94 Stewart

Went on Saturday night of Valentine’s weekend and didn’t have any trouble getting a table, though we were out early for a concert.
Tried the fried avocado, which is good but probably needs some kind of acid to make it perfect. Basically, it’s a decent crab salad with a neat twist on the avocado.
Husband had the mushroom cheesecake. Wow, that was super good. A savory cheesecake with roasted mushrooms, creamy and delicious.
I had the black truffle risotto, which we both loved. Perfect contrast of salty, creamy, crunchy. The crunch is from whole almonds and grilled asparagus. Loved this dish!
Bad news: husband had the duck. Tough with a sinewy piece running through it. Tender right in the middle, but not enough to make up for the tough parts. Also, it was a little too sweet with the sauce.
The entrees and apps were big enough that we did not order dessert. And husband did not go hungry as he ate a bunch of my risotto. No way I could have finished it.
We will go back. Duck won’t keep us from trying something else. Especially after that yummy risotto.

Mindblowingly spectacular!
Delicious!
Orgasmic! (TMI, but I really don’t care)
Mr. Chan and I started off by order the Foi and the Fried Avocado — both were delicious, but the Foi I could definitely eat for days. Words cannot express how delicious it was. The Fried Avocado was delicious in its own right– it had hunks and chunks of yummy fresh crab!
Just love it!

We just got back from the place, The food’s just ok, nothing stand out, nothing special… The price’s pretty high, the portion’s very small, the tastes… not very good, therefore, I don’t think it’s worth it to come back…

I’ve had a groupon to this place just burning a hole in my iPhone, and it was time to treat myself and friend to a great dinner.
First — the waiter. You could tell he was striving to provide excellent service. He was extremely attentive to all of the tables… sometimes to a fault. Favorite moment — him scanning our groupon while an embarrassing text from his girl/​bf appears on the phone.
Now — the food. Started with the bacon chop salad. Holy cow, that thing was amazing! Loads of tasty pork goodness, oily flavorful bacon dressing, and plenty of other wholesome ingredients. It sure wasn’t a healthy salad… but who needs those anyway?
Moving on to the steak. The flavor of the sauce and potatoes were excellent. I was disappointed that about half the steak was a bit chewie, but thrilled that the other half was melt in your mouth goodness. Give me a slightly better quality of meat, and I’d change my rating to four stars.
Oh, I shouldn’t forget to mention the butter. They always have different flavors, tonights was strawberry/​lemon. Truly excellent!
This certainly isn’t a place I’d go to every day, but it’s a good special occasion intimate setting for friends or loved ones.

LOVED IT
I will definitely come back again. We tried 4 or so appetizers, and they were all delicious. My favorite was the foie. Very generous portion!
The only dish that wasn’t great was the smoked salmon pasta. Barely any smoked salmon in there, so that was disappointing.
Service was excellent.

Before a concert downtown my wife and I were roaming around the market area looking for places to eat. As we went from place to place skipping places where the wait was 1.5+ hours, we came across 94 Stewart. We had never heard of it, but looked at the menu and decided to give it a try.
It turned out this was the best choice of the evening.
The food was REALLY good. The portions aren’t enormous, which I tend to like. I prefer quality over quantity. I got a roasted pork loin with sweet potato gnocchi and brussels. I ate the #%$#$% out of that plate of food. I stopped short of licking the plate. My wife got a chicken dish with pumpkin ravioli. I stole a couple bites of hers and it was pretty top notch too. We also shared a started cup of butternut squash and sage soup. (I also had to resist the urge to pick up the bowl and lick it like a dog).
We got dessert too, I got this maple tart thing which was very very good. My wife wanted chocolate and I wouldn’t budge on the maple so she got a german chocolate tart. We both really liked it. The crust was like a cookie curst that I remember from my childhood.
The wait staff was friendly… we were maybe a little underdressed. Its like casual+… and we were casual– but nobody seemed to really mind us. The only downside is that its a little pricey… 100 bucks for the 2 of us with a glass of wine and dessert. Food was really good though, I would definitely go back.

I decided to try this place for restaurant week because I knew it would be worth it. I think the easiest way to sum up my experience is with a pros and cons list, so here we go.
Pros:
— Drawing on the table (I drew a bouquet of flowers)
— Flavored butter (that night was apple butter)
— The chocolate peanut butter tart I had was delicious and not too sweet
— My salmon was cooked PERFECTLY and exactly how I like my salmon. This was by far the best salmon dish I’ve had anywhere (and worth 5 stars on its own).
Cons:
— The bread was provided piecemeal (can’t I just get a nice basket?)
— Said bread was cold and tasted a bit old
— Manifesto on their website makes them seem pretentious and therefore a big turn off
— Waiter was not rude, but not friendly either
I wouldn’t come back to this place unless someone was taking me out and picked this place to «surprise» me.
Overall rating is more of a 3.5 stars.

Following a string of bad calls in the men department, I decided to limit my dating pool to the gays. That’s right — you see I have a penchant for the unavailable, and I thought why not go to the far end of the exteme and stop fooling myself? This way I get to be in the company of a beautiful, clever man who will be nothing but complimentary to me and there’s none of the nasty side effects that come with the emotionally and/​or otherwise unavailable hetro-​man.
I’m brilliant.
Anyhoo — it was with a lovely Friend of Dorothy that I came to 94 Stewart this past Saturday, inspired once again by a Groupon purchase. Had never been here — just looked like a silly little diner place for tourists from the outside. I was surprised by how cozy and romantic it was on the inside and now interesting and diverse the menu was; and found myself cautiously on my way to falling in love with the place.
And then the food showed up. The chef *THINKS* she’s got some sort of Steelhead mojo going on; she does not. While the deep fried avocado is lovely, it’s not really that imaginative — put some dungeness next to an avocado and you’re going to enjoy what you eat. But if you can’t work out a cab reduction over a New York without it separating into an oily mess on the plate, and if you can’t serve that steak without making it into a salty waste of beautiful meat — do not charge me $ 32 for it. And the herloom tomato salad was lovely — just as lovely and mushy as it gets when I make it for myself.
This place was like the men I’ve been involved with — great on paper, invitingly warm and seductive at first glance, but then a total disappointment when it comes to delivering the actual goods. Why go through all the trouble and expense if I can do it better myself? If this was the only dining experience available to me, I would start limiting myself to intimate dinners at home with my gay of the day.
Steelhead is right around the corner.

I colored a pumpkin on my table. No, I’m not a rebel. They give you Crayola crayons. It’s a fun restaurant. I came here for Seattle Restaurant Week with friends. We had made reservations for dinner… and it was a good thing too because it was pretty packed by the time our entrees came.
While I waited for food I read the wine menu. The most expensive wine was Dom Pérignon. 1995. $ 550. The slices of bread they gave from a basket were hard. We shared our appetizers. We had the spinach salad, Quattro Mac, and Steward’s Fondue. I liked the Quattro Mac the most. I ordered the salmon. If I had ordered it during a normal dining experience it would have been $ 28. The Brussels sprouts were hard as rocks. I shoved those to the side. The pancetta (kind of like bacon) was chewy. I also shoved those to the side. I ate my salmon and mashed taters though. For dessert I had the lemon tart. I only ate half because I was pretty full by the end of the meal.
I had to use the bathroom. I walked towards the back, opened the door, and walked down a long hallway. On the hallway walls were comment cards from customers and artwork from customer tables.
Service was good. Our server was attentive and our glasses of water were always filled. It was a good experience but I probably won’t be back.

Fried avocado… SERIOULSLY… just when I thought avocados couldn’t get any better they go and fry them!
Food is always amazing here but definitely save room for dessert.

Came to 94 Stewart because we bought the Groupon.
Yesterday was a hot day in Seattle (finally!) and we had planned to go to Tutta Bella since they are giving free pizza this week. Of course free pizza means there is a wait so my b/​f suggested we use the Groupon for 94 Stewart. I was concerned because I was dressed really casual in a tank top, capris, and flip flops but decided if we walked in and weren’t feelin it we would just come back another night.
I love this spot! I felt totally comfortable — there were people dressed casual to dressed up for a date. Although the place is a little smaller, they have curtains to section if areas so it can feel like a romantic spot. There is a larger table in it’s own «room» (sectioned by the curtains) which looked great for a birthday dinner. I *think* it sat 8 or 10 but I can’t remember.
I wanted to try that fried avocado but my love doesn’t eat crab. It felt like there were a lot of crab/​shellfish items on the menu however we still found plenty of items and even had to ask the server to help us make up our minds.
The butter apparently changes — when we went it was lime chili. It was great! For our starters we had the honey comb with cana — only because we had no idea what to expect. It was delicious — honey, a large portion of goat cheese, and blackberries. We liked this one! The next item we got was the fondue (I love cheese). I think if you are a big fondue fan (I love melting pot) you will be disappointed in this one. The flavor was still good however I like a little thicker cheese and more than just bread for dipping — don’t want to get too full too soon! For our entries we go the beet risotto and the poussin. Both were WONDERFUL. I took home the risotto (see how all that bread fills you up!) and had it for breakfast this morning. I think it could have even been better the next day because there were no other flavors to compete with.
I loved 94 Stewart. I couldn’t go 5 stars, although the stuff was very nice — it wasn’t extremely busy yet we sat awhile before our order was taken, we were never asked if we wanted more to drink (we had delicious Italian crème sodas), I had to ask for more butter and then it was forgotten. Not a deal breaker, it happens — just kept me from going a full 5. I would definitely come back!

I’m another customer who was lured (in a good way) to 94 Stewart by Groupon.
My husband and I decided to take the plunge on a Sunday, right before we started a «detox» diet, and it was the perfect place to indulge.
I had the hush puppies (divine, the best I’ve ever had) and the mushroom ragu (sinful); He had the foie gras and the duck breast (which was cooked to perfection). Delicious.
Our server was friendly, attentive just enough, and poured a generous glass of wine.
I’d definitely go back again.

94 Stewart is oddly enough found on 94 Stewart Street. They might of kept the name simple but they spiced up the creativity with their food.
Joy S. my Unilocal eating companion extraordinaire and myself entered and was greeted with a wine rack making the restaurant look tiny but as soon as our host brought us around, finding a elegant but comfy bistro. We came here with a coupon that Joy S found on their website to buy one get another for free or something like that. should check out their website for further details or current promotions.
It was happy hour and I bought myself a Roy Rodgers to go along with the Duck Roulette (a pallet of duck fat) that lay’d on a perfectly fried apple fritter that had blu cheese between the fat pallet and the apple.
The duck fat reminded me of a frois gras, firm with a creamy soft texture that the blu cheese complimented the taste and the apple highlighted the sweetness of the fat and the cheese.
We thought we could of been all ducked out we had to try the Duck french onion soup. French onion soup is my favorite soup and I enjoy a great taste of duck I couldn’t resist experience having a bowl of two of my favorite food.
The duck broth gave a richer taste to the onion soup but left a greasy coating. I felt their version was to try and answer the problem of over cheesyness of F.O.S but they took too much off and I was craving more cruton and more cheese but overall is was a remembered F.O.S .
Had calamari in a natural form of tentacles skillet fried without breading or batter in a spicy sauce severed with toast. it was good.
Our waiter was friendly, hilarious and very helpful giving suggest and answer questions.
As we left we thanked again and we saw the chief’s in the open kitchen as we personally thanked them for our great meal.
I am hoping to go back to 94 stewart and now I know why they kept the name simple. So you can find it again after they blown your mind with great food.

I think this place was the perfect combo of special, dimly-​lit fancier atmosphere (something I usually avoid when looking for a new face-​feeding-​adventure), interesting small plates, and interesting/​different happy hour.
DON’T go on a Monday. Brian M. and i tried once, and they are closed. We were trying to use this coupon
and brought it on our visit today (Friday, around 3:40 for Happy Hour). This place is on the right side of the downward slope that leads to Pike Place, next to that foo-​foo Zebra Club men’s clothing bordello.
Brian and I were surprised at the dimly-​but-​romantically-​lit this very small (but roomy, if that makes sense) place was. There’s no bar to sit at, so it’s strictly tables… which I usually don’t like… but it was cozy enough and a nice change to feel a little swanky. There were tons of food magazines for customers to peruse while eating (i am a compulsive browser when i eat). I still stumbled clumsily over myself at the cordiality of our waiter, who was a smooth-​tempered, classy, welcoming, and a little tongue-​in-​cheek. He was welcomed the coupon, unlike some places where you feel like you’re putting down a car payment in pennies.
The coupon gave us one free HH plate with the purchase of two drinks (Brian wanted a soda, which the server — without question — still courteously counted as a 2^nd drink). The HH plates, bloody marys, martinis (Stoli!!), and various cocktails are all $ 6. I only drink bloodies and super-​briny martinis, both of which 94 Stewart made me fall in love with all over again. My bloody was short, spicy, not syrupy, and came with olives and a fat onion. My Stoli martini was — according to my sheepish request — extra dirty with added brine from the onions. Our waiter made sure i got lots of brine. It was like drinking a boozy pickle. YUM.
The plates (all $ 6) we ordered were 2 French onion duck soups, duck roulette on top of an apple fritter, and calamari with bread. The French onion soup is made THE way i have always wished restaurants would serve it: NOT a big, fried glob of cheese on top of a thimble’s-worth of soup (*cough* 13 Coins *cough*)…but a decent-​sized bowl of rich, ducky broth with little crispy-​yet-​gooey flakes of slightly-​charred cheese floating on top, and chunks of duck meat. 3 pieces of bread came with it, but our waiter was not stingy and brought us as much as we desired, without our even asking for it. I could come here from Edmonds JUST for the onion duck soup. Hot, too! Thank god. I hate warm soup.
The roulette is a little different from the menu’s description, but was delicious. Small, though. Ducks do not have huge livers. :(But the blue cheese beneath and the apple fritter holding up the layers (and arugula) woke up my mouth. It’s kind of hard to share… but i love my liver, so i was happy.
And the calamari? NOT fried! It’s little tiny baby octopus and little tiny rings in a Sriracha-​spiked spicy pool of sauce, with baguette slices as a vehicle. Much smaller than i would have preferred (i love my cephalopods), but the sauteing of it saved us from post-​batter-​guilt-​complex, and the sauce was great sopped up in the bread.
I think our server made it extra-​comfortable. The host, and the chef you can peek at on your way in/​out also thanked us in a most genuine way, and i left light-​hearted. I want to go back ASAP for more French onion duck soup, bloody marys, and martinis… but with such an interesting HH menu
i know that i have a ways to go before i get tired of this place.
I am a happy lady! Brian H. and i are really on a roll with these face-​feeding-​adventures.
*joy
p. s. you’d better hurry… that coupon is only good for the month of February!

I originally gave this place 3 stars but now I must bump it up to 4 stars due to the fact that the restaraunt contacting me through Unilocal addressing every issue I had and also offering a solution to those problems.
They get the bump not to 4 stars because I am getting anything out of it because I am not I was not offered anything, however, just by the customer service I had to update it. Keep up the good work 94!

I came here for Valentine’s Day, so I realize that this may not be an accurate review.
They had a planned six-​course menu for the special occasion. To start off, we got a glass of champagne and amuse-​bouche. Alcohol is always great, so that was a plus. The amuse-​bouche (I don’t remember what it was), consisted of a stale piece of bread. And, after watching a few Top Chef’s…it wasn’t a true amuse-bouche…it took me three bites! :-P I’m just kidding, what would I know?
I was completely satisfied with my appetizer course. After reading the other Unilocal reviews, I opted for the panko-​encrusted avocado. YUMM! At first bite, the breading tasted a bit salty, but once you got all the way through the avocado, I understood why, and it worked perfectly. Generous portion of crab and nice twang in the relish.
For the soup/​salad course, I had the duck soup — nice and hearty. Slightly oily, but what do you expect with duck broth? My date’s BLT salad was nothing special though.
We loved our steak dinner was bleu cheese. The candied carrots were delicious (and I don’t usually like cooked carrots), the mashed potatoes were nice and creamy, and it felt like a complete dish.
Afterwards, we were served with a cheese/​fruit platter. Our waitress was awesome, and explained everything — seeing as though we were no cheese experts. The poached pears were divine… I just wish there were more.
A nice assortment of desserts — pies, tarts, cheesecakes. I chose the chocolate valrhona cake, and it was great. Nice and chocolaty, without being over-​bearingly sweet.
Though I wasn’t DISSATISFIED with my experience, there wasn’t anything special about a couple of the dishes. Yeah, $ 100/​person for a six-​course meal is a great deal, but I wouldn’t have ordered some of those dishes if given the choice. Maybe next time, I’ll try to go, minus the special occasion.

Okay, short version: I note the variability in reviews here, but based on my two experiences there, this may well be one of the best restaurants in Seattle. Details below. But first, a (relevant) digression…
Most people who appreciate great cooking carry around a mental list entitled «Best Meals Of My Life». Such lists are, by definition, very short. Usually atmosphere enhances the experience — it isn’t entirely about the food — but obviously the food has to be spectacular, even if you’re eating it on the private terrace of a palazzo overlooking the Grand Canal in Venice (for the record, I’ve never done this… also for the record, I’ll happily accept an invitation to do so any time). Accordingly, no matter how great the location, inclusion in The List is reserved for those few meals where every bite make you close your eyes, whimper with pleasure, and wonder why 99.9% of what you eat can’t stimulate your taste buds in the same glorious way.
My own life list includes the following:
A back-​street local restaurant in an unfashionable neighborhood of Istanbul, where they served the best lamb I have ever, ever eaten (I can still taste the spices, and it is my lifelong regret that I didn’t enquire what they were).
A 10-​course prix fixe dinner at a small restaurant in Rome called Cicilardone di Monte Caruso, the kind of place where no one speaks English and you have to knock on the front door to be let in. Every course was wonderful, and the wine — a vintage Amarone Allegrini — was divine.
A now-​defunct Italian restaurant named (of all things) Luigi’s in (of all places) Colombo, Sri Lanka. Unaccountably superb food, and frangipani blossoms dropping onto the table from the tree above.
Camile Stefani, a lovely restaurant on the world’s most beautiful island, Santorini (okay, I confess the atmosphere made the food seem better than it probably actually was, but it was superb nonetheless).
Amazing arctic char at the tiny Loch Bay restaurant in the village of Stein, on the world’s second most beautiful island, Skye.
A wonderful three-​bean soup and good cheap Chianti at what used to be a simple local joint at the market in Florence, the gloriously named Trattoria Zaza. Sadly (if deservedly), this place has become the victim of its own success and is now much more upscale in its clientele, but back in the ‘80s it was a down-​to-​earth local eatery where you sat at benches next to other customers, and where the charmingly rogueish owner would bring you wine without being asked, and chat with you about his passion for race horses. As in countless such establishments in Italy, the food was mouth-​wateringly good.
Multiple meals at Saffron, a fantastic restaurant in the village of Arrowtown, outside Queenstown on the South Island of New Zealand. Everything an explosion of carefully matched tastes.
And lastly — THE best meal of my life: at the heavenly Don Alfonso 1890, in the small town of Sant’Agata sui Due Golfi near Sorrento, Italy. Ten courses, each one a miracle of gastronomy, home-​made buffalo mozzarella that was so delicious I could have died then and there and died happy, a wine cellar with 22,000 bottles housed in stone chambers descending into what were once Etruscan catacombs, and the most charming staff on the planet. Really, I could move in there.
Why do I subject you to this stroll down the memory lane of my digestive system? Because on New Year’s Eve my wife and I went to 94 Stewart, and at the end of the meal it had unambiguously graduated to The List. I have eaten here before and loved it; it’s the kind of restaurant where the chef puts things together in perfect combinations and amounts to create flavors that linger and develop in one’s mouth, and which — in keeping with the major criterion for The List — have you closing your eyes and moaning with the sheer pleasure of the experience.
That night they were serving a five-​course prix fixe dinner, with several choices for each course. A few standouts: an amazing fondue with truffles, the best French onion soup we’d ever tasted, a superb mushroom tart, a delicious tenderloin, what just might be the best salmon I’ve ever eaten, and what definitely WAS the best scallop dish I’ve ever had — and this from a person who lived for 24 years in New England and consumed a few gabillion scallops along the way. All this with some wine pairings that, with one exception, were superb and inspired: the best of the night was a Washington barbera called Desert Wind.
94 Stewart has a quiet, intimate atmosphere, and the service was perfect: gracious, courteous, always there when you needed it, not when you didn’t (though having a bus-​person come around to fill up your water glass every time it was down half an inch was a bit intrusive — owners please take note).
So, all in all, an experience to treasure. A friend from London is coming to town tonight and has a nice expense account to burn… guess where we’re taking her?

«Happy Belated Valentine’s Day! Here’s your salmonella.»
I really wanted to like this place — it’s cute, looks like it could be romantic, and has an interesting menu. But it’s only ok, in the most general sense of the word. We came here the day after Valentine’s Day and it wasn’t a busy place, so the food could definitely have been better.
We started with the cheese fondue appetizer which was quite disappointing. It had the same consistency as artichoke dip minus the artichoke — way too watery to be considered fondue. The toast that came with it was cut into strips for dipping, not into squares for skewering.
For our entrees, I ordered the grilled salmon and my companion had the whole roast tiny chicken. My salmon came out well, rare inside but with a nice crispy outside. It came on a bed of very delicious polenta and with an interesting slice of fried avocado. My companion’s chicken came out rare inside which was a little surprising as you’d think the restaurant would know how to roast a chicken so they wouldn’t give their patrons salmonella. The waiter was appalled and sent it back to cook some more. Unfortunately we were not compensated for the raw chicken experience. When it came back, it was deliciously cooked thoroughly. The skin was crispy and the meat (even the white parts) were juicy.
We split a piece of the chocolate strawberry tart for dessert. It was a lot like a brownie pie baked with strawberries. Quite tasty, but not too memorable.
Service was ok. Our waiter wasn’t particularly friendly, but he did his job. The restaurant seems to be aiming for a romantic ambience with small, intimate, candlelit tables, but the music is a little too loud and wrecks the mood. We saw a couple get engaged while we were there so I guess that some people must find the place romantic — just not me!

The occasion was Allison and Armand’s wedding dinner. Family and friends assembled. Andy was our server. The table was beautifully layed out and the lights low. Now that the scene is set enter amazing food and perfectly paired wine and champagne.
I ordered the prix fixe menu (only 30) and was pleasantly surprised. The cheese plate was a decadent trio of sheep cheese. Truffled crab risotto followed-​exquisite but not too rich. Hopscotch tart for dessert-​a little sweet for my taste but just the right amount of chocolate.
The perfect touch to the whole evening was the personalized menu created for Allison and Armand. We all signed it, including the folks at 94 Stewart, and it was laminated.
A perfect evening that will always be remembered.

The food at 94 Stewart is phenomenal. Our server Andy was knowledgeable, talented, attentive, and quick witted — always a breath of fresh air — and the atmosphere was exactly what I wish my regular hangout would be like.
So while work on making 94 Stewart my regular hangout, let me tell you that they really aren’t joking about the mac and cheese. When it was recommended to me, I thought, eeh, but got it anyways. I almost fell out of my chair. I would have given Purple’s lobster mac my highest rating but it tastes like rice cakes next to the incredibly flavorful and smooth cheese sauce that «Chef» has created. No, I don’t even want to know the recipe because I prefer to think it really is magic. My partner had the burger and he said it was the best burger he’d ever had. He’s not a man for superlatives.
Anyhow, if you haven’t made it, make it. I am going back for those illustrious fried avocados which I’ve yet to try…