare ground beef, but it's only sort-of pink so I decide I can live with it. When I go to take a bite, that's when I realized the grilled bun is burnt. I mean, blackened on the bottom, charred. That was the deciding factor. Regretfully, I called the waiter over to send it back. Now, I almost never send food back; my husband was a waiter for years and mostly it's just not worth it, but this was a $17 burger. (The fries were really good though.)
The waiter apologetically takes the burger back. He asks if we want anything else in the interval and I order a Manny's Pale Ale.
A few minutes later he brings us a complimentary beet salad -- my companions really enjoy this. Unfortunately, I don't like beets, but it was a very nice gesture.
My beer never arrives.
My burger comes back a second time. I know they were in a hurry to get some food out to me as my companions were already eating; I appreciate that. But the burger is not only still not well done, this one is actually much more red and raw inside. The cheese is cold on the edges and the bun is really soggy. I just cut off the parts I want to eat and leave the other stuff.
We order dessert, and my husband and I opt to split a three-scoop sampler of ice cream: ovaltine, vanilla and cinnamon toast. When it arrives, instead we get ovaltine, vanilla and salted peanut. Don't get me wrong, it was still good. It just wasn't what we ordered.
The beer never did arrive.
The upshot:
I wasn't charged for either of the burgers. We were pretty disappointed, since our first visit here was without parallel. So my advice is to skip the burger; all the other food is great. And maybe speak very loudly and clearly to the waiter. Maybe pass him a note.
Went here straight from Velocity Art and Design. Felt like they decorated out of the store. That is… Read more »
Total winner! Awesome! Delish!
Went to Spring Hill on a Saturday night without a reservation and we were lucky. There was one 2 seater left, the joint was packed! The hostess was very gracious. Our waiter was helpful but seemed a little disappointed that we didn't both order appetizers and that I only ordered 2 types of oysters not all 4, but he wasn't a jerk. Very attentive service.
We ordered sparkling water accompanied with lime to keep the cost down (cocktails are pricey people). We started with the veal sweetbreads which had a lovely texture with a crisp outer coating that was dusted with salt. Yum! There were 3 dipping sauces: buttermilk ranch, barbecue, and hot mustard. Then I tried two oysters from Long Beach, WA - Kumamoto and Belon. They came with a special sauce and some lemon. Delish! We then moved on to our main course. My hubby ordered the duck breast which came with cabbage sausage, spaghetti squash, and quinoa waffle. I had the pork with yams, collard greens, cranberries, and pork croutons (aka local, frou frou pork rinds).
Each dish was amazing, portions are just right, and Spring Hill does a great job of making the textures and flavors of each dish compliment and contrast in just the right way. The grand total of our meal (1 appy, 2 oysters, a carafe of sparkling water, and 2 entrees) was $90 with tip. This is definitely a place to go to splurge. It will obviously be more if you get a few drinks.
I recommend this as a good place to try and possibly will go back after a while.
Total winner. I had a great waiter and sought his advice, and put together a series of dishes (phenomenal oysters, the duck egg ravioli everyone raves about, charcuterie) that were fun to eat and really good. Hip décor without trying too hard, though pretty cutting edge for the neighborhood. I like that an award-winning chef can do unusual and innovative food imaginatively presented without sliding towards prettiness and pretentiousness. Thumbs up!
So, you know, I probably won't eat at Spring Hill again. I hesitated to write a review for a place based on one bad experience, but my dinner here ended up in such a passed-out-in-the-hallway-of-a-dark-empty-house-cr ying mess that I thought it wise to add my two nauseous cents.
I'd read about Spring Hill's Monday night spaghetti thing on the Stranger's Slog and I'm kind of a sucker for theme nights (Art of the Table on Monday, Chez Gaudy on Tuesday...) and meatballs so I thought I'd give it a try. When I arrived (around 8pm), there were two other tables of diners and the rest of the place was empty. I was pleasantly surprised that it wasn't a total mob scene and my companion and I were seated quickly at a decent booth toward the front. The place itself is nice, big and minimal with some dreamy down-tempo soundtrack, low lighting with lots of mirrors. The menus offered a little more than I thought they would - this, the waitress said, was a new thing. Besides the special, there was beef steak, pork steak, and a fish of the day, all with sides for about $16. We'd come for the spaghetti, though, so that's what we ordered, plus a Caesar and a glass of Chianti, the featured red of the night.
Drinks came with the salad, which I ate for awhile. It was big enough for two but my friend wasn't into sharing, so I only got through about half of it. The rest of dinner lagged a little and our meals were brought out at least five minutes apart, mine appearing first. The meatballs were huge - I'd ordered two, and they each arrived on their own plates. They were also cold, but looked fully cooked so I ate them. We finished dinner, had sorbet and left ($75 later...).
As soon as I got in the car, I felt totally sick. I think I mumbled "This is what elephants must feel like before they die" as we raced back to the house. I spent the next several hours of my life learning what it actually sounds like when doves cry and didn't regain normal function (read: the ability to eat a sandwich) until late the next day.
I don't know which part it was. Salad dressing? Cold meatball? Either way, I could happily live the rest of my life without ever experiencing Spring Hill again. I don't want to give it one star because my friend had a decent meal and the other people there all seemed to be cool with what they were eating, but Spring Hill - I wish we'd met on a better day.
Yes, and I do mean, "Woohoo! As good as it gets!"
I've been to Spring Hill three times. Once for dessert and twice for dinner, and all three times were perfection, from the food to the service to the ambiance. The second time I ate there was for my 50th birthday (and yes, I do look fabulous for my age, thank you for noticing!) and I walked away with the words, "best meal I've had in Seattle" on my lips. I meant it then and I mean it now...
So, reading through the other reviews (and it's so great that there are a ton of them already) I can see the usual variety of complaints, many having nothing whatsoever to do with the restaurant ("... and if your guest isn't comfortable to begin with..." How exactly is a bad attitude on a customer's part the responsibility of any business... unless they're a drug dealer? You need Alanon...) but many complains are completely valid. They were not my experience.
We both loved the atmosphere, the clean, metal-and-glass design and the spotless, open kitchen gave us a very cosmopolitan sense of the place, but the server was friendly and relaxed, and fully aware of the menu, ready to offer her personal feedback and experience of everything, and to guide us toward a perfect balance of courses.
The only complaint we had was my husband's, who felt the duck yolk raviolo was far too rich for him, but again, that was HIS TASTE and not the fault of the restaurant. My feeling was, "Goodie! More for me!!!"
The cold ciopinno in the clarified tomato broth was a brilliant, bright and flavorful take on the local mainstay. Everything I put in my mouth was a splendid, delightful surprise, and I had the sense that the chef's were in charge, and that great art, care, love and pride was present in every bite.
We don't drink, and the total bill was $140, so this was a pricey evening... special occasions only, but we would not hesitate to return.
The danger, of course, is cockiness or overconfidence on the part of anyone at Spring Hill... Every restaurateur should know that a single bad service experience can lead to lost business and a bad rep that spreads like a virus. I hope they take to heart the service-oriented complaints noted here and elsewhere. It takes commitment and vigilance to create an original restaurant that sets he bar high and keeps it there... We are completely sold and encourage everyone to check it out!
And I understand they will soon be offering lunch and brunch. We are so there...
"OK, we'll go out in West Seattle, get some drinks and then hit Jak's. You'll love it! It's totally old school and has killer steaks!"
"I'm there, dude!"
So why am I talking about Jak's, a restaurant I was unaware of up until 5 days ago and to this point, have yet to even step foot in? Well, the conversation above got me psyched to go because, who am I to refuse an old school steak? I'd eat steak new school, old school...I'd eat steak off of John McCain's cancerous forehead, which would make it REALLY old school.
Alas, our late Sunday night start foiled our plans and we were warned that the kitchen will be closing by 9 (even though we got there at 8:30. Asshole kitchen.) To regroup, the same friend suggested we walk a few blocks down to Spring Hill. "I know I got you excited for old school so be prepared. This is the complete opposite--a industrial chic, hipster-style loft layout with lots of trendy metals and concrete and hard woods."
"So it's loud as hell in there."
"Oh yeah."
But their kitchen was open and welcoming and they had no qualms at seating us at 8:40pm on a Sunday night. We got some drinks first. I ordered a Smith, a house cocktail made with apples, cider, booze and other ingredients. I was promptly mocked by my local friends for ordering a girl drink to which I responded, "I'm secure enough in my masculinity to order a drink with apples in it." What I didn't know was that the drink was also served in a champagne flute which would make even that guy who eats raw snakes, Survivorman, cringe a little bit.
We sat and ordered. I was told (again by my local friend), "You'll be tempted to order the burger. It's good...but not GREAT. But don't get me wrong. It's really good. But try to order something else."
I ordered the pork loin and sausage. My fiancee could not be swayed and ordered the burger. We started with the fried sweetbreads and some regular baked bread. Both were tasty, though the sweetbreads, to be honest, could've been chicken nuggets, fried as they were. The dipping sauces that accompanied were superlative as was the duck yolk raviolo which I just remembered we ordered.
Our entrees came and I was a little bummed by my pork. Oh, it was good but not GREAT. I trace that mostly to the fact that it had obviously spent a minute or two too long on the pass while another of party's steak was probably resting. My fiancee's burger, on the other hand really WAS great. And THAT I could trace directly to the bacon, a heaping mess of high-quality pig spruced up in bacon form. Ah bacon....mother, father, secret lover.
In all, a very good night out. I'm still jonesing for an old school steak, but new school pork will do in a pinch.
So, this place was recommended to us by one of the waitresses at Lola's and I have to say it did not disappoint. We had a party of four and there was not one complaint among any of us.
Wait!
I lie... there was one complaint. Portions. We all wished there was a tad more on our plate. However, because the portions were smaller than any of us are used to we did savor every single bite.
Maybe that's the point?
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