12/19/08

Terrific food, reasonable portions and very convenient parking

by fujioka

This is a truly great restaurant. It is a formal setting with a tremendous wine list. The portions are resonable and the service is very good. I have been to Bis on Main for both dinner and lunch. The quality and service remained the same, either time of day.

• Pros: Great food, good portions, convenient valet parking

10/05/08

In my top two

by schweze

Up until last night, I didn't think anything in the area would compare to The Met for me--I'm a huge fan of high-end steakhouses (but not lame-ass pompous showoff places like el gaucho). However, last night the boys and I went out to Bis on Main and we all had great food. I had the duck, which was amazing. The boys had the cassoulette and the jirk prawns(mis-spelled on purpose since City Search didn't like the word), which were both extremely good, but it was agreed that I definitely had the winning dish. I've had some great meals at many of the restaurants in Seattle and other places, as well as some great home-cooked meals in our dinner club, but I can honestly say that this is probably the best meal I have ever had. The duck was prepared perfectly (which is not often experienced anywhere) and the root-vegetable hash it was paired with was incredible. We had a bottle of Syrah (very reasonably priced compared to the same wine at Seattle restaurants) and a few cocktails, all of which were excellent.

I'm not ready to call this the best restaurant in the area yet, but this was the best single meal I've had anywhere around here.

Appetizers included the Salmon Gravlax and the Ricotta & Spinach Gnocchi. The Gnocchi was okay, but the salmon was off-the-hook amazing. I'm not one to dole out words like excellent and amazing unless they are warranted, and Bis definitely warrants them.

Desserts were good, not great. Pecan pie was good, and the chocolate souffle was better, but these weren't up there in the amazing range....

Atmosphere: Classy and relaxed...

Service: Knowledgable, attentitve, but not in-your-face...

Food: Very good to Amazing...

Bread: Average...

Wine: Excellent selection at good prices...

Cocktails: excellent...

Desserts: good...

Stay away from this place, so I can go back and enjoy it more.

• Pros: Free Vallet parking, food, atmosphere
• Cons: good, but not great desserts

08/07/08

An Eastside Gem

by johncleaver

A few things of note: house cured Salmon Gravlax - superb! Potato crusted goat cheese, crispy sweetbreads and pepper crusted Ahi Tuna: fantastic! All salads well worth it. Main Entrees are mostly executed at the level one would expect at a restaurant of this caliber. Usually busy, Bis on Main is one of Bellevue's, and increasingly, Seattle's favorite restaurants. Great wine list. Highly suggest for special occasions, business dining, dates or a great Friday evening meal...

• Pros: food - very professional service - increasing "history" in Bellevue

06/26/08

Ok, but not worth the price

by ltierney

If you live in Bellevue and don't want to travel far, this might be a good place to go to enjoy dinner with an older crowd and drop some cash, otherwise, skip it. The food is not the main attraction, nor is the privacy or wait staff to customer ratio.

The lounge area and bar are cramped. Bar seating is mostly in the walkway to the lounge or backed against a wall. Remaining restaurant is composed of two main dining areas in a non-private setting. Drinks are decent, though my second and third "Perfected Manhattan" came with lots of ice cubes floating on top with foam from the shaker.

Food is not extraordinary. The New York steak was thick, bland and tough even though medium-rare (some parts difficult to cut with the steak knife). The dry rub is apparently flavorless or washed off with the basalmic vinegar it is slathered in which makes the steak sweet instead of savory. Crispy chicken was decent, but nothing to write home about. Best meal was the Tamarind Prawns and it came with brown rice versus the plain mashed potatoes and broccoli that the other meals seem to come with.

• Pros: Valet parking behind restaurant is good since Bellevue thinks they need to charege for parking elsewhere
• Cons: Overpriced and under-delivering

03/18/08

just ok

by Franklin50

nothing to write home about. valet parking was the best part about this place. older crowd with bland food and high priced drinks. could have the potential to be great. won't drive home talking about it.

02/21/08

Very Popular

by changnan

We were coming from the Seattle side and didn't know quite what to expect even though we checked out their website at www.bisonmain

We quite enjoyed it. The wine list was superb; the menu was a nice mix of Italian / French but down to earth - not too 'persnickety'. It comes off as food you really want to try. Accessible! Great ambience and white table cloth, friendly wait staff and a consistent buzz of activity, which was nice for this evening. Great service all around! We'll be back to Bis on Main

• Pros: great service, wine list, food, 'place'
• Cons: couldn't find street parking

06/11/07

Great New Bar

by queenannejess

I live in Seattle and don't venture to the eastside of the lake very often but was told about Bis by a good friend who's opinion I value. She couldn't have been more right, my friends and I (4 total) decided to sit and have drinks and dinner in the new bar/lounge. They offer a full menu plus additional appetizers and I was amazed at how great the "bar food" was. I am a huge steak lover and ordered the Steak Frites and thought that it was amazing. The bartender was cute, funny and attentive. The owner was friendly and made it a point to make our first visit in enjoyable. I will definitely make more trips to the eastside to visit this charming establishment and will most likely always sit in the bar.

• Pros: service, ambience, parking
• Cons: it's in Bellevue

06/04/07

downgraded

by maddiew

They lost something in the remodel. What used to be intimate and charming fine dining has turned into more of a "scene". It's much louder, a little colder and the food actually seems to have lessened in quality. The crab cakes were disappointing and the prices now seem overpriced where before they seemed worth it. Hmmm... I will give it another try because I used to love it, but I am saly disappointed.

04/11/07

Great bar for dining and people watching

by stinky99

As a newly transplanted citizen of Bellevue, i have encountered two great evenings at Bis on Main.

Both evenings i had a wonderful meal at the bar, the bar tenders were attentive and made me feel welcome. I often dine alone, and the staff was entertaining enough to make me feel as though i were dining with a group of friends. They made some great menu recommendations and were knowledgeable of the wine list. Bis is a great place for formal dining. The owner turned me on to the place down the street, Porcella Urban Market, and i have been frequenting that spot as well. Old bellevue is quite the destination for east side foodies.

• Pros: Great food and service
• Cons: Television in a fine dining establishment is a no-no

04/08/07

Excellent Food and Professional Waitstaff

by jimadcock

My wife and I went here for my 50th birthday and we were the youngsters in the crowd. This is a rare professional restaurant in the greater Seattle area, with professional waitstaff. The new remodel is modern and a little austere. My mushroom tart app was wonderful, my wife's endive salad was too sweet, should have had more bitter. She had the Halibut special, I the Delmonico. Both were wonderful. We each had wine by the glass at about $10 each, and well worth it, not like the rip-offs one usually gets on expensive wine by the glass. We were very happy and felt we had been very fairly treated overall.

• Pros: Food, Waitstaff
• Cons: Older Customers, Ambience on the Stark Side