Steelhead Diner

Recommends

mjkc

Joined 6 years ago

Luck of the draw. I have been to this restaurant 3 times in 2 weeks, and each time I have gone the food has been completely different, although I ordered the same thing each time. The first night, a Sat., I was sooo happy with the food. Finally, a place that has really good food and that I could recommend to people. I was so happy with my meal that I dragged several other people there 5 nights later and had the same dish because it was just perfect the first time around. What a difference 5 days made. In that short amount of time the food went from great to awful. The poutine fries were served with fatty meat juice instead of gravy and my sandwich was different from before (less meat). Plus the fries were old. 2 people in my party, no matter what they ordered Steelhead appeared to be out of that dish or beverage. My husband's burger was cooked rare/rare instead of medium.

So we decided to give the place another try on a Sat. and for comparisons' sake I ate the same dish. This time the sandwich was excellent again, but the gravy for the poutine fries was bland and lacked the sausage meat from the first time. My husband's dish was also quite good. Unfortunately, the spicy vinegar condiment that is on the table tasted like brining liquid. Too bad, because this vinegar is a stand out surprise on fries.

As a former chef I know how hard it can be to put out the same dish every night, but that is the job and Steelhead is not successful at this. If I'm downtown on a Sat. I wouldn't cross this place off my list as a place to eat, but neither would I make this place a destination.

Doesn't Recommend

waifsandvagrants

Joined 6 years ago

Pretty much the worst service I've ever had. Anywhere.. I was very excited about the steelhead diner and was looking forward to a date night there. The restaurant is beautiful and a big thrill to my steelhead obsessed husband. The waitress had a spiel, very rehearsed and unnatural. "We embrace the market!...etc" which was recited at a hysterical pitch. Sort of an eye roller for me, a local Seattle girl. I started by ordering a bottle of wine. We then ordered our first course. The first course came but NO WINE!! I looked around for our waitress who had vanished. My husband had finished his first course by the time the waitress returned with a half bottle of a wine we had not ordered. PLEASE, if the wine is not available bring back the wine list. I was so frustrated we took the half bottle and my husband ordered a beer WHICH DID NOT COME for 15 minutes. The waitress at this point stopped even trying to be friendly. She delivered our food to the table next to us...placed it on their table..which gave our neighbors a chance to stick their faces in our entrees to determine it was not their order. My meal was great actually, a pasta risotto with asparagus, peas and truffle oil. My husband had fish and chips...unremarkable to say the least. Hate to say it but you can get better fish and chips at the local fish and chip stand. Last but not least, my fisherman husband asked at least five different staffers what river was depicted on the photo mural. He REALLY cares. He REALLY wanted to know and all those asked said, "I'll go find out" and then NEVER RETURNED! Booo.

Oh, we got a free crab cake.

Doesn't Recommend

nakaj1

Joined 6 years ago

overrated!. bah! i don't know what all the hype is about!

we arrived @ 11:45am on a friday & didn't leave until almost 1:30pm all WITHOUT getting our sandwiches! we had to finally ask for them to-go. how is that even possible? they're freaking sandwiches!

sure, our waitress comped our appetizers but, considering that was such a minor percentage of our total order & that there was a floor manager apparent (but never at our table), it felt offensively dismissive.

& after all that, my soggy sandwich & limp fries were mediocre at best.

someone has got to rein in the seattle restaurant hype machine!

Recommends

benmargoles

Joined 7 years ago

Excellent new restaurant near Pike Market. I really enjoyed eating at Steelhead Diner several weeks ago and look forward to going back soon, but this time with a reservation, because I tried to do a walk-in this past weekend and it was jam-packed - no tables available. The biggest challenge when I ate there was figuring out what to order (because so many items caught my eye). The Hominy Cakes with Red Gravy were fantastic... and this is from a person who had never had hominy cakes before. I also thought the sommelier was friendly and helpful. Finally, the atmosphere was lively... just right for me.

Recommends

sooze1954

Joined 11 years ago

Steelhead Diner does Seattle right. This is what a Seattle restaurant should be. Innovative menu with lots of local food, unbelievable cocktails with fresh juices, cool vibe with no pretentious attitude and attentive, but not overbearing, service. When we arrived at Easter brunch with no reservation, they were welcoming and seated us promptly. Look at the menu online and you'll see the great selection. This may become your new favorite!

Recommends

meg72

Joined 6 years ago

Great New Spot.... Fabulous lunch. We tried the caviar pie today and it was very interesting. The crab cake sandwich was all crab and very little filler. Fried cheese curds were really fun. Gumbo was exactly what we were hoping it would be. Great new place!

Recommends

tornadochaser

Joined 6 years ago

great service, great drinks, great food, great everything!. This place is a little slice of heaven. I highly recommend it for the service, the drinks, and the food. We were seated quickly. We were served gracefully by a waitress who knew everything that went into the dishes we asked about. We had vegetarians with us as well as some picky eaters. She recommended a couple of the best mixed drinks I have ever had. The atmosphere was talkative, but we could clearly hear each other at the table. I didn?t see any children around, so I don?t know if it?s a good place for them or not. But to the Sunday brunchers and the happy hour lovers, this should be a place you call home.

Recommends

doncdc

Joined 11 years ago

I made a special trip to have lunch here after seeing his Caviar Pie on a KCTS fund raising program.. I sat at the Chef's Counter (recommended if you are not in a party). Everyone was friendly, service was excellant and the Crab Cake Sandwich was unbelievable. Chef Kevin took time to chat with me. This will become one of my favorite places for eat.

Recommends

lovegoodchow

Joined 6 years ago

Good Comfort Food. Glad I wandered in. Definitely not an upscale restaurant more of a casual setting. It is sure to be popular with the tourists. The fried cheese curds were bland but everything else was tasty. The iceberg salad stuffed with avacado and bacon was very satisfying and the gumbo was very good. The crab cakes are not full of filler and they taste like they are nearly all crab meat. The person next to me was eating the chocolate pecan pie and it looked sinful. Looking forward to returning.

Recommends

cristalla

Joined 6 years ago

Great concept, great food, great location, great service.. I've heard a lot of pitches for new restaurant ideas, and after awhile they all start to sound the same (God forbid we get another "Asian-fusion" restaurant downtown.) But Kevin's concept hooked me right away. "Diner evolved." Casual setting like a diner, but better food. I love it. I've been 5 times and the only thing on the menu that let me down was the chicken sandwich (a little dull.) But the crab sandwich, the fish and chips, the Beecher's fried cheese curds, the amazing "beet tartare", and the gumbo were all fantastic. And good luck finding better crabcakes anywhere. I mean anywhere. Plus, you've got to try their weekend brunch before it just gets impossible to get a table. The prices might give you pause, but the flavors will knock you out. Have the chef explain how much love goes into a simple omelet like the "Eggs Jereme" and you'll consider the $13.95 a steal.