Crush Restaurant
She Said:
Well, Crush certainly wasn’t what I expected. That’s what I get, though, for going into a restaurant with such high expectations.
A couple friends of mine had mentioned their love for this Madison Street fine dining establishment, so it’s been on our list for a while now.
All the reviews, though, told me to wait until there was some sort of promotion (Restaurant Week, Dine Around Seattle) because the prices ($$$$) weren’t justified.
I took their advice, and Brett and I booked ourselves in Thursday night, for Seattle’s Restaurant Week (3 courses for $28 at tons of participating Washington Restaurants).
They didn’t have their RW menu on their website, so we went in somewhat blind, but I figured there would be SOMEthing on there that I would dig.
We arrived to the restaurant and were a bit surprised – it was a house!
Tucked away on the corner of Madison and 23rd. Very unsuspecting location. When we entered, the interior was NOT what we expected from the outside – clean and white. Minimal. Plastic chairs. Very modern.
Ironic, really. It’s an old craftsman style house, and yet decorated very modern minimalist. Space Age. Beam Me Up.
They seated us at the very front of the house in front of a huge picture window. The light was great, but I felt very displaced from the restaurant. It almost felt as though we were dining in our own home… I think I would’ve preferred sitting in the bar (or upstairs – it looked like there was seating up there as well) so I could be more immersed in the action.
The bar seating allows you to spy into the kitchen where all the action is - and you can watch the brilliant James Beard-award-winning Jason Wilson work his Magic. Definitely try to get seated there if you head here.
We looked over the menu – now, guys, this place is PRICEY. A glass of Riesling will run you $14. Don’t even get me started with cocktail prices. So, we opted for beer (still $10).
After ordering our drinks, we looked over the menu. Unfortunately the Restaurant Week selection just didn’t seem appealing – so we decided to order off the regular menu (as nervous as the prices made me...!). We ordered the artisan cheese sampling to start – 5 cheeses for $24.
And for our mains, Brett ordered the 48 Hour Braised Painted Hills Beef Short Ribs ($31) and me, the roasted Alaska Cod ($29).
When I ordered, the waiter repeated my ‘roasted cod’ as ‘okay, so you want the crispy skin cod' – mentioned that they must have changed the name, took our menus and departed… thinking about it, I ordered ‘roasted cod’ and not ‘crispy cod’ – but turns out it’s the same thing – AND, that was one of the choices on the 3 for $28 menu!
They were described completely different on the menus so I didn’t realize that I was ordering, for $29, exactly what I could’ve gotten (along with TWO other courses) for $28. Shot myself in the foot on that one. (I was going for healthy, and ‘roasted’ seemed healthier than ‘crispy skin’ which was the confusion.) Good to know.
When the cheese arrived, we devoured it. Seriously, it was amazing. And they brought out some bread (baguette slices and puff pastries) that Brett just loved.
Our mains arrived shortly after. Brett said it was ‘the best meal he’s ever had in his life’ – he was hesitant to relinquish a bite of his mashed potatoes to me it was that good. Mine was good… but really nothing that wowed me (which is really sad, I had hoped it was as remarkable as Brett’s!) and here’s the clincher – the portions were TINY. Brett’s was a little bigger than mine (I think probably because mine was technically from the 3 for $28 menu, even though I paid $29 for it – can you tell I’m a little bitter??) and so I was not really satisfied once we were through. Shoulda, coulda, woulda.
[Cod | Short ribs]
The best thing about Crush (besides Brett’s dish, of course) was the service. It was impeccable. Everyone was super nice, attentive, not too overly-in-your-face. But for $150 for two people, I just can’t justify going here again. The food was good, the service was exceptional… but for what we got, it just seemed really inflated (and since we tend to go out to eat a lot, we're conscious of prices… Try it for yourself though, if you have a special night you want to celebrate. It’s definitely worth a shot...
xo
Mandy
Well, Crush certainly wasn’t what I expected. That’s what I get, though, for going into a restaurant with such high expectations.
A couple friends of mine had mentioned their love for this Madison Street fine dining establishment, so it’s been on our list for a while now.All the reviews, though, told me to wait until there was some sort of promotion (Restaurant Week, Dine Around Seattle) because the prices ($$$$) weren’t justified.
I took their advice, and Brett and I booked ourselves in Thursday night, for Seattle’s Restaurant Week (3 courses for $28 at tons of participating Washington Restaurants).
They didn’t have their RW menu on their website, so we went in somewhat blind, but I figured there would be SOMEthing on there that I would dig.
We arrived to the restaurant and were a bit surprised – it was a house!Tucked away on the corner of Madison and 23rd. Very unsuspecting location. When we entered, the interior was NOT what we expected from the outside – clean and white. Minimal. Plastic chairs. Very modern.
Ironic, really. It’s an old craftsman style house, and yet decorated very modern minimalist. Space Age. Beam Me Up.
They seated us at the very front of the house in front of a huge picture window. The light was great, but I felt very displaced from the restaurant. It almost felt as though we were dining in our own home… I think I would’ve preferred sitting in the bar (or upstairs – it looked like there was seating up there as well) so I could be more immersed in the action.The bar seating allows you to spy into the kitchen where all the action is - and you can watch the brilliant James Beard-award-winning Jason Wilson work his Magic. Definitely try to get seated there if you head here.
We looked over the menu – now, guys, this place is PRICEY. A glass of Riesling will run you $14. Don’t even get me started with cocktail prices. So, we opted for beer (still $10).
After ordering our drinks, we looked over the menu. Unfortunately the Restaurant Week selection just didn’t seem appealing – so we decided to order off the regular menu (as nervous as the prices made me...!). We ordered the artisan cheese sampling to start – 5 cheeses for $24.
And for our mains, Brett ordered the 48 Hour Braised Painted Hills Beef Short Ribs ($31) and me, the roasted Alaska Cod ($29).When I ordered, the waiter repeated my ‘roasted cod’ as ‘okay, so you want the crispy skin cod' – mentioned that they must have changed the name, took our menus and departed… thinking about it, I ordered ‘roasted cod’ and not ‘crispy cod’ – but turns out it’s the same thing – AND, that was one of the choices on the 3 for $28 menu!
They were described completely different on the menus so I didn’t realize that I was ordering, for $29, exactly what I could’ve gotten (along with TWO other courses) for $28. Shot myself in the foot on that one. (I was going for healthy, and ‘roasted’ seemed healthier than ‘crispy skin’ which was the confusion.) Good to know.
When the cheese arrived, we devoured it. Seriously, it was amazing. And they brought out some bread (baguette slices and puff pastries) that Brett just loved.
Our mains arrived shortly after. Brett said it was ‘the best meal he’s ever had in his life’ – he was hesitant to relinquish a bite of his mashed potatoes to me it was that good. Mine was good… but really nothing that wowed me (which is really sad, I had hoped it was as remarkable as Brett’s!) and here’s the clincher – the portions were TINY. Brett’s was a little bigger than mine (I think probably because mine was technically from the 3 for $28 menu, even though I paid $29 for it – can you tell I’m a little bitter??) and so I was not really satisfied once we were through. Shoulda, coulda, woulda.
The best thing about Crush (besides Brett’s dish, of course) was the service. It was impeccable. Everyone was super nice, attentive, not too overly-in-your-face. But for $150 for two people, I just can’t justify going here again. The food was good, the service was exceptional… but for what we got, it just seemed really inflated (and since we tend to go out to eat a lot, we're conscious of prices… Try it for yourself though, if you have a special night you want to celebrate. It’s definitely worth a shot...
xo
Mandy
Crush2319 East Madison Street
Seattle, WA 98112
(206) 302-7874
RATINGS:
Romance: 3
Cool Ambiance/Interior: 3 (I'm sure it would be better if we were more immersed in the restaurant)
All Around Service: 4 (Service was nice)
Cost: $$$$ = entrees from $22+
Would we recommend it? 2: Once was enough -- for US. (The prices just didn't match the food quality or quantity to justify a return trip... Although please try it for yourself! Just know it is expensive!)
1 comment:
This looks like a lovely place for a romantic dinner for two. They might as well want to have a catering in New York because their menu looks enormous and scrumptious!
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