Rating

Meaning

0

I don't recommend eating there

1

Worth traveling up to 5 minutes to get there

2

Worth traveling 5 to 15 minutes to get there

3

Worth traveling 15 to 30 minutes to get there

4

Worth making a key part of a visit

Category

Restaurant Name

City

Best Brunch

Portage Bay Café

Seattle

Best Lunch

Bento Box

Redmond

Most Outstanding Dinner for the money

Malay Satay Hut

Seattle & Redmond

Best Thai Dinner

Typhoon! Redmond

Redmond

Favorite Sushi Hangout

Sanmi Sushi

Seattle

Favorite Indian

Mayuri Indian Cuisine

Redmond

Stress free place to hold a family event

Waterfront Seafood Restaurant

Seattle

City/Island

Rating

Name

Last Visit

Total Visits since 1/1999

Description

Kirkland

3-Great

Cafe Juanita

10/2005

3

Seattle isn't a foodie city but we are blessed with a few excellent restaurants and Cafe Juanita is one of them. The Italian style food takes a strong but elegant approach producing delightful dishes around $45/person before alcohol it is an outstanding deal and the service is impecable. Highly recommended. My only complaint is that over a period of six months the menu didn't really change.

Green Lake

3-Great

Eva

12/2003

5

Really great food at good prices but the menu seems carved in stone which makes return visits less satisfying

University District

3-Great

Le Fournil

12/2005

3

A truly tasty French Bakery. While they aren't wildly original everything they do is top notch. I like them enough that I got my Father's 60th birthday cake from them. Their prices are excellent, their location is a bit off but has parking and the pastries are just… wonderful!

Redmond

3-Great

Malay Satay Hut

NA

NA

Malay Satay hut has two locations, one in Seattle and another in Redmond. The food is absolutely identical in both places but I prefer the Redmond location (even though I live in Seattle) because the room is a lot larger and so feels better. But in terms of review I don't differentiate between the two restaurants so see the Seattle entry for details.

Seattle

3-Great

Malay Satay Hut

12/2005

24

This is probably the best meal deal in all of Seattle. Awesome food for incredibly low prices. The services is even only mediocre instead of the typical Seattle awful. The east side location is nicer than the west side but either one is a great choice.

Seattle

3-Great

Mashiko

9/2003

2

Get the omikase (chef's choice) for the most inventive and best tasting sushi in town, did I mention that it is dirt cheap and all you can eat? On the downside the restaurant is loud and the edamame they slapped on the table without asking wasn't free and the desert they offered wasn't part of the omikase. So instead of having one of the best dining experiences in Seattle we all left feeling vaguely ripped off.

Issaquah

3-Great

Noodleboat Thai Cuisine

10/2005

3

This place is a small restaurant in a strip mall with an interior that can be kindly described as garrish. But the food! This is apparently traditional Thai food and it is damn good. It's about 40 minutes from my house which is a bit far for me, I only go when I have other business in the area. But if you are anywhere within 30 minutes of this place it is well worth a visit.

Seattle

3-Great

The Harvest Vine

10/2004

1

Fantastic Basque style Tapas in a tiny, noisy restaurant. We ordered 10 dishes total, 8 for the main meal and 2 for desert and all but one (the carmelized pear sorbet which was a bit icy and mostly tasteless) were at least good with most in the 'great' range. The variety of tastes and the beauty of the presentation made for an outstanding experience. At around $50/person (no alcohol) this place isn't cheap but it is worth it. Beware, they don't take reservations so arrive early.

Redmond

3-Great

Typhoon! Redmond

11/2005

36

The best Thai food I have had in King County. Worth driving over from Seattle.

Seattle

2-Good

Agua Verde Paddle Club and Café

12/2005

8

Cheap, tasty, high quality mostly-Mexican food, always worth a visit.

Seattle

2-Good

Bambuza

8/2004

2

Original Asian food at o.k. prices with good service in a really nice setting. Park in the parking garage down the street. This place is certainly worth a visit. The only reason I don't go there a lot more often is that it's downtown which is pretty far away from me and I hate having to pay for parking.

Redmond

2-Good

Bento Box

8/2003

96

Good food, good prices and good services, this Japanese restaurant is a reliable favorite.

Madison Park

2-Good

Cactus Restaurant

2/2005

7

Good Mexican style food in a nice environment, although it can get a bit loud. The food is a bit pricey but still within reason. Usually when I get there I'll order a whole slew of tapas and share them with others in leu of ordering a main meal. Beware the drinks and guacimole, they are outrageously priced. Reservations are pretty much a requirement, the place fills up fast.

Seattle

2-Good

Campagne

5/2005

1

At around $40/person this dark, noisy, unoriginal restaurant with mediocre service is nothing to write home about. I will give them credit for good technique but this bog standard French food isn't exactly a revelation. It only gets a 2 because it's in Seattle, in a real foodie city it wouldn't exist.

Seattle

2-Good

Cascadia

11/2005

7

This used to be a low end '3' restaurant but it has fallen to a 2. Cascadia apparently decided to lower its prices but unfortunately that also apparently meant lowering the quality of the food and the service. Yes, they still have nouvelle cuisine type food, a combination of French and American, but the quality just isn't what it used to be. Still, there are lots of meal deals including a prix fix so it isn't necessarily a bad deal, it's just not a 3.

Seattle

2-Good

Cassis

1/2003

1

(NOTE: My understanding is that this restaurant is now closed) High quality French food, although lacking the spark needed to differentiate the good from the great, at good prices although the service could use a bit of help. Still, a great place to go for a good dinner.

Fremont

2-Good

Chisou

8/2005

4

The service is decent and the restaurant is nice but the Sushi, while nicely presented, lacks character. Sushi is a real art form and unfortunately Chisou's is not a master.

Wallingford

2-Good

Djan's Dining

12/2005

4

The menu is a bit limited but the food at this Asian restaurant (mostly Thai really) is actually quite good and we've generally been lucky with parking. The portions are also relatively generous and at around $22/person total it's a great value.

International District

2-Good

Ho Ho Seafood Restaurant

9/2005

4

This is good Chinese food. The food tends toward clean tastes and well defined flavors as opposed to the typical cornstarch and sugar mush that most places call Chinese food. The restaurant itself is vaguely scary looking but the prices are great and the service is good. This is a very reliable choice for good Chinese food in the International District.

Seattle

2-Good

I Love Sushi Seattle

12/2004

33

The lines are long and the food is expensive but this is easily one of the top two Sushi places in Seattle.

Ballard

2-Good

India Bistro

2/2004

1

Rock solid Indian food, very tasty. Sure the place is a dive, the location sucks, parking is a pain and the service is kind of iffy but the food tastes good and the prices are very low. If you are anywhere near the area and like Indian this is a place to visit.

Fremont

2-Good

Jai Thai Restaurant

2/2005

3

Solid Thai dishes, great prices, friendly service, nice ambiance.

Wallingford

2-Good

Mandalay Café

5/2004

1

They serve solid Asian food, always good and sometimes even inspired. The service isn't very good because they don't have enough servers but the restaurant itself is nice. But for some reason this place never grabbed me the way, say, Bambuzza has, even though it's a lot closer.

Redmond

2-Good

Mayuri Indian Cuisine

10/2005

33

I love their lunch buffet and their Thali dinners are the best deal in town.

Bell Town

2-Good

Noodle Ranch

9/2003

1

Lots of fun dishes and good prices. I'd go more often but it's painfully noisy and I hate parking in Bell town.

Lower Queen Anne

2-Good

Racha Noodles & Thai Cuisine

11/2003

1

Pretty decent Thai food, I'd go there more often but there are equally good options that are a lot closer to me.

U. District

2-Good

Salvatore Ristorante

3/2005

2

Straight forward Italian food, reasonable prices and pretty damn tasty.

Seattle

2-Good

Sanmi Sushi

11/2005

59

Great service, reliably good sushi, they aren't always that inventive but I always enjoy going there.

Seattle

2-Good

Sazerac Restaurant

3/2004

6

I love Sazerac's nouveau southern food, the constantly changing and always inventive menu contains wonderful choices with great service and although a bit pricey it is definitely worth the money. I must admit I don't go often mostly because I just can't handle oily food like I used to.

Capitol Hill

2-Good

Siam on Broadway

9/2005

3

Great Thai food, Good value for the money and I enjoy the space.

Issaquah

2-Good

Sushiman

10/2003

3

Good but not great sushi at typical (high) Seattle prices out in the middle of Issaquah.

Seattle

2-Good

Tempero De Brasil

6/2003

3

A funky Brazilian restaurant with good food and average Seattle service my only complaint is that the menu is a bit limited (lots of variations on the same theme) otherwise I would probably go more often. Still, if you haven't had Brazilian food you really do need to go.

International District

2-Good

Thanh VI

6/2004

4

Sure, the place looks like a dive and the menu has many entries which are really just slight variations of each other but the Vietnamese food is consistently good and dirt cheap.

Seattle

2-Good

The Green Papaya

6/2005

2

I really like the food at this Vietnamese restaurant, the dishes are fun and tasty and the service is decent. The restaurant itself is also appropriately funky for its location. My main complaint is its distance from me and the difficulty in parking.

Seattle

2-Good

Top Gun Seafood

8/2003

5

High sugar Chinese food at its best, the equal of Sea Garden.

Seattle

2-Good

Toyoda

12/2005

18

The sushi really is excellent and the Sashimi dinner is the best deal in town but the one downside to this place is that once it gets busy (usually around 7ish) the service goes to hell. Dishes arrive in random order and the wait can be eternal just to get a seat. Go early and have a joyous experience.

Seattle

2-Good

Tulio

11/2004

3

It is pricey but the Italian food, service and ambiance are all top notch.

Bellevue

2-Good

Udupi Palace

6/2004

3

I love meat so I was dubious when friends suggested we go to a vegetarian Indian place that's a chain to boot. The first time I went I didn't have a good time because we ordered the wrong things (we thought the food was for sharing when it is really individual dinners) and the waiter barely understood English and couldn't help us. The second time I went with an Indian friend who simplified things for me - order a Thali dinner. You get a bunch of different types of food, each one tastes just wonderful and the prices are absolutely unbeatable. One of the best meal deals around. I definitely recommend going.

Ballard

2-Good

Volterra

12/2005

1

If the food tasted as good as it looked this would be one of the best restaurants in Seattle. But while the food is good it doesn't match up to its presentation. But the service is excellent, the restaurant is nice, the menu extensive and the specials interesting, so give it a try. Oh and it's only around $40/person with tax, tip and alcohol. They do take reservations but we had to wait 20 minutes anyway.

Seattle

2-Good

Waterfront Seafood Restaurant

8/2003

2

The seafood equivalent of a steak house. Big slabs of extremely high quality fish, cooked simply with a choice of excellent sauces. Prices are reasonable, the views of Puget Sound are stunning, the presentation is good and the service is great. The baked Alaskas are a must. This is an especially great place to hold events. See my in-depth review.

Seattle

2-Good

Wild Ginger

1/2003

3

I have to admit that Wild Ginger lives up to it's reputation in terms of the food but I still prefer Typhoon. Wild Ginger is just so damn big and noisy you feel like a cog in a high end unbelievably noise factory

Fremont

1-O.K.

Bandoleone

5/2005

2

The loud music is a deal breaker for me but if you are more sonically tolerant then this pretty latin restaurant in Fremont might be for you. The food was fun and diverse if a bit on the oily side. The service was excellent when available but it is clear that the restaurant is light on staff both in terms of how long it took for our food to arrive and how often the servers could visit. Still, all in all, the food is decent.

University Village

1-O.K.

Blue C Sushi

11/2005

5

Not bad actually. Look it's not outstanding sushi but its decent and the conveyer belt brings a good selection. Whenever we want a decent food at an odd hour we'll go here. We usually get hit for about $30/person.

University District

1-O.k.

Bombay Grill

1/2004

1

Strictly mediocre Indian food. If you live within walking distance then maybe it's worth going.

Bellevue

1-O.K.

California Pizza Kitchen

6/2004

11

It's O.K. I go here when I can't think of anywhere better to go that's open mid-afternoon on a Sunday. This is the one in Bellevue.

Bell Town

1-O.k.

Chinese Wok

7/2004

1

The place is in one of the not so nice parts of Bell Town but let's face it, this is Seattle, it doesn't get that bad. The restaurant itself is nice and the service is good but the food, while competent, lacked a certain oomph.

Madison

1-O.K.

Chinoise on Madison

8/2003

7

The place looks great but the Chinese/Thai/Japanese/Sushi food is only average and it's expensive. I keep getting dragged back there by various people but it wouldnââǬâÑ¢t be my first choice.

Wallingford

1-O.K.

Chutney's Bistro

10/2005

12

Mediocre Americanized Indian food with decent service and acceptable prices.

U. District

1-O.K.

Ciao Bella Ristorante

10/2005

3

The food is o.k. but as Italian goes (which can be heavenly) this is strictly mediocre. Still at around $25/person it's not too expensive given what you get.

Fremont

1-O.K.

Costas Opa Restaurant

11/2003

2

An o.k. Greek restaurant with o.k. prices.

Mercer Island

1-O.K.

Harukos Japense Restaurant

12/2005

1

At $25/person this sushi place isn't expensive but the portions are small and the food is nothing special.

Kirkland

1-O.K.

Izumi Restaurant

12/2005

2

Don't come hungry to this noisy Sushi restaurant because they sit more people then they can comfortable serve so you will likely have to wait a while for your food. Still the service is earnest and the food is decent if uninspired and the prices at around $25/person are quite reasonable.

Seattle

1-O.K.

Jaks Grill

8/2005

2

The place is loud, the booths are hardwood and uncomfortable but I must say that the service is good. The food is a bit pricey and while the steak was properly cooked nothing really stood out and the potatoe was dry and the bread half stale.

Wallingford

1-O.k.

Kisaku

9/2005

10

I desperately want to like this Sushi place. It's close to us, has nice service, good ambiance and parking isn't a big deal. Their unaju is decent but their roles lack flare and their sushi is on the mediocre side. They are also a bit on the expensive side.

International District

1-O.k.

Kowloon Seafood Restaurant

8/2004

1

The Chinese food is competently done but nothing to write home about. But I must admit that I left with the distinct impression that if we could read and speak Chinese we would have found some really interesting things to order.

University Village

1-O.k.

Noah's Bagels

9/2003

2

Their bagels suck, they taste more like bread than a bagel. The bagels I get from Whole Foods (which aren't any good either) are better than Noah's. Still, the bagels are edible if not very good so they don't get a 0.

Bellevue

1-O.k.

P.F. Changs

12/2004

5

Huge portions of Amer-Chinese food for reasonable prices, the lines are very long but they do move pretty fast.

Renton

1-O.k.

Pabla Indian Cuisine

3/2005

1

The vegetarian Indian restaurant is located in a strip mall and the inside more or less matches its location. The presention is no winner either. But the food is decent if not outstanding. I did find it a bit oily for my tastes and really don't have any intention of going back.

U. District

1-O.K.

Pagliacci in Sandpoint Way

11/2005

5

It's pizza, they deliver quickly, it tastes o.k. and the salads are decent.

U. District

1-O.K.

Pagliacci in Seattle

7/2003

6

I usually order for delivery but they have really good pizza, it's not amazing but it's still pretty good.

U. District

1-O.k.

Pair

8/2005

1

Food is decent but not great - american style, well executed but lacking in flair. Prices are decent but food service is glacial and the menu seems to be inscribed in stone. If you don't come early expect a long wait and the room is very loud.

University Village

1-O.k.

Pallino Pastaria

8/2005

9

Low end fast food pasta with an attitude, it's over priced for what you get but when I need a quick lunch and I can't look at World Wrapps I'll go here.

Seattle

1-O.k.

Panda Express

9/2003

1

This is a chain of fast food Chinese restaurants served cafeteria style. Get the orange chicken and don't ask too many questions. It's cheap, it's tasty and it probably won't kill me.

Bellevue

1-O.k.

Peking Wok

2/2004

2

A classic example of cheap 1970's style sugar and cornstarch Chinese, not bad if you know what to expect. Unfortunately the quality is uneven. The first time I was there it was o.k. but the second time the food was tasteless.

Green Lake

1-O.K.

Pho Than Brothers

10/2005

6

The restaurant, physically, is nasty, really, really nasty. It's in a horrible location and is run down and thorougly disreputable looking, I also wouldn't want to ask too many questions about it's health code violations (I actually looked it up and they got a bad enough review on 11/03 to require a 14 day re-inspection which they passed with flying colors on 11/16). But I have to admit, the Pho is good and at $6 for their extra large bowl of everything not to mention a heavenly cream puff you just can't complain about the price. But be prepared to run for the bathroom if all doesn't go well.

U. District

1-O.k.

Portage Bay Café

1/2005

38

An inventive always changing menu of modern American food, o.k. service and great prices this breakfast/lunch place is one of my favorite in Seattle. Their brunches are not to be missed.

Kirkland

1-O.k.

Purple Café and Wine Bar

4/2005

1

European style cafe food. It's not bad but unfortunately it's also not good. Our mandarin chicken salads were pretty good but my duck, while cooked properly, was completely tasteless. At $30/person before alcohol and desert I just don't think this place is worth the trouble.

University Village

1-O.K.

Ram Restaurant and Brewery

8/2003

1

The Ram serves low end American fair, I only went there as a desperate measure because we were hungry and it was late. It wasn't awful but I don't think I could use the word good either.

Phinney Ridge

1-O.k.

Red Mill Burgers

10/2004

1

I liked the restaurant itself, it was bright, not to noisy and fashionably shabby. The staff also seemed to be enjoying themselves and the crowd was nicely mixed. Unfortunately the hamburgers themselves were nothing to write home about, neither were the onion rings.

Factora

1-O.k.

Red Robin

5/2005

1

Look, it's a Red Robin, what do you want? The food probably won't kill you, at least not immediately.

International District

1-O.K.

Saigon Bistro

9/2005

2

The place is a bit, um, nasty looking but the Vietnamese food is decent and at around $12/person with drinks reasonably priced.

Capital Hill

1-O.K.

Saigon Pearl

12/2005

1

The Vietnamese food is nothing special but the owners are nice, the restaurant is clean, the service is fast and the prices are low, so a solid lunch choice.

U. District

1-O.k.

Sandpoint Grill

9/2005

3

The ambience is nice but the wait staff is horribly overworked. It's hard to enjoy a meal with the waiters all but running to keep up with their work. The food is typical noveau American, nothing special, maybe a bit oily, but still decent and with good portions. Figure $30/person which I think is a bit high for what you get.

International District

1-O.K.

Sea Garden

12/2005

5

Typical high sugar Chinese food with a strong focus (hence the name) on seafood. It's decent, it's fast, it's great for large groups, it's become our Christmas tradition.

International District

1-O.k.

Seven Stars Pepper Szechuan Restaurant

10/2004

3

Sure the place looks like a dive and the servers don't exactly speak English but the Chinese food is actually pretty tasty. The only real downside is that the food is very oily which irritates both Marina and I's stomachs.

University District

1-O.k.

Sterling Café

2/2004

1

This restaurant is a stone's throw from where I live so I wanted to like it. The food is good, the ingredients are fresh, the service is good but somehow it misses something. I left feeling full but not satisfied. It also is quite expensive.

Phinney Ridge

1-O.K.

Stumbling Goat

10/2004

1

European style food. It's simple but tasty. But is it $40 per person (with a little alcohol) good? I don't think so. That having been said it is a nice place, the service is good, not too loud and there is plenty of street parking. But I doubt i'll be back.

Edmonds

1-O.K.

T&T Seafood

12/2004

1

We had read some good reviews of this place online so we decided to go up to Aurora to try it. It's o.k. but really nothing special. I think there is better Chinese seafood in the International District. Still, the food was decent, the service was good and the place was clean.

Seattle

1-O.k.

Taste of India

6/2005

2

This busy Indian restaurant has a good selection of tasty & reasonably priced food. We choose mild spicing for our food which was a little too bland but excellent service made up for it. Dinner was around $30/person. But the biggest the group the less the price since dishes are large and excellent for sharing.

Redmond

1-O.K.

Thai Ginger

10/2005

10

This restaurant hails from the fried school of Thai cuisine which means the food does taste good and the service is fast (frying doesn't take long) but at $30/person (w/tea and desert) it is way, way overpriced. Go to Typhoon instead.

U. District

1-O.K.

Thai of Wedgewood

6/2005

1

This pedistrian Thai food is really nothing special but at around $20/person it is expensive (relatively speaking). The only reason we might be back is that they are close to our home and decent enough if we are too lazy to cook.

Seattle

1-O.K.

The Cheesecake Factory

8/2005

4

The dessert is good, the food sucks, the lines are long, the service is bad and the prices are o.k.

Wallingford

1-O.K.

Treasure Thai

9/2004

23

This used to be a poor person's version of Typhoon but unfortunately they have been steadily going down hill for a while now. The service has gone from galacial to imperceptable and 1/2 the menu seems to be unavailable on any given night. It really breaks our heart as this was our favorite "too tired to cook" place to go to.

Seattle

1-O.k.

Union Square Grill

9/2003

4

This is a steak house with o.k. service and pretty good steak at a reasonable (for a steak house) prices. It's a few steps above Daniel's Broiler on Lake Union.

Seattle

1-O.k.

Vietnam Pearl's

5/2003

2

Strictly average in terms of the Vietnamese food, service and price.

University Village

1-O.k.

World Wrapps

9/2005

18

Good prices, quick service and decent wraps The smoothies are pretty good as well. I do wish the wrapps were slightly larger though. I keep leaving hungry.

University Village

1-O.K.

ZAO Noodle Bar!

7/2005

3

The food is mostly mediocre and there are many better noodle places in Seattle but none of them are 10 minutes away from my house. At least the prices, at around $20/person with tax, tip & drink, aren't too bad although they do gouge you for drinks.

U. District

0-Don't Bother

Bai Pai Restaurant

11/2005

1

At $35/person the mediocre food and service at this new Thai restaurant is a sure miss. To be fair the appetizers and salad were good but our main dishes (fish and Pad Thai) were just barely above bad. Given the prices inconsistency is unacceptable, especially in Seattle where every corner seems to have a decent Thai restaurant.

Fremont

0-Don't Bother

Baja Fresh Mexican Grill

8/2005

1

Oy, rarely is food just bad but this place was just nasty. I'm really sorry we ever went there. What fooled us was how clean the restaurant looked.

Wallingford

0-Don't Bother

Beso Del Sol

7/2004

1

Oily and Tasteless, if you have a Mexican urge, fill it elsewhere.

U. District

0-Don't Bother

Black Pearl

12/2005

3

The restaurant is clean, the service is good and the Chinese food is well prepared but nothing we ordered had any taste. The only reason we have been back is because sometimes Marina is starving and this place does deliver.

Fremont

0-Don't Bother

Blue C Sushi

9/2003

1

The place looks great and the conveyer belt is fun but the bottom line at a sushi restaurant is the sushi and this place's sushi wasn't very good. There are many better sushi options in Seattle.

Seattle

0-Don't Bother

Brasa

6/2005

7

The mediteranean style food is actually quite good, easily a 2. But the problem is that there is almost no street parking and all the parking lots are $10/evening. Each appetizer is over $10 and main plates are all over $20. It's good, but it's not $50 (after drinks, tax, tips) per person good. Give it a skip unless someone else is paying.

University District

0-Don't Bother

China Village

11/2003

1

Run, don't walk, away from this starch and sugar nightmare.

Bellevue

0-Don't Bother

Chutneys

4/2005

1

Astonishingly unimpressive Indian food, I went there for lunch and believe me, there are better choices in Bellevue, give this place a pass.

Queen Anne

0-Don't Bother

Crow

6/2005

1

Loud, dark, with hard wood chairs and glacial service at least it isn't expense, your $30 or so per person buys you quite a bit of the standard American fair but given the downsides it isn't worth the effort, give it a pass.

Lake Union

0-Don't Bother

Daniel's Broiler

5/2003

5

The more I go, the less I like, there are better steak house choices in Seattle.

Madrona

0-Don't Bother

Dulces Latin Bistro

10/2003

1

The food was good, the restaurant was nice and the service was o.k. but the prices are just way too high for what you get.

University Village

0-Don't Bother

Honey Dragon Restaurant

1/2004

2

All they had to be was just mediocre and we would have used them because they are minutes from our house but unfortunately even mediocrity is beyond them. It really breaks my heart because the people there are very nice.

Ballard

0-Don't Bother

Le Gourmand

12/2005

1

The food at this gourmet (the name not withstanding) restaurant is outstanding. Ingrediants are fresh, the sauces are wonderful, the main menu inventive and the tasting menu a wonder of every changing surprises. The service is also outstanding with waiters who really know the menu and can handle changes without blinking an eye. Unfortunately eating at this restaurant feels, as Marina put it, like eating in the middle of a flock of Seaguls. The noise level was absolutely unbelievable, even with my 25db custom molded musician's earplugs I was still in pain. Marina and I literally couldn't hold a conversation. It was just awful. Breaks my heart this place should be one of the best in Seattle. But at around $100/person with tax and tip there is simply no excuse for this restaurant to have anything but the most pleasant of environments.

Kirkland

0-Don't Bother

Lynn's Bistro

11/2005

1

At over $50/person (no alcohol) this uninspired French place with a broken kitchen fan (our clothes stunk and our eyes watered) just can't justify its prices. Yes, the menu is interesting and the presentation is good but the test is the food and there they failed.

University District

0-Don't Bother

Mamma Melina Ristorante

2/2004

1

The food isn't bad but it is very expensive with iffy service and a restaurant so painfully loud that even with earplugs it was awful.

Seattle

0-Don't Bother

Market Street Grill

3/2003

1

Mediocre to bad food, lousy service, uninteresting menu, high prices, don't bother.

Seattle

0-Don't Bother

Marlai Fine Thai Cuisine

2/2003

1

With all the amazing Thai food available in Seattle why would anyone go to a place that serves such hopelessly mediocre food?

Seattle

0-Don't Bother

Mojito Café II

1/2005

1

The cuban food is strictly average and the music is so loud that even with ear plugs I ended up having my ears ring for several weeks.

U. District

0-Don't Bother

Nana's Soup House

5/2005

1

One might imagine that a restaurant that specializes in soup would make a decent bowl, unfortunately, based on my experience, you'd be wrong. Give this place a pass.

Seattle

0-Don't Bother

Oceanaire

9/2005

2

At $50/person with a bit of alcohol this noisy average fish house has a little style and some very hard working wait staff but it doesn't add up to $50 worth of meal. Even if there was enough staff (which there wasn't, we had to wait and wait and wait to be served - but to be clear the wait staff works very hard, they were friendly and professional, but there isn't enough of them) the food simply isn't good enough to justify the prices.

Queen Anne

0-Don't Bother

Ototo Sushi

3/2003

1

The sushi actually is good, not great, but good. But the restaurant is loud, it is painfully pretentious, the service isn't very good and the prices are very high. There are many better Sushi options in Seattle.

Fremont

0-Don't Bother

Ponte Vecchio

11/2005

1

I wanted to like this small Italian place in Fremont. The proprieter is funny and the staff plainly care about the food but the service is very slow, the restaurant is quite loud (people talk over the live entertainment) and the food although very reasonably priced at around $30/person and very generous in terms of portions doesn't have much taste.

Bellevue

0-Don't Bother

Ruths Chris

5/2004

1

Ruths Chris portrays itself as an upper class steak house but the test of a steak house is, well, the steak and in that they failed completely. The meal was completely non-descript but it sure was expensive. Not a mistake I'll be repeating.

Queen Anne

0-Don't Bother

Shiki

9/2004

2

There are so many better Sushi places in Seattle I can't imagine why anyone would go to this place. The Sushi is strictly o.k. and members of our dinner party actually had stomach troubles both times we went. The place itself looks like a low end dinner.

Seattle

0-Don't Bother

Spring Garden

12/2002

1

A Chinese restaurant with truly bad food, don't bother.

U. District

0-Don't Bother

Tamarind Tree

4/2005

7

Seriously tasty gourmet style Vietamiese food in an elegant restaurant set in the back of a completely non-descript slightly scary looking strip mall. The prices are really cheap but the plates are small so order more than you think you should but don't worry, you will still get a great deal. The only downside is that while the staff has their heart in the right place they haven't been properly trained. Which turns out to be a problem because on 11/14/2005 Tamarind Tree was shut down by the King County Health Department for a shopping list of health violations. While it's true that they had everything cleaned up within two days the fact that they let things get that bad is just too scary for us, we'll take a pass.

Seattle

0-Don't Bother

The Melting Pot

6/2003

1

My friends and I were craving desert and there are no good desert places in Seattle that are open late so we decided to go here for chocolate Fondue. The ambiance is quite good and so is the service but there is no justification for paying huge bucks for Fondue especially when the ingredients are neither generous nor particularly good.

Redmond

0-Don't Bother

Todai

12/2002

7

Massive buffet style Sushi and Japanese food, around $25/person, long lines to get in are the norm. When it first opened the food was o.k. but it has kept getting worse over time until the point where the last time both my wife and I left with unhappy stomachs.

Seattle

0-Don't Bother

Typhoon! Seattle

10/2003

2

After an initial awful experience I went back and found that Typhoon's Seattle location has turned from a nasty Thai restaurant into a mediocre one. There are many better choices around, give this one a pass.

Seattle

0-Don't Bother

Union

9/2004

1

Bring a flashlight, ear plugs and some snack food to tide you over until the glacial service produces any food. The food occassionally showed hints of talent but generally was nothing special and certainly isn't worth the $40 or so pricetag.

Seattle

0 - Don't Bother

Siam on Lake Union

8/2005

25

This used to be our favorite place to go at the last minute when we decide we are too lazy to make dinner at home but they recently increased their prices in order, it seems, to buy better dishes but not better food. At the prices they are now charging I don't think this place is worth visiting.

State/Country

City/Island

Rating

Name

Last Visit

Total Visits since 1/1999

Description

Australia

Melbourne

3-Great

Park Hyatt Melbourne - Radii

4/2003

1

Sure, this fancy Italian style place looks like a refugee from Las Vegas and we were only there for lunch but the food, the service and the ambiance were all really good.

Australia

Melbourne

2-Good

Il Solito Posto

4/2003

1

Hidden in a basement this is a great pasta bar with good service and excellent prices, a really good choice for lunch.

Australia

Melbourne

2-Good

Ondine

4/2003

1

If the prices were a bit lower I would strongly recommend this place as a good place to go, but their food doesn't match their prices or their pretensions. The meal was good but not great, although their presentation, service and ambiance were all excellent.

Australia

Melbourne

2-Good

Supper Inn

3/2003

1

The location is a bit hard to find as it is hidden in an alley and up a flight of stairs but there is a sign at the alley's mouth. This is very tasty Chinese food. Sure the restaurant is drab and while the service is lightening fast it is little better than throwing dishes at you but for this food it's all worth it. Probably one of the better cost/value ratios around. if you are in the area it is certainly worth a visit.

Australia

Sydney

1-O.k.

Golden Century

4/2003

1

This is more of a factory than a restaurant in the sense that you are shoved into an enormous space with a ton of other people and the stereotypical instant Chinese service (if you so much as look like you are done your dishes will disappear). None of the dishes were terribly impressive but I get the impression that we may have ordered the wrong things. If I went back with someone who really knew the place I wouldn't be surprised to find myself giving them a higher rating.

Australia

Melbourne

1-O.k.

Melbourne Grand Hyatt - Plane Tree Cafe

4/2003

1

The food was fairly typical hotel food, the menu was the usual pasta/soup standards, nothing all that interesting but the service was good and we were starving having just arrived from America so it worked out for us.

Australia

Sydney

1-O.k.

Quayside Cafe

4/2003

1

Nice view, good location, kinda expensive with average food but you sorta knew what you were getting into when you chose to eat there.

Australia

Sydney

0-Don't Bother

La Picadelle Cafe

4/2003

1

I suppose the first hint that this was a bad place to eat was when I had to return the slice of cake I ordered because it was stale. High prices, lousy food and bad service, next.

Australia

Melbourne

0-Don't Bother

Murasaki Japanese Restaurant

4/2003

1

The Japanese food is really mediocre, the prices are high and the service was just awful. Don't bother.

Arizona

Scottsdale

3-Great

Rancho Pinot Grill

11/2004

1

It's location in a shopping mall doesn't exactly inspire, neither does the not entirely appealing cowboy-esque decorations, even the service is a bit distracted but the food was very good. The menu isn't anything terribly fancy but everything was extremely fresh and very well made. I had a rather simple pasta dish that was just wonderful. I never realized just how good home made, right out of the pasta maker, pasta can taste.

Arizona

Scottsdale

1-O.K.

LV Bistro

11/2004

1

We went there for breakfast, it was nothing special but the quality was decent enough. If your staying in the Scottsdale Princess then it's a reasonable choice.

Arizona

Scottsdale

0-Don't Bother

In Room Dining at the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess

11/2004

1

It was near midnight and Marina and I were very hungry so we decided to order in-room dining. Although the Scottsdale Princess is otherwise an excellent hotel and their restaurants are generally good their in-room service bordered on the inedible.

Arizona

Scottsdale

0-Don't Bother

Tommy Bahama

11/2004

1

The decore is mildly amusing and the service isn't awful but the food itself is nothing to write home about and at around $30/per person you can trivially do better.

California

Mountain View

2-Good

Hangen Restaurant

11/2005

2

As long as you stay away from the stir frys you will find some fairly decent Chinese food, yes, the restaurant is bland and the service indifferent but it's worth a visit.

California

San Francisco

2-Good

Helmand

2/2005

1

Excellent Afghani food! The portion are good, the prices are reasonable at around $30/person and everything was seriously tasty. Well worth a visit.

California

Palo Alto

2-Good

La Bodeguita Del Medio

5/2005

1

I only dropped in here for some tapas during a business meeting but what I got was good. I need to make it a point to come back for dinner.

California

Palo Alto

2-Good

Straits Café

6/2005

1

Although very noisy, even though we were sitting outside, the restaurant is nicely done and the food was just yummy! I was especially lucky in that I went there with a huge group of people and so we were able to order a monsterous family sized prix fix dinner with a seeming endless series of very tasty courses. From flavor to presentation the food was a consistent winner. I'd say this place is dangerous close to being a 3.

California

San Jose

2-Good

Straits Café

8/2005

1

In every way a worthy sibling to its Palo Alto location. Although a bit noisier (ask to sit in the back) the food was just wonderous. No, it still hasn't quite reached a 3 but it's really getting there.

California

Los Angeles

2-Good

The Newsroom Café

5/2005

1

A very informal California cuisine (Smoothies, Salads, etc.) sort of place. The salad was very fresh and the service good but the restaurant is a bit noisy.

California

San Diego

1-O.k.

Adobe El Restaurante

5/2005

2

We went here for breakfast, at $35 for the breakfast buffet it is insanely overpriced and not terribly good but if you are staying in the Estancia La Jolla Hotel and Spa then it certainly is convienient.

California

San Francisco

1-O.K.

Akikos Restaurant & Sushi Bar

12/2005

2

This is a nice little place for getting a quick but decent Japanese lunch. The roles and such are nothing magical but they do the job and the prices, at $20/person for a role and a side, are decent.

California

San Francisco

1-O.K.

Atrium

6/2004

1

The place is nice and they did a good job of handling a large group but the 'fancy American' food just wasn't very interesting.

California

San Jose

1-O.K.

De La Cruz Deli

5/2005

1

The deli sandwiches are nothing special (and the portions are a bit small) but the prices are dirt cheap and the line is fast so you really can't complain.

California

La Jolla

1-O.k.

Elijah's

5/2005

1

The deli food is nothing super special, the décor is nothing special and the prices are a bit high but the service is good and the food decent so if you need lunch and are in the area this isn't a horrible choice.

California

San Jose

1-O.K.

McCormick & Schmick

2/2005

1

At around $30/person this run of the mill seafood restaurant is nothing particularly special but given the culinary wasteland that is San Jose it's not a bad choice for a safe meal.

California

San Diego

1-O.K.

Monsoon

5/2005

1

The ambience is nice at this standard Indian restaurant but it is noisy. At around $40/person this is not a meal deal given what you get. The food is competant but far from inspired and while the presentation is nice and the service decent I have gotten much better Indian food for literally 1/2 the price. So if you aren't in the area and really hankering for decent Indian I'd give this place a pass.

California

Berkeley

1-O.K.

Saul's Delicatessen

2/2005

1

Pretensions aside this is no New York deli, the food is nice and the service suitably obnoxious (it's a deli, trust me) but really, nothing special, still if you are in the area and hungry this is a decent bet.

California

San Diego

1-O.K.

The Prado Restaurant at Balboa Park

5/2005

1

The European influenced cuisine gets bonus points for creativity but the execution is more competent than tasty. Still the location is great, the service is quite good and the restaurant is pretty. I wouldn't go to Balboa Park to eat here but this is a great choice if you are already in Balboa Park.

California

San Jose

1-O.K.

UME Chinese Food

9/2005

1

A step up from Panda Express the food is moderately tasty without being acid endusing. If you have a little time for lunch before you need to be at the airport this isn't a bad place to go.

California

San Jose

1-O.K.

Unamas

12/2005

1

This chain has some pretty good burrittos. If you are close to one then it's a no brainer for fresh tasting "internationalized" Mexican for Lunch.

California

Costa Mesa

1-O.k.

Yujean Kang's Asia

5/2004

1

This is damn good Chinese food for a mall but it is really expensive.

California

San Jose

0-Don't Bother

Blake's Steak House

1/2004

1

It wasn't enough that the food was outrageously expensive and not terribly good, it also made my stomach upset. Just say no.

California

Santa Clara

0-Don't Bother

By-Th'-Bucket Bar and Grill

7/2003

1

This is a dive with just awful food and decor.

California

Menlo Park

0-Don't Bother

Iberia

12/2005

1

We ordered four tapas style dishes. The beans and franks were mediocre and the octopus would be profitably used as a chew toy for a dog. The fish soup and calamri however were good. The prices at around $30/person are decent (but it's easy to spend more) but batting 50% on dishes served just isn't good enough to bother visiting this restaurant.

California

La Jolla

0-Don't Bother

Roppongi

5/2005

1

This asian fusion restaurant in super trendy downtown La Jolla is pretty to look at w/great service but it is very noisy with average but not great food that at around $50/person w/a single drink per person is simply over priced. Better meal deals must be available.

California

Palo Alto

0-Don't Bother

Sundance the Steak House (formerly Sundance Mine Company)

3/2005

1

There are good steak houses in the world, unfortunately, this isn't one of them. It's also $60 to boot. Move on, nothing to see here. (Note: $60 for a good steak dinner is worth the money, this just isn't that good a steak dinner)

Canada

Whistler

2-Good

Chef Bernard's Café

9/2003

1

We needed breakfast and this place did a decent job although the prices were really high and the wait was unbelievably long.

Canada

Whistler

2-Good

Crepe Montagne

9/2003

1

Wonderful service in a fun restaurant and best of all, the Crepes are really good! This is certainly a great choice for breakfast in Whistler.

Canada

Whistler

2-Good

Sushi Village

9/2003

1

Although relatively far from the nearest shoreline the Sushi was actually pretty good, the service was decent and the restaurant itself was fun. If you are in Whistler I'd recommend this place.

Canada

Vancouver

2-Good

West (aka Ouest)

9/2003

1

When we went this was the restaurant of the moment. They serve nouvelle French/Northwest cuisine. The service was fantastic, the décor was very nice, the prices were very high and the food was good, occasionally slipping into great.

Canada

Vancouver

0-Don't Bother

Kirin Seafood Restaurant

9/2003

1

Somehow we missed the dead fish floating in the fish tank on the way in but we weren't surprised by it when we saw it on the way out. We went for Dim Sum and it was just deeply awful. Vancouver is rightfully known for good restaurants, how this place continues to exist is therefore a mystery.

Canada

Whistler

0-Don't Bother

Trattoria di Umberto

9/2003

1

The restaurant is really loud and the food ranged from pretty good to so bad we had to send it back. There are lots of other restaurants in Whistler, I'd try one of them instead.

Connecticut

North Haven

0-Don't Bother

Dynasty Chinese Restaurant

12/2002

1

Reputed to be one of the best Chinese restaurants in the New/North Haven area the really depressing thought it that this might actually be true, this place feels like a bad flashback of 1970's area sugar and cornstarch Chinese. Just say no.

Florida

Malabar

1-O.K.

Yellow Dog Café

12/2003

1

I went there for a group dinner. The service was decent but the food, like the decore, was o.k. but nothing special.

Germany

Sindelfingen

2-Good

Chiang Mai

11/2003

1

A pretty good Thai restaurant. Good service and decent prices in a nice setting.

Germany

Heidelberg

1-O.K.