Canlis

I spent some time in Seattle for Mother's day, and I scoured Seattle Eater, Bon Appetite, etc for ideas on where to go for mother's day dinner. I also recruited my trusty foodie friends, Marya and Arti Tai, for any tips. They both provided me with several great options, including Loulay and Bar Sajor, and I finally decided on the Canlis!

Canlis epitomizes Seattle fine dining. The restaurant was opened in the 1950's by Peter Canlis, and has magnificent views of the city. I had a mild panic attack on Mother's Day when I was looking at the website and read "Canlis is open Monday-Saturday". I immediately called to see what was going on - as I did make a reservation and someone called me to confirm - it turns out the restaurant usually not open on Sundays, but makes exceptions for special occasion dates such as Mothers Day and Fathers Day.

We started with the Halekulani cocktail, named after Peter's favorite place to stay in Oahu. It was topped with flowers, I paused to consider whether I should save them for my dog to eat.

                  

The restaurant usually has a few options: three courses, four courses, or a tasting menu. However, as the restaurant is usually closed on Sunday, the tasting menu was not an option for Mother's Day. We decided to go with the four course tasting menu.

                   

Amuse bouche to start

                      

My first course was the hamachi, but for some reason I forgot to take photos of it. One thing I've noticed on tasting menus for Spring 2014 is pairing seafood with some type of chili - I am not able to handle serious spice, but I like this pairing. 

My second course was the Peter Canlis Prawns. These guys were fantastically succulent - order them! 

                     

My main course was the wagyu. I haven't had a wagyu steak before, and well, I mean, I think my grainy iPhone photos * still * to the steak justice.

                  

I had also opted to do a wine pairing, which I enjoyed. I thought it was cool that the restaurant develops its own wines and champagnes.

Last, I ordered the chocolate fondant for dessert. I'm always a fan of chocolate desserts, especially when they are oozing with chocolate.

                

Overall: This one is a keeper! I would definitely return to Canlis for a fancy celebrating-ish type event. What's more, the restaurant recently joined the Relais & Chateaux group, and I'm slowly starting to see I'm becoming a R&C groupie (more on this in later posts!)

Canlis
2576 Aurora Avenue North
Seattle, WA 98109
(206) 283-3313

Reservations are a good idea, as are jackets for men