I made it to Cafe Juanita for dinner last Thursday. Even though a chefs tasting was not on the menu, they made one up for me. All in all, it was delightful. I thought the octopus was a bit heavy for the first course and didn't pair up with their wine selection, although it did go great with the second course salad. The rabbit pasta was awesome and was the hit of the meal. The wine pairing was okay. The lamb was excellent and I liked the chianti they presented. And the dessert was fine with the Moscato. It was nice of them to do this all for my for $100. I'd go back in a heartbeat.

I went to Place Pigalle on Tuesday. That's been a favorite of mine for some time. I had their scallops in the pink with a couple glasses of their house white burgundy. Great view of the sound and a great meal.

~~~

Cafe Juanita

August 18, 2005

Grilled Octopus with Fennel, Chickpea and Green Sauce
Greccante ’03 Arnoldo-Caprai, Umbria


Argula with Grilled Peaches, Pickled Shallots and Cured Shaved Foie Gras


Rabbit Plin with Sage Butter
Rosso Salento ’97 Candido, Duca d’Aragona, Puglia


Saddle of Lamb with Romano Beans in Bagna Cauda, Taggia Olives and Rosemary Chianti Classico ’02 Terrabianca, Scassino, Toscana


Lemon Buttermilk Pannacotta with Raspberries
Moscato d’Asti ’04 Casina del Santuario, Piemonte

We liked Canlis and El Gaucho. Canlis is beautiful.

Have you ever been to Eva? (I think it's out by Green Lake but my sense of Seattle geography may be way off.)

Richard

Seattle has a ton of great restaurants. I really enjoyed the Palace Kitchen (very convenient to the Westin - I practically had a booth named after me...) and Wild Ginger, among others.

Cafe Juanita is a great restaurant. I have never been let down there.

Agree with Duke about the Palace Kitchen. Also enjoy Matt's in the Market every time I'm in town.

I've also been told Harvest and Vine is one of the best places for tapas in the US - haven't tried it though.

Check the Seattle thread buried somewhere in this section. I think we've reviewed just about every restaurant and martini bar in a 20 mile radius :-)

Place Pigalle is tops in my book. Glad you had the singing pink scallops. We only get them for a short period of time and they are the best scallops I have ever tasted. Can't find them too many places other than Seattle.
EVA and Serafina are local favorites also.
New goodies ---- CROW, LARK.

Has anyone ever eaten in Canlis' lounge? Looking for another option for solo dining when I go to the PacNW Fish Expo next month.

kpak, if you go, PM me. I'll give a contact to use for Mark Canlis.

Will do.
Would love to be able to do this event:

"WINE SWAP - BYOW!
Wednesday, November 17, 2004
Wine-growers everywhere celebrate the end of harvest with a feast where everyone brings their own wine and shares it with others. In that convivial tradition, Canlis is hosting our Autumn “No-Corkage Bring Your Own Wine Night” in the Canlis Penthouse. Enjoy a fun and relaxed evening of wine-swapping while choosing delectable dishes from our menu. Bring up to one 750 ml bottle of wine (not on our current wine list) per person, sit at your own table while sharing wines from around the room, and have a grand ol’ time. Reservations are for parties with a minimum of four people, from 6:00PM to 7:30PM."

Unfortunately requires the minimum of four....not this trip.

The date is last year.

Quote:

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Will do.
Would love to be able to do this event:

"WINE SWAP - BYOW!
Wednesday, November 17, 2004
Wine-growers everywhere celebrate the end of harvest with a feast where everyone brings their own wine and shares it with others. In that convivial tradition, Canlis is hosting our Autumn “No-Corkage Bring Your Own Wine Night” in the Canlis Penthouse. Enjoy a fun and relaxed evening of wine-swapping while choosing delectable dishes from our menu. Bring up to one 750 ml bottle of wine (not on our current wine list) per person, sit at your own table while sharing wines from around the room, and have a grand ol’ time. Reservations are for parties with a minimum of four people, from 6:00PM to 7:30PM."

Unfortunately requires the minimum of four....not this trip.

---

Thanks. Did not notice that.
So much for their website information.....

Went to that last year and it was a blast. They do that every so often.

There are many good places for solo dining in downtown Seattle, what are you looking for?

Actually have lots of favorites...especially Tom Douglas' restaurants.

Speaking of Tom, did you catch him on "Iron Chef" last Sunday? He won.

Went to his LOLA last night post-Bonnie Raitt. It's a fun late night joint.

Sorry I missed it but will watch for the repeat.

Nice solo event at Canlis - foie gras, the Canlis salad and sorbet; .
the 03 Gary Farrell Pinot Noir - was Excellent. Giving this a 95+.