Wild Ginger
Seattle, WA 98101-2105
Phone: (206) 623-4450
01/01/2008 Posted by connielc
After making dinner reservations two weeks ago for New Year's eve, my husband and I dressed up for a celebratory evening out and were looking forward to the fantastic Asian cuisine for which the Wild Ginger is known. We arrived only to find that the reservation I made somehow didn't make it into the system. We were told to wait in the bar while they found us a table. After twenty minutes at the bar, during which an order for drinks and appetizers was taken but didn't show up, we were shown to the worst table in the house (an overly brightly lit table on the second level by the servers' staging area, which was subject to the cold drafts caused by people constantly opening the main door). Somehow, the order we placed at the bar for appetizers and drinks was also lost, so a second server asked us for our order again. When a better table opened up, I asked to be moved to that table. During the process of moving us to our third location, our appetizer and drink order was somehow lost again, so we placed the order a third time. The main server we had for the rest of the evening was apologetic and kind, but frankly, they should have at least provided us with appetizers or perhaps one of the main courses on the house, after such an unpleasant beginning that almost ruined the rest of the evening. Food-wise, the restaurant is stellar. We ordered the pheasant's chicken satay and potstickers for appetizers, and then moved on to the duck (a house specialty, for which the restaurant is known) and tuna manada for the main course. The duck was tender, succulent, and well-complemented with an outstanding plum sauce. My husband raved about the tuna manada preparation, featuring sashimi-grade seared ahi tuna. All in all, the food was worth the wait, but frankly, I'm not eager to go again for an expensive dinner out. For a $200+ special evening out, I expected the service to be equal to the food. That it wasn't made the restaurant an overrated disappointment for New Year's eve.
Pros: Stellar food, hip ambience
Cons: Abysmal service, expensive
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