All other pertinent information such as address, dress code, and current menu can be found at www.canlis.com.

Canlis represents the favorite dining establishment amongst the old money and some of the new money in the Seattle area.  It is well known for its service, incredible view, and award winning wine cellar.  They have received many awards and mentions over the years, and rightfully continue to do so.

Chris & Alice Canlis do everything to ensure your evening with them is wonderful.  The hardest part about the Canlis Experience is getting there.  If you miss your turn, it can be a pretty long drive trying to get back.  They provide ample directions on their website, which thankfully cautions, “Please do not use directions from internet map services.  They will not give you accurate information.”

When you arrive, Valet parking is the rule (automatically added to your bill), which you begin to appreciate after chasing parking for awhile in downtown Seattle for a few years.  The parking attendants are truly attentive, jockeying a prodigious number of cars by memory.  We showed up in the midst of a large party, and even though we left when the party was concluding (with about 10-15 couples leaving at the same time) they retrieved both our vehicles and had them ready for us within a short few minutes of leaving our table.

The staff at Canlis is well trained, and well mannered.  Everyone is genuinely friendly and helpful.  We have been lucky to have window seating both times we’ve visited, which offers a splendid view to complement the evening.  Wine selections are numerous, and you may peruse all 50 some-odd pages of the wine list from home.  They are now up to their 6^th consecutive Grand Award from Wine Spectator magazine for their wine program.  The Sommelier is knowledgeable and helpful in selecting a great wine to complement your evening.  You’ll find everything up to DRC, with a great selection of regional wines as well.

The menu changes frequently, to reflect the seasons.  There are featured tasting menus which are available.  The food is simply excellent.  The dishes are well-prepared, focusing on the quality of the ingredients more than lavish seasoning or process that might otherwise mask the inherent essence of the item.  I had a New York steak from Misty Isle Farms, which was aged Angus.  The preparation was simple, but the steak was cooked to perfection as ordered medium rare.  Of course, you’d expect no less.  I skipped the famed Canlis Salad in favor of the market green salad which that night featured lamb lettuce with smoked salmon, capers, and crème fraiche – nicely balanced.

We didn’t have dessert, as we were quite satiated with our food and wine.  We had a particularly nice Ribera Del Duero Vega Sicilia-Unico, which seemed the perfect way to end the meal.

Plusses:  Food, Wine List, Service, Ambience

Minuses:  Slightly difficult to drive there

Cost:  Appropriate for region and level of food & service

The staff at Canlis were very helpful and friendly. Their web site at http://www.canlis.com has menu, wine list and directions for getting to the restaurant. Canlis was recognized by several food and wine magazines. For example, Gourmet Magazine gave Canlis the "1998 Readers' Poll" for Top Service, Top Wine List and Top for Special Occasions Awards.

I ordered their signature salad that had lovely leaves of Romaine lettuce, chopped green onions, crispy bacon bits, fresh Oregano leaves, grated Romano cheese, mint and a Parmesan wafer. The wafer is made by shredding the cheese and placing it into hot olive oil until crispy. The salad was prepared tableside including the dressing. Salt, pepper, lemon juice and coddled egg were placed into a bowl and shipped vigorously. Our server added olive oil slowly and whipping the mixture constantly. When perfected the dressing was put on the tossed salad then placing the Parmesan wafer on top standing it up for presentation.

My entree was Dungeness Crab Cakes with Orange Butter. The crab cakes were breaded in a light and crispy Panko breading then pan seared. The orange butter sauce had sweet red bell peppers, ginger, onion and orange zest. The crab cakes and the sauce made a fine match. The crab cakes were just mostly Dungeness crab and it was absolutely divine. Sautéed spinach and baby red potatoes cooked with rosemary completed my plate.

After we finished the wonderful dinner our waitress gave us a tour of the restaurant. Our valet personally returned our keys before leaving for the evening. We finally left at 11:30.

The only imperfection was that the acoustics together with the live piano music made it difficult to carry on a conversation in the restaurant. Everything else overall was to perfection.

Food: A+. Service: A+. Ambiance: A.