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Good Evening you lovely people and Happy Wednesday. I have been waiting to write these three little words on the screen now all winter. They are three words that can change the course of your day and make it bigger, better and brighter than 1000 stars in a clear sky. No it is not “I love you” (sorta cliché) nor is it “Are you hungry” (one of my personal faves) it’s “Seattle Restaurant Week”! Not what you were thinking about, well I’m full of surprises, just try to keep up.

Seattle Restaurant Week (#SRW) happens twice a year and is basically when a bunch (150+) of local restaurants offer 3-course prix-fixe dinners and 2-course lunches for around $30 ($20 for lunch) everyday but weekends (Friday’s are considered a weekend day). I started going in college and made it a point when I moved  to keep the tradition alive. Restaurant week operates basically the same in all major cities and allows people to try a number of different places they normally would not due to price or type of cuisine. Until I began to participate in restaurant week I would have never found out about my love for French-inspired food. Thus it is a great idea to give it a whirl especially for only around $30, you really have nothing to lose.  

This go round for SRW I opted to go for seafood. I always pick a type of cuisine I want and find the best places to dine based on food, ambiance, reviews and price. I like to go places that have great food (obviously), a good feeling, a lot of reviews and will be the most bang for my buck. My thought process is since it is restaurant week I might as well try a place that I would normally go for a special date or something celebratory (aka spendy) to get the experience without the cost. Please note what I consider spendy is about $30+ per entrée but if it’s a great meal I don’t mind spending money on food, restaurant week or not. Either way none of that matters because as soon as I walked into Palisade Restaurant I knew I would be back regardless of what week it was.  

Located in the Elliot Marina Bay, Palisades Restaurant is simply breathtaking. As you walk inside after being greeted by the super friendly valets you are met by hosts decked out in all black and smiles. You are escorted to your seat, and on your way you pass by, for lack of a better word, a kick ass pond. I was so tickled that there was a pond in the middle of the restaurant that I hardly noticed it was functional (aka had real fish too). The crazy part is that as if that were not enough, on a clear day or night you have the most amazing view of downtown Seattle and all the docked boats in the Marina. This is all prior to getting to the food so hopefully you understand how this place has gotten such a great rating already.  

Since restaurant week offers the diner a choice of appetizer, entrée and desert with multiple options within each category I could still opt to try different things than my dining partner. For our appetizer we both got the Dungeness Crab & Lobster Bisque, for dinner we had the Seared Columbia River Steelhead and the Beef Short Ribs and for dessert we had the Flourless Chocolate Torte and the Olympic Mountain Gelato. (note none of the prices are listed because it was a prix-fixe price).

The Dungeness Crab & Lobster Bisque was made with a rich Tomato Cream, Tobiko (fish eggs), Chives and Herb Croutons. The bisque was smooth, creamy, seasoned well and topped with small bites of fresh Crab and Lobster. The colors were vivid and the contrast of the soup with the fresh ground pepper added to the overall flavor which were already well-balanced.

The Seared Columbia River Steelhead with Braised Cannelloni Beans, Ginger Carrot Jus and a Herb Salad may have been my favorite item of the evening dessert aside. The dish made clear that we were all here for the fish and the fish alone. I feel like far too often you get an entrée and the main ingredient (meat or not) seems to be overshadowed by the additions. Here the beans and herb salad added to the overall flavor and texture but the Steelhead was still in the spotlight. Light, flaky and a taste cross between Salmon and Trout the fish was cooked perfectly and heavenly to taste.

The Beef Short Ribs with Miso Glaze, Bacon Fried Rice and Kimchee was a pleasant surprise. I thought going to a “Seafood Restaurant” for Beef seemed sort of odd but said “what the heck let’s give it a shot”. The meat was tender (slow cooking for hours tender if you know what I mean) and a little sweet with the addition of the Miso Glaze. I love anything with sugar so that is a “yes please”. The Bacon Fried Rice and Kimchee rounded out all of the Asian influenced flavors and made the meal even more hearty. The Short Ribs have officially encouraged me to start considering Beef or Poultry at a “Seafood Place”.

The dessert choices were made out of pure gluttony and well, necessity because they were included (we had to get them). The Flourless Chocolate Torte was accompanied by Toasted Coconut, Mascarpone, Chocolate Espresso Crumbs, Coconut Cream and a Raspberry Puree.  The cake was super chocolaty and in my opinion that is what life is all about. Chocolate, Love and Food (well not in that order). However, in addition to the chocolate taste, the torte was also sort of dense so if super light & fluffy is your thing maybe don’t order this. (If chocolate is your thing though definitely order this!!!). The Gelato option we chose was a Salted Caramel, and when did Gelato ever let you down (other than brain freeze). Never! Gelato has never let me down unless it was a stomach ache from eating too much. Salty but a little sweet, creamy and amazing, it doesn’t get much better!

All in all, I think Seattle Restaurant Week aside, and you’re feeling a little spiffy, I would go back here for sure! Imagine yourself sitting in an amazing restaurant with the sun shining and the view of boats and Downtown Seattle sipping Champagne with good company and great food. You see it? If you do this is the place to do all those things at. If you do take a trip here let me know what you think! Per usual stay #ForkDeep folks.