Qube closed down on July 3rd. For us, it wasn't surprising although I must admit it catches my attention when any restaurant closes.
We visited Qube last year back before Chef Lisa Nakamura moved to the Woodmark Hotel (wish I could find out the inside scoop on why she left) and the meal was alright, I can't remember the details now but the key point is that we were never drawn to go back... we don't feel bad that we didn't get to go back and try it again before it closed.
I guess a lot of people felt the same way.
The owner blames the ecomonic downturn and that people are spending less. Does that mean that this is just sign of things to come?
If so, that might not be such a bad thing, it seems like in Seattle there are a lot of higher end restaurants that really aren't that great and thinning some of those out would be a good thing.
Just like hiring good people is hard no matter what the economy is like, good restaurants will be busy no matter what the economy is like. A little more pressure to deliver a great dining value would be good for the Seattle restaurant scene.
Monday, July 14, 2008
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Taste of the Nation Seattle - July 31
Check out the official web page for more details including what restaurants are participating. The lineup looks really good, should make for a great evening of food and drink.
O/8 Seafood Grill and Twisted Cork Wine Bar
Earlier in the week my wife and I went to check out the O/8 Seafood Grill and Twisted Cork Wine Bar in Bellevue. It's in Bellevue place where the Hyatt Bellevue is located.
O/8 has done a great job marketing itself. I've heard numerous commercials on the radio and it seems to get a lot of mention in local magazines, awards on Citysearch and the like.
First area of confusion for us was whether or not the restaurant and the wine bar were one and the same, whether they were different rooms, different locations or what?
Turns out, it is one restaurant which has both a dining room and a lounge. The lounge is the Twisted Cork Wine Bar. Bottom line is that you can sit in either part of the restaurant and order from the same menus, it's all about the ambiance you are looking for.
The wine list is pretty extensive, (Northwest focused) with an options for by the glass, by the taste, flights (3 tastes) and of course, bottle selections.
Everything by the glass (23 whites, 26 reds) is available by the taste (half glass) which is cool because you can essentially create your own flights.
We started with a taste of the 2006 Louis Latour ‘Valmoissine’ Pinot Noir, Provence, France (note: a Pinot Noir but not a Burgundy). Not surprisingly for Provence, it was bright but somewhat short and simple. A reasonable wine to start the evening with.
For dinner we both had specials: Hawaiian Ahi and Kobe Flatiron Steak, along with a taste of their recommended pairing which were the 2006 Jacuzzi Family Vineyards Barbera, North Coast, California and 2003 Dussek Family Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon, Walla Walla, Washington respectively.
For our tastes, the Jacuzzi Barbera was so-so while the Dussek Cab was quite good, pretty bright and complex for the price point.
The food was alright but not outstanding. The Ahi didn't come across as fresh and soft as it should have. The steak itself was pretty good but the plate overall came across as a bit too "sticky". Given the price point for this restaurant, we expected more.
It was a good evening for us, we enjoyed being together and the ambience, environment and comfort of the restaurant were very good. They even had a jazz trio setting up to play as we were leaving.
Definitely some things to like, but for our 4 level rating system (Avoid, Don't Bother, Worth it, Outstanding), O/8 Seafood Grill gets a "Don't Bother".
O/8 has done a great job marketing itself. I've heard numerous commercials on the radio and it seems to get a lot of mention in local magazines, awards on Citysearch and the like.
First area of confusion for us was whether or not the restaurant and the wine bar were one and the same, whether they were different rooms, different locations or what?
Turns out, it is one restaurant which has both a dining room and a lounge. The lounge is the Twisted Cork Wine Bar. Bottom line is that you can sit in either part of the restaurant and order from the same menus, it's all about the ambiance you are looking for.
The wine list is pretty extensive, (Northwest focused) with an options for by the glass, by the taste, flights (3 tastes) and of course, bottle selections.
Everything by the glass (23 whites, 26 reds) is available by the taste (half glass) which is cool because you can essentially create your own flights.
We started with a taste of the 2006 Louis Latour ‘Valmoissine’ Pinot Noir, Provence, France (note: a Pinot Noir but not a Burgundy). Not surprisingly for Provence, it was bright but somewhat short and simple. A reasonable wine to start the evening with.
For dinner we both had specials: Hawaiian Ahi and Kobe Flatiron Steak, along with a taste of their recommended pairing which were the 2006 Jacuzzi Family Vineyards Barbera, North Coast, California and 2003 Dussek Family Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon, Walla Walla, Washington respectively.
For our tastes, the Jacuzzi Barbera was so-so while the Dussek Cab was quite good, pretty bright and complex for the price point.
The food was alright but not outstanding. The Ahi didn't come across as fresh and soft as it should have. The steak itself was pretty good but the plate overall came across as a bit too "sticky". Given the price point for this restaurant, we expected more.
It was a good evening for us, we enjoyed being together and the ambience, environment and comfort of the restaurant were very good. They even had a jazz trio setting up to play as we were leaving.
Definitely some things to like, but for our 4 level rating system (Avoid, Don't Bother, Worth it, Outstanding), O/8 Seafood Grill gets a "Don't Bother".
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