09/14/09

Top notch service, food, and entertainment

by seattle mom

We celebrated my daughters 21st birthday and I think we will all remember this fun night. The waiter was excellent! He was an good listener, friendly without being annoying, and he had excellent timing, bringing us food just when we wanted it. And the food!!!! WOW. It was delicious, especially my steak. We all loved the Caesar salad, fresh and crisp leaves. We shared dessert and it melted in our mouth. The trapese performance was fun, and short enough so it didn't interrupt dining. I would highly recommend this place!

• Pros: unusual and fun, memorable
• Cons: expensive, small portions

09/05/09

NIGHTMARE DON'T EAT HERE

by Dig

The owner of this fine establishment told me I was drunk over the phone while I was asking for direction to her restaurant when I was completely sober. when I confronted her she threaten to have me removed by her cooks. I didn't eat there and would NEVER go back.

• Pros: At being rude!
• Cons: At being rude!

07/30/09

PRETENTIOUS SNOBBERY AND ITS FINEST

by Radvitti

One beautiful, sunny Seattle Saturday night, my girlfriends and I decided to eat at the Pink Door. We had 5:00 reservations and showed early so that we could enjoy a wine tasting across the street. We let the Pink Door know we were there, so it was quite a shock to us when we arrived a little late for our 5:00 reservation and were met with such disdain and venom from the owner (the restaurant was empty, by the way)

The owner was so rude, she pushed her large bossom in my face and demanded to know where all the members of our party were as she slammed her fists on the table. They were in the bathroom, but this was not good enough. Despite her nasty behavior, we proceeded to order our meals, mine a $23.00 piece of bland Halibut that I didn't get to finish. In fact, we were treated so poorly that two members of our party didn't even get to order. When we asked why, we were asked to leave - but yet still had to pay.

Please note that we are all respected professionals in our 30s - dentists, lawyers, and teachers.... we were not loud, we were not dressed in jeans or cut-offs, we were merely late for a reservation (and we LET THEM KNOW WE WOULD BE LATE BEFOREHAND). Our reservation was at 5:00 - not prime time eating hours.

I find it discouraging that in a time when many locals and tourists alike find it difficult and expensive to eat out, and when people work so hard for their money so that they can afford to pay $23.00/plate, that they get treated so poorly they don't get to enjoy their meal, can't finish it and are made to feel embarrassed and disgraced.

I will NEVER step foot in the Pink Door again and I won't stop until I spread the word to everyone. If only the food had been tasty, I could write at least something positive. Even the decor on the deck in putrid. I recommend Maximillians over this place any day!

• Pros: nice deck
• Cons: worst service on the planet

07/29/09

The Pink Door

by Thefrownclown

Much like Quinn's on Capitol Hill, this is the kind of place that never has to worry about empty tables. However because of this they tend to get ahead of themselves and forget that service is what makes or breaks a restaurant. It may not happen overnight, but it will eventually catch up.

I think all establishments of this variety should be doubly sure they have a hostess and/or receptionist that can maintain pleasant interaction with customers without taking on heirs of superiority or indifference.

Example: When calling about reservations, even if it seems ludicrous to you please don't repeat back to me "You want reservations for Friday? THIS Friday? Are you serious?"

Example2: If i have to wait for a table, so should the next person. When being seated after a fifteen minute wait despite reservations, the waitress tells me "you have less than two hours to get it done so you better get to it". I'm kind of thinking "Wow, wtf. What if I want to stay longer? What if I'm enjoying the show in the Lounge?"

I love the food and the entertainment at The Pink Door. I think this is a fun place to eat and I don't want the poorly trained staff to ruin it for me. Whether it be policy driven, or due to a lack of training, The Pink Door is starting to slip.

• Pros: Great Atmosphere
• Cons: Too big for it's britches?

07/28/09

Over the top RUDE about reservations

by bls525

Called to make a reservation of 12 on a Thursday night. They do not take reservations over 8. I asked if I could make two reservations of 6. We would all have to show up by 5:00 in order to do that. And she was extremely RUDE. Was really looking forward to it. Now I will never go back. Shouldn't they want our business in this economy?

• Pros: Never got there
• Cons: Reservations

07/22/09

Terrible time getting reservations for 8

by Aileenh5

Just so you know ....

if they seat you at 5 then you only have 2 hours to dine

you will be kicked out at 7 because they have to get another seating in and then another one by 9

They are on a schedule and it is not yours!

• Pros: in the market
• Cons: rude reservationist

06/27/09

Service is everything.

by MohammedS

We tried the Pink Door in downtown Seattle for lunch for the first time in about a year.

We were promptly seated no problem. After being seated we waited 10+ minutes before anyone came to our table. Tables that were seated after us had already been attended to and even ordered.

After a long wait the server came by. We ordered a simple bottle of sparkling water. 10 minutes later it had still not appeared.

Not the level of service you would expect when your paying for non a cheap lunch. We left and headed over to Matt's.

• Pros: Pros: Didn't stay long enough to know
• Cons: Con's: Service was aweful

06/18/09

Excellent Everything!

by BuckysMom

I just received a call to confirm our reservation this evening from the exceptionally helpful Sarah - which reminded me that I have been meaning to write a review for months! On a day like today - you simply need to be outside and celebrating on the porch at the Pink Door is one of the best places to be (and you CAN make a reservation for outdoor service). A few months back when we had the first nice weather I had a friend visit from CA. I knew we wanted to be outside, but completely forgot that she was vegan. As always The Pink Door was perfect! Peter Kingsley and the chef offered and prepared delicious vegan, wheat-free options in addtion to their always yummy menu selections. If you haven't yet discovered The Pink Door - you must. It will soon be one of your favorite spots in Seattle!

• Pros: Great Location, Amazing Staff and Delicious Food
• Cons: Others know - so remember to make a reservation

02/07/09

Favorite

by Trinasam

one of our favorite restaurants in Seattle. If you haven't tried it yet, you really should.

highly recommended.

01/24/09

Not what i remembered

by roule

I had many fond memories of the excellent Italian menu and intimate atmosphere. Sadly we discovered that neither applied last night. Walking in without a reservation, the hostess was surprised that we would be happy with a small table near the center of the restaurant. Now we know why -- it felt as though we were dining in the middle of the interstate as people constantly rushed in and out, brushing against us and the table repeatedly, the bread basket nearly taking a tumble more than once. The atmosphere would be vastly improved with sound deadening and a better layout.

As we commonly do when dining out, we brought a bottle of our own favorite wine. But we were told that the uncorking fee would be an outrageous $20. This fee exceeds the wholesale price of many bottles on the Pink Door's wine list, extensive and well-selected though it may be. Extremely poor management decision!

The menu has some unique items, but none particularly innovative or prepared in ways that would justify the prices. We were intrigued by one of the appetizers on the menu, but sadly our waitress forgot to bring it. The lasagna was good, but hardly befitting the price. The risotto was poor - far too much oil and very oversalted. At the price charged, we would have expected a vegetable or a dinner salad, but none were included with the dinners. The most delicious thing on the table, believe it or not, was the bread. The only thing that could have made the bread more perfect would be its delivery directly from the oven.

The service, except for the forgotten appetizer, was acceptable. The poor waitress seemed apologetic about the ridiculous uncorking policy, however, her one mistake seemed to have put her out of rhythm and on edge the rest of the evening.

There were simply too many fundamental problems to give the Pink Door a better rating. I sincerely hope that the management makes the changes needed to ameliorate the disappointments.

• Pros: unique, great locale, has potential for excellence
• Cons: loud, overpriced, ridiculous uncorking fee, tight accomodations