Pretty open ended question and open to suggestions, just looking for ideas to make the most of whatever leisure time is available on a work trip next week! Will be flying in this Saturday around midday, 6 nights to make the most of.
During the working week will be staying in Redmond near our offices there. On the weeknights probably be eating locally, so any recommendations (of any price range) for good food in the area would be welcome, a bonus if they have a nice winelist!
This Saturday or Sunday night we’ll likely have a little bit more freedom, could head downtown for instance, could potentially splash out a little more but not being restrictive about it.
Pretty open-minded with wine preferences, whether it’s local, interstate or international, just looking forward to wine that isn’t available here in Australia! Thinking to carry some interesting bottles across from Australia to share with friend/colleague so BYO is a good possibility for at least one night too.
Also welcoming recommendations for any great wine stores to pick up a few nice treasures (eg. $100-250 range) to cart back to Sydney and share with our wine group. Also a visit to Woodinville could be on the cards.
Café Juanita is a GREAT eastside destination (Kirkland) for Italian and their wine list is great. Higher price, for sure. Popular steakhouses are John Howie, Daniel’s Broiler and El Gaucho. All will have great/pricey wine lists and are, well, steakhouses
Din Tai Fung is a hit if you like dumplings, located in Lincoln Square. Consider hitting up another place for cocktails/drinks ahead of time (Earl’s, Joey’s, Pearl) and then kill of 3 plates of dumplings.
If you’re looking for an end-of-day beer near RTC (i.e. the Marriott), Malt and Vine is down the street, Thirsty Hop (my hang-out) is a bit father way and Matador is a convenient cocktail/after-work place. None of them are destinations in and of themselves, but the first two are great if you want to try a good selection of beer. Pub 85 in Kirkland also has a great beer list, as well, but know that it’s not the cleanest place in the world…
Many thanks, I appreciate all the ideas! Will definitely put Café Juanita at the top of the list, a steakhouse is certainly on the cards as is great beer so I look forward to checking a few out. Thanks for pointing out Din Tai Fung too, there is a branch in Sydney but it’s always good to have it there as an option should we be in the area! Sitka and Spruce looks great, nice range of wines to delve into.
Whatever you do, don’t go to the Crab Pot. Possibly the most overrated restaurant I’ve ever been to. Definitely one of those times when I sincerely regret not checking Yelp first…
Have had mixed results with Sitka and Spruce… But that is Seattle proper (Cap Hill). If you’re crossing bridges , check out one of the several other Seattle threads here. Figure 45-60 mins on 520 from Redmond to downtown between 4-7:30.
Thanks, I didn’t know that. We’ll most likely only be heading downtown on the weekend I think, so all the eastside options are much appreciated for the weeknights.
Some days, it’s great, especially if you have three people and can use the carpool between 405 and the bridge. Other days, not so much. If it’s not solid red/black, head downtown, because eastside options (Kirkland/Bellevue) are generally decent, but not stellar, outside of Cafe Juanita. Redmond is pretty much a wasteland. I’d still check some of the other threads for Woodinville recs, as there are some good wine stops out there; I’m not as familiar with them as most of my friends/family want to see Chateau Ste Michelle, eat lunch at Hollywood Tavern and then close with Januik/Novelty Hill. If I flew to Sydney and got that itinerary, not sure Id be overjoyed
You probably know World of Wine is worth checking out in Redmond. Rain City Wines in Bothell has some pretty good Italian and french selections, they have their stock online for you to checkout as well.
