Le Gourmand

A great dining experience. The food was absolutely superb. Stinging nettles soup, scallops, pork chops, etc... the sauces were all unique and truly amazing. A very attentive and knowledgeable wait staff. If you're looking for standard fare, don't go here - - if you're looking for a memorable, intimate culinary experience look no further. Would definitely recommend.

Pros: Food, Service, Ambience

Cons: Just a little pricey

Posted 03/20/09

I frequently go out to eat, and I would say that Le Gourmand is one of the best overall dinning experiences I have had. I have heard about Le Gourmand's reputation for years, but hadn't gotten the chance to dine there until a few months ago. I will say I was a little thrown off by the decor when I walked though the door, it was very modern. I guess I was expecting something a little more rustic (like Le Pichet.) But after the initial shock, I understood what all the hype was about. Me and my girlfriend started with a wine cocktail and then went on to the 7 course tasting menu with wine flight. Our host/ sommelier brought us each course and explained the wine pairing with extreme knowledge of what he was doing (obviously a pro.) This was amazing service, and the fact that both me and my girlfriend were by far the youngest people in the restaurant shows they really do care. The service was great, but I go to a restaurant for the food, so as for the tasting menu, it was beautiful. Everything was amazing, and very thought out, from the rhubarb soup to the tea smoked sturgeon. Every course was fallowed by something that complemented the last perfectly, not confusing my taste buds with to much clutter or sudden changes. If you are looking for classic French you might be in for a bit of a twist, but I am sure you will leave happy. All in all I suggest giving Le Gourmand a try especially for the true foodie, and you don't have to deal with the hassle of downtown traffic to get there. Well done guys, and I hope to be in again soon.

Posted 11/22/08

Having to previouisly worked in Le gourmand .. have to say its by far the best place to dine in the entire city, both the ambiance and the food are perfectly matched. It's definetely worth a second visit if you didnt have a pleasant first one.

cheers bruce and sarah

johnny

Posted 11/21/08

The food was experimental at best, but overall it was of "good quality." Service was horribly slow. I realize that most authentic French restaurants are slow, but this takes the cake. Service was plain bad. There are better French restaurants in Seattle. Considering the price of the meals; you don't get what you pay for. This restaurant is NOT RECOMMENDED. Try Voila! Bistro! Better service and Better food.

Pros: Limited number of tables

Cons: Service

Posted 10/05/08

I was in a party of 6 and we had a terrible dining experience. The host/food server was terribly slow at best. The food was bland and the atmosphere was dismal. A large party near our table was also loud and pretty much overruling the entire restaurant's atmosphere. Food was decent, but not as excellent as I had hoped. It did not live up to all the hype. Our party is in agreement that your money is better spent elsewhere.

Pros: Modern decor, White interior, Cool restroom

Cons: Subpar cuisine, almost laughable.

Posted 10/05/08

Food was mediocre. I was with a friend for dinner and service was extremely slow and terrible. We noticed that there was preferential treatment for return guests, but there was no such engagement with new guests. I think you have to be in a "club" to be served well here. The terrible service did not add to the flavor of the foods. Do not even consider going to this restaurant.

Pros: None

Cons: Small, Crowded, Noisy, Unfriendly staff.

Posted 10/05/08

I went here tonight with my partner to celebrate our anniversary. Neither of us had heard of it but I had a gift certificate so I wanted to try. We were very excited when we arrived and were eager to enjoy the leisurely, 7 course menu available. The waiter was very pleasant and knowledgeable about the menu. The food was excellent and we enjoyed it very much. All that being said, we were disappointed with how slow the service was. We were there for 4 hours, just 2 of us. I understand that slow service is good service in France, but this seemed excessive. We would have enjoyed the experience more had the waiter been a little more attentive to us. Instead it felt like we were being ignored over a large party of women next to us. We will probably find another place to enjoy French food next time. Sorry, but Campagne is still my favorite.

Posted 10/01/08

My wife and I recently went there to celebrate her birthday. We started off with the Cur Royale which was great. After that we ordered the salmon and the beef tenderloin. The wine steward was then supposed to suggest a wine for our selection but he had to be pulled away from another customer. It was obvious that we were the youngest couple there and the service reflected it. After getting the recommendations, the bottle was selected but took 20 minutes to be opened and we had to wait to eat our main course. Long but sad story short, the food was good but the service was sub-par.

Pros: Food

Cons: Wine service

Posted 09/20/07

My boyfriend took me to Le Gourmand for my birthday and it was one of the best experiences of our lives. It's small and cozy with romantic decor. I've been to other high end restaurants who serve 7 courses of sweet little nothings, but this food was amazing. To start, the chef used organic, locally grown, and in-season produce. That in itself would be enough for me, but every dish that came was both aromatic and beautiful. The wine was delicious. Even the owner came out to welcome us himself with a little conversation and a very pleasant smile. There's no better place to go for a special, romantic night out than Le Gourmand.

Posted 07/10/07

Going on a long standing recommendation I made reservations for dinner. we were seated promptly with a smile in a nice cozy table. From there the attention was not as consistent. It took a while for our server to come by. We ordered wine, then it took a while for the server to come back to take our order. 3 other tables that were seated after us received bread and water before we were even approached. Once ordered, the food arrived in a reasonable amount of time. It was delicious, however very small portions. We were not checked on during the meal, and now being almost late for our show, we had to quickly request the check and run out. I was hoping for a better experience.

Pros: Good Food

Cons: Slow service, small portions, poor wine recommendations

Posted 06/19/07

This restaurant has some of the best, if not THE best food I have ever eaten anywhere in the WORLD. What a resource for Seattle. We had the tasting menu of seven courses with companion wine flight. Lovingly prepared details like homemade mustard in the salad dressing, the sorbet between courses and duck broth in the nettle soup - just examples, but this is food as art. The cardoons, a cousin of artichokes often served in Italy, were like the essence of artichokes in a heavenly sauce. I am still dreaming of them. The night we were there, the main course was magret, duck breast, and it was melt in the mouth perfect. Dessert was just as described on the site.
The atmosphere is intimate but not stuffy, and the wait staff is perfect: helpful, hip and attentive, personable but not intrusive. Details and decor are lovely. These people put their hearts and souls into this food. Everyone in Seattle who appreciates food should be there. If you don't know about food, they will help you learn, they are not snobbish at all. It is a lot of money, but I would rather save and eat there as best I could - every penny is worth it. There are other options that are more inexpensive than the tasting menu, and I can't wait to try some of them. If you are looking for exquisite food and a wonderful experience, this is the place. I'm going to go save some more money and eat there again!

Pros: Food, service, decor

Cons: none

Posted 06/18/07

One of the best meals of our life! My wife and I went to Le Gourmand for our anniversary, and realistically cannot put the food into words. We splurged for the 7-course meal with the wine paring. The price was worth every ounce of food and wine. The wait-staff was exceptional, the wine steward was one of the best that I have met, the food was perfectly prepared, and the atmosphere was down right cozy. Growing up in a French family, this was the best sauces I have had since Grandma?s cooking. Another item worth mentioning was the quaint little bar adjoining the restaurant.

Pros: Food

Cons: Price?

Posted 02/27/07

The place may be a bit pricey ($40-$50 gets you an entree, appetizer, and small salad; that's before dessert, drinks, tax and tip) but it's certainly worth it for the quality of the food.

The cuisine is traditional French dishes, but with unabashedly Northwest flavors. If you're a strict French traditionalist, or ambience matters a lot to you, you might not be happy; personally, I loved it. My wife and I had the tasting menu (which changes daily), and not only was it exquisite, but the wine pairings were superb.

Service was relatively informal, but precise, attentive, and (almost always) swift.

All in all, definitely the best French food I've had in Seattle.

Posted 05/26/06

...get over it and just enjoy the great food and service!!!!

Posted 04/12/06

im starting to think that people tend to review more frequently when dissappointed to avenge their negative experience, as opposed to laud a job well done. i must charge in to balance the scales. my evening at Le Gourmand was flawless; the server was on target and knowledgeable without being arrogant, and the food was phenomenal, i had the tasting menu. the house special nettle soup is really something else. Naftaly uses a duck stock for richer consistency; saucing is the soul of French cuisine after all, i couldnt find anything comparable in Lyon!

Pros: food , service, food

Cons: cost

Posted 03/18/06

Bruce Naftaly is one of the better, but underestimated chefs in the Seattle area. The basis for French cooking is sauce - Bruce's sauces have depth and character. The freshness of his ingredients, the creative use of fresh herbs, all add to the French inspired influences to everything he does. Other reviewers were critical of cost and even pooh-pooed location. Check the Seattle French dining scene and you will find his cuisine a value - It is not bistro, it is compagne with flair..........and location? Try parking downtown Seattle lately? Foodies with an 'image attitude' need not try this place. You want romance and honest cooking? Dine here.

Posted 08/18/05

I should have read the 13 reviews before going with my folks from out of town. All I saw was the 9.5 rating. How do you arrive at this when (now that I read them) 1/2 of the reviews are below average or less?

The food was organic/local but the prices are too high, esp for the size of the portions. And for the price, the service was very casual. Maybe it was just that night or the gal was new.

It was quiet and conducive to talking with the relatives though. That was nice since they are hard of hearing.

We would not return altho it was good to say we had been there.

Pros: quiet

Cons: food, price, price

Posted 06/07/05

but the rest of trhe meal left me wanting more....especially when I got the bill. My grandmother about marched out when she saw the prices, but we calmer her down with a glass of wine. I could not tell you wha the main dishes were but everything came with a lot of sauce (which was yummy). Did I mention that a melon ball of sorbet is $10....but we would have gone no matter what the reviews were just to know. So now that we have mentioned the resturant.. how about the great bar they have. it is cute, euro with a secret garden and great pricey drinks.

Pros: something new

Posted 10/18/04

I went to dinner here with out of town guests because of the high ratings it receives in Zagats. Our evening/food was very disappointing. The little house is off the beaten path, on the outskirts of Ballard (?). I imagined something sophisticated, but it was more like "cheap chic" in its decor.

The prix-fixe menu is limited which was OK. But we thought that the actual execution was not on target, esp for the money. Not high-style French, not nouvelle, not country cooking. Just vaguely French sounding dishes, but undistinguished.

The tab ended up almost $90/person w/o tip. Reservations are complicated process.

Posted 07/23/04

My husband and I should have heeded the warnings on your site re: the quality of food and experience at Le Gourmand. it is NOT for gourmands, may be for counter-culture people who think they want to try French food. We were there for our anniversary. It was mostly quiet except for the group of casually dressed 8 who were also celebrating something---but loudly.
Food was imprecisely cooked, sauce a bit too sweet and thick, a very long wait between starter and entree. Why??? Service tho well-intended was not crisp or watchful, again, just amateurish. For the price, which is STEEP, cannot recommend you dine here.

Posted 07/04/04

I went there with my husband for birthday dinner. Pluses: quiet, straighforward menu. We enjoyed the quiet ambience and prety country-style room.

Minuses: The prix-fixe menu with limited choices, however, just missed the target at each course. We left with the reaction--"not bad, but not great."...esp for the price.

For a special occasion where you would like fine food and are willing to pay, I would select another restaurant.

Pros: quiet atmosphere

Cons: , the food

Posted 06/17/04

Le Gourmand is an absolute classic. The food is wonderful, the environment is lovely. It is perfection. I love their use of local ingredients and the attention to presentation. It's nothing but the best and the cute new bar is terrific too!!

Posted 05/25/04

My wife and I spent last Friday evening at this restaurant. What a disappointment it was, specially for me, being French and having to eat gooey and cold bread. Her duck was excellent, according to her, but my sole... well, to be honest, I couldn't recognize the fish, nor the sauce.
In conclusion, an expensive restaurant that doesn't deserve to be visited nor experienced.

Posted 03/24/04

stumbled across the place on citysearch, saw a great review for the joint, and got some eats over there. all i can say is that bruce knows how to put it down, fa sho'! they do french like you ain't ever had it before. food was saucilicious. you gots to have no limits and a real appetite when you come up into this place. this place ain't for the cheap pretender...not to mention, having a fine lady with you makes the experience even better.

Posted 06/15/03

Right off, the rabbit pate is the best I've ever had, and the blintzes an excellent match for two. It ain't deviled ham. The main courses were succulent, I had bunny and madam had the boeuf, but there's not enough for a hungry guy. I could have eaten twice as much hare. And no spuds or rice to soak up the outstanding sauce, so I had to eat a lot of bread. For the cost (figure $150 for a couple), I would have preferred more meat. Also, while the sauces were great, the meat itself was rather bland. I don't suppose they'd let me hold down a table just to eat appetizers all night? Yum.

Pros: fine cooking, great people, comfortable setting

Cons: petite portions

Posted 01/23/03

The food is wonderful, some of the finest cuisine Française I've had in Seattle. The restaurant is small and intimate, but it can be too much so if your dining neighbors happen to be boorish. If you're looking for a truly fine dining experience and are willing to spend the money, stop in here.

Posted 01/01/03

I celebrated my last birthday here and was extremely impressed. Our server was incredible and very helpful. The wine selection was outstanding and the food was fresh and tastey. It is the best restaurant I have tried in Ballard! I highly recommend this to everyone!

Posted 10/16/02

Le Gourmand has been discovered by mouth-breathing vulgarians, some of whom sat next to us last night. On the upside, the food was truly excellent. Give yourself three hours, though. They take the duration of French dining seriously.

Pros: Food, Location, Wine

Cons: Vulgarians, Price

Posted 09/25/02

My husband and I celebrated our anniversary there, in July. The service was ridiculous, prancing and preening women, the food was tolerable. Very disappointed as we'd heard good things. Decor shabby chic. Very pretentious. With one bottle of wine and tip our bill was $170. Never again.

Posted 09/17/02

this might be the best restaurant in town. Chef Naftaly is the guiding light of northwest cuisine. Fresh ingredients from local growers--he lists them on the menu. it is the Chez Panisse of Washington. Warm, inviting service, nice wine list.

Posted 07/21/02