10/28/09

I'm sad about having to write this

by aktrekker17

I moved back to Seattle recently and was very excited to have an amazing meal at Flying Fish in July. It instantly became my "go to" restaurant for taking friends and visitors. Last night's meal was a mixed bag which just doesn't fly with a restaurant of this price/caliber. The service from the bartender/hostess was very friendly and warm. The food was flawless in presentation and taste. Our seafood was cooked perfectly and the flavors warranted savoring each bite.

However, the server makes/breaks the restaurant experience and last night I left very disappointed. Our dining experience felt cold and impersonal. We weren't welcomed by the server, the menu wasn't introduced and items (food, utensils) were plopped on our table without explanation or an "excuse me".

It's a problem when I'm left explaining a dish to my friends and not knowing much about it (what kind of almonds where in those scallops?). It's a problem when we feel like a burden instead of welcomed guests. It's a problem when I'm in charge of topping off everyone's glasses of wine (we would have bought another bottle if this hadn't happened).

Lastly, the size of our scallop appetizer was very small. It was delicious and rich but there should have been two for the price. In this economy, value is a concern with most people. A $13 scallop? Not without my corporate card.

I will miss the food at Flying Fish while I explore other options for service consistency. I haven't given up. The food is too good. It's just that my enthusiasm has wained and there is little room for "off nights" in a foodie-mecca like Seattle.

• Pros: Seafood done to perfection with unique flavors
• Cons: Service, portion size

09/13/09

Great Restuarant

by Dr Ward

Great restaurant. Terrific service. Extraordinarily tasty fish. Delectable huckleberry caramelized creme brulee and fudge brownies to die for.

• Pros: Wonderful food
• Cons: none

04/14/09

Thank you for a wonderful evening!

by LGC

My husband and I had an important business dinner that was set up at the Flying Fish and it couldn't have been a more pleasant experience thanks to the wonderful waitstaff, attentive servers and terrific food! We started with an order of the rock-fish for the table as an appetizer and it was truly phenominal, the presentation was beautiful, it made for good talk, tasted fantastic and was really fun to eat! The calamari was delicious and everyone seemed very happy with his and her entree's. I know mine was pretty incredible and I was glad the waiter steered me in that direction! We will definately be back for many more enjoyable evenings - especially when we have guests visiting Seattle. That rock fish is the best!

• Pros: Food, Service, Atmosphere!

12/13/08

waste of money and time

by xml_prgrm

Let me be concise in telling our experience

- the server was always in a hurry even to explain whats on the menu

- calamari came on time and was realllly oily. I mean u wld feel awlful after having some..

- we had to wait 20 more minutes for our dinner ( excuse being the place is busy today)

- my salmon was cooked ok. My wife got mahi mahi and started eating. we were really hungry by then. Strangely one half was NOT cooked. It was so raw that you could not even pass knife in it.

- we complained and the server agreed that this is bad.

- then came the spoiler. server comes back with the two small pieces of the fish which we just returned back!!!

We have been to shadiest to really upscale places but never have a person return back with the same order on which we complained. Our day ended with a spoiled mood and a wallet lighter by 100 dollars.

• Pros: none for us
• Cons: food, noisy

07/22/08

Great Service, Even Upstairs

by vmay

Went to Flying Fish for a first date evening. I have been to this Belltown establishment several times with girlfriends, bar dates (old pals wanting to catch up with good food and drinks) and such. Was not aware that they had upstairs seating. Well, me and my new friend were seated upstairs (with a reservation) and were given very, very good service. Our server was well versed with the menu, wines, and small talk (I think her name was Dawn?). We had wine, an appitizer, meals, and shared a dessert. We were pleasantly surprised with the service and food. I had my doubts that we would be forgotten as we were upstairs, and at the west end of the restaurant. But not to worry. We were waited on, quite splendidly, and not intrusivly. This made a great evening for us both.

• Pros: Upstairs is great for a quiet date.
• Cons: I didn't see any con's while there.

06/21/08

Avoid this overpriced, underwhelming restaurant

by renbob

We were excited by the prospect of having a delicious seafood dinner in Seattle, and this one came highly recommended. REALLY!? Is there no better here in Seattle? We were extremely underwhelmed. The food was oversauced, underseasoned, and simply overpriced. The waiter was not present (in fact, we had a hard time finding anyone that would take the check), and he was really not knowledgable about the wine. We were really dissapointed. I would try something else if you are looking for truely inspired food and an attentive staff.

• Pros: people watching
• Cons: everything else

06/19/08

Another Great Dinner!

by slowcooker

My husband and I had dinner at Flying Fish for the third time this year...and had our third amazing meal! This place is great. The staff is so friendly and accomodating and the food was fabulous.

It is not the new restaurant on the block, but the food is still very innovative and creative and we just love the whole fried rockfish. We just made reservations for dinner on New Years Eve...we wante to fit one more great meal in this year!

• Pros: Great staff

04/17/08

bland food poor service

by Tifflynner

I was very disappointed. We wandered Seattle looking for a decent seafood restaurant. We searched on our phone for good reviews and this had the best we could find. Menu is printed different every day. I got Halibut and my husband got Salmon. He enjoyed his dish and even offered to trade but I didn't like either of them. I was very disappointed. I paid $25 per plate which I know is somewhat reasonable but I would have appreciated even a salad with dinner at that price. I indicated to the waiter that I was not pleased but he ignored me and even made comments when we left that "I can see you enjoyed your dinner" which he knew wasn't true. We did recieve a small quarter-loaf of cold hard-to-chew bread with very bland butter to start the meal off. I obviously wasn't very impressed with that either. Overall I think it is overpriced and perhaps the staff is not kept as happy as they should be. I was very sad that we spent $70 on a dinner that I so thoroughly did not enjoy. I did have other great dining experiences at Benihanas the night before. If you're going to spend that much money it's a much more worthwhile place to go.

• Pros: table was comfortable and place seemed clean
• Cons: not a good value, dish did not blend together well

03/31/08

Could be better.

by ebjohn3

My girlfriend and I came here to celebrate our birthdays and for the Dine Around Seattle menu. Our overall experience was mediocre. We had reservations for 7:30. When we arrived we were told we would be seated within 10 minutes, yet there were 4 other parties to be seated ahead of us. We were shown to our table 35 minutes later, and would have relaxed at the bar had we realised we weren't next on the list. The atmosphere was good, and I would recommend for a date. For the 'small plate' I ordered the green curry clams and while the clams themselves were good, the watery curry sauce dripped off the clam once you picked it up. My gf had the beet salad and was pleased. For our main course we both ordered the blackened Albacore tuna. We both puckered from the salt on our first bite. Apparently, it is wok seared in a soy reduction. I don't know about you but regular soy sauce is salty enough for me without being reduced. They promptly returned with two steaks that were seared in the pepper rub, but with the soy on the side. I commend the service, but the result was lackluster. The steak lost all of the salt and some of the flavor, and simply tasted like blackened pepper. For desert my gf ordered the chocolate tart with banana cream. It was definitely good, the chocolate was rich, and covered with a toffee crisp. I had the coconut mango parfait. The bottom layer was coconut which had a very subtle flavor and was almost bland, like they forgot the sugar. Then there was a tart lemony gelatin layer. The top layer tasted of ripe mangoes and is probably where the missing sugar from the bottom layer ended up. The food service was fast but our waitress seemed busy and did not provide much interaction. We would not likely return to Flying Fish to eat again.

• Pros: Ambience, Location

03/24/08

Disappointing...

by crc_seattle

My folks came in from Denver for the weekend and I wanted to take them for fresh seafood. Unfortunately, I chose the Flying Fish for Easter dinner... Our waitress set the tone for the evening with eye rolling, exhausted sighs and an altogether unpleasant disposition. She also knew very little about the wine list and seemed unable or unwilling to enlist assistance from other staff. My salad was dry, the appetizer was quite good and the entree (spearfish with pineapple, coconut and steamed rice) was bland both in presentation and to the taste. Also, the wide majority of the menu has not changed in at least four years. It's past time Christine clean house and innovate. Until then, I will not be taking business or personal meals at the Flying Fish...

• Pros: Warm space, large windows
• Cons: everything else