Skelly & The Bean

Host was nice, yet not aware. Manager was standing doing nothing as the place is packed and the waitstaff was in the weeds. Maybe she should step up to the plate and help her staff instead of staring at her flip phone while seated customers are waiting 15 minutes just to be handed a menu or get a glass of water.

What an amazing meal — very inventive, surprising, fresh and delicious. We haven’t left a restaurant that happy and satisfied in a while. We highly recommend checking-​it out — this is a real gem. Plus the staff is very friendly, they have gluten-​free options and they have free parking. So if you are on Capitol Hill — just drive 3 more minutes and have one of the most enjoyable dinners offered in Seattle.

The staff is great; there were six of us, and without even asking, our server split our bills according to what we ordered (for both the couples and the singles)! That was pretty freaking awesome. The décor is kinda quirky, but I didn’t really feel like any particular dish stood out. =((((
We had the pork chop, pickled vegetables, salami plate, and a selection of 3 cheeses. I think of all the things we ordered, I enjoyed the cheese selection the best. =P *tear*

to be honest, it is mediocre. for the price, you can do much better at almost anywhere in seattle (heck, Skillet kicks its butt). The atmosphere is cheap (I know some like it, and i like the concept, but the execution just is not there — it is not comfortable, people walk into each other, and service is always bumping into each other). I have been there twice, and not a single item on the menu stands out as above average, and some were downright bad/​disappointing. The duck salad? 16 dollars, and maybe 3 oz of duck with lettuce? Really? Oh, and just cause you got to a local farmers market for one or two items on the menu does not a local source make.

I’d read very good reviews about this restaurant, so my gal pal and I went there last night for dinner. What a HUGE disappointment! The service was good and the wait staff friendly. The complimentary bread was so dry it felt like it was days old and had no taste, while the pickled vegies served with it were apparently soaked only in vinegar — way too harsh. My friend had the vegetarian dish which looked good but was totally tasteless. I ordered the Maud burger and asked that it be not raw, but pink througout. It too had no flavor and was so well done it was tasteless as well. This is a place I most certainly would not go back to.

I was excited to check out a new place with a yummy menu. It was my 40^th bday, so dinner with the hubby and a couple good friends, no kids, All’s good.
Pros:
— Super friendly and informed service
— Cute eclectic dining room (see other reviews)
— cheese plate was awesome. The have a great selection and the server explained every cheese perfectly and, well, we loved it so much. Came with yummy honey too.
— Nice wine selection
— Yummy homemade desserts
Cons:
— Cocktail — I got a signature one with rosemary, gin and tea. Barely tasted the booze and it was just basically tea. That was a letdown. I didn’t drink but a few sips and the server never said anything.
— Substitutions — ok, so I understand when you run out of something, but my husband and I were going to share the «nearly one pound» pork chop, with a yummy sounding pasta dish with morels. (who passes on morels?). The server was again super apologetic, but they had rocking short ribs instead. I even joked «but are they as good?» she assured us they were awesome. They came out and they were tasty, but 1) the longest short ribs I have EVER seen 2) the least meaty ever. Since we were with friends, I didn’t make a scene, but I thought dang, no meat on this. So I grab another and then ask my hubby and he said the same. He thought he just got a bum rib. Wo has ever gone away hungry from ribs?
— Gluten free pasta is not good. again, we asked «is it good like normal pasta, because I just am dying for morels» Server said it was surprisingly good. I could go with a different «pasta,» but it was gummy and stuck together, under seasoned and just a bunch of spring peas. I couldn’t find a morel in there. That’s when I did say something when the server finally asked how the food was, I told her the pasta «wasn’t very tasty — it’s gummy and under seasoned». She was a little befuddled and just said like «oh sorry» kind of a thing. If you don’t really intend to respond to the question, don’t bother to ask. Because the whole food was a let down, I told my hubby to snag the whole bill, as I didn’t want my friends to pay, since I chose the venue. Sigh.
So, though I hate crappy whining reviews on Unilocal because of luke warm food or unfilled water glasses that people fail to mention at the time of service when something can be done, I am more annoyed I have to post that I had a ho-​hum meal on my 40^th bday, and no one offered to get me something else to eat, eventhough I said something, in front of friends who would never complain, which made me uncomfortable. Me, birthday girl me. Lame. I am super sad because I thought this was a place I’d come back to again and again.

After my third visit at Skelly and the Bean, i’d feel remiss if I didn’t at least sing this restaurant’s praises at least once, publicly. Maybe twice.
The first thing you notice about Skelly is the array of mismatched chairs and tables, the reclaimed wood siding, and the beautiful stained and amber glass detailing the entrance. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to suppose that this is a community-​themed restaurant — not your average ‘family style’ restaurant, no, this is a restaurant with décor that says «let me be your home away from home,» and «this place was built with love». Sold.
Next, the menu — simple, easy to read, ever-​changing. Give me too many options and I think of east coast diners boasting every entrée under the sun; or 5 day old meat sitting in the freezer, untouched. No, not here. This is fresh, local fare– just the way Seattle craves it. The grilled salad? Incredible. The cheese plates? Great selection, great price. I’ve heard my boyfriend and best friend both rave about Maud’s burger (the homemade mustard and sour cherry ketchup are to die for), and I think about Zephyr’s fried chicken (crisp! moist! stuffed with chorizo?!) like I think about Ezell’s chicken. Inappropriately and often.
Last, the service is warm, friendly, unbeatable. The waitstaff, hosts, and bartenders are just as dedicated as Zephyr herself, and are constantly engaged in the menu, the community, and the bouquets of fresh treats that continue to roll into (and out of!) Skelly and the Bean. By the way, here’s a tip — there’s a batch of rhubarb sorbet with ginger shortbread that I was lucky enough to get early dibs on — go, get it. Now. It’s the ultimate summer treat. Oh, and ask the bartender for an after-​dinner shot of espresso topped with homemade sambuca whipped cream.
Cheers.

Mediocre. Really, not a better way to describe it. Even separate out the hype, it’s pretty sub-​standard. The staff is nice and helpful, I agree with the other reviews, but the food is nothing exciting and not worth a second trip.
Ham and egg appetizer is a nice idea but not flavorful; house salad was fine, nothing extraordinary; three sides of veggies were nice; Maud’s burger — this pissed me off: It’s slightly larger than a coat button and the bacon weave is a total nuisance. The house-​made organic ketchup is gross (well, I hated it, maybe it’s not gross) and ruins the burger. For $ 15 a burger, I expect to leave the restaurant and be blown away and tell my friends they *have* to try the burger. Instead, let’s just stick with Red Mill. Bummer that Skelly couldn’t successfully elaborate on a classic. Oh, I had a chocolate torte for dessert that was absolutely dull. It could have been bought at the Cheesecake Factory earlier that day. The waiter went on an on about it, too!
Sometimes the «farm to table/​local seasonal» movement make chefs try too hard. This is what Skelly and the Bean feels like — an «i’m so cool» restaurant. The degree to which Skelly is trying to be different makes the menu feel contrived. There are lots of places in Seattle on the locavore bandwagon so it’s really important if you’re trying to be part of the dining scene, that the food be creative and has the special sauce to stand out. Skelly is trying too hard to unique and as such falls short.

Wow, just Wow.
I have never been treated so well. The service, the food, the atmosphere were all incredible. I went with a friend with several dietary restrictions and she was treated so graciously, the wait staff knew she had an issue with the dish she was served without her saying a word. they also remedied the issue in moments. If you have been putting off going here, STOP!!! Cant wait to go and try their brunch.

Staff is always wonderful, and I like the casual ambiance.
I’ve had many things I’ve loved, to include:
grapefruit cake
chevre cheesecake with huckleberry sauce
spring fling cocktail
good wine selection
northwest salad (with miner’s lettuce)
And I’ve had a few things that could be improved upon, but were still very tasty:
Spicy appaloosa beans — great flavors, but my rutabaga was severely undercooked /​near raw. Some of the smaller slices were cooked perfectly. Larger slices were inedible.
Biscuits and Gravy — delightful, but a tad salty for my taste… which is a shame when everything ELSE comes together so perfectly.
My partner got a waffle, but it was tiny. It was seriously one (YEP — ONE) 4×3 inch waffle with a VERY grainy, unusual texture for $ 11.
We’ve been here many, many times and we always enjoy ourselves. I think as the place matures, they’ll work out the minor kinks. I hope they stick around in the neighborhood for a LONG time!

Okay, let me start by saying that the staff is very very lovely, and gracious also very very apologetic. They totally made up for the stuff gone wrong by taking a bunch of stuff off the bill. More on that later. Here’s how it went.
Three of us went there on a Friday. The place wasn’t super busy and our server was really friendly. The deviled eggs wrapped in bacon were pretty yummy. A tad sloppy but if you could cram it into your mouth in one go, you’d be fine. The Frisky Whiskey cocktail, served in a pint glass, was tasty and refreshing, a bit like root beer.
The pricing of the entrees seemed a bit inconsistent — $ 24 for a half chicken but $ 16 for cod? Anyways, I got the cod which turned out to be a «fish n chips» entrée, except there’s no chips (hmm a bit confusing since it wasn’t clear from the menu what this was all going to look like). It’s actually a fried piece of cod with warm potato salad. Both were delicious. The house made tartar sauce was far too salty though, and my salt addicted friend agreed.
Also delicious was the mac and cheese — really cheesy and rich, but the salad it came with was heavy on the vinegar. The one that was the most disappointing was the burger, which we ordered medium, but it arrived quite well done and dry. The house made tater tots my partner thought were good, but they were more like fried mashed potatoes and I missed the lumpy texture of commercial tater tots. I know, lame.
The other issue with the main entrees is that they just took forever to arrive. I was feeling bad for the server because she was really nice and I think she was stressing out about the kitchen being slow. Anyways, we let them know about the burger and they were happy to take it off the bill and apologized several times. They offered to bring us a dessert on the house but we’d been there so long waiting for the food that we had to get going to get one of us in bed for a 5am wake up the next day.
So, generally some tasty bites to be had there, really nice staff who are trying super hard, but some misses on the food and getting it to tables in a timely manner. It’s also super loud, and uncomfortably chilly in there (bring a jacket).
But they are really new so I’d say they’ll work out the kinks soon enough.

The chicken my friend had was very tasty. I had the foraged local salad and the pinto bean/​apple soup; the soup serving was fairly small and served in such a wide bowl that it went cool very quickly, and the salad was way way too salty. The dessert, a chevre cheesecake with huckleberry sauce, was very very good. It’s close to home so I’ll be back, but I wasn’t as blown away as other customers. Loved the spirited and eclectic décor, though.

One of the best meals I’ve ever had! I started with the NW Salad, then the Farro Risotto, and finished with the flourless chocolate cake. Plus two exceptional drinks. It was like heaven. The greens were so fresh, the risotto was the perfect mix of crunchy and creamy, and the cake had a lovely rose jelly. In addition to the delicious food, the staff were friendly, knowledgeable, and attentive. Can’t wait to go back!

Excellent, local, inventive food. Zephyr Paquette, owner /​chef at Skelly and the Bean, is familiar to many Seattle people from her time as sous chef at Dandelion, and thereafter with stints at Brasa and Elliott Bay Café. Our party had the house salad and the deviled eggs wrapped in bacon as appetizers and the daily chicken special, moist and well-​flavored with very good grilled vegetables, and halibut on a bed of lentils with an apricot chutney as entrees. Two cocktails were generous and reasonably priced (lemon-​drop martini and Cosmo). The steal of the evening was the house red Super Tuscan, good wine at a very good price. Good service, low-​key décor. We recommend any and all of it and will be back.

I’m surprised how favorable the reviews are as I was really underwhelmed. I am a big fan of the new local Seattle cuisine and frequent places like Lark, Matt’s in the Market, and Sitka and Spruce, but Skelly just doesn’t measure up. The recipes are great in concept but not very well executed. For example, the «duck duck duck» dish included confit that was dry, cracklings that were burned, and an egg that was rubbery. My husband had the «spicy bean» entrée and it was not remotely spicy. The dessert beignets were tough and actually hard to bite through. We felt the service was only so-​so, as dishes did not come out together for our group and there were some long, long waits for drink refreshes or even to place our initial order. The atmosphere is good, I love the idea of the «three sides» as an entrée, and appreciate the chef’s efforts to partner with local producers — but for the money (mains run between $ 15 and $ 25), you will get better food elsewhere.

After a lot of build up I was excited to check this place out.
We started with a cheese platter with some nuts and honey. This was simply marvelous but you can’t go wrong with cheese.
A few of us ordered their burger and tots. I ordered my burger medium rare. We got our food. The 3 sauces they brought to choose from were not super exciting and my burger was small and super dry and extremely overcooked. It was incredbily boring and had me craving a Dicks Hamburger. The tots were fantastic. The other people at my table who ordered the burger had the same neutral or less than feeling about them. The chicken was OK. The donuts and the cocktails were delightful and the staff was super friendly.
I would go back for some great cocktails and apps but would never waste my money on eating an entrée there again.
The other thing I found quite strange was the table we sat it. It had a lower bar under the table. None of us were able to cross our legs and kept hurting ourselves. It was also placed precariously close to a ledge. Once simple slip and you could easily fall off of the ledge. I like the upper level but I think they need to work out these kinks.

Amazing!!! Skelly and the Bean is the new foodie hot spot. Modern northwest décor, fresh local produce, and a great bar all added up to a perfect dining experience. Can’t wait to come back. Try the hamburger and the house wine.

Love this place! The food is fantastic and the service prompt and friendly. The duck confit salad is amazing as is the ham and eggs. Keg wine from Proletariat is an added bonus. Also great options for our gluten-​free friend that we invited to join our dinner. We’re looking forward to sampling the full menu.

We have been watching and waiting for this restaurant to open, after Easy Joe’s closed in the same space. We understand this restaurant is Zephyr Paquette’s — formerly of Dandelion and Elliot Bay Café. When we walked in, we were warmly greeted by general manager Jeff Fike, former owner of the wonderful Cassis restaurant, which went away in the economic downturn (coincidentaly in the same space). Anyway, we were delighted at how great everything was, given the restaurant had only been open several days. I started with a split pea soup to die for (more ham/​bacon than peas!). My husband and I split the pasta special (beef cheeks and three kinds of musthrooms), and followed it with a roasted half chicken stuffed with sausage and apple, which included a good side of a shredded brussel sprout/​veggies. The chicken was fabulously moist, and perfectly cooked. The menu is small, but better to do a few things well than a lot not so much. The décor is funky — tables, chairs, and dinnerware are all mismatched, but makes it fun. Servers wear jeans and white shirts– you’d be comfortable in jeans or more upscale. As a neighborhood resident, I look forward to many more visits — including those on Mondays and Tuesdays, when I understand they are turning it over to up and coming chefs (I was told their website will include a calendar of those).