Best Restaurants 2006
The Herbfarm
14590 NE 145th St, Woodinville| 425-485-5300
www.theherbfarm.com
Everything you’ve heard about the iconic Pacific Northwest restaurant is true. It’s an epic experience, priced accordingly, with nine–course dinners that are justly world–class. Chef Jerry Traunfeld combines the worldly sophistication of his dazzling palate with a northwesterner’s plain delight in the garden, and the result is a celebration of regional ingredients where a whole lot of sensual pleasure comes with a welcome dollop of instruction.
Order up! Each dinner has a theme, of which the midsummer and autumn lineups—including wild mushrooms in late October and fresh game in November—make particularly fine showcases for Traunfeld’s art.
Prime time Next weekend, anyone? The Herbfarm’s persistent reputation for impenetrability is mostly a holdover from the smaller rooms and limited seatings of earlier incarnations. In its large installation near Woodinville’s Willows Lodge, reservations no longer have to be made months in advance.
Pssssst Before dinner, don’t miss the garden tour—even if it’s raining. After, don’t be a fool: Get a room at the Willows.
But… Don’t commit to five hours here unless you’re truly down with chintz and Louis Quatorze everything. No room in the region so richly gilds the lily.
Chez Shea
94 Pike St, Ste 34, Pike Place Market| 206-467-9990
www.chezshea.com
Brilliant executions of Northwest–French haute cuisine served in an enchanting Pike Place Market aerie make for what one could arguably call the most roundly rewarding restaurant experience in town. Sumptuous is the word, to describe both the imaginative classics brought to the table and the impossibly romantic mystique of the room. Add to all this that the place is solid enough to have seamlessly weathered a change of ownership three years ago, thanks in part to longtime servers like the professional’s professional, Nadia Ferrari.
Order up! If you can get your party to agree, the eight–course prix–fixe menu is the way to go. If not, steer into the tarts, the savory Napoleons, or anything from the sea.
Prime time Go Thursday, Friday, or Saturday night when there’s a valet downstairs (near the Market’s information kiosk) to park your car.
Pssssst Want to enjoy more affordable food from the same kitchen? Shea’s Lounge next door is equally romantic, serving casual noshes at about half the price.
But… The view out over Pike Place Market rooftops is more charming than grand. Adjust expectations accordingly.
