Bad Albert's Tap and Grill - Bar and Grill

Bad Albert’s Tap and Grill

Dining Category: Bar and Grill

Price: $

Address: 5100 Ballard Ave NW, Seattle (Ballard)

Phone Number: 206-782-9623

Website: www.badalberts.com

Overview:

Don’t let appearances deceive -- the innocuous and generic-looking exterior is just as plain as the interior, but this bar has it where it counts: the kitchen.  Although we’ve listed this under a Bar and Grill category it would be fair to say it could almost be called a southern seafood joint in addition to the bar fare.

Food: Big Fat Greek Salad; Shrimp Louie Sandwich, Cole Slaw, Deep Fried Zucchini

B:  We had found Bad Albert’s by randomly clicking on reviews of the nearby area, and I was stunned that this place that looked like such a dive was getting such stellar word-of-mouth.  You can add our praise to the list - this place delivers.  I ordered the greek salad with cajun shrimp and was totally satisfied with the sizable portion, big chunks of cucumber, spicy shrimp and ample amounts of olives and pepperoncini.

G:  To be honest, the first time we pulled up to Bad Albert’s, we almost turned around and walked the other way.  I am so glad that we decided to take the risk and head inside.  I ordered the Shrimp Louie sandwich and I enjoyed every bite.  As you can see from the picture, I managed to get in a few bites before I even realized I forgot to take a picture - yes it was that good!  The bread was toasted just right, there was a tangy white cheddar cheese and every bite was delicious.  I wouldn’t have minded the sandwich being a little on the drier side, but no major complaints.  I also had a side of cole slaw which is done exceptionally well there.  It isn’t too heavy on the mayo and has a nice dill flavor added to it, which is what made it really memorable.

B:  That sandwich really was awesome, I had more than a couple bites of it myself.  The slaw that Gina mentioned is some of the best in town, and we also had a side of fried zucchini which was done perfectly with a fancy-nice cornmeal crust.  Seriously, every single thing we had was tops.

Service:

G:  Service at Bad Albert’s was not at all what I was expecting.  Given the decor of the bar I was ready for the service to follow suit, meaning that any time I have walked into a bar and grill like that, I am lucky if I get acknowledged, let alone waited on.  We had absolutely awesome service!  Our server came over immediately, was more than pleasant, offered suggestions, checked on us repeatedly.  Overall I was extremely pleased.

B:  Totally agree.  All the servers were quite friendly and went out of their way to give superb service.  There’s  not many places in Seattle where I really feel like the wait staff care, but Bad Albert’s has obviously cornered the market on super service.

Closing Comments:

G:  Overall I loved  Bad Albert’s.  I would absolutely recommend it to my friends, family, co-workers and the random dude on the street.  I can’t wait to head back there again and try something else on their eclectic menu.

B:  I have absolutely nothing bad to say about Bad Albert’s.  I love it, love it, love it and it’s going to become one of our regular stops.  In fact, we’re going back as soon as this gets posted (really!)

Rating:

5 out of 5 - We’re coming back tomorrow.

Von's Grand City Cafe - Bar and Grill

Von’s Grand City Cafe

Dining Category: Bar and Grill

Price:$$

Address: 619 Pine Street, Seattle (Downtown)

Phone Number: 206-621-8667

Website: none

Overview:

Von’s is a bar and grill with an emphasis on rotisserie meats and poultry.  The bar area is self-seating, with tables in the rear and limited outside seating.  Located near the hustle and bustle of major shopping areas downtown, it’s a popular spot for pedestrians and the after-work crowd.

B: To be fair, we had been to Von’s twice before; the first time was fantastic, the second time not so much.  In the case of this particular meal, the third time was definitely not the charm.

G: I should have known when we read the menu and the dish I was hoping for (the battered fish sandwich) was nowhere on the list, but we were already seated and decided to cross our fingers and place an order.

Main Course:  Open faced turkey sandwich with gravy on the side (requested), green beans, mashed potatoes, purple cabbage slaw; side order of french fries

B: I’m a big fan of open-faced sandwiches, but this one was both overpriced and under-tasty.  The turkey itself reminded me of warmed-up lunch meat, and the gravy was so salty that I could only dip my fork lightly into it.  I was quite glad we ordered it on the side because if it had been slathered on top, the meal would have been inedible.

G: There is nothing more disappointing than comfort food done horribly, horribly wrong, which is exactly what we got at Von’s.  What’s worse is that we have had the exact same meal at Shari’s restaurant for half the price and three times the flavor.  I agree with everything Brad said and would add that the green beans served with the dish had almost no taste and the mashed potatoes (although having nice bits of skin mashed in) were too heavy on the cream and far lumpier than I like my “mashed” potatoes.

B: Honestly, the meal would have been a complete disaster if not for the crispy french fries and the creamy, spiced dipping sauce they came with.  On the other hand, if the best thing to say about your restaurant is that the fries were good, then you’ve got some problems.

Service:

G:  It sucked!  Ok fine, I’ll elaborate.  As soon as we sat down we kept having to try and make eye contact with any server we could so we could get a menu.  When our server finally came over he didn’t bring menus with him! (Hello, we are in a restaurant aren’t we?).  After placing our drink order it took way too long for our waiter to come back, I had to ask multiple times for a glass of water, and he never bothered to check on us the entire time we were eating.  Look, I realize all of these may sound like little things, but it is his job.  I mean, if I went to work and decided I was only going to do half of what was expected of me and that half will only be done when I feel like doing it...well, let’s just say I would be looking for a new job.

B: I totally agree.  Granted, the restaurant was fairly busy, but I saw three different servers taking care of ten or twelve tables, and it wasn’t slammed to the point where I could forgive all of the mistakes and oversights that were happening.  Our server was friendly enough, but he wasn’t even meeting the bare minimum of what I would expect for a place charging so much for mediocre food. $15 for a weak turkey sandwich? Come on.

The Miscellaneous junk on the ceiling had more flavor than the food

Closing Comments:

G: Like I said before, there was an awesome fish sandwich that I had at this same joint at some point last year.  Unless I see that one on the menu, I can’t say I’ll be visiting this establishment again.  I was really disappointed with the experience overall and even moreso in the bill, especially considering that we both felt completely unsatisfied afterward.

B: By the time we paid the bill, I was ready to go and find a hotdog.  If I have the choice, I’ll never be back to this place on my own dime--there’s no need to drop so much cash and put up with subpar service with a ton of cheaper, better places in town.

Rating:

2 out of 5 - We’ll go back if someone else is buying.

Perche No - Italian

Restaurant:  Perche No (“Why Not?”)

Category: Italian

Price: $$

Address: 1319 N 49th Street, Seattle (Greenlake)

Phone: (206) 547-0222

Website: www.perchenopastaandvino.com

Overview:

A tall, rectangular restaurant at the southern end of Greenlake, Perche No features Italian cuisine with the interesting twist of being run by the Kongs, a Chinese family.

G:  After seeing the outside of the restaurant I was pleasantly surprised by the layout of the inside of the restaurant.   The actual building is situated in a slightly awkward location, without enough readily available parking.  Walking in the doors you are immediately greeted with a full view of the chefs working over open flames in the fully visible kitchen.  It was an extremely warm and inviting scene.

B: It wasn’t quite what I expected either.  The hostess immediately inside the door won me over right away by shaking hands and introducing herself, though I must say my attention was mostly focused on the dessert cart.  Laid out with five or six different dishes, it had me craving sweets before we even sat down.

Appetizer: Caprese Salad (tomato slices with fresh mozzarella and basil, drizzled with olive oil.)

 

G: The Caprese seems to be a staple for us whenever we go to an Italian restaurant.  It’s a simple dish, but when done well, tastes superb.  This one did not disappoint.  One of the best points is they definitely did not scrimp on the basil.  Many times we have ordered this dish only to be disappointed with the sliver of basil that accompanies the tomato and mozzarella.  

B: I liked it well enough.  It’s such a basic dish that there’s not really a lot of room for a chef to get creative, but they did score points with me thanks to the plentiful basil you mentioned.  Also, I appreciated that it was presalted, since there was no available salt and pepper on the table (What’s up with that?).

G:  We were also given a basket of bread with a bottle of olive oil dipping sauce already on the table.  The bread was about as basic as you could get, not one thing done to it except sliced.  The dipping sauce that was on the table was an olive oil mixed with garlic and spices, although all of that was completely overpowered by the salt in the mix.  I’m not sure if they used sea salt or what, but it was one salty brew.

B: I was a little disappointed the bread wasn’t even toasted, and although the oil was good once it was shaken (I wish we had figured that little trick out sooner - the waiter kindly showed us after we had already had three or four pieces of bread) it was crying out for some balsamic vinegar.  The bread routine is a pretty easy point to score, so I was a little surprised to see that it wasn’t.

Main course: Capellini con Sardine (pasta sauteed in garlic, sardines, parsley, capers and parmesan cheese)

G:    It’s pretty much what it reads like, pasta with sardines.  Mmmm, yum!  I know it sounds a little offputting, but we are two people who enjoy intense tastes in our food, no half-assing it when it comes to flavor.  I will say that a dish smelling fishy is never a good thing.  My first bite of this dish, unfortunately, was just that.  Fishy.  I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised considering  the main ingredient of this dish happens to be, well, fish.  But after the initial bite the different flavors started to blend together quite well.  It was a pretty dry pasta, which I appreciated.  It reminded me a lot of dishes we make at home. I hate when people bring me a dish of pasta drowning in sauce.  It had a strong, spicy bite that although I really enjoyed it I think a lot of people out there might find it to be a bit too much.   The description did boast capers, but I couldn’t find one in the bunch.  Overall the dish was enjoyable, even if it took a bit to get used to.

B:  This dish was a little unusual for me.  I wasn’t expecting the presentation of the noodles to be quite so dry and non-saucy, and like Gina mentioned, it really reminded me a lot of something I would throw together at home.  That’s a good thing because I enjoy eating dishes that I would make for myself, but it’s also a bad thing since when I eat out, I like things that I actually wouldn’t or couldn’t make on my own.  I definitely agree that the first bite was superfish, but by the third or fourth I was getting a blend of the flavors.  I liked the spiciness of the red pepper flakes, but I wasn’t getting enough herbs or secondary flavors.  Also, being a huge fan of Puttanesca, I think the dish would have been served by being slightly saucier.

Dessert: Crespelle alla Davida (cocoa crepes filled with Nutella and served with zabaglione)

G: I hope everyone out there has had a chance to sample Nutella.  It is a creamy, chocolaty, hazelnut spread that is a divine gift from God (or some spiritual being somewhere).  I swear to all of you here and now, if more of the world’s leaders shared a round of Nutella spread, there would be peace in this world.  Although I am fine with eating Nutella straight from the jar with nothing more than a spoon (sometimes not even that) the combination of Nutella, cocoa crepes and zabaglione (I’ll let my husband explain that one) was excellent.  It sounds like a lot of chocolate, but it didn’t taste overwhelming to me.  

B:  I am a huge crepe fan, and this was a dish that showed the thin little pancake at it’s finest.  The mixture of cocoa in the crepe batter was nice - actually quite subtle - and I very much appreciated that the chef didn’t drown the plate with Nutella. The zabaglione was a sort of foamy, creamy mixture topped with chocolate and served as a dip/moistener for the crepes.  Although it sounds heavy, it was quite light and a satisfying end to the meal. Total platescraper.

Drinks:

G:  A pleasant addition to the menu at Perche No is a wine key.  In the left hand margin next to the name of each dish, are symbols.  If you look at the last few pages of the menu you will see that the symbols correspond to wines divided by type - basically it is a wine pairing for Dummies.  I love wine, I grew up in an Italian family, but I can’t say that I see a dish and automatically know which wine is the best accompaniment, so the little guide they provided was quite helpful.  Hell, I almost felt like I knew what I was doing when I ordered my glass of Pinot Grigio to go with my Capellini con Sardine.  The wine was great with the dish and the strong bite and sardine saltiness was immediately cooled by the Pinot making me ready for my next bite.  Excellent.

With dessert I decided to try the Espresso Rasenti.  It is a combination of a shot of espresso and a shot of grappa.  When grapes are used to make wine,  there is usually skin and seeds that are left behind, these are what grappa is made from. when it’s all said and done we are talking a 90 proof kind of drink.  This is not for the faint of heart.  The espresso and grappa combination was delicious.  I added a little bit of cream to take a bit of the edge off and make for a smoother finish, but overall I would absolutely order it again and I highly recommend others to partake.

B:  I don’t drink, but my water was good.

Service:

B:  Frequent readers of my blog may know that I have very distinct views on service and tipping, and I was a little hesitant to start off this blog with a restaurant that we didn’t have any experience --I didn’t want to sound like a bitter pill if it sucked, frankly.  Happily our server, David, was excellent.  Attentive without being annoying, friendly without being too fake, he was great and truly did enhance our enjoyment of the evening.  In fact, I’d have to say that every single person in the restaurant went above and beyond for service and friendliness.  A very pleasant surprise.

G:  I second all of that!  I, like my husband, have a certain standard to be met when it comes to service in a restaurant.  Sadly, most places seem to fall miserably short.  I won’t regale you now with all of my reasons for service being crappy, or even what I expect for service to be considered excellent, those things will all come out as more reviews go up, I am sure.  Suffice it to say, this place was great.  Our server, David, was superb.  Although from the attitude of almost every staff person we came in contact there, any of the others would have done a bangup job as well.

Closing Comments:

  

B:  After all was said and done, I’m glad that we picked this place for our very first review.  The atmosphere was warm and inviting, the food was tasty, and we both left the place with a good feeling.  Although most of the menu choices featured mushroom or cream sauces (neither of which I am a big fan of) I would definitely come back and try a few different things. Thumbs up.

G:  I also agree that for a debut restaurant review, I am happy this one turned out so well.  At the end of the meal my phone rang and it was my mother on the line.  She’s Italian and as you would guess has a discerning palate when it comes to Italian food. As soon as I answered the phone I told her we had a new restaurant to add to our list of places to take her and my dad the next time they visit us in the Emerald City.  So I guess that sums up my overall feeling of our dining experience at Perche No.

Rating:

4 out of 5 - We would recommend it to a friend.