Seattle Restaurant Review | El Gaucho Pampas Room

If you've been reading my other reviews you have probably begun to think that I don't have a negative bone in my body. This is actually not true. At each of the other places I've been, I've just generally had a good time. However, this time I cannot hold back. Believe it or not, I'm giving a negative review of El Gaucho Restaurant. Why negative? Read on to find out why.

El Gaucho is an interesting restaurant in and of itself. It bills itself as private dining, so to go you need to get a reservation. They have several different rooms you can dine in, namely: the 410 Room; the Grill Room; the Wine Cellar; the Pampas Room; and the Bolas Lounge. The setting is supposed to be a swanky 1940's ish type of vibe - meaning it is dark and there is old stuff on the walls (it actually is pretty inviting). We ate in the Pampas room, so my review will be limited to the Pampas Room of El Gaucho in Seattle, Washington.

We had occasion to visit El Gaucho because of a great holiday - New Years Eve. We went with several friends, had a reservation for 8:00 p.m., and were looking forward to having a great time. When we first showed up the place was great. The ambiance was good, the bartender poured me a Captain and Sprite so stiff I thought he put Coke in it, and everthing was going great. Then we met our waitress.

I don't know what her name was, but from the very beginning she was hard to deal with. And there really was nothing good to report about her. Her demeanor was not good (she was telling us what to do all night - even the order we'd order our food in), her service was not good (we went up to the bar to get drinks at least twice during dinner - when we'd try to order from her she would tell us to wait and then never come back), and overall she was just unhelpful. I don't think there is any doubt that her poor service had a profound effect on my impression of the restaurant. But wait, it gets better!

After we sat down, we ordered food. I got the steak sword (they flambe the meat on a sword - it's pretty cool) and my wife got salmon. They were both okay. We also ordered asparagus - it never came! And thirty minutes later when we'd asked where it was for the fourth time, we found out it wasn't coming. And then we were charged for it! The waitress actually said to us, "you ordered it, so you have to pay for it." Unbelievable.

And we didn't have the only food problems. Another couple had to send all of their food back (and I know it must have been bad because they never do that), and they never got anything back! And the length of time it took to get the food was unbelievable. I realize it's New Years and some slack needs to be given, but we sat down for dinner at 8:00, and when we left at 11:30 (to meet the in-laws down the street at the Waterfront (a great restaurant, by the way), the waitress was just taking orders for dessert!

There were a couple of high points, though. First, as I said before, there was no scrimping on the drinks. Also, if you do go eat there, get the lobster mashed potatoes. They are amazing. And the company was amazing!

I'm hoping it was just the service that made our dining experience one to forget. Our bill ended up being about $100 a person, no small chunk of change. If you are going to spend that, I'd recommend going somewhere else. It's not worth taking the chance of getting our waitress!

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Seattle Reviews | Kisaku Sushi Restaurant

Two nights ago (in the freezing cold and with about three inches of snow on the ground), my wife, brother-in-law and his girlfriend, ventured out to Kisaku Sushi Restaurant in the Meridian Neighborhood of Seattle. Ryan (the brother-in-law) had heard some good things about it, and we all love sushi, so we decided to give it a shot. Because, once again, this site is devoted to reviewing everything Seattle, I thought I'd let you know how it turned out.

Located at 2101 N. 55th St in Seattle in a multi-purpose retail type of building, Kisaku Sushi Restaurant is not going to blow your socks off with a high end type of dining experience. The interior, like the exterior, serve only to provide a functional dining experience. When we entered we were greeted by a very nice hostess (who asked if we had reservations, even though a winter storm had just blown through essentially shutting down the city, and the restaurant was empty - a pretty entertaining experience for us) who led us to a table for four. The place probably seats 30-40 max, and it is worth noting they have created a bar style area where you can sit and eat and watch the sushi chefs prepare your dinner.

One thing we immediately noticed was the lack of a full bar. The four of us, being late twenties early thirty-somethings, love to have a nice drink (or drinks) with dinner). But Kisaku has failed to get a liquor license, making it likely one of the only sushi restaurants in Seattle where you cannot have a Saki-bomb with your meal. They do serve beer and wine, however, so we made due.

Kisaku Sushi Restaurant provides what can best be described as a bare bones style of sushi. They have all the old favorites, a couple of signature rolls, named aptly the Wallingford Roll and the Greenlake Roll both of which were tasty, sashimi, and a variety of hot, non-sushi dishes. You won't find a James Bond themed selection like you will at Umi Sake House (a Seattle giant when it comes to sushi), and they don't have the creative rolls some others might have, but the selection is fair.

As I mentioned, we ordered the greenlake roll, the wallingford roll, a Spicy Tuna Roll, and several pieces of sashimi. Because I was so cold, I asked them to make me a bowl of soup, which they did, with shrimp tempura. The soup came out hot and was pretty tasty (it included octopus, which I'd never had outside calamari - it wasn't too bad). When the rolls came out although they looked delicious, one thing was clear, they were small. I think each roll had maybe six pieces with it, which is significantly smaller than we are used to getting. They tasted fantastic, but were gone as quickly as they came.

Atmosphere-wise, don't be prepared to be blown out of the water with Kisaku. Bring along some good company and you should be fine (this should probably be expected out of an out of the way sushi restaurant nestled in a Seattle neighborhood, but maybe not). It wasn't too loud or too quiet, the service was relatively fast and very attentive, and the decor was adequate.

After two half-bottles of wine, two kiran ichiban pints of beer, a few sushi rolls, and some soup, our bill totaled about $100. Not bad for four people eating dinner in Seattle. As for recommendations, if you are a die hard sushi fan looking to get back to your roots, I'd highly recommend Kisaku Sushi Restaurant. The quality of everything was great, even if the helpings were a little on the short side. So, if you are ever in the Wallingford, Greenlake, Meridian, Freemont, or Phinney neighborhoods, stop by and check it out.

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Seattle Bar Nightclub Reviews | Barca

Under some strange circumstances (my brother-in-law wanted to go somewhere he was sure not to see his ex-girlfriend) a couple of nights ago we made our way to Barca, a Seattle nightclub and bar for some great drinks and some fun times. Both ended up being had for all - here is my review of Barca.

Barca is a Seattle bar and nightclub located at 1510 11th Ave, Seattle, Washington. Located on Capitol Hill, it is a great place to go and have more a chill, relaxed night with friends. With a map, it is easy to get to.

This bar is a lot more like Murphy's Irish Pub than Havana, which I reviewed earlier. The reason is that it does not bill itself as a Seattle dance club, but more of a Seattle night club. There is a lot of alcohol and a lot of places to mingle, but you probably won't find a dance floor here. The pictures I've included (courtesy of the Barca Gallery - the last one is the ladies room, something I guess they are proud of) show you what I'm talking about.

Finally, on to the review. When we first walk in, it is immediately apparent that this is a pretty cool bar, but with a definitely different vibe than you will find at a lot of the other hot night spots in Seattle. The lighting is soft, the people are moderately dressed, and the beer and wine are flowing like water. On a Saturday night the place was packed but didn't necessarily feel like it. We moseyed up to the bar and ordered drinks with no problem. Captain and seven (my signature drink) and a couple of martinis were made to perfection, and we settled in with the crowd.

The waitstaff (the place has both bartenders and waitresses) were courteous and conversational. They made great drinks, kept the place clean, and blended in with the crowd, just like you'd like in a great Seattle bar. Overall it was a great experience.

If you are ever in downtown Seattle and want a great change of pace, check out Barca. It will not disappoint.

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Have you been here too? Don't let me be the only one to review this great Seattle hot spot. Let everyone know what you thought by leaving a comment.