Preservation Kitchen

Read about the Sunday suppers that Preservation Kitchen has been doing on their website. I grew up in a house with 7 children, and most of the time, Sunday was the only night of the week we were all hom, dad wasn't working, and we had a big family dinner. We were never fortunate enogh to have a Sunday supper like we enjoyed Sunday night.

When we were seated we were handed dinner menus and given a quick rundown of the Sunday supper from our server. In our party of four, we opted for two Sunday suppers, the aforementioned prime rib and a seafood stew with scallops, clams, and halibut in a tomato coconut stock/broth/deliciousness.

I was glad we decided to eat with friends because there were some options on the dinner menu that sounded very interesting. Needless to say we did a lot of sharing. The salads were amazing, I had a caesar with an insanely rich homemade dressing.

The entrees, both Sunday supper and others were equally enjoyed, but everyone at the table agreed that the Prime Rib stood out. Unfortunately, they only run it once a week, and our server informed us that the Sunday supper menu changes. So who knows if we will ever be able to enjoy the amazing prime rib again, or if it was indeed the Last Supper.....only time will tell.

Nice Job, Preservation Kitchen. You stand out in all the right ways, we can't wait to see what you have in store for us next time!! Good food is hard to find, so imagine how happy we were to find exceptional food, reasonable prices, focus on staying local and seasonal. I just wish local meant that your restaurant was in Wallingford :)

Pros: Best prime rib I have ever had in my life

Cons: The owners put the restaurant in Bothell not where I live :)

Posted 11/17/09

I really enjoy this cozy, personable restaurant. I've met friends here for drinks and appetizers, dined here with my husband and hosted a private party for 26.

The atmosphere is quaint and contemporary simultaneously. The food is delicious and I love that they are aiming for local/sustainable foods. Nice wine selection.

I would definitely recommend Preservation Kitchen to a friend.

Pros: gourmet food, great aesthetics, pleasant service

Cons: No complaints

Posted 11/14/09

I was there for brunch and a private party. The food was great and I loved the intimate feel of the restaurant. I would recommend this restaurant to everyone!

Pros: Great food

Cons: none

Posted 10/31/09

This is a comment for BZP who went to great length to slander this restaurant. I am a local business owner of 8 yrs. I personally have done business with this company several times; they are and have been highly respected and trusted in the Bothell community for years! They are professional, kind and caring in addition to having wonderful food.
Unlike many of the other restaurants in Bothell.
I find it despicable that BZP would spend so much time writing such a nasty review rather than talking directly to the restaurant manager. Had they of taken that route, I am certain management would have refunded their money and probably given them a FREE dinner in the future. This is the difference at this restaurant.
Who ever reads the review captioned Pick another by BZP please don't be swayed . This restaurant will bend over backwards to create a memorable evening or talk directly to the Owner, Susan.

Pros: classic,beautiful, caring, quality,professional & great food

Cons: nothing!

Posted 09/21/09

What a disappointment. I don't know what happened to this place. We'd visited the Preservation Kitchen many times in the past and brought out of town guests here last night. We raved about the boar and other unique menu items...the olives, gnocchi, deserts.

Well, the menu was completely different. No boar, no gnocchi, no olives and only two deserts. It would have been fine if they'd replaced it with some other speciality items but not. I ordered the evening special of boeuf bouriguignon... (not Julie's recipe, for sure). The meat was dry...hardly any sauce. I had to ask for extra. My guest had homemade pasta linguine (not impressed) with an overdose of small tomatoes sliced in half. My husband had the salmon with crab risotto and the risotto was like a big clump of paste. I was stunned, to say the least. Even the salads weren't up to par. The most offensive was when I asked the server for some bread and she appologized for giving us only two pieces. She said if she brought more, she'd have to charge $2 extra. It's apparently not included. I honestly was speechless. The bread was toasted slices of unimpressive white bread, unbuttered, dry and cold! Little cubes of wrapped butter were presented like in a diner. Cold butter on cold bread .... not a good starter in a 5 star restaurant.

The service was OK but very slow and not attentive at all. They were all preoccupied with other chores, very busy about the dining rooms....getting ready for the next day. The restaurant was almost empty and it was only 8 pm. You'd think we would have been served with more attentiveness.

It took us forever to even get greeted at the table and no water or drinks were offered for some time. My guest was very thirsty and said to me "I sure could use a glass of water". One of the other waiters leaned over and said "I heard that" and 5 minutes later, some water showed up with a very sweet but novice server. She did announce she was newer when asked a few questions about the menu.

We ended the meal with unimpressive Deserts. They could have been good but lacked in presentation and the "donuts" were overcooked and hard. The server never offered coffee or tea. She did say that because it was so slow, they were going to close early and that she really needed a glass of wine. Obviously, we were holding her up.

I recommend a talk to the servers who were definitely more preoccupied with themselves and setting tables than serving customers. They were not engaging, just doing a job.

The old menu was definitely better - in creativity and preparation. The only truly professional and customer oriented people that evening were the greeter and a lady from the bar (never got her name) that wished us good bye. Truly not worth the 5 stars they used to get. Sorry.

Pros: Nice setting

Cons: Many

Posted 09/20/09

so I finaly made it back to New York last night, and I still can't get over how amazing the salmon dish is. If you have not been to the Preservation Kitchen, let me tell you what you are missing. I sent an email to the restaurant thanking them for a great night but I felt obligated to share my night with Citysearch, yelp, and pretty much anyone else that will let me rave because if I lived in the area, I would probably be at this restaurant about 3 times a week....yeah the food is that good.

Anyways, I own a restaurant in the New York area, and my fiance's parents and pretty much entire family live out in the Seattle area. We just got engaged (fiance is such an awesome word, I say it 30 times a day at least) so we headed out west to meet the family and see the sights. I have never been to Washington, so being the foodies that we are, every night my fiance's (there's 2) parents weren't cooking, we were eating out. We made it to all the spots, you name it, we were there. And let me say for the record, that the chef at Preservation Kitchen can hold his own with the big names in the big cities. I told the owners that it was a good thing the place was packed and the chef wasn't able to make it out to our table because I would have tried to steal him and take him to New York.....only partly kidding.

That salmon dish was not only the best thing I tasted over here....besides my future mother in law's lasagna, but it is in my list of tp 10 entrees I have ever had in my life. My chef doesn't know it, but this weekend he is running Atlantic Salmon with pekitoe crab risotto and an orange butter emulsion. If it sounds familiar, there's a good reason. Unbelievable night, still, almost three weeks after the fact, I can remember that dish. Oh, and don't kid yourself, everything else was fantastic. Best food around. Period. End of story

Pros: best food around. period end of story

Cons: i live in new york and the commute is no bueno :(

Posted 09/16/09

We went there for Happy Hour and while there was only one other couple in the bar we waited a very long time for our drinks to come. When mine came (a Lemon Drop) it was too sweet to drink. I noticed the bar tender with a straw tasted each drink. Ours and the couple at the other table.

Cons: Very slow service.

Posted 08/12/09

We came in Sunday night as a party of four and were greeted immediately (I will admit, previous times we had to stand in the bar for almost 10 minutes before the bartender or anyone notice) so thank you PK for fixing that, so far we are starting off on the right foot.

I am sad to say it seems as if more people are beginning to find this local gem, as we had been in before on a Sunday night and pretty much had the entire restaurant (and bar for that matter) to ourselves. The parking lot has always made the restuarant look way busier than it is (it probably has spots for about 9 cars) :) I think from now on, reservations will be in order. Anyway, back to the dinner. Seth was our server, very prfessional, very knowledgeable, it's a pleasent surpise to be served by someone who actually seems to enjoy what they do.

Seth had informed us right from the beginning that the kitchen had sold out of a couple items. I have been to many restaurants where the server's won't tell you what isn't avaiable in the hopes that you wouldn't have ordered it anyway....then I do and I get the "oh yeah, we are out of that" We just figured that we'd have to come back, as obviously the dishes must be good!!

as for the food itself, the chef is doing a celebration of local seafood....what>> a restaurant that actually has an identity. I have been to many restaurants whose menus read like a shopping list; where nothing seems to be thought out, it doesn;t flow, and it doesn't get you excited about eating anything really. The food was top notch; the best we have had since we've been coming here! Thank you Preservation Kitchen for being that place on the east side of the water where we can go for a night out, have great food that isn't chain related. A place where we can get great food without all the white tablecloths, servers in ties, and menus that read like a french romance novel. Don't get me wrong, this place has fine dining written all over it, the food is on par with the big boys in Seattle for sure, but the atmosphere is what makes this place stick in our heads. We'll be back, except next time, we'll make reservations!

Pros: seafood seafood and more seafood!

Cons: parking lot fills up quickly

Posted 08/09/09

Picture this....driving up to a rustic brick building, and feeling like you are at home from the second you walk out of your car. This was my husband and my night earlier this week. We live close (Kirkland) and have always talked about coming out again, we came once or twice when they first opened. We didn't really have any other reason to stop coming other than we said we wanted to wait until all the kinks got worked out, as the service the first couple times hi t or miss, and the GM had a very pretentious way about her when we informed her that we didn't need to see the wine list.

Anyway, after 7 or 8 months of hibirnstion, we decided to give the Preservation Kitchen a shot again. We were drawn in by what had originally turned us on the place. The grounds are beautiful, not over the top, and very welcoming. The hostess, was extremely polite, accomodating, and surprisingly informative about the menu..it always surprise me how so many people at the front door don't even know what kind of food the restaurant is serving. THIS IS THE FIRST FACE YOUR CUSTOMER'S SEE PEOPLE!!!

Tamara was our server, and whatever kinks needed to be worked out definitely were, as we were very well take care of, not over burdened or hounded, but she was always there if we needed something.

The food was absolutely splendid. I did not want to leave that out, but I have read a lot of reviews about the food being top notch, but ther service not matching. I could go on an on about the food, and how nice it is when the chef comes out and talks to the table.

Thank you, Preservation Kitchen, for a great night out, great food, and great times. It won't be 8 months until you see us again anymore!

Pros: Food is outstanding!! Beautiful restaurant

Posted 08/06/09

We had really high hopes for this restaurant. We had checked out their website and thought it was the type of place we would love. We went on a Saturday night around 6 p.m. and the place was dead. There was nobody in the dining room at all, the bar was empty when we arrived (a table of 4 showed up later) and the patio had a few tables seated. There were several employees just hanging around which gets uncomfortable when you are the only customers in the section. I ended up feeling out of place after awhile.
The waitress was nice when we first sat down, but didn't bother explaining anything on the menu. We ordered the flatbread with spread, scallops, and a pulled pork sandwich. The pulled pork was good and a decent sized portion. The flatbread was pretty boring. I never could determine what was in the spread as it was almost flavorless. The scallops were terrible. There were only 2 (for $12.00!) and they were cold inside. We sent them back and I think all that the chef did was microwave the plate and send them back out.
The service over the course of the evening deteriorated. We never were sure who was actually supposed to be our server as no one really talked to us and it alternated between 2 or 3 people. Halfway through our meal some friends of the waitstaff showed up and sat behind us in the bar. The waitress stood around drinking wine with them and the other guy who had been serving us stood behind the bar eating peanuts. From that point on we were pretty much forgotten.
Overall this restaurant has a lot of potential but is being ruined by poorly cooked food, inattentive/unprofessional service and a lack of atmosphere.

Pros: Lovely setting, beautiful restaurant, free parking

Cons: Inconsistent service, food not up to par, no atmosphere

Posted 07/31/09

It's so nice to see and extremely overdue for a restaurant like this in the Bothell/Kenmore area!! The restaurant itself is beautiful, elegant, but it doesn't have that "stuffy pretentiousness" vibe that other similar establishments have. I am not sure what they're secret is to keeping the atmosphere so down to earth and casual, while still keeping the fine dining aspect. My husband and I came in Friday night and sat in the bar. We were served by Gene, who even though had the entire bar full, was able to talk us through the drink and dinner menus. A lot of times, I get the feeling that my server has much more important things to do than to answer my questions about the menu, and it was nice to see that this was not the case. The drinks were awesome, maybe it's because we don't get out much, but there is something to be said for a bartender who squeezes all of his juices for each order. I guess with a name like Preservation Kitchen, this is almost a necessity, but I gurantee you can taste the difference.

On to dinner... I had the caprese and my husband had the Butter Lettuce Salad with spicy coppa (yeah, we had to ask....it's crispy saly spicy pork.....oh baby). Neither one of us wanted to disassemble our plates (they were so gorgeous!!!) the tomatoes were perfect; I later found out from the chef that he buys them daily from the fruit market next door (more on him later) As far as entrees go, I had the Halibut with Lentils, and my husband had the special Pork Tenderloin. The Halibut was seared and served with lentils sauteed in cream and tomatoes. The tomato and caper relish made a perfectly cooked piece of Halibut jump in my mouth; sweet, spicy, and just a touch of acid. It was perfect (and I DO NOT throw that word around a lot....just here)

As far as the pork tenderloin goes, let's just say that my husband was too busy eaiting it as fast as he could to tell me whether or not he liked it (he later told me he loved it) It had a housemade dry rub with brown sugar, paprika, thyme and other things that I forgot. It was served with an apple and corn succotash and everything was topped with a spicy balsamic syrup.

After our meal we spotted the chef talking to a couple at the bar and commented on how nice it is for a restaurant to have a face that goes with the food. He made his way over to our table, asked us how everything was, and 25 minutes later, we were still talking food! Speaking for the general public, it makes us feel pretty special when the chef comes out into the dining room and talks with the guests. I have had numerous not so pleasent conversations with chefs in other restaurants, and there always seems to be a cocky arrogance about them; which I partly understand, because people are obviously coming there first and foremost for the food. But it's different here (are you sensing the theme here) Chef Michael graciously thanked us for coming in, was able to give us a breif history about the restaurant/house, and even though we knew he had been cooking all night, he took the time to talk to every single table in the bar! The whole restaurant, from the bartender squeezing his own citrus juices, to the chef who genuiely seemed to enjoy talking to us and the other tables around us was the icing on a perfect slice of a much overdue night out. Like I said, we don't get the chance to go out very much, so thank you so much Preservation Kitchen for making this an incredible night that we hope to replicate many many times.

Pros: Amazing Food professional staff elegant and affordable

Posted 06/21/09

I tried the weekend brunch, and it was incredibly tasty. The food was top notch, even compared to the fancy places in Seattle, which was fantastic because it's so hard to find a good place for breakfast, especially on the Bothell/Eastside area. The prices were great, too. Service was good, and it's in a cute little location. It's really great to go to a good local restaurant, that's not a part of a big chain. I'd totally recommend it. We'll be going back for dinner soon.

Pros: tasty food, reasonable prices

Posted 04/25/09

My husband and I have traveled alot in our lifetime and have been lucky enough to eat in some of the best restaurants the US has to offer from NY to New Orleans. We are truly spoiled in the NW by our local produce. fresh seafood and grass fed meats as well as the excellent and creative breweries and wineries! Preservation Kitchen showcases all of these attributes very well!

After reading some of these reviews, I have to wonder what these people are comparing the excellent food offered at Preservation Kitchen to? I honestly do not get the criticism. If you want huge portions that are over salted and overcooked, go to Claim Jumper!

This restaurant offers fresh and simple food cooked to perfection. I've never had a better chicken dinner in my life! The polenta tots are little pillows of crispy goodness, Their pork sliders are super tasty. The grilled Romaine Salad takes a Ceasar to new heights. The Short Rib is absolutely divine! My husband believes their steak to be one of the best he's ever had. Oh and the star of the show, a heavenly melt in your mouth Wild Boar Ragu! I'm also a huge fan of their Biscuits and Gravy and my friend dreams of their Eggs Benedict for Brunch. The mostly WA wine menu is both amazing in selection and price. Plus they have Big E's (Ellersick Brewery) on tap!

We've been coming to Preservation Kitchen pretty much since they opened and have since brought several friends and family members there to share in our find and all have been very happy. Not only is the restaurant beautiful and cozy, the service is always excellent, their staff are genuine and welcoming, not at all stuffy. They go out of their way to accomodate large groups as well as an intimate twosome. Even have private dining rooms on the 2nd floor. I was just there last night and was in heaven while sitting next to a cozy fireplace with my sweet sharing a bottle of Steven's Black Tongue Syrah and partaking in a lovely dinner. A perfect evening!

Pros: Pretty much everything!

Cons: I miss the original Goat Cheese Fritters and Fried Apple Pie for dessert!

Posted 03/10/09

I am completely dumbfounded at how truly tasteless the food was at Preservation Kitchen. The place is charming, our waitress was delightful (though not a "professional" that you would normally expect in a 4 star establishment), and our cocktails and salad (the crispy coppa and grilled romaine) were all good....which made the dinner that much more disappointing. I stayed on the light side with the Pulled Pork Sliders and the soup du jour (creamy asparagus). The sliders were greasy and without any flavor...I mean NO flavor...not in the lime coleslaw or the pork. My friend's Seared Chicken was even less flavorful (imagine a vat of chicken, potatoes, and green beans boiling in plain water all day and then scooped into a bowl for you). My cream of asparagus soup had separated due to the slick of truffle oil across it...mind you the truffle oil was quite odorific and kind of permeated everything else in front of me. Never in my life have I ever had to tell a server that the food was not edible much less send everything back (except the salads...they were delightful). Not willing to try anything else, we ventured onto dessert. Oops. I had the cheesecake which was flavorless, good texture though, and had a generous dollop of sour goat cheese on top. I mistakenly read it to be Creme Fraiche not Chevre. My bad. Now I've read some other reviews and I believe this place may have been good at first, but the waitress indicated that it was an all new crew in the kitchen. Perhaps it's time to find a new crew and bring back a little of the salt you apparently got rid of in December. I will say that our waitress handled our displeasure graciously and had the manager or owner remove the items from our bill and give us a nice gift certificate to come back with, however, I felt for the poor waitress and felt that a manager should have taken over at some point. I won't go back and I strongly recommend against dining there. Wait til it changes hands.

Pros: ambience, free valet, full bar and extensive wine list

Cons: tasteless food

Posted 03/06/09

Ok, here's the deal. This place is very tricksie, one would think that new american food with a northern Italian flare with a charming intimate setting would be a winner, wrong. I had the petite fillet with brussels sprouts & potatoes with a redwine demiglace. All was well until the pitiful $30 steak came out. This was certainly the worst quality cut I've ever had at a restaurant. I was expecting a medallion and got the scrap from the whole fillet. On top of this there were no sides, just 2 undercooked brussels sprouts (no exaggeration) cut into quarters and a few pinkie nail size pieces of potato, literally enough for about two decent sized bites. What kind of chef would even think about sending out a horrid cut of fillet??? Within about 3 minutes I had already eaten the entire chewy steak and the pitiful little undercooked morsels, within 5 minutes I already had a plan hashed to drive through jack in the box on the way home. My wife had the chicken with green beans and potato hash. The chicken was juicy and good but there was only enough for a light snack. The green beans and potatoes were undercooked. The potatoes were most likely breakfast potatoes left over from brunch and were partially raw... After eating all my slop I ate the undercooked green beans and potatoes from my wifes plate and still left hungry. If you're thinking about eating there do yourself a favor, take $100 flush $80 down the toilet and use the leftover $20 to buy a pizza... It would be unfair not to add the fact that the service is great as well as the setting.

Posted 02/14/09

My husband and I had dinner here on a Saturday night. The place looked busy, so I was instantly questioning if our reservation would be kept. To our surprise, we were promptly seated, on time to a cozy table next to the fireplace. Our server Marcella, was very attentive throughout the meal- refilling water, we had fresh clean silverware for each course! The wine list was very impressive, glad to see that someone is supporting the local wineries. The food was fantastic. We each had a house salad, which was the perfect size since we were both enjoying full entrees. I ordered the chicken, which was incredibly moist and filling-a full breast and wing. My husband enjoyed the Ribeye. His steak was perfectly cooked and juicy. For dessert we had the carrot cake, again moist and delicious. Perfectly paired with honey cinnamon ice cream and mulberry sauce. Our experience at Preservation Kitchen was one to remember, we will definitely be back very soon.

Pros: gorgeous setting, decor, service, local wines

Cons: hmmm....? loved everything!

Posted 02/14/09

This is some of the best food I have had lately in the Seattle area, however I will probably not visit again simply due to the dining experience itself. Our reservation was not ready on time, so we waited in the bar, where we waited 15 minutes for a waitress to notice us before finally flagging one down. She brought us waters but did not return to take our drink order. Finally the bartender came over who was very friendly, but when we tried to order wine, it took him 10 minutes to come back and apologize for being out of stock of what we ordered. This happened twice. By this time we were thirsty and hungry, and our reservation was a half hour overdue, and finally we were seated and ordered a third bottle of wine (which was much more expensive than the two we had previously tried to order) from our waiter who was very nice. The food was beyond amazing and we were almost able to forgive the initial experience in the bar until they were out of the dessert wine we tried to order as well, which also took 10 minutes for him to find out they were out of. Food is spot on, and servers who would talk to us were very friendly, but the extremely unprofessional wait times on everything we had really ruined the experience. We were there almost 3 hours, most of it waiting for service. Will return if management gets on the ball.

Pros: food! ambiance, location, free valet

Cons: poorly managed, reservations not kept, aloof wait staff

Posted 02/08/09

I was very disappointed in my dining experience at Preservation Kitchen. I ordered the salmon and was told it was not available. Hmmm how about getting in the car and driving three blocks to QFC to pick some up? Beware, when you order a $9 glass of wine, you get about three swallows. How much does a full glass cost? Lastly, I checked my credit card statement and was charged an additional $10 beyond what was authorized. Could have been an honest clerical error on their part, but I am no longer taking any chances. Save your money.

Posted 01/21/09

I was very excited to find this place considering that you can count on one hand the number of nice, upscale and fab-tasting restaurants there are in the northend. (and by one hand, I mean one finger)

There were a few aspects that my husband and I loved about the place:
1. Ambience-beautiful building, warm, inviting, romantic, spacious
2. Free valet parking
3. Although limited, nice menu selection
4. Very good dessert (butternut squash bread pudding)

Unfortunately there were more aspects we did not like which are key:
1. Waitress was aloof, not very friendly
2. No fresh bread? Perhaps it's because of the economy, but if I go to a fine dining restaurant I expect a some homemade bread and olive oil-or something along those lines.
3. I had to ask for a water refill-although once I did, our waitress was on top of it the rest of the night
4. Both my husband and my dishes were underseasoned-we had the mushroom risotto and boar ragu. Tasted better once I asked for salt and pepper. Which reminds me-fresh ground pepper wasn't offered by our waitress until I asked for it. Or fresh parmesean for that matter.
5. They were out of a couple of items on the menu

Maybe we came on an off night, but I went away disappointed. As an avid foodie and one who was on a very special night out (about to have a baby, so it was my husband and my last romantic night out before we give birth) I expected a lot more from this restaurant. I know I can be critical but for me if I go to fine dining establishment I expect a lot. Bland food and a distracted watiress don't figure into that equation for me.

Pros: ambience, valet parking

Cons: bland food, aloof & distracted waitress

Posted 11/22/08

And it is right in little old Kenmore, where I live! We have been once so far and totally enjoyed all aspects of the experience. The atmosphere is relaxing and spacious, the food is exciting and prepared to perfection, and our server was great.

Please try this establishment and you won't be disappointed. We need to keep this restaurant in the North shore!!!
Dave

Pros: Northshore

Cons: None

Posted 11/04/08

After moving from the city to Kenmore, we continually wondered "will there ever be anything to eat out here?" This new addition to the neighborhood is yet to dissapoint. We have been several times, have shared the experience with friends, and everyone comes away with rave reviews (and not just because there is nothing else to eat out here, except the Yakima Fruit Market, which is right next door).
Positives: Friendly, knowledgeable service
Wide variety of well prepared foods in a comfortable range of prices ($4-$30)
Great local wine list, fabulous brunch
TRY: Polenta Tots (wish they had a variety of dipping sauces though)
Wild Boar Ragu, Yellow Beet Salad w Custard, DESSERT!! The pile of French Toast is the star of brunch!
SKIP: Caesar Salad (they do not have anchovies), Gnocchi (sort of bland)
We enjoy eating in the bar area, to us it is more comfortable than the restaurant. Restaurant area is a bit formal, brightly lit and echos a bit so keep thebar area in mind.

Posted 10/22/08

I had dinner here last Saturday evening with a group of friends and it was amazing! We started with a beautiful Rose sparkling wine made of Pinot Noir with the house-roasted almonds, house-cured olives, and the polenta tots. All were excellent and the right price ($3, $4 and $5 for the snacks)! We all had great starters of soup (Butternut Squash) or salad (Grilled Caesar seemed to be the favorite although the pork belly was a close second). For entrees, the Wild Boar was clearly the favorite, but I thought the gnocchi was delicious (and very inexpensive). Don't miss the goat cheese fritters with the honey lavender ice cream for dessert. Really, don't.

The restaurant is super cozy and warm, set in a beautifully restored craftsman home. The bar is perfect for a glass of wine and some pulled pork sliders (we didn't try them but we will next time). The menu is very reasonably priced and the staff was friendly (but also knew when to leave us alone).

Pros: Fireplaces and candles, free valet parking on the weekends

Cons: located in Bothell

Posted 10/16/08

I had the opportunity to eat dinner and brunch here, both twice. I've enjoyed everything I've had a chance to try and the service has always been outstanding. From being greeted at the door until I left, the staff was friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable. There were answers for any question I had or concerns I had about food contents (there are some things I cannot eat). The food and the presentation are incredible. Great combinations of unusual flavors that you would never think of but they work! Go when you are ready to take some time to sit back enjoy the atmosphere, try new and different taste treats, have some great wine, and don't forget dessert!

Posted 10/09/08

We chose this restaurant based on a couple of good reviews on city search. We arrived at the restaurant and it had a nice atmosphere but was completely empty. We ordered our appetizers and wine which came and we then ordered our entrees. We took our time with the waitress to ask about the selection. The waitress took down the order and later came back with two of the four orders wrong. We were surprised and asked her why did we get the wrong order. She at first insisted that these is what was ordered, then she said that the two items that were ordered were no longer available on the menu and that she brought an entree that is close to what what ordered (it was not remotely close!) We later asked if the two in our group that got the 'wrong' order could be compensated with dessert she left and came back and said that they can not do that.
This is a new restaurant and careful consideration for the service is key. The fact that this was considered acceptable, with no attempt to correct the issue says alot.

Posted 10/07/08

Everything about this place is fantastic- the food, the service, and the atmosphere. It is truly elegant and romantic without being fussy and pretentious. The pricing is incredibly reasonable too! I highly recommend the Polenta Tots (I think about them daily!) and anything on the dessert menu. This is a truly remarkable restaurant!

Posted 09/21/08

It's hard to believe this incredible restaurant has only been open a few days. The food, service, wine list, ambiance was fabulous. Not a flaw to be found. I can't wait to go back! What a gem!

Pros: Free valet service

Posted 09/06/08

My husband and I have been awaiting the opening of Preservation Kitchen eagerly, since we saw the signs in July and read about their philosphy regarding local foods and seasonal ingredients. We went to dinner on Friday night, just 4 days after their opening. We were not disappointed. The building itself, an old brick home, has been brought back to it's former beauty (back in the days of Gerard de Lyon and Gerard's) but with plenty of fresh new twists. It's warm and inviting and better yet, the chairs are very comfortable. The staff was gracious and welcoming and our waitress Marcella was very professional and friendly. We started our meal with a cocktail and the dungeness stuffed calamari. Delicious! We then shared a salad of heirloom tomatoes with fresh mozzarella and sweet onions. This dish highlighted the use of the very best fresh ingredients and letting them speak for themselves. The salad was very lightly dressed with olive oil, salt and pepper and a sprinkling of basil. The tomatoes were bursting with the amazing flavor that only a late summer tomato can have. Perfect with the fresh creamy mozzarella. For the main course I had the wild mushroom risotto and my husband the the raq (spelled oddly because the correct spelling is considered an inappropriate word by CitySearch) of wild boar. They were both excellent. We enjoyed a bottle of Des Voigne 2006 The Duke red wine, a delicious blend from a local winery which went very well with both our dinners. And at 45.00 for the bottle it was an excellent value as well. By taking some leftovers home (packed in biodegradable containers) we left enough room for some dessert. We were very happy we had. We shared the goat cheese fritters with honey lavender ice cream and pear concasse. Wow. I mean really, WOW. We were visited during the course of our meal by the sommelier and chef and they were both very friendly and welcoming. Needless to say, we'll visit this local gem regularly.

Posted 09/05/08

My husband and I always complain that there isn't anywhere to eat in the Northend - we were excited to hear that a new restaurant was opening in the brick mansion that used to house "Gerard's".
We visited "Preservation Kitchen" on their second night open and were greeted by a very friendly and professional staff and many warm smiling faces.
It is apparent that the new owners have done a lot of work to the building - we found the restaurant to be very cozy, inviting and beautiful.
We were seated in their "front dining room" with hardwood floors, and while skimming the wine list we were greeted with a little "amuse" of smoked salmon and capers on top of a crostini with some sort of delicious aioli sauce. It was a nice way to start our evening!

We each started with a glass of wine - I had a pinot noir ($11) and my husband had an excellent glass of syrah for only $8. Bottle prices were refreshing as they seemed to be about $10-$15 over what they would be in your local wine shop or winery.
We ordered the Dungeoness Crab stuffed Calamari and Polenta Tots to start and were pleasantly surprised by the serving size and flavor of each dish.
House Salads followed at $5 a piece and were so delicious!

Our server, Marcella, didn't rush us at all, she took the time to answer our questions, and the wine manager came over to help us make a selection of wine to accommodate our "Wild Boar Ragu" and "Ribeye Steak". We decided on Brian Carter Cellars "Tutterosso" ($45/Bottle) which paired seamlessly with both dishes.

Our dinner entrees were unbelievable! Chef Ivan came out to see how we were doing and we raved to him about the food.
If they can keep up this high level of food consistently, they will have a home RUN!

We didn't have room for dessert but we plan on returning very soon for "Fried Apple Pie".

So there you have it - the secret is out - the Northend finally has a dining spot that could give most Seattle restaurants a run for their money!

Pros: food, wine, service

Cons: Parking, but they do have free valet

Posted 09/03/08