I was just informed that i will be in going up that way for a training seminar next week. I will be based in Bothell but free every night and will have a rental car. My plan is to go into downtown at least twice and to explore Woodinville. Any insight into restaurants and winery tasting rooms to visit would be much appreciated.
Thanks in advance,
Alston
Hey Alston - What sort of restaurant/wine preferences do you have? Seattle has a ton of wonderful options, so further guidance might be useful for narrowing down suggestions.
Woodinville is pretty straightforward. Lots of wineries- http://woodinvillewinecountry.com
The Barking Frog is the restaurant at the Willows Lodge & you can get some good Wa & Or wine there.
If you’re on the East side- Black Raven brewing in Redmond is great beer & usually has good food trucks out front.
Seattle-
Trove for lunch or dinner (not a wine place)
Rock Creek Seafood in Fremont
Marination Ma’Kai in West Seattle (deck is the best view in the city IMO)
Any of the Matt Dillon restaurants
Just to name a few. Others will weigh in with some of their favorites.
The number of really good wine tasting rooms in Woodinville is only limited by time. Top on my list is DeLlile, then Januik, Long Shadows, Pommum, Torii Mor, Matteo, Airfield, Kestrel, and finally Chateau St. Michelle because it’s a beautiful place and Columbia Crest. For food nothing beats Wild Ginger downtown an Asian fusion restaurant with an amazing wine list.
Bothell’s really close to Woodinville… Visit a couple of wineries in the area (Delille, Lauren Ashton, Long Shadow, etc), then head to Barking Frog for dinner.
Seattle - a bit of a drive from Bothell (probably 30-40 mins each way, more in traffic)… not sure it’s worth it unless u have a whole day free.
Contact forum member Dave Butner (Kaella Wines) - his tasting room is in Woodenville.
The easiest way to answer is that i am a glutton for all things delicious. I will gladly drive an hour for a killer burger or drive an hour for a world class white table cloth type meal. I am allergic to shellfish so the only thing i hesitate around is places that only offer seafood, although i can eat fish so if they do both i am fine. I really like california rhones and bordeaux as maybe my top 2 favorite red whines. I like all asian food.
On my short list for Seattle are the following:
The walrus and carpenter
Sitka and Spruce
The Whale Wins
Joule
Canlis
I’m a relative novice about Washington wines, although i have had some Leonetti’s with age that i have really enjoyed.
Thanks
Fantastic restaurants… W&C is probably one of my fav in the city… great restaurants you should avoid if you’re allergic to shellfish tho…
not saying there won’t be anything here for you to eat, but why bother when you can’t eat half the menu?
Also W&C does not take reso… we hire a bum to stand in line for us… ok no we don’t, but we should. 
We usually wait 1.5+ hrs or get a friend to get in line first…
Have been to Bothell three times and didn’t know there are wineries around…
I’d follow Anthony’s advice. He suggested Trove to us when we were there a few weeks ago, and it was great (just a small, very informal place, order at the counter and there are a few seats). We stayed at Willows lodge, so ate at Barking Frog once, perfectly nice and good food, but I probably wouldn’t make the trip out there just for it. Meal I most enjoyed in downtown was Monsoon.
there aren’t… wineries in woodinville, about a 8 min drive from Bothell.
I’m a big fan of Joule… their Asian-influenced beef tartare is probably the best beef tartare I’ve ever eaten, if it’s still on the menu. I second Mark’s point that Walrus and the Carpenter is pretty shellfish-centric.
If you’re a fan of cocktails at all, my absolute favorite spot in Seattle is canon. The cocktails are, IMO, the best in the city and the food is all consistently excellent. I can’t go there without getting the pork belly buns.
Some other favorites of mine include Art of the Table, Staple & Fancy, Spur, Crush, and Spinasse, among many others. A lot of these are on the pricier/fancier side, but I was taking a cue from your inclusion of Canlis!
Something I’d add about Canlis- if you don’t want to drop the serious $$$ to eat there, you can eat at the bar for considerably less.
Curious question from a Seattleite to those of you on the Eastside – If I was giving restaurant recommendations to someone staying in Woodinville, but looking for places that didn’t require coming all the way into Seattle, Cafe Juanita would be one of the first that come to mind. However, we haven’t been there in a number of years. Any reason that restaurant doesn’t get recommended these days?
Michael
Mike, Was there last Nov… really good still…
it’s a small place, not that easy to get a reso last minute, plus it’s not in woodinville where the wineries are… but yah, still quite good.
Keep in mid that they are remodeling Cafe Juanita right now. They are open but in a completely different place…in Seattle. While the remodel is going on, they are open out of the old Lark Restaurant space on Capital Hill.
Love Cafe Juanita!!
Cafe Juanita is actually in the space previously occupied by Lark. Lark is one of our favorite Seattle restaurants. On the pricier side, but well worth it in my opinion.
For Asian, someone has already mentioned Monsoon which is excellent. The same people also have BaBar - I have been there tons of time for lunch (it is near my office). I hear the dinner is great but have not tried it.
Less pricey than those two is Tamarind Tree, which is on the edge of the International District.
Canon is great for cocktails, quite extensive. But I would also highly recommend Poppy. It is sort of pan (Asian) Indian food – but I would not think of it as Indian. It is Jerry Traunfeldt - who made Herb Farm famous and who I think is just a fantastic chef. The cocktails are amazing – all use interesting herbs. My favorite is the tequila based Poppy Delicious.
Finally, Altura is excellent. I have only been once, and it is also on the pricey side. If you can get in I might suggest it over Canlis (though I have not been to Canlis in ages).
Enjoy your visit!
If you have time there is nothing nicer then a late lunch at Le Pichet. The list is rustic and the stems not for enthusiasts so BYOB is best with your own glasses. The food is better then most in France.
How do I delete?
Hi Alston, I got your pm and will answer privately as well, but wanted to say here that if you are free only in evenings there will not be any real tasting room choices as most all close by 5-6pm. In addition, the smaller wineries like mine are open usually only on weekends.
I’ve lived in Bothell for 13 years now. Depending on what you are used to, you may find the traffic situation getting from Bothell to Downtown Seattle for dinner a bit painful. I try as hard as possible to avoid driving to Seattle and fortunately, over here on the “Eastside”, things are growing tremendously in terms of dining choices.
In the immediate Bothell area, your best choices are going to be:
-Russells - top of the list for sure for Bothell. A bit difficult to find, but well worth it!
-Amaro - brand new and fantastic food! Same owner as IL Bistro in Pike Place Market.
-Wild Vine Bistro - great creative young chef making nearly everything in house - sausages, charcuterie, and reasonably priced. Plus they have Kaella Sangiovese by the glass or bottle!
Those are the top 3 and from there in Bothell the quality drops off quickly. Also great to note - each of these 3 have great bar areas if you are alone with some great happy hour priced items and specials.
Woodinville is just 5-10 min south and has many more choices.
-Barking Frog/Willows Lodge - a bit upscale but not at all formal. Great NW style food.
-The Commons - nice kitchen and bar - comfort food casual
-Hollywood Tavern - I Love this place for food and well crafted cocktails! Great burger! Fried chicken sandwich and fried pickles!
-Red Hook Brewery - Very cool casual place, fresh beer on tap, good food.
-Purple Café - wine bar with decent by the glass selections and flights.
Then another 15 min south is Bellevue offering a lot more options.
-John Howie Steakhouse
-Seastar
-El Gaucho
-Daniels Broiler
-Din Tai Fung
-Lot No. 3
Cheers!