Palisade Review

Reviewed by eat_sleep_bo from Sacramento, California on 7/31/09
The best meal of my recent trip to Seattle was a dinner at the Elliott Bay Marina's Palisade Restaurant. Palisade is part of a small network of medium and high-end restaurants throughout Washington and along the West Coast, owned by Restaurants Unlimited.

Palisade itself is situated in a round building overlooking the Elliott Bay Marina at the foot of Magnolia Bluff. The interior is very unique, taking advantage of the 180 degree view of the marina with large windows along the entire outer wall. Every table seemed to have a good view of the water, and the tiered floor design ensured that no one would be peering through someone else's head. A seawater stream is built through the middle of the restaurant, fed from the marina below, and it houses starfish, aenemones, and rockfish. The art is mostly what I consider unobtrusive hotel quality (meaning it is nice, but nothing to really look at) except for dramatic glass spheres suspended above the lobby and dining area on flat racks. These were created by Seattle glass artist Dale Chihuly, his organic shapes and striking colors instantly recognizable in almost any setting. The only downside of the interior was the women's restroom, which was notable in that it was far too hot to be comfortable and seemed very damp, almost like a sauna.

The staff of Palisade is top-notch. Our hostess was simply but chicly dressed, and when my companion noted her reservation the hostess greeted her by name in a very subdued way. We were led to our table and got comfortably settled. Our waiter, whose professionalism and personality really added to the meal, arrived at just the right moment to introduce himself and his trainee. Later on the trainee took over to serve us dessert and coffee, and though we missed our bubbly original waiter the trainee was quite capable and very well-mannered. Throughout the evening we also saw other tables recieve some of Palisade's special touches, from birthday desserts with quirky spiralling candles to a sprinkling of pink rose petals all over a table in honor of an anniversary.

The menu at Palisade features the Pacific Northwest's trademark seafood and fruits, and most of the food was regional if not local. Specials were designed around seasonal foods, in this case halibut and salmon, and where possible the menu noted the origin of many of the special ingredients. I wouldn't classify Palisade as a 100% local/regional restaurant, but they make a good effort to at least follow along with the trend of local foods that is so strong in the Seattle area. The prices were a bit startling to a college student, but not out of line for the food that was offered. I consider myself lucky to have been treated to such a great meal, because I would honestly never afford it otherwise.

Our bread course consisted of a mix of rolls, grain/nut breads, and mini-baguettes in a cute spiral holder, accompanied by unsalted butter topped with a sprinkling of gray sea salt - a real winner, in my opinion. Adding special sea salts to butter packs a much more delicious and entertaining punch than regular salted butter ever does.

For dinner, I ordered one of the seasonal specials: halibut cheeks delicately breaded and fried, served with Idaho potato slices and a gourmet succotash of pancetta, peas, white corn, and herbs. I also asked our delightful waiter to suggest a wine, which he did in a very confidant manner. The Sauvingnon Blanc I was given was grassy, fresh, and crisp, which went perfectly with the meltingly-soft halibut. The portion was perfect: six cheeks with matching potato slices and a garnish of succotash (which I would never expect to think of as a gourmet treat) that left me feeling sated. The only flaw in the entree were the potatos, which were too thick to be like chips and too thin to have any soft, starchy interior. I couldn't really cut them with a knife, nor could I bite into them. I didn't know what to do with them, so after crunching uncomfortably on two I left the rest alone. My companions enjoyed their Apple-wood Smoked Chinook and Watermelon Halibut, including vocal exclamations of how delicious everything was.

When the dessert menu arrived it was surprisingly short. Palisade offers cake and ice cream featuring red velvet cake, which seems to be having an unfortunate resurgance in popularity. Red velvet cakes and cupcakes have sprung up here and there, but Seattle was full of the scary red confections. No, thank you. Also available were cobbler, ice cream, sorbet, a trio of creme brulees in various predictable flavors (vanilla, mocha, and passionfruit), chocolate mousse cake, and an almond semifreddo that sounded a little confusing. I ordered the mousse cake, because it is hard to go wrong with that in my opinion, and along with it I asked for a dry double cappucino. Again, the waiters seemed delighted to serve drinks that accompanied their food, and my cappucino was a perfect bitter-but-smooth, fruity espresso topped with crisp dry foam. Perfect! The mousse cake went over fairly well, though it could have used a more generous dollop of the delicious raspberry sauce that accompanied it; the tiny red swirl on the plate was more of a decoration than a topping.

By the end of the meal I felt as though I were floating on air. "This could only be better," I told my companions, "if someone came by and gave me a foot rub." The delicious entree with its perfect wine pairing, followed by the light and delicious chocolate mousse, left me in a happy food stupor for the rest of the evening. Should I ever have the chance to dine at Palisade again (since in my budget it requires a benefactor), I would clap with delight!

Member Rating: 4.6
Ratings details: Food: 5.0 Atmosphere: 4.0 Service: 5.0 Value: 4.0