Canlis Bliss

I'm no high-roller, but being from New Orleans my fine-dining restaurant standards are admittedly high. My father has made sure of this. I know how good service can be, and I know that it should be a given, a non-negotiable. I know how good food can be too. In fact, just 'good' is not good enough. The food, like the service, must be excellent, perfect, memorable. If either falls short, a restaurant cannot be considered elite. Exceptional atmosphere comes in a close third, but food and service tie for most critical in my book.

Seattle has a viable competitor in Canlis. I've been twice now (minimum required for fair judgement) and their consistency champions their excellence. This is a family-owned, family-run restaurant that has been around since 1950, and in the restaurant business that's a testament. It is evident in the architecture. I liken it to 'Brady Bunch' style: you know, split levels, lots of browns, blacks and white, stacked stone and wood and blackened iron, very planer elements, expansive glass. It's timeless. Add to that contemporary fixtures, modern furnishings, oh and then there's the menu...

"Cooking is like love – it should be entered into with abandon or not at all." -Canlis website

I will be brief about the food, because duh, it's amazing. There are the 'anchor' menu items so enduring that they've taken the name: the Peter Canlis prawns with vermouth, garlic, red chilies, and lime. The Canlis Salad of romaine, bacon, mint and egg is touted as one of the most famous salads in America. Pacific NW staples of halibut and salmon, perfectly prepared with hearts of palm and truffle sweet corn cream, respectively. Lamb chops, beef tenderloin, lobster, a repertoire expected by most any fine diner, are complemented by choices like truffle fries, red beet and goat cheese salad, and yellow tail shashimi, keeping this menu fresh and relevant. The food is exceptional, but really it's the grander experience that makes this place sing.

Canlis is like your hip grandmother. Classically styled, but attuned to the contemporary as well. Imagine my surprise when I hear the guy at the Steinway in the corner rocking Apologize by my current fav One Republic (Tuesday night at the Paramount in Seattle, can't wait). This is a band who did a collaboration with a guy named Timbaland and whose music is in the Hip-Hop genre in iTunes, people. And they were playing it at Canlis! They obviously get it (as opposed to the Republicans who need to get with it, but that's another story). Their one big unwavering gun is requiring that men wear a sport coat, a tradition that is all but extinct these days in a world that is diminishing of chivalry and respect.

"Consistently excellent. Food that makes you smile. Time deliciously spent." -Canlis website

Attention to every detail, from the architecture and artwork, to the attentive waiter, to the after dinner drink menu, dining at Canlis is as personal as dining in someone's home. And finally, let's talk about the view.

'Nuff said. Now, if only you can afford it...