Special Occasion: Napa Rose or S55?

[ParksPixar&Pizza]

I know both are excellent but what do you think would be better for a special occassion? Can only do one

 

[OKW Lover]

For the absolute best special occasion dinner, Chef's Counter at Napa Rose!

 

[MillauFr]

Agreed. Chef's Counter at the Rose.

 

[lilmissfoodie]

Also agree that chefs counter at NR is the much better experience

 

[Astylla]

Definitely Napa Rose , even if not doing Chef Counter though it's my first choice it's a wonderful experience .

 

[Aladora]

Could not agree with the others more, Napa Rose chef's counter for sure!

 

[ParkHopper1]

Another vote for Napa Rose.

And if not the Chef Counter...I recommend a three step approach if you are looking for a nice night out for a special occasion and not looking to just get in and out as fast as you can:

1) Arrive early and have a pre dinner wine/drink at the bar
2) Enjoy your meal but then skip dessert
3) Close out dinner check and retire to the front lounge for dessert and coffee/wine/adult beverage of choice (the Moscato dessert wine is amazing)

 

[Keels]

If you're going to do three courses at Napa Rose, you're not too far off from the cost of the Chef's Counter and its five-courses anyway.

Love the Chef's Counter at Napa Rose. It's a must-do for my trips.

 

[Malcon10t]

First, I want to say I did enjoy my visits to Napa Rose. Chef's Counter is a lot of fun.

That said, look at the menus online.Think about what you like to eat. My family has a somewhat simple palette. I don't care for game meat, rabbit, octopus, what we call "weird stuff". Because of this, I am usually somewhat limited by the menu. When doing the chef's counter, I usually get given steak simply because of my dislikes. For me, for a special event, I would prefer Steakhouse 55. I love the ambiance there, I enjoy the food, and the sour dough bread is so awesome.

 

[BriannaRuth]

Chef's Counter at Napa Rose was one of the best meals I've ever had. And I say that as someone who has done tasting menus/chefs counters in many different restaurants. We just did a tasting menu at one of the most highly regarded restaurants in Seattle last night ... the chef is an Iron Chef winner ... but we were actually a little disappointed because we just did Chef's Counter at Napa Rose last month and we thought it was better!

I do agree with Malcon10t above, though, check the menus and see which looks best to you. We are adventurous eaters so Chef's Counter was very appealing to us.

 

[avalon451]

Chef's Counter at Napa Rose was one of the best meals I've ever had. And I say that as someone who has done tasting menus/chefs counters in many different restaurants. We just did a tasting menu at one of the most highly regarded restaurants in Seattle last night ... the chef is an Iron Chef winner ... but we were actually a little disappointed because we just did Chef's Counter at Napa Rose last month and we thought it was better!

I do agree with Malcon10t above, though, check the menus and see which looks best to you. We are adventurous eaters so Chef's Counter was very appealing to us.

Hey, Brianna, we're from the greater Seattle area too, and I was also comparing it to some of the tasting menus we've done around Seattle. I've done Napa's chef's counter 3 times now, and I have to say that while it's very good, I've had better. What tasting menu was it you went to with the Iron Chef winner? The last one we did was at Alterra on Capitol Hill, and that was hands down the most amazing meal we've ever had. Also the most expensive, though. Ouch. We've also had wonderful tasting menus at Art of the Table (Ballard) and at Mistral Kitchen (South Lake Union).

One thing I find lacking at Napa Rose, is that the menu doesn't change as much as you'd find at any other tasting menu type meal. They have stuff on the menu there still that they had there when I first went 8 years ago (I'm looking at you, pan seared scallop!)

Also when we were there last week, I was wondering just how the heck they decided what to give my husband and what to give me. While we told the chef our preferences at the start (adventuresome, bold flavors, love seafood, duck, etc... but no sweetbreads, please) ... They fed us different little plates, and I was wondering what snap decisions about our appearances they made, that made them give me the blander, less adventuresome things. We had the wine pairings, and I had the same experience last year when I did it solo, and this year: the waiter went to pour me a Vouvray. I'm not a sommalier, but I know quite a bit about wines, and to me, unless it's a very good name, Vouvray is what you pour a suburban soccer mom who normally drinks Mike's Hard Lemonade, likes sweet stuff, doesn't really like wine, and doesn't know better. I stopped him, asked him to let me taste it first, shuddered (yup, very sickly sweet) and told him my preferences, especially for the food that was in front of me. After that he didn't look quite so complacent in what he poured me, especially when DH and I kept tasting each others' and agreeing on which we liked better. He still poured DH a glass that was the last of the bottle, and there were granule-like dregs all over the bottom of the glass. Very unprofessional. So Napa Rose has come down a notch in my estimation.

I will say, though, that since we are gluten free, I was surprised that their dessert menu has very little on it we could have. We were seated at the dessert counter, and at one point I was chatting with the pastry chef. "What do you have on the dessert menu that is gluten free? PLEASE don't say sorbet.... that's all we've been hearing." She looked somewhat embarrassed and said, "Yeah, it's that or creme brulee... maybe some fresh berries." We were discussing the possibilities of wonderful chocolate things like mousse, flourless chocolate cake, gluten free flours that permit some great carrot and pumpkin confections... Later, unasked, she slid a plate across to me that said "Happy Birthday" in chocolate lettering... with two small triangles of a dense, almost fudge like chocolate ganache, decorated with little meringue buttons, cream and berry coulis garnish... she'd made it especially for me. That was pretty dang awesome of her!

 

[DLgal]

Napa Rose. Even a standard table is amazing. I have never done the famed Chefs Counter but NR is our "go to" for special occasion dining. It is fantastic.

S55 is alright. I prefer Ruth's Chris or Morton's Steakhouse to S55.

 

[lilmissfoodie]

Agree with DLgal about SH55. It is worth going once. Another tip about NR, if you can't get a reservation, just go to the bar. They serve the full menu in there.

 

[BriannaRuth]

Hey, Brianna, we're from the greater Seattle area too, and I was also comparing it to some of the tasting menus we've done around Seattle. I've done Napa's chef's counter 3 times now, and I have to say that while it's very good, I've had better. What tasting menu was it you went to with the Iron Chef winner? The last one we did was at Alterra on Capitol Hill, and that was hands down the most amazing meal we've ever had. Also the most expensive, though. Ouch. We've also had wonderful tasting menus at Art of the Table (Ballard) and at Mistral Kitchen (South Lake Union).

One thing I find lacking at Napa Rose, is that the menu doesn't change as much as you'd find at any other tasting menu type meal. They have stuff on the menu there still that they had there when I first went 8 years ago (I'm looking at you, pan seared scallop!)

Last night we were at Cafe Juanita, which is actually on the eastside rather than Seattle proper. The chef, Holly Smith, personally came to our table to deliver several of the menu items, so that was pretty cool to meet an actual Iron Chef winner. Didn't get that at NR. We've did the tasting menu at Rover's a couple times before it went out of business. Have also done Canlis and a couple in Vegas, and we've done one of the Gordon Ramsey restaurants in London. The Vegas ones were beyond awesome (and better than NR) -- the Gordon Ramsey restaurant in London had incredible food but the service was horrendously slow. We were literally there over 4 hours and I was so tired I nearly went to sleep sitting up. Will definitely try Alterra -- thanks for the tip! Our daughter goes to high school in Capitol Hill although we're on the eastside, so that will be good to try sometime.

August was our first time at Napa Rose, so I wouldn't know about the menu changing. I'm not a Vouvray fan, either, so I feel your pain! Last night at Cafe Juanita we were served dessert wine with a couple of our dishes (that were not dessert), so maybe they just thought a sweet wine was best with whatever you were served? Although that could be done with something a little nicer than your garden variety Vouvray. But dregs -- seriously? Luckily we didn't have those issues; our wines were quite nice.

The one thing I didn't like at NR was our server. He was one of their sommeliers -- we weren't served by the chef on duty like I've heard some others have been. He was very knowledgeable and always prompt, but extremely kiss-***. Seriously, if I heard him say one more time what an honor it was to serve us and how rewarding it was to have someone as knowledgeable as XYZ as we were, I would have lost my dinner. This all started when I asked him if one of the dishes had truffle oil in it, which it did -- but truffle is a pretty unique flavor so it's not like I had picked up on something subtle. It just came across as really fake in a lame attempt to get a higher tip.

In spite of all that, though, our meal really was outstanding.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

First, I want to say I did enjoy my visits to Napa Rose. Chef's Counter is a lot of fun.

That said, look at the menus online.Think about what you like to eat. My family has a somewhat simple palette. I don't care for game meat, rabbit, octopus, what we call "weird stuff". Because of this, I am usually somewhat limited by the menu. When doing the chef's counter, I usually get given steak simply because of my dislikes. For me, for a special event, I would prefer Steakhouse 55. I love the ambiance there, I enjoy the food, and the sour dough bread is so awesome.

This. It really does come down to what you enjoy eating. A special occasion isn't very special if you don't enjoy your food. Pick the restaurant that has the menu that appeals to you most.

 

[avalon451]

Last night we were at Cafe Juanita, which is actually on the eastside rather than Seattle proper. The chef, Holly Smith, personally came to our table to deliver several of the menu items, so that was pretty cool to meet an actual Iron Chef winner. Didn't get that at NR. We've did the tasting menu at Rover's a couple times before it went out of business. Have also done Canlis and a couple in Vegas, and we've done one of the Gordon Ramsey restaurants in London. The Vegas ones were beyond awesome (and better than NR) -- the Gordon Ramsey restaurant in London had incredible food but the service was horrendously slow. We were literally there over 4 hours and I was so tired I nearly went to sleep sitting up. Will definitely try Alterra -- thanks for the tip! Our daughter goes to high school in Capitol Hill although we're on the eastside, so that will be good to try sometime.

August was our first time at Napa Rose, so I wouldn't know about the menu changing. I'm not a Vouvray fan, either, so I feel your pain! Last night at Cafe Juanita we were served dessert wine with a couple of our dishes (that were not dessert), so maybe they just thought a sweet wine was best with whatever you were served? Although that could be done with something a little nicer than your garden variety Vouvray. But dregs -- seriously? Luckily we didn't have those issues; our wines were quite nice.

The one thing I didn't like at NR was our server. He was one of their sommeliers -- we weren't served by the chef on duty like I've heard some others have been. He was very knowledgeable and always prompt, but extremely kiss-***. Seriously, if I heard him say one more time what an honor it was to serve us and how rewarding it was to have someone as knowledgeable as XYZ as we were, I would have lost my dinner. This all started when I asked him if one of the dishes had truffle oil in it, which it did -- but truffle is a pretty unique flavor so it's not like I had picked up on something subtle. It just came across as really fake in a lame attempt to get a higher tip.

In spite of all that, though, our meal really was outstanding.

Brianna, I know what you mean about the kiss-*** waiters. The one we had last week was pretty nice, but he did get pretty obsequious when I made a fuss about the wine choices. And yeah, come think if it, he kept telling us what an honor it was, etc- after a while it was pretty gag-inducing. The waiter I had last year was worse, though.
All 3 times I've been, we did get a waiter. The chef comes to talk to you, but the waiter does the serving. Also, each time I've been, the chefs have given us less attention. The first time I went 8 years ago, the head chef or one of the sous chefs was over there for every course, telling us about it, which I understand to be part of the experience. It was much less so last year, and last week, while the head chef came out at first to ask preferences, that was the only interaction we had. We were seated at the dessert counter, and the pastry chef ignored us absolutely, although when I asked her a couple of questions she was pleasant enough. Might have had something to do with the fact that we had the late seating, and they were all tired.

 

[Baklava]

Is Chef's Counter worth doing with food issues or is it a waste? I'm diabetic and I don't want to invest the money and be unable to eat.

 

[Keels]

Is Chef's Counter worth doing with food issues or is it a waste? I'm diabetic and I don't want to invest the money and be unable to eat.

Yes! They tailor everything to your likes, dislikes and food-related issues. My BFF is dairy, gluten and poultry-intolerant and said the Chef's Counter was the best meal of her life.

 

[DizMe]

I agree with Napa Rose, but I'm not a huge fan of the Chef's Counter. I would much rather dine at a regular table and choose what I want. Chef's Counter was a fun experience, but not my thing.

 

[Malcon10t]

Is Chef's Counter worth doing with food issues or is it a waste? I'm diabetic and I don't want to invest the money and be unable to eat.

Generally, I know the chefs work hard to make something you will enjoy, even with food issues. At the same time, desserts tend to be an issue with diabetics generally getting offered fresh fruits.

I know Chef Sutton was great with my DIL when she had to go gluten free/dairy free while at an event he was chef for. He walked her thru the buffet and showed her what she could and couldn't eat. (I didn't expect her to be catered to with the size of the event.)

The following night, we were at Steakhouse, and chef made her dinner "the best meal ever, not just gluten/dairy free!" I did have problems at Carthay asking for allergies and was basically told "This area of the menu is safe."