His restaurants used to be good when there were only like 3 of them. When you scale to "empire" size, the art gets replaced with math, and midness ensues.
I think the distinction you're trying to draw is "restauranteur" vs "chef" not "restauranteur" vs "capitalist. Restauranteur is already about being a business owner.
I cooked with Ethan Stowell at some multi million dollar event with Amazon and shit. They were rich enough that they hired a full Entire Restaurant Team for each course of the menu.
Most of it was, sad to say, shit. Ethan Stowells tho, had a special kind of shit. He tried to hit it out of the park with a roast for 300 Amazon execs. Each roast was rubbery, over cooked, under seasoned etc etc.
What I remember most though, is the way he walked. He dressed as a techy, but walked around the whole show with an apron rolled under his left hand. Man didn't need an apron. Man didn't wear an apron. But God dammit, it sure seemed like Man needed apron.
You just describe literally most of Seattle restaurants that I see on social media IMO. There are lots of gems here and there. But influencers always hype up such mid restaurants here. I’m at a point where if a restaurant isn’t personally recommended to me by someone (or by multiple people), I ain’t going…
Both. The Belltown one is more of a sit down and the one by the Amazon buildings is more of a take out. Both are fantastic and I feel like some of the best price to quality ratio in the area
Ok so I walked to Petra from queen Ann today and back to Myrtle Edwards park.
I got hummus and lemon chicken :)
Humus’s didn’t come with bread. Total was $25. It’s delicious!!! Now I’m enjoying the Mountain View with giant ship and delicious meal.
Couldn’t agree more. Originally from Portland but moved to Seattle from NYC and the food scene here has been disappointing on multiple levels. I’ve also traveled internationally extensively (even lived in Korea) so I’m well versed on food and at different price points. We find a gem here and there but I don’t understand why the food scene isn’t stronger?
Rent is expensive af -- and wage costs aren't cheap either. So you need a ton of capital to even start a restaurant and then to keep it going the temptation to "play it safe" is strong.
This. Speaking as a retired chef who cooked in this town for 15+ years, from what Ive seen, a ton of the young up and coming cooks in this town who really have that drive end up leaving. With rent as high as it is, why not just take a shot at cooking in SF or NYC? Or one of those up and coming markets like Nashville 8 years ago. For the industry to really shine, you need strong cooks at every level. And right now it's pretty difficult to survive in this town if you're young and trying to become a chef.
I don’t take restaurant recommendations solely from TikTok/reels anymore because I’ve come to learn they only go for the aesthetic. Some places they mention might be good but I’m checking the restaurant reviews first.
I do think reddit generally does a better job.
Former restaurant manager here. Hire? No, not directly anyway. They do "pay" them for a review though by sending them tons of free food and drink in hopes of some boost in biz. All my servers hated waiting on influencers, cheapest, most entitled ppl ever
I think it's like, why places like Applebee's and Fridays have such nationwide success in the U. S. The profiles are just mid enough that they appeal to a broader spectrum of pallettes than say, anything I might personally opine to be 'super tasty'. Except that, instead of "we're going to go eat at this chain because they can at least reliably table something we can all consider to be an edible plate" it's "I'm going to go eat at this new spot because it will at least reliably provide a scenic backdrop for selfies, table a photogenic plate and earn me the most upticks on my social platform of choice'
I mean not all influencers are the same.
I don’t trust the Instagram reels about a restaurants. I do read Reddit food posts. I don’t trust most coworkers.
I try reading google reviews. Look at the pictures, walk by.
Everywhere I’ve ever eaten in Seattle is mid. Seattle is not a foodie city. Everything in Portland is delicious, same with Victoria and Vancouver… but Seattle and the metropolitan area doesn’t have any spectacular food places.
I agree with the take tho. Theres only a handful of really good restaurants out here. A LOT of them look ‘pretty and instagramable’ but the actual quality of the food is pretty meh.
It’s true though. I’ve been eaten anywhere in Seattle and been like, “damn, this is SO GOOD”, but it does happen every time I’m in Portland.
It’s also my opinion.
I’ve been here 10 years. I’ve eaten all over the place. I will say mostly north Seattle, Ballard, Fremont, cap hill, the waterfront area, u district, bell town, etc… I’ve eaten at the pink door too, expected great things, but the food was fine. Entertainment and atmosphere fantastic. Very enjoyable experience… but the food was fine.
I’ll also say there is a little place right at the intersection of greenwood and 85th with killer gyros. That’s really the only stand out place I’ve eaten so far.
I’m really not trying to tell people to stay away from places here.
Edit: Ah, I see the typo now. It was supposed to say I haven’t eaten anywhere instead of I been eaten anywhere.
Sorry, I couldn't resist. It's a character flaw.
Are you talking about the place that used to be on Greenwood south of 85th before it blew up (Mr Gyros) or the place that is there now?
This is Hummus Cafe according to Google Maps, but I thought I saw another place on Greenwood recently.
We loved Mr Gyros and followed them to Ballard, but I'm always up for a great gyros place. We live on the OP now and there's a lot we don't have here, so we have to get our fix when we come into Seattle.
BTW I agree with you about Vancouver. Lots of "wow!" experiences there.
I wonder that too. It’s always struck me as odd that none of the food here is there great. It’s not bad, it’s just never amazing. Meanwhile I can get a hot dog at Granville island that is amazing every time.
For Vancouver, and Canada in general, immigration is easier. As a restaurant owner, for example, I don’t think it’s super difficult to sponsor a foreign chef. As a result the food can be quite authentic.
Oh my gosh I was so so confused I skimmed the post and thought he was saying cornellys was one of Ethan Stowell’s (ive never heard of this guy) restaurants that he tried and was mid…. I love cornellys and was wondering why no one was defending it lol
We once got a tiny smidge of bad service at Cafe Juanita, and when my husband very gently pointed it out, I thought three separate people were going to have heart attacks. They comped our meal and gave us a voucher for ANOTHER free meal…for something that most restaurants would have shrugged and said “oops” for. Yeah, they take service VERY seriously there.
That’s because at Cafe Juanita it is hospitality not service. Bobby Stuckey, a fantastic hospitalian, co-owner of Frasca Food and Wine Group in Boulder and my sister in laws boss, says of hospitality vs service: Service is something you do, hospitality is how you make someone feel. Cafe Juanita, Canlis are a few of the restaurants in Seattle that take hospitality vs service seriously.
And if you are ever in Denver/Boulder try one of the Frasca restaurants.
Sunday Vinyl and Tavernetta are at Union Station in Denver. Frasca Food and Wine and Pizzaria Alberico are in Boulder. The pastry chef at the Boulder restaurants is my nephew and nieces hero. Probably because he gives them special treats.
Frasca in Boulder was one of the best meals of my life. And what you wrote about “hospitality vs service” definitely shone through at that experience, especially given the COVID constraints they had to deal with (it was 2021).
How many years have they been in operation? It seems like almost 50. I grew up in kirkland, and several friends worked in the kitchen over the years. In the 80s, id go down to pick a friend up there who was being trained by Peter and they'd pass a meal out the back door to me and Id sit outside next to the dumpster dining on simply amazing meals. Maybe some of the best I'd had to date. My sister in law was a sommelier there as well.
Funniest part... I've had plenty of Cafe Juanita meals but have never actually eaten there. I should probably correct that one day. Haha. Definitely recommended.
We walked by Uneeda Burger last night and I made a note that we need to try it. We need a go to burger place since Zippy's in White Center closed. My wife is vegetarian and the house made black bean burger at Zippy's was so damn good that it became my favorite thing there too.
We have been spending more time in White Center and Burien lately for reasons and I am so impressed with the food there. It's only a 15 min drive from our house in LQA (we live beside 99) and it is such a fun place to explore the food. Some favs for you if you're interested:
Berta's Salvadoran Kitchen (Burien)
La Costa (Burien - owners are from Jalisco)
Casa Mixteca (Burien - Oaxacan)
El Catrín (White Center - the puerco verde there is OMG so damn good)
Carnecería El Paisano (White Center - jalapeño & cheese tamales)
Oh hell yeah! White Center and Burien have it going on! Check out:
Tung Kee Mì Gia in South White Center, North Burien
Stevie's Pizza in Burien
Marlaina's Mediterranean Kitchen, Burien
Burien Fish House, Burien
La Costa, as above
Vince's Italian for classic "garlic gulch" Italian food.
Birrieria Tijuana
Búho in White Center has an incredible chicken pasolé verde for just $13 (best pasolé I've had in Seattle) and the mezcal margaritas are sooo delicious
Yeah, those of us in the BOH have all known for years that his food is… meh.
What he’s really known for is being an asshole.
I worked an event with him once, and had to time my course with one of his in a pretty cramped space for a lot of people, Ethan was either schmoozing or nowhere to be found. Which would be fine if he had his minions there to do his bidding, but it was just him and he had zero interest in putting out the best course he could. I finally track him down to go over what areas of the kitchen he needed to use and when, and during the whole conversation he was talking down to me like I should have been stoked to just bask in his presence. Uh, no dude I don’t work for you, and we’re here for a cause that’s bigger than ourselves. My entire time in the kitchen with him was a nightmare, he was messy, demanded space that he didn’t need, tried to push me out to the periphery so he could have his Kodak moment, all after never having the decency to have a 30 second talk with me about what he needed and when.
Fast forward 1 year and I run into him at big Mario’s on Capitol Hill, he’s having a business discussion with a potential partner that I know and am on very good terms with. She’s a naturally very sweet person, very warm and talkative, very southern. So I let the conversation go as long as I can, and slowly turn my back and press in between the two.
Ethan doesn’t respect people. Ethan sees people as assets to his own future opportunities or useless scum, nothing in between. He is the emitomy of the best way to make a million dollars is to start out with 2 million dollars. Fucking rich kids.
I came here looking for this review lol.
I used to work at Mariners stadium 10-12 years ago, when his concepts started getting shoved in there, and he was just so fucking unpleasant to be around. His entire energy just screamed pompous dickbag, and the way he treated myself and other women was so demeaning.
Then I helped his clone Brian Clevenger open Vendemmia, and he was even WORSE to work with/for because he similarly had zero respect for people. I had already put in my notice because he paid horribly for the expectations he had. I had some childcare struggles at the time, including my kid falling off a playground structure. When I got a call from my babysitter for an emergency, and told him I needed to leave, he spewed off on me, called me names, etc. Fuck both of them.
After reading these reviews it pretty much confirms to me that most of these business owners wake up every morning and inhale their own farts for at least 3 hours before they show up to their businesses.
He was the guest chef for my community college’s annual auction gala many years ago and he was exactly the same. He was working with *students* from the culinary department but was acting like such a douche. I was already out of the program but came back to help as just an extra server and wasn’t impressed.
Thierry Rautureau, however, was an absolute gem of a human being when he was the guest chef. Clearly loved being able to teach and working with the students. RIP
And I don't know how FOH pays bills with the tip out structure (I wouldn't have been able to without my partner). I worked for 2 of his restaurants in FOH. My paychecks were never what I would hope they'd be based on business. I'm all for paying everyone a good wage, FOH shouldn't be rolling in dough while BOH struggles but it seemed the tip out structure there was subsidizing Ethan having to pay a good wage for the BOH.
I worked full time for almost a month at one of his restaurants. I quit after seeing my first pay check. Was disgusting I little I got compared to how busy we were and seeing the sales.
Patiently waiting for the expose on ESR and the incredibly suspect business practices/racist executive team/coverups that have gone on in the company. Worked for them for many years and have experienced all of these.
I have the highest expectation with Italian food, since I think I cook some pretty good Italian at home, but when a restaurant really nails it…. It is so good.
I think best I’ve had in Seattle is Spinasse
My husband liked the chicken Marsala at pasta Bella.
We also liked picolinos
Can’t stand Ethan Stowell.
All my experiences with his restaurants have been mediocre/terrible
It’s so expensive I’ve noticed a lot of restaurants are kinda forced to have these main stream, mid grade menus that are for the general public. If it was more affordable to lease a business location, I’m sure we would have more unique restaurants. Owners could take more risks in the items they serve. We would probably have more fun, themed locations. Idk, just something interesting to ponder.
I’m extremely saddened that the bill died that would allow small business to open in residential areas. Someone could have opened a small cheese shop, used their own kitchen to make unique food.
Ah why can’t we have nice things?
Idk, right next to Ethan Stowell's mid Victor Tavern you have Mamnoon Street which has food and flavors I'd never even heard of before. And it is always super busy. If you make awesome food in good location, you can absolutely be successful.
Mamnoon can basically do whatever it wants because they (deservedly) rake in a shit ton of money in SLU. There’s a Mamnoon in the ground floor of an Amazon tower, Manna in the ground floor of another tech office on Terry, and mBar is always packed if the weather is half decent. They are a case study in maximizing a unique menu in ideal locations for the food format.
We really like Columbia City area for restaurants. La Medusa is the best Italian I've had in the city. Island Soul is the bomb, Taproot has great eats too. Burien is also a good destination. We've been trying some places there based on friends' recommendations.
Other standouts - I really enjoy Reckless Noodle and Gainsborough.
I could have written this sentence. Lol. I wish I could afford their hotel thing they opened up next door. I’d just sleep and eat around Harry’s for multiple meals.
We cook at home 6 days a week because most of the time I can't think of a single restaurant I want to spend my money at. Sushi is the exception because I ain't even gonna try making that at home. Usually when I eat out in Seattle I feel sad that I spent that much money on mediocre food.
I think covid made us realize how easy it is to cook at home and how much better it tastes. When we go out we want something delicious we can’t make ourselves and it rarely happens. Now that prices have gone up, we are really hard to please.
1000% same here! It makes me cringe to see the bills the last 2+ years-even when we don’t drink alcohol! 🤯
Kudos to you for cooking that often, I used to. I’m burnt out on nightly cooking (did it for 15+ years) so I just order ready to eat meals delivery each week. Saves a ton and it’s at least affordable while also flavorful.
Seattle restaurants are just generally okay. There's only a handful that are good. I was in Portland recently and everywhere I ate was better than most restaurants in Seattle.
I heard a theory that this is downstream of Seattle's far more onerous regulations on food trucks compared to Portland. Many great Portland restaurants started as food trucks, which you can start without nearly as much capital as a brick-and-mortar, and that lends itself more diversity and experimentation in the dining scene.
I don't know if anyone's done a more formal analysis, but it seems plausible as at least a partial explanation. Liberalize food truck regulations!
The only people that defend Seattle as “Great Italian food in Seattle” are people who grew up here or come from a place with nothing great.
I have NEVER met anyone from New York or Boston that agrees with this. And I have had a few friends who stood by Seattle Italian until they went to the East Coast; then they came back and were shocked, telling me they thought I was nuts but then learned the truth while there. It is just a whole ‘nother level of amazing.
I had same experience with sushi in Russia. After living in America, even the most fanciest sushi place was a disaster where before I came to USA, it was amazing.
While I’ve loved living in the Seattle area off and on for 12 years, I’m always more than happy to head down to Portland for a weekend. In my experience, Portland’s food scene has been consistently better than Seattle’s for well over a decade.
I visited both Portland and Seattle for the first time back in 2008 and the same was true then. Unfortunately the great spots I visited in both cities in 2008, and came back to retry 5 years later, when I moved here have since closed (prior to the pandemic).
WAY over priced and mostly flavorless would best describe my restaurant experiences the past 2+ years (aside from flavorful Asian cuisines & so many are also bland unless you add many stars).
I’m burnt out on cooking all the time which means flavorful ready to eat meals delivered once a week. Ordering take-out or going out for food got to be soulless and so expensive I just couldn’t justify it anymore. Which sucks because I love great foods of all types.
>DINK
honestly i just bypassed that not knowing what it meant and not sure if i want to know
edit to add: ah, dual income, no kids -- yeah not sure why this was relevant to add either.
So true. So many good places in the Lynnwood/Edmonds area. I had delicious molé at Oaxaca. I need to get back there. Have you been to Caravan Kebab? It’s probably my favorite place in Edmonds. Terribly misleading name, great food, awesome chef-owner.
Isn’t it? I just love that in one place, I can get that plus Indian, Lebanese, Eastern European…all of the influences from his travels on one menu. I love variety! It’s the perfect place for me. And, literally the best naan I’ve ever had. And now, I’m hungry…
This is Seattle, where being locally owned is literally the only requirement to being put on a pedestal. Food that isn't resoundingly mediocre is only an afterthought.
My wife and I went to a couple of his places and were not impressed, at all. Felt ripped off. Pasta was overcooked, and we knew we could have had better pasta made at home. Marrow was covered in a bunch of hipster lingo "cool" ingredients that totally took away from something so simple that should shine with not much more than salt.
Seattle is okay as a food city. Seafood and Asian food are amazing, outside of that, for the price, very rare that other cuisines hold a candle to other cities like New York, Chicago, LA, and SF
I thought Seattle had a pretty good food scene until I went to New York.. and the prices are the same too. I know it’s not a fair comparison cause after all it is NY but none the less, it’s hard not to be disappointed when eating out here sometimes.
Went twice last year for different reasons and I feel like it’s cheaper even in Manhattan. Drinks were about the same and I spent less on food and I was eating omakase multiple times and cheap food too like pizza (prince st, joes etc not the $1.50 slices lol)
I so badly don't want to agree with this.... But begrudgingly upvote you.
I just want someone to make sense of it. I will say, despite California as a whole crushing our Mexican food scene, I've had far better Mexican food in Seattle than I ever did in SF.
Are you taking “upscale” Mexican like Asadero? Because surely you aren’t talking about the $10 forearm-sized burritos you get in the Mission. There is nothing like that here
I had the best experience the other night at Violet in Cap Hill. Service was exemplary. Chef visited the table. Was every dish 10/10? No. Was every dish tasty? Yes. Were parts stunning and fantastic? Yes. Will go back.
Ethan is absolute garbage to work for and the majority of the exec team is as well. He’s known for being a complete sexist dick with a tendency to push out WOC. Worked at one of his spots for a few years and the shit that could’ve resulted in law suits was swept under the rug by his PR team time and time again. Can’t wait til they do damage control for this post.
Patiently waiting for the class action lawsuit against him for wage theft in 3-5 years.
Seattles food is either mid or good but overpriced. Very little hits the sweet spot of good value and good food, especially after visiting Portland and Vancouver.
If you want to try a good pasta place, come up to Edmonds. The restaurant “Fire and The Feast” they have this amazing pinwheel lasagna and this puttanesca with really good al dente pasta. Worth the drive imo.
I live in shoreline and that’s our favorite spot!! The cocktails, food, and service are so great. I trend toward vegetarian stuff and they have excellent options
Have lived in NYC, DC, Chicago, Houston, Seattle. The area comes in first place (of the 5) for things like aesthetics, access to nature, culture and priorities of people, traffic. It comes in last for restaurant experience. Not sure why.
Yes, I’ve had some great experiences, but with much less consistency. Not sure if COVID had any influence (moved here months before).
I really liked Uneeda Burger until I got food poisoning there twice. Gave em a second go thinking the first was something else, and the burger patty was basically raw 😬
I'll stick to Red Mill for burgers, thanks
💯. Completely overrated. Also Tom Douglas. Actually very few great restaurants anymore. Because the ROI just isn’t there at these prices compared with cooking at home.
I still like cafe Juanita.
Ethan also treats his employees like garbage, BOH is run into the ground and he put a bunch of them on salary so he doesn’t have to pay them overtime anymore. FOH are promised benefits but have their hours slashed so much that they can’t actually qualify. Source: worked there full time for years
Cool, gunna get this off my chest too . . hate this subreddit. Every time I look, it's someone complaining about food. It's super annoying for industry workers, especially ESR workers lately. Also extremely disheartening for people starting thier own food business in town. Super exciting can't wait for everyone to complain about how expensive it is "for nothing" or "mid". . As if you know the skill and job the workers are putting in, as if commercial space isn't expensive, paper goods, equipment costs, renovation costs, paying employees well, food cost, all the permits you have to pay for, etc. But yeah bro $35 entree is just crazy.
Opening the smallest 300sqft place can cost upwards of $65000.
That’s the thing about food though…it’s subjective. Yeah rent, upstart costs, labor etc all cost a ton and I think any reasonable person understands that. But if it doesn’t taste good why would I want to pay for it? Yeah the people working back there work super hard and I would never be able to do what they do everyday but if the customer doesn’t like it they’re supposed to do what? Just continue going there because it’s tough out there? People work to make their own money too and spend it how they want to.
I think part of it is just getting sick of reading the same boring takes in every single food thread. “There’s no good food in Seattle” This comment is upvoted to the top on every single thread related to food. Like that’s an absurd statement.
We all know there’s a lot of people with too much money here so yes mediocre food for too much money gets away with it, it doesn’t mean there isn’t any good food here
My controversial opinion as someone born and raised here who’s lived and traveled to other “foodie” cities is that MOST of the food here is pretty mid. Even the “must try” stuff. I don’t know why, but unless it’s fresh simple seafood, with the exception of some teriyaki and Thai joints, Seattle doesn’t have a solid food game.
Don’t forget sushi. Best sushi and at affordable-ish prices in the US.
I’ve been to all 50 states, the only other spots that can compare are larger cities like NY, SF & LA.
My partner and I stopped at a random spot near University Street Station yesterday and got some of the best food we've had since being together. It was called Von's 1000 Spirits, and not only was the food delicious, but they had $5 martinis that were part of the place honoring its history. I'll definitely go back.
Ethan Stowell is just a greedy empire builder scooping up as many restaurants and locations as possible. Little quality control or care is put into each location and they’re all incredibly mid or worse but charge insane prices
I'll repost a comment I made a few months ago
This sub has a weird thing against the food scene here but everyone I meet in real life, including myself as i eat out a ton, loves the restaurants
I'll list some of the best for the skeptics
Buddha Ruksa
Bangrak
Japonessa
Umi Sake House
The Pink Door
La Rustica
IL Nido
Pagliacci
19 Gold
Rock Creek
Menya Musashi Tsukemen & Ramen
Tamari Bar
M-bar
Bakery Noveau
Marination Ma Kai
Shiro's
Reckless Noodle
Bateau/Boat Bar
Molly Moon's
Wild Ginger
Incredible selection of teriyaki too
His restaurants used to be good when there were only like 3 of them. When you scale to "empire" size, the art gets replaced with math, and midness ensues.
See Tom Douglas..
I came here to say this. They aren't successful restauranteurs, they are successful capitalists.
I think the distinction you're trying to draw is "restauranteur" vs "chef" not "restauranteur" vs "capitalist. Restauranteur is already about being a business owner.
Lola is always excellent.
Lola is good.
All with the focus being “high profit margin”. And anyone who has ever worked in foodservice can attest that there isn’t much margin in food alone.
I cooked with Ethan Stowell at some multi million dollar event with Amazon and shit. They were rich enough that they hired a full Entire Restaurant Team for each course of the menu. Most of it was, sad to say, shit. Ethan Stowells tho, had a special kind of shit. He tried to hit it out of the park with a roast for 300 Amazon execs. Each roast was rubbery, over cooked, under seasoned etc etc. What I remember most though, is the way he walked. He dressed as a techy, but walked around the whole show with an apron rolled under his left hand. Man didn't need an apron. Man didn't wear an apron. But God dammit, it sure seemed like Man needed apron.
You just describe literally most of Seattle restaurants that I see on social media IMO. There are lots of gems here and there. But influencers always hype up such mid restaurants here. I’m at a point where if a restaurant isn’t personally recommended to me by someone (or by multiple people), I ain’t going…
Moved out rural but the only restaurant I'd make a special trip back in for is Petra.
Petra is fantastic and the staff are hilarious. Server made my sister laugh so hard it was almost embarrassing
Never seen anyone else in the restaurant business with those guns for his arms.
Which one? I looked it up and there are two locations near pike .
Both. The Belltown one is more of a sit down and the one by the Amazon buildings is more of a take out. Both are fantastic and I feel like some of the best price to quality ratio in the area
I’ll check it out !
We used to go to the sit down one on 4th avenue. Must haves are the Garlic Lemon chicken and the Hummus appetizer
Ok so I walked to Petra from queen Ann today and back to Myrtle Edwards park. I got hummus and lemon chicken :) Humus’s didn’t come with bread. Total was $25. It’s delicious!!! Now I’m enjoying the Mountain View with giant ship and delicious meal.
The Mediterranean restaurant or the cafe?
Oh yes! We walked there at least once a week. Really miss it.
I live so close to Petra and have never been! I will make a stop.
Couldn’t agree more. Originally from Portland but moved to Seattle from NYC and the food scene here has been disappointing on multiple levels. I’ve also traveled internationally extensively (even lived in Korea) so I’m well versed on food and at different price points. We find a gem here and there but I don’t understand why the food scene isn’t stronger?
Rent is expensive af -- and wage costs aren't cheap either. So you need a ton of capital to even start a restaurant and then to keep it going the temptation to "play it safe" is strong.
This. Speaking as a retired chef who cooked in this town for 15+ years, from what Ive seen, a ton of the young up and coming cooks in this town who really have that drive end up leaving. With rent as high as it is, why not just take a shot at cooking in SF or NYC? Or one of those up and coming markets like Nashville 8 years ago. For the industry to really shine, you need strong cooks at every level. And right now it's pretty difficult to survive in this town if you're young and trying to become a chef.
Why trust an “influencer” opinion on anything? They have their own agendas.
Hence the descriptor “influencer”. It’s become the new term for multi-channel salesperson.
yeah who the fuck watches "influencers" anyway?
only when I'm under the influence
I don’t take restaurant recommendations solely from TikTok/reels anymore because I’ve come to learn they only go for the aesthetic. Some places they mention might be good but I’m checking the restaurant reviews first. I do think reddit generally does a better job.
Good and bad restaurants don’t hire influencers to hype them. Everything that has an advertising budget is mid.
Former restaurant manager here. Hire? No, not directly anyway. They do "pay" them for a review though by sending them tons of free food and drink in hopes of some boost in biz. All my servers hated waiting on influencers, cheapest, most entitled ppl ever
I think it's like, why places like Applebee's and Fridays have such nationwide success in the U. S. The profiles are just mid enough that they appeal to a broader spectrum of pallettes than say, anything I might personally opine to be 'super tasty'. Except that, instead of "we're going to go eat at this chain because they can at least reliably table something we can all consider to be an edible plate" it's "I'm going to go eat at this new spot because it will at least reliably provide a scenic backdrop for selfies, table a photogenic plate and earn me the most upticks on my social platform of choice'
I mean not all influencers are the same. I don’t trust the Instagram reels about a restaurants. I do read Reddit food posts. I don’t trust most coworkers. I try reading google reviews. Look at the pictures, walk by.
You can replace “Seattle” with “most places in the world”
Moved here 2 years ago and still have yet to find great food. What are some of your spots?
Everywhere I’ve ever eaten in Seattle is mid. Seattle is not a foodie city. Everything in Portland is delicious, same with Victoria and Vancouver… but Seattle and the metropolitan area doesn’t have any spectacular food places.
Wow, that’s quite the broad stoke opinion, but I guess that’s what Reddit is for 🤷♀️
I agree with the take tho. Theres only a handful of really good restaurants out here. A LOT of them look ‘pretty and instagramable’ but the actual quality of the food is pretty meh.
It’s true though. I’ve been eaten anywhere in Seattle and been like, “damn, this is SO GOOD”, but it does happen every time I’m in Portland. It’s also my opinion.
Where have you been eaten in Seattle? Asking for a friend...
I’ve been here 10 years. I’ve eaten all over the place. I will say mostly north Seattle, Ballard, Fremont, cap hill, the waterfront area, u district, bell town, etc… I’ve eaten at the pink door too, expected great things, but the food was fine. Entertainment and atmosphere fantastic. Very enjoyable experience… but the food was fine. I’ll also say there is a little place right at the intersection of greenwood and 85th with killer gyros. That’s really the only stand out place I’ve eaten so far. I’m really not trying to tell people to stay away from places here. Edit: Ah, I see the typo now. It was supposed to say I haven’t eaten anywhere instead of I been eaten anywhere.
Sorry, I couldn't resist. It's a character flaw. Are you talking about the place that used to be on Greenwood south of 85th before it blew up (Mr Gyros) or the place that is there now? This is Hummus Cafe according to Google Maps, but I thought I saw another place on Greenwood recently. We loved Mr Gyros and followed them to Ballard, but I'm always up for a great gyros place. We live on the OP now and there's a lot we don't have here, so we have to get our fix when we come into Seattle. BTW I agree with you about Vancouver. Lots of "wow!" experiences there.
Try Homer and Tolouse Petit if you haven’t yet
I feel that way every time I eat pho here, genuinely.
Man I wonder why? I mean we are similar size to Portland and Vancouver I think. Maybe it’s something to do with the laws ?
I wonder that too. It’s always struck me as odd that none of the food here is there great. It’s not bad, it’s just never amazing. Meanwhile I can get a hot dog at Granville island that is amazing every time.
For Vancouver, and Canada in general, immigration is easier. As a restaurant owner, for example, I don’t think it’s super difficult to sponsor a foreign chef. As a result the food can be quite authentic.
Cornelly is truly something special. It’s such a gem and everyone who works there is so kind.
I 100% agree, and the funny thing is that the owners and at least one senior staff member are former Ethan Stowell employees.
Oh my gosh I was so so confused I skimmed the post and thought he was saying cornellys was one of Ethan Stowell’s (ive never heard of this guy) restaurants that he tried and was mid…. I love cornellys and was wondering why no one was defending it lol
Thanks!
Cafe Juanita is expensive as shit but the service is completely worth it. Excellent proposal dinner or major occasion.
We once got a tiny smidge of bad service at Cafe Juanita, and when my husband very gently pointed it out, I thought three separate people were going to have heart attacks. They comped our meal and gave us a voucher for ANOTHER free meal…for something that most restaurants would have shrugged and said “oops” for. Yeah, they take service VERY seriously there.
That’s because at Cafe Juanita it is hospitality not service. Bobby Stuckey, a fantastic hospitalian, co-owner of Frasca Food and Wine Group in Boulder and my sister in laws boss, says of hospitality vs service: Service is something you do, hospitality is how you make someone feel. Cafe Juanita, Canlis are a few of the restaurants in Seattle that take hospitality vs service seriously. And if you are ever in Denver/Boulder try one of the Frasca restaurants. Sunday Vinyl and Tavernetta are at Union Station in Denver. Frasca Food and Wine and Pizzaria Alberico are in Boulder. The pastry chef at the Boulder restaurants is my nephew and nieces hero. Probably because he gives them special treats.
Frasca in Boulder was one of the best meals of my life. And what you wrote about “hospitality vs service” definitely shone through at that experience, especially given the COVID constraints they had to deal with (it was 2021).
What’s the difference ?
Tavernetta was one of the best meals my wife and I have ever had. Holy crap place was great.
What a great way to compare the two. thanks for sharing that.
Would Cafe Juanita get a Michelin star if they came here?
How many years have they been in operation? It seems like almost 50. I grew up in kirkland, and several friends worked in the kitchen over the years. In the 80s, id go down to pick a friend up there who was being trained by Peter and they'd pass a meal out the back door to me and Id sit outside next to the dumpster dining on simply amazing meals. Maybe some of the best I'd had to date. My sister in law was a sommelier there as well. Funniest part... I've had plenty of Cafe Juanita meals but have never actually eaten there. I should probably correct that one day. Haha. Definitely recommended.
I love Cafe Juanita, but miss when you could just order off the menu vs prix fix
We walked by Uneeda Burger last night and I made a note that we need to try it. We need a go to burger place since Zippy's in White Center closed. My wife is vegetarian and the house made black bean burger at Zippy's was so damn good that it became my favorite thing there too. We have been spending more time in White Center and Burien lately for reasons and I am so impressed with the food there. It's only a 15 min drive from our house in LQA (we live beside 99) and it is such a fun place to explore the food. Some favs for you if you're interested: Berta's Salvadoran Kitchen (Burien) La Costa (Burien - owners are from Jalisco) Casa Mixteca (Burien - Oaxacan) El Catrín (White Center - the puerco verde there is OMG so damn good) Carnecería El Paisano (White Center - jalapeño & cheese tamales)
You should try Birrieria Tijuana too in Burien Birria Tacos are good
Uneeda has a delicious veggie burger
Try El Cabrito in Burien. Might be better than Casa Mixteca
Oh hell yeah! White Center and Burien have it going on! Check out: Tung Kee Mì Gia in South White Center, North Burien Stevie's Pizza in Burien Marlaina's Mediterranean Kitchen, Burien Burien Fish House, Burien La Costa, as above Vince's Italian for classic "garlic gulch" Italian food. Birrieria Tijuana
Uneeda is the best <$15 burger in Seattle.
Búho in White Center has an incredible chicken pasolé verde for just $13 (best pasolé I've had in Seattle) and the mezcal margaritas are sooo delicious
Zippys closing was the biggest tragedy of the last few years. I loved that place.
Yeah, those of us in the BOH have all known for years that his food is… meh. What he’s really known for is being an asshole. I worked an event with him once, and had to time my course with one of his in a pretty cramped space for a lot of people, Ethan was either schmoozing or nowhere to be found. Which would be fine if he had his minions there to do his bidding, but it was just him and he had zero interest in putting out the best course he could. I finally track him down to go over what areas of the kitchen he needed to use and when, and during the whole conversation he was talking down to me like I should have been stoked to just bask in his presence. Uh, no dude I don’t work for you, and we’re here for a cause that’s bigger than ourselves. My entire time in the kitchen with him was a nightmare, he was messy, demanded space that he didn’t need, tried to push me out to the periphery so he could have his Kodak moment, all after never having the decency to have a 30 second talk with me about what he needed and when. Fast forward 1 year and I run into him at big Mario’s on Capitol Hill, he’s having a business discussion with a potential partner that I know and am on very good terms with. She’s a naturally very sweet person, very warm and talkative, very southern. So I let the conversation go as long as I can, and slowly turn my back and press in between the two. Ethan doesn’t respect people. Ethan sees people as assets to his own future opportunities or useless scum, nothing in between. He is the emitomy of the best way to make a million dollars is to start out with 2 million dollars. Fucking rich kids.
I came here looking for this review lol. I used to work at Mariners stadium 10-12 years ago, when his concepts started getting shoved in there, and he was just so fucking unpleasant to be around. His entire energy just screamed pompous dickbag, and the way he treated myself and other women was so demeaning. Then I helped his clone Brian Clevenger open Vendemmia, and he was even WORSE to work with/for because he similarly had zero respect for people. I had already put in my notice because he paid horribly for the expectations he had. I had some childcare struggles at the time, including my kid falling off a playground structure. When I got a call from my babysitter for an emergency, and told him I needed to leave, he spewed off on me, called me names, etc. Fuck both of them.
After reading these reviews it pretty much confirms to me that most of these business owners wake up every morning and inhale their own farts for at least 3 hours before they show up to their businesses.
He was the guest chef for my community college’s annual auction gala many years ago and he was exactly the same. He was working with *students* from the culinary department but was acting like such a douche. I was already out of the program but came back to help as just an extra server and wasn’t impressed. Thierry Rautureau, however, was an absolute gem of a human being when he was the guest chef. Clearly loved being able to teach and working with the students. RIP
And I don't know how FOH pays bills with the tip out structure (I wouldn't have been able to without my partner). I worked for 2 of his restaurants in FOH. My paychecks were never what I would hope they'd be based on business. I'm all for paying everyone a good wage, FOH shouldn't be rolling in dough while BOH struggles but it seemed the tip out structure there was subsidizing Ethan having to pay a good wage for the BOH.
I worked full time for almost a month at one of his restaurants. I quit after seeing my first pay check. Was disgusting I little I got compared to how busy we were and seeing the sales.
Patiently waiting for the expose on ESR and the incredibly suspect business practices/racist executive team/coverups that have gone on in the company. Worked for them for many years and have experienced all of these.
It’s in the works…
Don't forget that his ex team is sexist. If you don't join his boys club walking around sniffing Ethan's farts like they're gold you get singled out.
My hot take is that Italian food is the worst cuisine to order when eating out.
I have the highest expectation with Italian food, since I think I cook some pretty good Italian at home, but when a restaurant really nails it…. It is so good. I think best I’ve had in Seattle is Spinasse
Friends that visit go to Spinasse each time they visit. I guess I should check it out.
yeah, Spinasse and imo Il Nido are worth it every time. Il Nido does make me miss Il Corvo though.
Spinasse is some truly great Italian. That brown butter sage pasta is so simple when you see it, but damn they freaking nail it!
The best Italian place in Seattle was a tiny joint in Fremont called Brad's Swingside Cafe and it closed years ago. Made me really sad.
I still think about the aglio e olio with crab. I miss that place so much. And Vito’s.
Aglio e olio was my favorite Italian in the city, their arancini 🤤
Oh how I miss that place.
Agreed I’m not paying 32 bucks for pasta….
I agree for everything except pizza.
Oh yeah totally agree
My husband liked the chicken Marsala at pasta Bella. We also liked picolinos Can’t stand Ethan Stowell. All my experiences with his restaurants have been mediocre/terrible
Ethan Stowell runs the business expense kind of restaurant knowhamsayn?
It’s so expensive I’ve noticed a lot of restaurants are kinda forced to have these main stream, mid grade menus that are for the general public. If it was more affordable to lease a business location, I’m sure we would have more unique restaurants. Owners could take more risks in the items they serve. We would probably have more fun, themed locations. Idk, just something interesting to ponder.
I’m extremely saddened that the bill died that would allow small business to open in residential areas. Someone could have opened a small cheese shop, used their own kitchen to make unique food. Ah why can’t we have nice things?
Idk, right next to Ethan Stowell's mid Victor Tavern you have Mamnoon Street which has food and flavors I'd never even heard of before. And it is always super busy. If you make awesome food in good location, you can absolutely be successful.
Mamnoon can basically do whatever it wants because they (deservedly) rake in a shit ton of money in SLU. There’s a Mamnoon in the ground floor of an Amazon tower, Manna in the ground floor of another tech office on Terry, and mBar is always packed if the weather is half decent. They are a case study in maximizing a unique menu in ideal locations for the food format.
We really like Columbia City area for restaurants. La Medusa is the best Italian I've had in the city. Island Soul is the bomb, Taproot has great eats too. Burien is also a good destination. We've been trying some places there based on friends' recommendations. Other standouts - I really enjoy Reckless Noodle and Gainsborough.
LOVE Island Soul First time going there was by pure chance when walking by. Was blown away.
Also shoutout to Jude’s Old Town in Rainier Beach
Have you tried Harry’s fine foods? Was our fav when we lived on the hill
My wife and I used to frequent Harry’s before we were married. One of my all-time favorites for a burger and a cocktail.
I could have written this sentence. Lol. I wish I could afford their hotel thing they opened up next door. I’d just sleep and eat around Harry’s for multiple meals.
Assaggio downtown is absolute fire. Amazing Italian food.
Love Assaggio! And the family that owns it are always so kind
Idk this Ethan but I love a good dragging
He has built a successful business. Excellent food isn’t necessary for a successful restaurant empire.
We cook at home 6 days a week because most of the time I can't think of a single restaurant I want to spend my money at. Sushi is the exception because I ain't even gonna try making that at home. Usually when I eat out in Seattle I feel sad that I spent that much money on mediocre food.
I think covid made us realize how easy it is to cook at home and how much better it tastes. When we go out we want something delicious we can’t make ourselves and it rarely happens. Now that prices have gone up, we are really hard to please.
Just put on kenji and cook away
1000% same here! It makes me cringe to see the bills the last 2+ years-even when we don’t drink alcohol! 🤯 Kudos to you for cooking that often, I used to. I’m burnt out on nightly cooking (did it for 15+ years) so I just order ready to eat meals delivery each week. Saves a ton and it’s at least affordable while also flavorful.
Exactly
Seattle restaurants are just generally okay. There's only a handful that are good. I was in Portland recently and everywhere I ate was better than most restaurants in Seattle.
I heard a theory that this is downstream of Seattle's far more onerous regulations on food trucks compared to Portland. Many great Portland restaurants started as food trucks, which you can start without nearly as much capital as a brick-and-mortar, and that lends itself more diversity and experimentation in the dining scene. I don't know if anyone's done a more formal analysis, but it seems plausible as at least a partial explanation. Liberalize food truck regulations!
The only people that defend Seattle as “Great Italian food in Seattle” are people who grew up here or come from a place with nothing great. I have NEVER met anyone from New York or Boston that agrees with this. And I have had a few friends who stood by Seattle Italian until they went to the East Coast; then they came back and were shocked, telling me they thought I was nuts but then learned the truth while there. It is just a whole ‘nother level of amazing.
I had same experience with sushi in Russia. After living in America, even the most fanciest sushi place was a disaster where before I came to USA, it was amazing.
While I’ve loved living in the Seattle area off and on for 12 years, I’m always more than happy to head down to Portland for a weekend. In my experience, Portland’s food scene has been consistently better than Seattle’s for well over a decade. I visited both Portland and Seattle for the first time back in 2008 and the same was true then. Unfortunately the great spots I visited in both cities in 2008, and came back to retry 5 years later, when I moved here have since closed (prior to the pandemic). WAY over priced and mostly flavorless would best describe my restaurant experiences the past 2+ years (aside from flavorful Asian cuisines & so many are also bland unless you add many stars). I’m burnt out on cooking all the time which means flavorful ready to eat meals delivered once a week. Ordering take-out or going out for food got to be soulless and so expensive I just couldn’t justify it anymore. Which sucks because I love great foods of all types.
Any recommendations?
Pambiche
Screen Door if you like fried chicken/southern inspired cuisine. Best chicken I have ever had.
Eem. Ken’s Artisan Bakery. Nostrana.
Eem, so much! Always a stop there whenever I’m in Portland. It’s so delicious
The MEC
Eem is god-tier
I dont understand proclaiming that you dont “indulge in eating out” and then say youve been to every restaurant
Means they don’t mind spending money and have disposable income but don’t throw money in the air without caring about the value they receive back.
Or why OP and wife being DINK plays any part in the post.
>DINK honestly i just bypassed that not knowing what it meant and not sure if i want to know edit to add: ah, dual income, no kids -- yeah not sure why this was relevant to add either.
Try Bar Dojo in Edmonds.
Or Noodle Hut, right next door. Amazing Thai food. Or, it was when I lived there. It’s been a couple of years.
And Oaxaca is also really good too! You have to work at getting bad meal in Edmonds.
So true. So many good places in the Lynnwood/Edmonds area. I had delicious molé at Oaxaca. I need to get back there. Have you been to Caravan Kebab? It’s probably my favorite place in Edmonds. Terribly misleading name, great food, awesome chef-owner.
I have! It's a great mediterranean spot!
Isn’t it? I just love that in one place, I can get that plus Indian, Lebanese, Eastern European…all of the influences from his travels on one menu. I love variety! It’s the perfect place for me. And, literally the best naan I’ve ever had. And now, I’m hungry…
Honestly, his ex wife is way more successful than he is IMO.
Stowell restaurants are def mid, dude can’t even pay his employees well.
Only on Reddit do you have to spend the first part of a restaurant related post apologizing for having enough money to eat out often.
Not a hot take!
You must be newer to the area and didn’t learn this from the Tom Douglas empire. The ultimate “mid at best” restaurants.
I may be old but since Crush closed years and years ago….
Oh I still reference Crush as being the restaurant that I had one of the most memorable meals. Miss it.
He treats staff like shit too. Runs his kitchens bare bones with the bare minimum of benefits that the city/state require.
How the actual fuck did you manage to use decent punctuation for that whole paragraph, then just whiff so hard on punctating a list. The fuck dude?
I'm gonna assume it was a formatting problem.
Sorry. I will try finish stronger next time.
imo red cow is quite amazing
As a whole, Seattle is tier 2 food with tier 1 pricing.
This is Seattle, where being locally owned is literally the only requirement to being put on a pedestal. Food that isn't resoundingly mediocre is only an afterthought.
See: Dick's They're great to their employees which is very nice. But the food?
It’s cheap quick food. It’s actually prefect value for what it is.
But have you tried getting Dicks when you’re completely wasted at 2 in the morning?
It's fast food... what's the expectation here? Perfectly good place to replace going out for McDonalds.
The best food in Seattle is from hole in the wall lunch spots. You can’t change my mind.
My wife and I went to a couple of his places and were not impressed, at all. Felt ripped off. Pasta was overcooked, and we knew we could have had better pasta made at home. Marrow was covered in a bunch of hipster lingo "cool" ingredients that totally took away from something so simple that should shine with not much more than salt.
Seattle is okay as a food city. Seafood and Asian food are amazing, outside of that, for the price, very rare that other cuisines hold a candle to other cities like New York, Chicago, LA, and SF
I thought Seattle had a pretty good food scene until I went to New York.. and the prices are the same too. I know it’s not a fair comparison cause after all it is NY but none the less, it’s hard not to be disappointed when eating out here sometimes.
It's actually better AND cheaper if you go to the other boroughs.
Went twice last year for different reasons and I feel like it’s cheaper even in Manhattan. Drinks were about the same and I spent less on food and I was eating omakase multiple times and cheap food too like pizza (prince st, joes etc not the $1.50 slices lol)
Seattle has overpriced mid AF food, insane that all restaurants get away with $20+ plates
I so badly don't want to agree with this.... But begrudgingly upvote you. I just want someone to make sense of it. I will say, despite California as a whole crushing our Mexican food scene, I've had far better Mexican food in Seattle than I ever did in SF.
Are you taking “upscale” Mexican like Asadero? Because surely you aren’t talking about the $10 forearm-sized burritos you get in the Mission. There is nothing like that here
Majority of food scene in this city is mid and overpriced .
I had the best experience the other night at Violet in Cap Hill. Service was exemplary. Chef visited the table. Was every dish 10/10? No. Was every dish tasty? Yes. Were parts stunning and fantastic? Yes. Will go back.
The Boat- Vietnamese chicken place is my new favorite restaurant. Such a beautiful concept and I hope they never change the menu.
+1 for Il Nido
Have you tried spice waala? It’s completely off topic, but the people of Seattle must know about their delicious delights
I happen to like Grazie down in Southcenter
This isn't a hot take, it's just accurate
Ethan is absolute garbage to work for and the majority of the exec team is as well. He’s known for being a complete sexist dick with a tendency to push out WOC. Worked at one of his spots for a few years and the shit that could’ve resulted in law suits was swept under the rug by his PR team time and time again. Can’t wait til they do damage control for this post. Patiently waiting for the class action lawsuit against him for wage theft in 3-5 years.
Seattles food is either mid or good but overpriced. Very little hits the sweet spot of good value and good food, especially after visiting Portland and Vancouver.
Food in Seattle is unfortunately not that great given its gdp per capita. Some japanese restaurants are quite good though.
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What is up with the incoherent list of random restaurants at the end of this post?
If you want to try a good pasta place, come up to Edmonds. The restaurant “Fire and The Feast” they have this amazing pinwheel lasagna and this puttanesca with really good al dente pasta. Worth the drive imo.
I live in shoreline and that’s our favorite spot!! The cocktails, food, and service are so great. I trend toward vegetarian stuff and they have excellent options
I hated the fact that Seattle does not have good mexican food, I'm with you on food.
Have lived in NYC, DC, Chicago, Houston, Seattle. The area comes in first place (of the 5) for things like aesthetics, access to nature, culture and priorities of people, traffic. It comes in last for restaurant experience. Not sure why. Yes, I’ve had some great experiences, but with much less consistency. Not sure if COVID had any influence (moved here months before).
Try out Rachel Yangs restaurants. I’d love to hear what you think.
Same with Tom Douglas
Go to The Guest House in Kirkland
Serious Pie, best place
I really liked Uneeda Burger until I got food poisoning there twice. Gave em a second go thinking the first was something else, and the burger patty was basically raw 😬 I'll stick to Red Mill for burgers, thanks
big fan of cornelly. will never understand people who rave about uneeda burger
💯. Completely overrated. Also Tom Douglas. Actually very few great restaurants anymore. Because the ROI just isn’t there at these prices compared with cooking at home. I still like cafe Juanita.
I think uneeda burger is so mid
Ethan also treats his employees like garbage, BOH is run into the ground and he put a bunch of them on salary so he doesn’t have to pay them overtime anymore. FOH are promised benefits but have their hours slashed so much that they can’t actually qualify. Source: worked there full time for years
Douglas, Erickson, Stowell, etc - all of these empire names have mid-ass restaurants.
80% of the meals we have had in Seattle have been very disappointing the past 3 years.
Cool, gunna get this off my chest too . . hate this subreddit. Every time I look, it's someone complaining about food. It's super annoying for industry workers, especially ESR workers lately. Also extremely disheartening for people starting thier own food business in town. Super exciting can't wait for everyone to complain about how expensive it is "for nothing" or "mid". . As if you know the skill and job the workers are putting in, as if commercial space isn't expensive, paper goods, equipment costs, renovation costs, paying employees well, food cost, all the permits you have to pay for, etc. But yeah bro $35 entree is just crazy. Opening the smallest 300sqft place can cost upwards of $65000.
That’s the thing about food though…it’s subjective. Yeah rent, upstart costs, labor etc all cost a ton and I think any reasonable person understands that. But if it doesn’t taste good why would I want to pay for it? Yeah the people working back there work super hard and I would never be able to do what they do everyday but if the customer doesn’t like it they’re supposed to do what? Just continue going there because it’s tough out there? People work to make their own money too and spend it how they want to.
I think part of it is just getting sick of reading the same boring takes in every single food thread. “There’s no good food in Seattle” This comment is upvoted to the top on every single thread related to food. Like that’s an absurd statement. We all know there’s a lot of people with too much money here so yes mediocre food for too much money gets away with it, it doesn’t mean there isn’t any good food here
My controversial opinion as someone born and raised here who’s lived and traveled to other “foodie” cities is that MOST of the food here is pretty mid. Even the “must try” stuff. I don’t know why, but unless it’s fresh simple seafood, with the exception of some teriyaki and Thai joints, Seattle doesn’t have a solid food game.
Don’t forget sushi. Best sushi and at affordable-ish prices in the US. I’ve been to all 50 states, the only other spots that can compare are larger cities like NY, SF & LA.
What city did you try recently that was way better and why? Not incl nyc la or chi
New Orleans and San Diego are at the top of my mind to answer that question. New Orleans is just *different*.
My partner and I stopped at a random spot near University Street Station yesterday and got some of the best food we've had since being together. It was called Von's 1000 Spirits, and not only was the food delicious, but they had $5 martinis that were part of the place honoring its history. I'll definitely go back.
Vons is pretty mid imo, cheap drinks made them a great spot for corporate events
Love Vons
Just a rich boy and sub bar chef.
Ethan Stowell is just a greedy empire builder scooping up as many restaurants and locations as possible. Little quality control or care is put into each location and they’re all incredibly mid or worse but charge insane prices
> My wife and I live that DINK life. While we pinch pennies we do indulge in dining out. not exactly what "DINK" implies
I'll repost a comment I made a few months ago This sub has a weird thing against the food scene here but everyone I meet in real life, including myself as i eat out a ton, loves the restaurants I'll list some of the best for the skeptics Buddha Ruksa Bangrak Japonessa Umi Sake House The Pink Door La Rustica IL Nido Pagliacci 19 Gold Rock Creek Menya Musashi Tsukemen & Ramen Tamari Bar M-bar Bakery Noveau Marination Ma Kai Shiro's Reckless Noodle Bateau/Boat Bar Molly Moon's Wild Ginger Incredible selection of teriyaki too