02/20/09

Possibly the best food on the Eastside!

by EKirk

I love food. For me, there is nothing finer in life that savoring a well cooked meal. That said, it took me a lot of time to get to Tosoni's. It is hidden in a strip mall in Bellevue, and is only open for dinner. Once I tried it though, I was amazed. The wait staff (Alexander) was perfectly attentive, the wine list is comprehensive, and the food was extraordinary. My wife and I shared flash fried Dungeness crab stuff ravioli in a lobster sauce, followed by a caprese salad. The crab was delicious and the tomatoes and basil were very fresh. I then had a filet mignon, and my wife had a vegetarian lasagna. The filet was cooked perfectly and was so tender, that it literally melted in my mouth. The vegetarian lasagna was fantastic, the tomato sauce was sweet, and the vegetables were exceedingly fresh. We both chose the house cake afterwards, which is a layer cake stuffed with fresh fruit. I would wholly recommend this dessert to anyone who eats there. The price at the end of the night was steep, but the meal was nearly unforgettable.

• Pros: Fantastic food, cooked by someone who loves food.
• Cons: The cost was not cheap, but the value was good.

09/12/08

Best restaurant in a strip mall ever, anywhere

by Stangrab

My wife and I were to meet our son and daughter-in-law for dinner after arriving at SEATAC airport. He is a chef at another eatery in the area and made the reservation. My wife and I arrived a bit early, and while she shopped next door, I went into the restaurant to let them know that my son and his wife might be a bit late. The waiter invited me to sit down with the owner at a table near the front while we waited. We had an early reservation and there were not yet any other diners present. The owner was unbelievably gracious, shared his own "home brew" wine with me, chatted about his background and we had a great pre-dinner time! Then, the food! Oh, my! The service matched the food and the atmosphere was intimate and incredibly warm. Highly recommended. We will return the next time we are in the area.

03/27/08

Good place.

by ctac

Food is great, wine list is also very good. I felt a strong austrian influence (but that make sense, I think owner/chef is originaly from there).

09/22/07

What a Treasure on the Eastside!

by skylarkar

Wow! One feels like s/he is sitting in a quaint European restaurant watching the chef prepare the feast while dining on delicious crispy portobellos drizzled with a soy type dressing, sharing crabcakes, and sipping a glass of wine. Amazing food, extraordinary service, and a pleasantly intimate ambiance are all the benefits of a night at Tosonis. What a find! The exterior does not do the restaurant justice, so don't be fooled when you drive into this strip mall in Bellevue and see a glass door storefront. Open it! Go in and find the magic that will tease your tastebuds! One wonders why the owner has not found a lovely cottage somewhere on the eastside to house the culinary delights which are born here. A little more room would benefit the patrons and the owner. We were identified immediately as first time visitors alerting us that most customers are returning patrons! Our waiter seemed pleased to present us with our dishes, smiling broadly as he approached and later dropping by to grin and nod when we confirmed our heartiest appreciation of the mouth-watering tastes we were discovering. The pride with which all the wait staff work was evident in their demeanor and responses to the satisfaction customers expressed, a sure sign of good business in every aspect. We watched a souffle being made and presented to a nearby table and decided at once we would be sure to experience this at a later date. A call ahead is necessary for this dessert since it takes a couple of hours to make. Another dessert was the "house cake," one filled with fresh berries and custard! We watched others receive their own little gems and envied each one! Our pecan encrusted halibut was fabulous to the tastebuds and huge in portion size. Grilled veggies and a carrot souffle added more perfection to the evening. Take-home will make a nice lunch. We will revisit Tosonis many times in the future, I am sure.

• Pros: Creative Menu; Delicious Food; Superb Service; Easy Parking
• Cons: Unattractive exterior with crowded and small interior

08/06/07

A great restaurant!

by gleonidas

I stumbled upon this place through the internet. My family and I decided to try something new and randomly selected it. The outside is a turn off as it is in a strip mall with a non-descript exterior but once you went in it was charming. The waiter was fantastic and the food was even better. The service was attentive without being slow or pushy. We started out with the mushrooms and crab cakes and both were superb. The meal was only better. Since I had my 2 daughters who love food but can be picky, one had lasagna and the other had angel hair pasta. I had the crispy chicken that was the best I have ever had. The chicken was seasoned perfectly and crispy without charring. To accompany the meal I had a glass of wine and they offered only quality wines. I had a Clos du Bois from France. We shared their special cake with fresh fruit. This was a perfect light finish to a perfect meal.

• Pros: Great food and service
• Cons: Location

06/19/07

Great Place to spend an evening.

by mpenney451

There are lots of poor restaurants and lots of good restaurants. This is a great restaurant. This restaurant is NOT the place to go to eat on the way to something else. This is the something else. Excellent food and service. More expensive than a burger joint, of course. They need a better location is all... an old house would be perfect... I would count my meals here as among the best I have had anywhere.

A cozy and intimate continental restaurant, hidden in an Overlake-area strip mall.

by Contributor

The Scene
Nondescript on the outside, the restaurant is cozy and a bit romantic on the inside, with more than a dozen candlelit, white-linened tables and booths, all with a view of the chef at work. Meals take a while, with a small cadre of servers who guide diners capably and attentively.

The Food
The chef harbors a love of wild fungi that shows up as a rich, chunky soup, as grilled portobello, or as veal chop shiitake (a succulent chop also strewn with chanterelles and an occasional morel). Even the generous appetizer bowl of Manila clams features slices of 'shrooms. Continental preparations of meats dominate the menu, such as the glistening garlic lamb and the olive- and artichoke-enlivened Portuguese chicken (free-range). Vegetarians might be enticed by the colorful and flavorful vegetarian lasagna.

01/16/06

Quirky location, great good and service

by ljoepeterson

This place is a winner. We have eaten as Tosani's four times now. The food was very good each time and the service was excellent. The waiters have always been great, the wine selection is good, and the food unique and quite good. The owner usually drops by to ask how you are doing and will stay and chat if encourage him. Seems family friendly with well behaved kids. The location is a little odd and as a result the restraunt is a rather cramped.

• Pros: Food, Service
• Cons: A little pricy, Cramped

12/30/05

Disappointed...

by wasky

My wife took me there for my birthday. The place felt crowded, noisy and cramped, not romantic... The only menu was high on the wall, away from our field of view, so we ordered our drinks before knowing what we were going to eat. Appetizers included deep fried portabello slices, drizzled with what appeared to be soy sauce, and some uninspiring escargots. The entrees included a deep fried half duck, that tasted somewhat greasy, and a stuffed quail, venison, and fried bacon dish. The adventure lasted two good hours. We skipped dessert. The check was the main surprise of the evening (since prices were not listed): At fifty dollars, we would have felt disappointed, but the bill added up to more than twice that amount (with a glass of wine and one beer). I know places that serve better food for the amount of the tip...

• Pros: feather on chef's hat
• Cons: slow, expensive, uninspiring food

10/20/05

the BEST dessert! SUPER HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

by tammyvu

it was my bros bday and i found this restaurant online. we ordered tiramisu for my brother, my bf and i ended up meeting the chef! he introduced himself to us, offered us a seat and even a taste of wine. (the chef is delightful btw). and a few minutes later when my dessert came out, he took it back to add a little extra included a special additional bday cake for my brother! i know he can't always do this, but i couldn't feel more special! while we were there he explained how the tiramisu was made AND when i had some later that night i was NOT disappointed! WONDERFUL!!! i'll be back for sure.

• Pros: customer service, small restaurant feel, dessert menu!