Rover's

08/09/09

Some of the best food and wine in Seattle

by Noma at Citysearch

We've gone to Rovers for both brunch and dinner and in both cases were blown away. Without a doubt the best brunch in Seattle, handily beating out Tilth, which was our previous favorite.

For dinner, we had a fantastic meal, where everything was perfectly cooked, including the best lamb I have ever had. Across the board, ingredient quality was exceptional and everything was perfectly cooked. They also went above and beyond on the wine service, being generous both on the amount and the quality of the wine poured.

• Pros: Amazing food and wine

07/17/08

Amazing place

by sunifyre at Citysearch

Brilliant, brilliant food! 'Nuff said. Ambiance/service == a 3 star Michelin restaurant without the stuffiness. Definitely my new favorite restaurant in Seattle. The best part was talking to the chef in the hat at the end of our meal. He was so funny and cool!

• Pros: Everything
• Cons: None

05/04/08

Unparalleled Dining Experience

by koi29 at Citysearch

Rover's is an amazing restaurant. We visited on a weekday night. The tasting menus are expensive, but everything is available a la carte, so if you don't want to splurge, you don't have to. This restaurant IS expensive, but you have to expect that from a fine dining joint. White table cloths, polished/super sophisticated service, orchestrated dining... that all comes with a price! The plates are gorgeous, delicious, and leave you wanting more, and then voila! the next course arrives!!! There isn't any other restaurant in Seattle that serves food at this caliber. Appetizer, entree and dessert, isn't really how Rover's works, but it was a welcome change! This place is for people who know how to dine and have a sense of adventure!

• Pros: Local food, great wine list, unpretentious staff
• Cons: none

03/01/08

Rushed Dining

by ReviewerRestaurant at Citysearch

We recently dined at Rovers. First, we would like to comment that the food was excellent. However, it was either lukewarm or cold when brought to the table.

We were VERY disappointed by our dining experience. Rovers is a very expensive restaurant. We ordered the most extensive tasting menu with wine pairings. When spending over $500 for two on dinner, we would like to savor our meal. Our experience was absolutely the opposite. Eager to get us in and out - we went through approximately 6-8 courses (cannot remember exact number) in 1.5 hours. At one point, my husband held his fork in his hand so that the current course would not be whisked away. It was quite obvious that on a Saturday night, Rovers wanted to use that table. At the end of our meal, with food shoved into us and the wait staff eagerly waiting for us to leave - we did so.

We are two professionals who enjoy dining out. However, NEVER again will we give Rovers our business. If they want to treat patrons that they are unfamiliar with like a McDonalds drive through - then fine, but not for us.

• Pros: Excellent food
• Cons: Rushed Service; Cold Food

10/07/07

Superb food

by petroniusarbiter at Citysearch

The food first of all: nonpareil. A real symphony of tastes, every dish with several: sweet, tart, salty, savoury, fruity. Like giving different combinations of instruments in the orchestra little movements of their own. (Do I wax rhapsodic?) Scallops with soy beans in a soy dressing. Caviar and lobster on a shredded cucumber salad with a champagne dressing. Coho salmon on caramelized turnips with bacon -- extraordinary bacon. Foie gras floating in a sea of savoury goose fat (the gras in foie gras) with fruit coulis that set it off wonderfully. A whole panoply of exquisite tastes, some delicate, some bold. The green apple sorbet was superb and captured the taste of green apple perfectly, although I wouldn't say that it was the best thing on the menu by any means. Excellent presentation for every dish. We were there promptly at 8:15; they seated us promptly at 8:15. Very attentive staff, clearing one course and serving the next efficiently. Very pleasant dining room. Clearly very expensive, but in my estimation worth it. The chef came by every table to talk very personably with everyone. Great service although with one faux pas in our case: When ordering our meals, I requested the cheese plate instead of the Symphony de desserts. When the time came, I got the Symphony -- but to their credit, they had wished us a happy anniversary in chocolate lettering on the plate.

Other reviewers have off-handedly put forward their qualifications as reviewers, so I suppose I should lay out my bona fides as well: I've eaten at the Herbfarm a couple of times, at Chez Panisse, at Spago in Hollywood, at Cal Pep in Barcelona, at La Mansion and the San Angel Inn in Mexico City, at Hacienda Xcanatun in Merida, Mexico, at La Risacca in Milan, at George in Toronto. I lived and ate in LA, San Jose, Boston, in Germany, Spain (in Salamanca, the pisto manchego at the Viuda del Fraile and the lechon at El

Candil were great) and England (forget it).