Whenever Seattle Restaurant Week rolls around, I wonder which of the many restaurants I’d like to give a try. This week and next, Sunday through Thursday, there are over 150 restaurants participating. All offer a three-course menu (appetizer entree, and dessert) for $28 (drinks, tax, and tip are extra); even better, a good number will feed you a three-course lunch for just $15.
Fresh ricotta gnudi with balsamic brown butter, Brussels sprouts, and squash
Chocolate hazelnut torte with caramel sauce and tart cherry gel – rich and sweet
While the restaurants tend to be especially busy for this two-week period, and though the three-course menus are limited–typically to three choices in each category, with the option to order additional items from the regular menu–Seattle Restaurant Week is a great (and affordable) way to check out a place that’s been on your must-try list for too long. For me, that meant finally getting to Restaurant Zoë.
The fairly new space at 14th and Union in Capitol Hill boasts an open kitchen and a door that opens to a garden courtyard, while the dining rooms feel both classic and contemporary. Despite a fairly full house, service was spot-on; the food was quite good, and with some of the entrees running a la carte for close to $28 alone, absolute a good value. From the opening focaccia bread to the chocolate truffles accompanying the bill, dinner at Zoë was enjoyable–and sure to turn some newcomers into regular customers. That, in some ways, is what Seattle Restaurant Week is all about.
Seattle Restaurant Week starts up again next week and runs October 21st through October 25th. This year, there are 16 Capitol Hill restaurants to choose from.
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I’m just curious…isn’t this a thinly-veiled ad for this specific restaurant, cloaked in an announcement about “restaurant week.”?
I realize that community members are allowed to post their own threads on this blog, but it seems to me there needs to be some screening process to prevent threads with personal agendas (that’s what the “comments” section is for!). I guess sometimes there is a gray zone between an “announcement” and an outright ad, but this one seems to cross the line.
Lucky to get two seats at the bar. The place was hopping and the food and the service WAS spot on. (As always).
Unfortunately it’s the struggling restaurants that participate. So is it really a deal to eat mediocre food? For instance you don’t see Altura in on this.
Looks nice, doesn’t fill stomach.
:) hey, cal. Jay is a good food writer who knows his stuff. We run these SunBreak posts as part of a partnership. They have some good Hill related reads to share. Might be a little jarring because we don’t run a lot of review-ish posts.
Actually, Manny, you couldn’t be further from the truth. There are over 150 restaurants participating and it’s a no-win situation if they don’t. Places like Altura (recently nominated for a James Beard award) that don’t ‘need’ to participate are few and far between.
The reality is, if any respected and normal restaurant doesn’t choose to participate in this program, they are often doomed for business for the 2 weeks (the term Restaurant Week is a misnomer) that this promotion runs. So they are forced to join, in order to keep up revenue streams. If they don’t participate, yes, they’ll still get some business, but not what they normally would because half the city only goes out to the restaurants offering the ‘deal’ of the program (I wont even comment on the type of people who come out for this promotion as that’s a whole other ball of wax).
Restaurants have to hope that a small fraction of the guests that do come out, will eventually be repeat diners (and spend money while they are there).
This has nothing to do with mediocre food or struggling restaurants. In fact, Canlis participated in the program last year. Do you consider them to a be struggling restaurant with mediocre food? This years list includes Mistral, Rovers, The Coterie Room and the entire empire of restaurants in both Tom Douglass and Ethan Stowell groups. Are they struggling financially or with mediocrity? I think not.
An entre ala carte average price of $28 is a good value? I’d call that upper middle to lower high—-not a good value for the elfin size portions I had there.
No way. I went to Zoe for restaurant week, too, and the quality of service, food, ambiance and price is definately newsworthy. Best meal I’d had in a long time.
Have had worse there, though, and more than once. Looks like things are changing for the better.
Actually I do think Canlis has mediocre food – poor and diminishing value for price. I hear that the telepathic valet is nice, but I cab it . . .
You do get 3 courses . . . and no, your app is not going to be right-sized for a 4000+ calorie diet.
Of course, there is always the dollar menu at McDs.