09/18/09

PLEASE READ-- Seattlelites and Visitors

by JuanSeattle

Warning:

Don't eat here this was 2nd time to go to this place - giving the establishment the benefit of the doubt and again the service and food are awful -- There are many other eateries than this to visit in Seattle around the Pike Place Market- Don't waste your time...

Hopefully the management will wake up and train their staff on some 'basic' customer service skills and have their cooks take some cooking classes!

Seattle Residents

• Pros: Nothing
• Cons: Terrible Service and Food

09/08/09

Would go back for the food as long as we had another waiter

by NativeHoustonian

Went to Steelhead whle on vacation in Seattle based upon their menu, recommendations from co-workers and the Fairmont Hotel staff. We were looking for local flavors and were not disappointed. The appetizers and entrees definitely reflected Steelhead's proximity to Pike Place Market and we would definitly go back for the food. Now the disappointment with the evening, our waiter, Nathan. Overall, we are farily knowlegeable about wines and what we like. However, our knowledge is somewhat limited to the local boutique Washington State wineries and we always appreciate staff, at the restuarant, when they can provide some recommendations. Well, you would have thought we had asked for kool-aid to go with our meal. The attitude was rude and we were directed to the high end wines on the wine list. In the end, we made our own decision and were not disappointed with the wine but I certainly would not rely on Nathan for wine suggestions.

Wait staff, owners and managers, please do yourself a favor, listen to your customers and provide feedback and attitude that fits the atmosphere of the restaurant you think you are or want to become.

• Pros: Great Food
• Cons: Rude Waiter

08/10/09

Crabcakes: Good, Hostess: Bad

by PaulTinkler

My wife and I had one night in Seattle after a grand tour of the West Coast. A bartender recommended Steelhead Diner. We arrived without reservations. The hostess told us she needed the table back by 7:30. Since it was 6:10, we thought it not a problem, provided the service was reasonably prompt. We told our waiter of the deal we had made with the hostess. He said not to worry. We proceeded to order and had a delightful meal. The crabcakes were outstanding. But the plot thickens. Faced with the decision whether to order dessert, we asked out waiter whether we had time. He assured us that we did. There was a delay in bringing it out. While we were in the middle of dessert, AND BEFORE WE HAD THE CHECK, the hostess (who we discovered also owned the place) came to us and rudely ousted us from the table. We had overstayed our welcome by 15 minutes. It did no good to tell her that we had emphasized to our waiter the issue of the time. I had to ask our hostess to have the check brought to us. We paid it promptly and departed. Despite the fact that we had dropped well over a hundred bucks in this place, our hostess insisted that she had done us a favor by letting us in the place. Thus I have mixed feelings about this place. If it were not for this rude treatment by no less than the owner, I would recommend the Steelhead Diner and return on my next trip to Seattle. But as it is, I cannot and will not.

• Pros: Good crabcakes
• Cons: Hostess/Owner rude

11/18/08

Great Food, cant believe it took me so long to find this place!

by robin81

Everything I have eaten here is supurb. I would describe it as Diner food with an upscale flair. (The fried chicken sandwich is sooo good!) although this is not the healthiest of restaurants, at least its diner food that is perfectly prepared!, not at all greasy and disgusting. SErvice is usually great, however, certain members of the waitstaff could use a reminder on politeness. The chef is friendly, as are the bartenders. Service was a little slow, but it gets quite busy at lunchtime, so I dont hold it against them too much. Mostly it was the hostess who left room for improvement. Location is right near the Pike Place Market, very convenient .

• Pros: high quality food, location
• Cons: parking, service (some), busy at lunch

09/15/08

Average food with poor service

by mgoodheim

I was excited to go to this place, but they are not sure what they want to be. Upscale diner is one thing, but with the upscale must come good service. So when they tried to deliver the sides after we had finished the main course and the snarky waiter said "Either you are going to eat it or I will" - and then the owner tried to defend the waiter's behavior! This was just too ridiculous. For the price, I'd rather go to Etta's for seafood or any of a number of other Pike Place establishments. There was one appropriately apologetic member of the wait staff and the mains were good (just not great). With so many choices in Seattle, I'd wait a couple of years to see if this place changes into something worth trying out.

08/25/08

Great place for a big group dinner

by myriamgp

We had reservations for a group of 12, and they set up a long table in the back corner. Nice view, the restaurant was already hoppin', the waitstaff were very good. This was my 3rd visit to Steelhead Diner, and I sure wasn't disappointed. We ordered tons of food and cocktails and wine--everything was fabulous. The trout was so good, the crispy smelt fantastic, the calf's liver pungently divine, the poutine was fun in the mouth, the mussels divine. My favorite cocktail was General Practicioner :) A really fun place for a group dinner. Great place for out of town guests as well, since the menu is quite large and varied, and the food is a bit different--a kind of Northwest/Cajun comfort food theme that really works.

08/15/08

wow

by jackkk

what a find. I was preparing for an important business dinner and needed to impress and this was it. The food had an interesting southern style and I was very pleased. The atmosphere was very Seattle, but not overwhelming. I will continue to return

• Pros: great value, very impressive for clients, very seattle
• Cons: long wait if you do not have a reservation

05/23/08

Noisy Mecca for Deep Fried foods with inexperienced waitstaff

by babypix

Looking for a satisfying, healthful meal? This is not the place to go. A recent visit in which one in our party was trying to avoid added sugar, deep fried/breaded foods, and not commit to a hugely overpriced entree, was a recipe for disaster: the "special" non-alcoholic cocktail claiming to be nothing but apple cider and lemon juice, was actually a hideously sweet concoction of sweetened apple juice and SOUR MIX, loaded with high-fructose corn syrup. We were still cheerful when expecting our garlic sauteed greens with Pancetta, which was so salty as to be inedible, although tasty, and cooked correctly. Any chef who understands the saltiness of Pancetta, would have been much more judicious with the salt. Sadly, the potato latkes, which, if they are made traditionally, are pan sauteed, here resembled flattened out tater tots which had been deep fried in an oil with an unpleasant aftertaste. While the olive crusted halibut was tasty, the 1/2 portion was very small for the price-- shame on them! Hard to think of a reason to return.

03/31/08

Great Service - Why Did it Take Me So Long to Venture Here?

by sillykitty25

I think I may have walked past the steelhead a million times and didn't realize what it was - if you haven't been this is a gorgeous restaurant (diner in the front and fine dining in the back/side) on the inside with really amazing service. Our waiter was just attentive enough not to be annoying, water glass full, wine recommendations perfect, and we loved all of our menu choices.

Naughty but delicious - deep fried Beecher cheese curds!

Also recommend: the creme brulee infused with lavendar and then the mousse (with a homemade marshmallow)

Went there for 30 for 30 most recently and while some restaurants are snooty about 30/30 - this place was very friendly and excited for new diners to come in and see what they are all about. I would definitely recommend this for visitors to Seattle as well - great atmosphere and cool views from the private dining room.

• Pros: Food, service, and ambiance
• Cons: None!

03/02/08

Still working out the kinks...

by rosec123

We made reservations on a Saturday night and were seated over 30 minutes late. By the time we got our bread we had been there an hour. Not entirely thrilled by the menu- we ordered the salmon (interesting, but not delicious) and the lamb (pretty good). If our server hadn't been so gracious in comping our appitizers, it would have been a bust of an evening. Thought it was ok, but definitely no "wow" factor.

• Pros: Nice ambiance, good location, awesome that they use Pike Place Market ingredients
• Cons: Food is just ok (I'm a snob!), really long wait- even with reservation