Awesome article! Boy you nailed it on the Moxie deal. Their Chillaquilles were awful, people just came in every week and ordered them hoping they would get better. The smoked salmon benedict on Crumpet from Pike Place...el-sucko even with the perfect Hollandaise. Shrimp and grits selling out every weekend? why? because they were terrible. You said it "abysmal!" You are a truly talented writer and reviewer. Your words flow from the page and shine a light on your unending knowledge of bars and restaurants. Even when you might not know what you are talking about you mask it so well with thoughtful and inticing prose. Keep up the great work, The Stranger should feel lucky to have someone as good as you.

I really liked the waffle and gravy at Spring Hill, but they got the fried chicken part all wrong. The faux-McNuggets have almost the same texture as the waffle, which defeats the purpose of combining the two.

If I went to Rover's for brunch, I would demand perfection. Breakfast just isn't that hard. And Bethany did get the omelet a second chance, and they botched that one, too. An omelet! I wouldn't go back, for brunch at least. There are just too many good places that are much cheaper.

bummer
someone vomited on your biscuit...

@6, i'd do more than that if i knew it was going to a stranger staffer.

@LizU, you're right. i guess the fact that the chef of rover's has won a billion awards, has one of the highest ratings in the city and is a james beard award winner probably means he consistently makes crap. you should work for the stranger! your journalism skills sound right up their ally!

I like that there's a backlash to snarcky, know-it-all food writing going on here. It's the best thing I've seen come out of all this commenting nonsense. I imagine walking into a food writer's home, and criticizing his/her drapes, furniture, hospitality and appearance, then publishing it in self-aggrandizing fashion. Of couerse, on the other hand, it does make me feel better about being someone who creates something instead of just talking shit about other people's best efforts.

I just have to vent. I can’t fucking stand meat eaters and the way you push your immoral and unhealthy practices on others. I’m vegan, and all I want is for people to respect our choice to not eat meat, but no. Every time we go a restaurant and everyone else is eating meat, we get ostrichized. FUCK YOU lard bags, all of you are candidates for strokes and heart-attacks, sitting on your computers jerking off and getting fatter and fatter. Look at my face, make you hard nerds? Will as long as you eat meat you’ve never got a shot at touching a girl like me. And guess what? When I eat, I don’t have to commit murder to fill my belly. What is your rational? It’s okay to mutilate and eat animals cuz they are less intelligent? Would you mutilate and eat a mentally challenged person? Think of the starving people in Africa that could have been fed with the produce that was used to fatten your fat, pot-bellied cows. I hope you all rot in hell. I want you to watch this video: http://www.kentuckyfriedcruelty.com/f-kf…. If you have a shred of decency, you will see my point, but if not, when you’re touching yourself tonight thinking about a girl like me, why don’t you just do the rest of the world a favor and rip your dicks off. Jerks.

@emerald city foodie
if a chef has " won a billion awards, has one of the highest ratings in the city, is a james beard award winner," & can charge 18 bones for a breakfast plate, they should be able to make eggs. thanks for proving her point.

@duh
rancor...rancor....rancor....
kills more people than strokes and heart attacks.
I'm just sayin'

OLIVAR = AWESOME

When I think of the top restaurants in Seattle, without a doubt, I would add Olivar to my personal list (and I think many would agree). Why? Well, there are a number of reasons:
(1) Something new every time – I have been to Olivar over ten times, never have I eaten the exact same dish twice. And note – when you go to Olivar, you typically order multiple dishes so it isn’t like I’m just ordering a different dish on the same menu each time.
(2) Relentless Creativity – not only are the dishes changing, but they are always so inventive. The chef always surprises me with both plate design and fusion of flavors.
(3) Gnocchi – one word, wow! Regardless of how the chef prepares it, the gnocchi is always top notch!
(4) Value – with no dish over $20, and small plates and large plates being very generously portioned, this restaurant is a steal.
(5) Charm – small, tucked away just across from the Harvard Exit Theatre – you’ll feel like you’ve stumbled across a hidden gem. Great for a first date to a romantic dinner or just a casual get together.
(6) Dessert – many patrons I know come to Olivar at the end of their night simply for dessert. The chef is not a pastry chef by any means, but he sure knows how to make some sweet and delicious
(7) Integrity – there was one time that I did not like my dish, the chef took it away without a second question. Want Paella? You’ll have to wait 45 minutes – none of the dishes at Olivar are pre-cooked. Everything is made on the spot!
What would I change?
(1) Add more space (so he could serve a few more people, but then there would need to be more servers and an upgrade to the kitchen – so this is probably unrealistic!)
(2) Speed up the service – Given the chef is, I believe, European – he may be trying to create an experience of slower food. Nonetheless, the service is not painfully slow by any means – so don’t worry.
Overall, Olivar is as good as it gets in Seattle. I have brought a wide range of friends here from foodies to my parents to a group of ten for my birthday (a very mixed crowd). Everyone left saying, “wow!”
Last piece of advice, if you have not been to Olivar since it first opened – you are due a return visit. And, if you’ve never been, you are really missing out!