Canlis is a restaurant in Seattle’s Queen Anne neighborhood, overlooking Lake Union. The restaurant has been operating since 1950, when it was opened by Peter Canlis, and is run today by Mark and Brian Canlis, Peter’s grandchildren. Since its inception, Canlis has maintained a reputation of being among the fanciest restaurants in the area, as well as having exceptional food, presentation and service. Last Thursday I was able to check out this hallmark of the Seattle food scene with my friend and dance partner, Katie Clark. She had rather inflated my expectations of the restaurant by gushing positively about it in the hours leading up to our dinner reservation — but even then, I was impressed by the experience.
We arrived, all dressed up, shortly before our 8PM reservation. The valet took my car without giving me a ticket — one of the things the staff is known for is their ability to operate their valet service smoothly without such pedestrian aides as tickets — and we were promptly shown to our table. We were seated on the opposite side of the dining room from the main windows, and there was another party at a table between us and the view. However, the windows were large enough that we still were able to see out across Lake Union, and we were near the kitchen (which I always enjoy).
We were there for the three-course dinner offered as part of the Seattle Restaurant Week promotion, and since there were two of us and two options for each course we were able to experience everything on the menu. I carelessly left my phone in my car, so credit for all of these wonderful photos must go to the lovely Ms. Clark:
A wine pairing was offered to accompany each dish; we both ordered it, but since I have a terrible memory for wine I couldn’t really tell you much about it. All of it was awesome, though, especially the dessert wine — which isn’t something I normally enjoy. The service was excellent, and the staff was attentive and responsive, very knowledgeable about the food and preparation. We only had to suffer through one minor delay, just before placing our order, but given how busy the dining room was that evening I was not terribly bothered and our server’s affable mood more than made up for it.
In addition to the items on the menu, we were served a small cup of gazpacho as an amuse bouche and pair of wonderful petit fours along with the coffee we had after dessert. Once the meal was concluded, our server took us on a quick tour of the restaurant, showing us the various private dining rooms that were not currently in use, and offering a lot of interesting information about the history of the Canlis family and the restaurant itself. At the conclusion of the tour, somebody was waiting with Katie’s coat and my car was ready outside. Impressive.
Despite the upscale dress code, ironed tablecloths, and general air of “fancy,” the atmosphere of the restaurant wasn’t stuffy — they take your dining experience seriously, but not so seriously as to make you worry about stepping out of line. You can get an idea of the attitude of the place by taking a look at the light humor on their Q&A page.
I will definitely make the time to go again.
Tags: food, restaurant