JIMMYMAC079's Profile
Best overall meal in the last year
Canlis last November, SW Steakhouse at The Wynn in February and Le Bernardin in NYC in April. Canlis always gets slammed no here but it has always been so flat out fantastic everytime I have dined there.
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Canlis Restaurant
2576 Aurora Ave N, Seattle, WA 98109
What is your favorite Italian spot in Seattle? Need recommendation...
Thanks EVERYONE for responding.
Okay, I've checked out reviews online and such and haver narrowed down to Volterra, Barolo and Spinasse. For those that have an opinion, which has the better atmosphere?
Does it matter logistically that we are heading to the Key Arena for a concert afterward?
Thanks again!
Spokane Birthday HELP ASAP!
Palm Court is part of The Davenport. I'm sure they have the resources to do anything you want through their pastry department. I'd just explain the situation and ask a manager at the Palm. Good luck!
Las Vegas: A Joel Robuchon Heads Up
Damn it, I'll be in town March 5,6,7,8th, dining at his restaurant on the 5th.
What is your favorite Italian spot in Seattle? Need recommendation...
I'm heading to your glorious city in a few weeks and I am looking for a great Italian restaurant to celebrate my birthday at. The only prerequisite is top notch pasta. Details please!
Thanks in advance!
Spokane question
For the record, I had included Milford's up above ;) and had dinner there tonight. Fantastic as usual!
Spokane question
I'm in Coeur d Alene and hit up Spokane for dining once a month or so. Here are my faves:
Wild Sage
Spencer's
Clinkendagger's
Downriver Grille
Twigs
Luna
Domini's deli
Sawtooth Grill (we go for lunch there at least a dozen times a year)
The Elk
Franks Diner-top notch breakfast in a train car
Milfords
Scratch
Gordy's Szechuan
If you come to Coeur d Alene/Hayden/Post Falls
Wolf Lodge Inn-Spencer's is better for steaks but this is a very rustic tradition
Wine Cellar-live jazz nightly
Beverly's
Angelo's
White House Grille
Clark House
Moon Time
The Porch
The Elk, Moon Time and The Porch are all owned by three local guys and are in Spokane, Coeur d Alene and Hayden Lake. Fantastic pub grub with stellar selections on tap.
I've lived here most all my life and am happy to help on this board. Good luck!
My review of Canlis-OUTSTANDING!
I have seen some great and no so great reviews of this restaurant on this site in the past and having just dined there in November, I felt compelled to post my experience.
The wife and I received a great recommendation on Canlis from a good friend that is the food and beverage director of The Coeur d'Alene Resort. He's fairly connected to the restaurant scene in Seattle and offered to call up and make our reservation. The website looked great, I read some reviews here and agreed to check it out.
I was immediately impressed with the layout of the entrance. Reminded me of great Northwest syle homes and buildings we have here in North Idaho. Great vibe entering the restaurant-obviously very fine dining but absolutely inviting. We checked in and the service director/maitre'D, Mr. Kim warmly greeted us. We felt at home immediately. We were sat promptly in a nice corner table which we found out was the table where Peter Canlis always sat at so he could see everything going on. Gorgeous settings and very comfortable. Okay, now to the goods.
The martini list was presented and mostly because I didn't see a table starting without one, we each ordered one. I opted for the Manattan and my wife a more "feminine" flavored selection. This was no ordinary Manhattan and I enjoyed it to the last drop. We then selected a bottle of Woodward Canyon Cab and were ready to sample the fare. Our server brough out a nice little Chef's starter, a celery soup that got the taste buds working. We decided on the Peter Canlis prawns for an appetizer, and they were to die for. They supplied the perfect amount of heat and lived up to the reputation. Great start.
We both ordered the Canlis salad which came with some tasty, warm bread. I must say, I probably won't order the salad again, but it had more to do with the fact that I am more of a hearty dressing fan. The components were beyond fresh to say the least. On to the entree.
I'm a seafood guy when I go to Seattle so I had already sold myself on ordering fish, shellfish, crustacean, something of the sea. However, our server, Wanda, sold my wife on the Muscovey Duck for two-I obliged as "momma's happy, everyone's happy" :) They brought the bird out to present it to us pre arrangement. My experiences with Muscovey Duck have been hit and miss. This was knocked out of the park. The outside was wonderfully crisp and flavorful while the duckmeat itself was flawlessly tender and moist. We both requested additional pepper jam as it added a great sweet/heat feature to the entree. We shared a side of forest mushrooms that complemented the duck very nicely. Meanwhile, I am eyeballing desserts being brough to neigboring tables.
We finished off with the doughnuts-a selection of banana and caramel filled doughnuts with chocolate dipping sauce and a scoop of peanut butter ice cream. I ordered my signature heated snifter of Grand Marnier and I was in heaven.
I was not ready to leave this Garden of Eden quite yet so our server prepared a small table in the lounge to take in some music. The piano player was tickling the ivories to everything under the sun, even renditions of Lady Gaga and Metallica. The last few glasses of wine in the lounge capped off a remarkably memorable evening.
Bottom line, the food was tremendous. Not to discount this fact, but I have had tremendous EATING experiences at many a restaurant. I felt the difference with Canlis was the DINING experience. They.just.do.it.right. The detail to service was what you would want if you, yourself, were operating a fine dining establishment. It was professional, honest and above all-GENUINE. You are made to feel as though your experience is a celebration even if you are not necessarily celebrating anything in particular. Not in an over the top way, but in a seamless and comforting way. We were encouraged to take all the time in the world to enjoy ourselves. We left our hotel at 5:45 for our 6:00 reservation and arrived back a little after 10:00.
So in closing, consider me a proud supporter of Canlis. We felt as though we were special guests of The Canlis Family that night along with Mr. Kim, Wanda and the rest of the team. We were originally coming to Seattle to see Billy Joel and Elton John. The show was cancelled a week before but we decided to get out of town nonetheless. They just rescheduled the show for February 6th-my birthday-and we already have a reservation set, in Wanda's section, at Canlis for the night before. This time we'll actually have something specific to celebrate...although I'd go back there any day of the year to "celebrate" spending an evening there. *****
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Canlis Restaurant
2576 Aurora Ave N, Seattle, WA 98109
Coming to town in November for three nights, would you change our dining itinerary?
Thanks Natalie, im thinking Barolo for sure now!
Coming to town in November for three nights, would you change our dining itinerary?
Thanks Bluedog, greatly appreciated! Barolo or Travolata?
Good Food in CDA/Spokane
Coeur d Alene spots: Scratch, Beverly's, Moon Time, Porch, Syringa, White House Grille. Wine Cellar just closed due to ownership/legal issues but I have heard it will reopen this winter.
Spokane: Gordy's, Spencer's, Wild Sage, Clinkendaggers, Downriver Grill
Vintage Cocktails in Spokane? Help!
Bistango's martini lounge. The bartenders are very friendly and it's a fun atmosphere. Tough to compete with Seattle for obvious reasons but my wife and I stay at the Davenport a few times a year for the weekend, as we live in CDA, and we hit up Bistango's every time.
Coming to town in November for three nights, would you change our dining itinerary?
Night 1: Chandler's-I know this place doesn't get a lot of love on the board but we went last year and the crab was abundant and equally amazing.
Night 2: Tulio's-seems to get consistent high marks on the internet.
Night 3: Umi Sake
We are coming from Coeur d'Alene, ID and staying at the Fairmont. Doing Elton and Billy on Saturday and catching the Seahawks vs Lions on Sunday. Atmoshphere is important and we're also looking for cool, unique drinking spots-not incredibly loud, but more laid back romantic spots for wine/cocktails. Suggestions greatly appreciated!
Thanks in advance!
Wolf Lodge Inn, Coeur d'Alene - Fish - Wow
We eat at Wolf Lodge a few times a year. I'm with you, a fine steak but not the greatest in the world, but still very very good and hard to beat the price. It's all about the ambience and experience, and we always bring guests from out of town to show them a unique experience. Everyone we have in wants that charming, ruggest Western Cowboy steak place, and Wolf Lodge delivers. Glad you had a great time!
Roadtrip NYC to Seattle
I live in Coeur d'Alene and would love to give you some recs.
If you want to go all out and have a very memorable dining experience, look at The Clark House in Hayden Lake. Next fine dining rec would be Beverly's at the Coeur d Alene Resort. For a less formal occasion and a good Western Steak feel, Wolf Lodge Steakhouse. Finally, less formal but great feel, The White House Grille in Post Falls-Greek/Mediterranean with the beloved chef/owner Ragi singing and making everyone feel special.
Peter Luger or Keen's or ?
Walshey,
I visited NYC for the first time last week, coming from NW US. My wife and I did Luger's and I thank my lucky stars for it. We stayed at a few blocks from Times Square and our cab back from dinner took maybe 15 minutes. I.REALLY.ADVISE.YOU.TO.GO.THERE. Make your reservation NOW if you want any decent time slot, no matter what day of the week you plan on dining. I'm damn near begging you to go here. If you do, let the bartender know that the couple from Idaho sent you, he'll know exactly who you are referring to. And, tell me how it goes. Lastly, I drink a big cabernet about 99% of the time with my steak but the Brookly Lager went down very good with the porterhouse.
need dress code for following restaurants
nice but casual. Dinner. I've got French, steakhouse and Asian covered. Open to any suggestions but looking for dinner.
rooftop bar at Peninsula-is it cool/hard to get into?
Looking for a cool spot or two for drinks during our trip. My wife is into this kind of rooftop bar scene. Do you recommend it? Is it hard to get into? Any other cool bars and lounges with great ambience/views that you recommend? I have researched the Rainbow Room but it looks like it might be a feat to get into. We are staying at the Waldorf so any close recommendations are greatly appreciated.
Need two more suggestions for open nights in NYC
Mrs and I are staying at Waldorf Astoria from 13th-20th. We arrive (coming from WA STATE) at 5 pm on Monday.
We need two more spots for dinner. We probably won't want to get all fancy on Monday but looking for something decent and close. We already have steakhouse, Asian and French covered. Any suggestions?
Also need a suggestion for Saturday evening. Again, nothing too over the top as we are going pretty big the rest of the stay. Something decent in the neighborhood of $100+ tip with a glass of wine in there. Doesn't even have to be that expensive if there is something original out there I can't get on West Coast-i'll be counting my pennies by then ;)
need dress code for following restaurants
wife and I am heading to NYC next week. We have a few tight spots with regards to activities/making our reservations and need to now how dressed up I need to get. We are staying at the Waldorf and have two nights free for suggestions:
Monday: Open
Tuesday: Tse Yang
Wed: taking train to D.C., reservation at Monocle
Thursday: La Grenouille-right before Phantom of the Opera (planning on wearing a suit-with tie?)
Friday: Peter Luger-early reservation after Yankees game (this might be a tough one as I'd like to wear jeans to the game)
Saturday: Open
Thanks for input in advance
friend recommended Tse Yang's...thoughts?
Any feedback is, as always, greatly appreciated.
staying at Waldorf Astoria, any places close for the NYC experience?
my wife and I are staying at the Waldorf Astoria in April. Are there any breakfast, lunch or dinner spots we HAVE to hit up?
I'm open to anything: dives, high end, eclectic, you name it. Delis come highly recommended but I haven't got a clue as to where to go as I am coming from West Coast on first trip to NYC. Bottom line, I am up for anything and will go far and wide for the "Have to hit up" joints. Anything close to where i am staying? I have never been let down by CHOWHOUNDS in the past.....fire away!
anniversary in Seattle (part 2-memorable drinks)
Heading to Seattle this weekend to celebrate our anniversary. I posted about being on a mission for the best crab dinner Seattle has to offer and I know you won't fail me on the drinks front. Looking for a unique lounge/bar where we can get good drinks wine and martinis a must. Nothing obnoxiously loud. Great views, interesting surroundings and/or a nice jazz or blues band or acoustic set would be great. Hotel lounge recommendations are welcome. Something where we can dress up and have fun at after dinner. Again, your input is GREATLY appreciated.
anniversary in Seattle (part 1-crab mission)
Heading to Seattle with my wife of three years for our anniversary this upcoming weekend. We want to explore the best that Seattle has to offer in terms of crab dishes but ambience and/or a nice view is very important as well. Chandler's has been recommended. Your input is greatly appreciated! Thanks!
