Crush - Seattle

Excellent. The food was delightful and creative, with complex tastes and artistic presentations. The octopus appetizer -- which they thoughtfully split for us -- was perfectly cooked and paired (with sauces and tasty nibbles and such). Both of our entrees and a cheese plate were two thumbs up.

The ambience was surprisingly wonderful at the kitchen view "bar" -- we were initially apprehensive about sitting there, but it was very nice being able to watch the dishes be created, and the "bar" is removed just enough to not feel exposed, and it was still perfect for an intimate dinner for two.

It appeared that the cook who made each dish was the one that brought it to the table and explained what was in it, how it was made, etc., as each dish was delivered by a different (very knowledgeable) person, though we still had our server, who was perfectly attentive.

We can't wait to go back!…

Disappointing food. Disappointing food, we had the hand-made pasta with lobster and bacon, and guess what? All you could taste was the bacon. The delicate lobster (which was hard to find a piece of) was totally overpowered. Then I had the halibut, which was overcooked the top was seared so much it became a crisp cake-like topping, the fish was totally dry. The portions were pretentiously small and overpriced it, reminded me of Citrus in LA in the late eighties, dishes with fewer vegetables than you would dare to serve to a five year old. Decor is subjective, but for me the Stars Wars themed oversized white plastic chairs and tables, against the beautiful historic features of this house just did not jive, lacking neither artistry nor character.

Call me old fashioned but at these prices please give me a white tablecloth! Not your romantic or impressive dining situation. The service was excellent; the white wine we ordered hadn’t been chilled so we were brought a glass of French sparkling wine, compliments of the house, which was very good. It helped a little to get over the awful atmosphere in the dining room, no ambiance whatsoever, walls begging for some art work and some interesting lighting. We were ready to leave, and I visited the ladies room only to spot a lovely outside dining area! No one had offered us this option, not when I made the reservation or upon arriving, if I could at least have sat outside I might not be writing this. I expressed my frustration about the outdoor dining option and they were full of apologies and insisted we give them our email address, and they did of course already have my phone number from the booking. But that was weeks ago, and we have heard nothing, which would be fine if expectation had not been set. At the end of the day I felt like we had paid big bucks to sit in a sort of quasi trendy university-district-type eating establishment, but without the charm. So sad to say, we won’t go back.…

Don't Believe The Reviews - Crush is terrible and overpriced. I ate at crush last night, and it was one of the worst restaurant experiences I have ever had. For the price of the meal, it was not the level of quality it should have been. 24 dollars for mediocre beef ribs, and 24 dollars for a small portion of what should be cheap seafood. The staff was friendly, but the service was poor. The gratuity for our group was automatically 20%, which was not deserved. We also requested a bottle of wine from the menu, which they did not have, and they replaced it with a screw-top bottle that was low quality for a high price. Overall, it felt like a nothing more than a rip-off, and I left very unsatisfied after spending over $800 with a group of only 7 people. If they are going to charge as much as they do, I expect much more. I have never written a negative review for a restaurant before, but I certainly do not recommend crush to anybody.…