I had always wanted to eat at Canlis, yet in the excitement of the Seattle restaurant scene Canlis was often forgotten. Sure, there are the trendy restaurants of the month (I've wanted to try those too), but Canlis was enduring. I'd long to eat there every time I'd drive by it, yet then I'd forget about it. But my partner remembered my longing, and he gave me a wonderful birthday present. Last Friday night we dined at Canlis, and it was even better than I had anticipated. The ONLY glitch in the evening was having to wait nearly 30-minutes for a table. The place was packed, so our 8:30 reservation seemed to only guarantee us a table eventually. We sat at the piano bar not minding the wait. Again, the wait was the ONLY thing even slightly amiss about the entire evening. My partner has once admonished me for neglecting to describe what he considered absolutely outstanding -- the crackers and butter placed on the table when we were first seated. I will admit it; the crackers were quite good. I'm just more interested in the "real" food. Crackers, no matter how buttery or how well-seasoned, will never entirely captivate me. We started by splitting a sashimi appetizer. It's freshness and beauty easily rivaled the best sushi I've had in Seattle. It was delicate, tender and outstandingly fresh. We then split the lobster crab bisque. It was the best bisque I've ever had. Until Friday night, I thought no one in Seattle could prepare bisque as good as I've had in Boston. Canlis' bisque was subtle, smooth, and not so rich as to be "gaggy." I would love their recipe; it was outstanding. I will dream about this bisque. We then split the Canlis Salad. It was kind of a cross between a spinach salad and a Caesar salad. It was subtly garlicky and lightly dressed. I'm never a big fan of salad dressings, but this salad didn't have gobs of dressing smothering it. The salad had bits of bacon and cherry tomatoes mixed with dark, fresh, crisp, greens. It was wonderful. For our entree we split the baby lamb chops. The lamb chops were cooked perfectly, and we gnawed off every last morsel. They were served with roasted baby potatoes and the most wonderful garlic flan. I raved about the garlic flan, and I'll continue to rave. It was outstanding -- smooth and custardy, full of sweet roasted garlic flavor. It went well with both the lamb chops and the potatoes. It was remarkable. Again, I want the recipe for Canlis' garlic flan. We also ordered a side of grilled asparagus, perfectly cooked. We topped it off with coffee and the Grand Marnier souffle. I rarely order dessert, so this was a real treat. I can't pass up a good chocolate souffle or a good Grand Marnier souffle. The souffle was excellent, of course. Canlis was wonderful about us splitting everything, and we felt we could try more by doing so. I would never have room to eat an entire appetizer, soup, salad, entree AND dessert. This way we could enjoy it all. We're quite sure they gave us a bit more than one portion (on the salad and entree particularly). We both got full servings of potatoes, and we both got individual garlic flans. Even though we split the salad, it was still a huge portion. The menu was extensive, and the service was excellent. Our server was not overbearing; she was there only when she needed to be. I didn't spend a lot of time looking at the wine list, because I ordered a merlot by the glass. I can only assume the wine list stands up to the rest of the menu. I've ranked my meal at Canlis as one of my top three dining experiences ever. By the looks of things, they're in no danger of "going under" (the place was packed), but don't forget about Canlis when you want a "traditional," truly quality dining experience. It was remarkable. Oh yes. One more thing. I believe our total bill (including tax and tip) was just under $120.00, but likely others would order slightly differently than we did. Like I said, we split five courses plus a side vegetable, and we did not order a bottle of wine. Enjoy. -Jen
Seattle, WA