Barking Frog

LOVE The Barking Frog!!! Had the tasting menu which was exquisite!!! Some of my favorites... the Grand Marnier Prawns - too die for! - and there was a dish, I can't remember the name but it was a piece of Ahi and a house-smoked short rib. Honestly, I could have eaten the ahi and rib again for dessert - it was amazing!!! The wine was also fabulous. Top notch food and excellent service, not too stuffy, FABULOUS!!!!

Posted 10/07/09

We don't quite know what to say about this restaurant. The food is quite extraordinary almost worth the price charged. Definitely not geared to a dinner for 2. It appears they cater to company dinners from conferences held at Willows. These tables for 2 are maybe 18 inches apart. There was a party of 20 & several parties of 6-8 and the noise level was horrendous, we were 3 feet apart & had to really raise our voices to be heard. Due to the large parties, our waiter had the 20 top, service was really terrible, finally a food deliverer took pity on us and asked if we needed anything and brought us water & drinks. Maybe during the weekend would be better. We were there on a Friday night. Again, we had trout & beef cheeks, both really good. Not what we expected for ambiance.

Posted 11/06/08

We had a great night there. The food was very favorful, the server was professional but not stuffy, and the wine list was good. Don't go there if you are in a hurry or don't want to spend 70.00 plus for dinner. But if you want a good dinning experience, I think it's in the top 10 in the Seattle area, and I eat out a lot.

Pros: A really great night out

Cons: expect to pay for a quality night

Posted 11/25/07

We came to the Barking Frog for our 25th anniversary with great expectations. The evening started off great - stylish room and a pleasant server who made an excellent wine recommendation. It all went for a dumper though when I had the gall to send back my raw pork chop for more cooking. The guy on the grill is obviously a passive/agrressive, because instead of cooking and re-plating my meal like you would expect from a first rate establishment, the plate came back with the pork sliced into 3 pieces and grilled black .. no cutlery. I guess he figured that would teach me. I did not eat the dinner and my husband ate his cold by the time I had a plate. The server then became defensive and avoided the table for the rest of the evening ... we had to pour our own wine and plead for coffee at the end 3 hours later! No one offered to adjust the bill or even said goodbye when we left. What a bunch of amateurs. There are many more deserving places to drop your $200.00 + per couple ... give this place a big pass. We re-celebrated our anniversary the following day at Mistral and it was fabulous.

Posted 09/10/07

My brother and & stumbled upon here. We had heard great things and the food was good but...... worst service ever. The hostess was a snot, the server was too. Maybe you missed it but the guest it what your there 4. Oh and by the way most of us do have money to spend when we go out..........

Pros: Good Food

Cons: Rude service

Posted 08/31/07

The Barking Frog is amazing. I brought my father here for his birthday and we did the tasting menu, a big splurge but so worth it! Each course was fabulous and paired with the most amazing wines! The service was so good, everyone was so attentive and knew all of the answers to all of my father's questions. The Chef even came over and wished him a happy birthday. It is definitely a cozy, romantic environment and would not be the best place for groups larger than about 10 or so. But I can see returning again with a small group of friends. As for previous complaints about it not being kid friendly, when I went there were a couple of well behaved children they had children's menu's for them to color on and kid's cups, so it is certainly family friendly. Its fine dining at its best with none of the snobbishness.

Pros: Service, quality, ambience

Cons: parking, not good for large groups, not good if you are in a rush

Posted 08/22/07

I can't believe that any of these people had a bad time at the Barking Frog! The food is amazing and the staff so friendly and helpful. It's so unpretencious - and comfortable. I dine there at least once a month and have never had a bad experience. They are always willing to correct an item if inproperly uncooked or if something goes awry. Their bar in the hotel is a fun place too - great wine and fun finger foods.
The bad review people can't afford the place - get over it.

Posted 07/24/07

My husband and I were visiting the area from North Carolina and we wanted to go to some of the best restaurants in the area. We both love fine food and wine. After reading about the Barking Frog we made our reservations before we left for our trip. What a dissapointment! The service was good, but the food was terrible. We had the tasting menu that night. Most of the food was cold. The shrimp was very overcooked and the one scallop we got was almost raw. The dessert was terrible. The raspberries were bitter and the rest had no flavor. This was a huge disappointment with a $210 bill + tax and tip. We thought this would be a highlight and ended up being the biggest dissapointment of our trip.

Posted 07/22/07

We went to the Barking Frog last week. I love their food. We ordered a bottle of wine. Here comes this guy, so full of himself. I could drive across the bridge for this kind. I know it's hard to believe but just because I am spending $50 for a bottle, doesn't make me a complete idiot. Good food, get cocktails instead.

Posted 06/04/07

A group of friends tried Barking Frog recently as part of the 25 for $25 promotion. We've been several times before, and were a little disappointed the last few times (after initially being blown away). I'm happy to say our visit this time was excellent.

Great service, excellent food, and a warm, bustling ambience - all perfect for a wet and blustery winter evening. Our waitress was friendly, and did a great job decanting and pouring wine throughout the meal, and our food arrived promptly. One of our party was a vegetarian and they offered a great vegetarian pasta dish using the fresh noodles served with the tuna entree, but with a slightly altered sauce.

While my appetizer of grilled prawns in a Grand Marnier flavoured sauce was good, the stand-out items for me this time were the seared coriander-encrusted ahi tuna entree and the chocolate dessert. The pasta served with the tuna was amazing - freshly made and perfectly cooked, with a delicious sauce. The tuna was perfectly seared and rare on the inside. The dessert it a nice micture of rich chocolate cake with a rich chocolate mousse/icing on top, and a refreshing sorbet on the side.

Portion sizes were also impressive - you shouldn't leave hungry, but won't be stuffed either.

Definitely worth a return visit out of the 25/$25 promotion

Pros: ambience, food, service, parking

Posted 11/14/06

Nice place but the service is very slow and the food is average. I will not go there again. Nothing special.

Pros: location

Cons: Service

Posted 11/05/06

My Mom and I happenstance across this lovely place one day when driving around in the countryside. We wondered in for lunch and go back for every Mother/Daughter reason we can find. We find it to be our oasis away from it all. We always enjoy the variety of menu selection from season to season along with the ever changing, but quality wine list. I think it's the small details that we love the best, from pulling the table out so my handicapped Mom can sit and stand without incident or embarrassment to the special tea bags (so great and cute I searched them out and bought my Mom the entire ensemble). They always make us feel welcome, special and happy that we spent our hard earned money there. The surprises are in the details, the service, the selection, the tastes and the treasures. Thanks for many great memories and those I'm sure to make in the future.

Pros: The entire package

Cons: Hum? That the handicapped parking is not closer to the door?

Posted 11/01/06

My fiancee and I stopped in during wine tasting for a casual lunch and we were thoroughly impressed. The service was excellent. I never had an empty glass of water. I ordered what I thought would be a good Kobe beef burger. It turned out to be the best burger I ever had. The gorgonzola and tender beef along with the shoestring fries were awesome. The chicken with ravioli that my fiancee had was cooked perfectly and delicious. We were thoroughly impressed by our impromptu lunch.

Pros: Great food, Great service

Cons: Pricey

Posted 05/04/06

After spending the evening at Barking Frog I have nothing but good to say. The staff was friendly, courteous, and very attentive. They knew we were celebrating our anniversary and they made a point of mentioning it several times throughout the evening (including a chocolate sauce message on our dessert plate). The menu isnt long but still holds a nice selection of choices, and the food was amazing. Our pannacotta appetizer was a nice start, and the northwest fillet was unbelievable. If the menu is on the short side, the wine list is anything but, it being filled with a great selection of northwest choices. The values were surprising as well. The Woodward Canyon Cabernet we enjoyed ($60) was just over suggested retail; not what you expect at a restaurant. Overall a memorable evening of great food, wine, and service; we look forward to our next visit. Highly recommended.

Pros: food, service, wine list

Posted 10/09/05

Our group of 6 stuggled to hear each other over the noise. I had the carrot and ginger soup, the asparagus and morel pot pie, and the coconut flan for dessert. The soup was good, but missed being great: It was a little cold, the mini crab cake was also cold and didn't pair well with the soup. The pot pie was disappointing - woody asparagus (underdone), tasty sauce but a bit floury. The "pot pie" was more like a puff pastry "sandwich"; the pastry ended up getting soggy under the sauce. The flan was disappointing: I couldn't taste any coconut, instead a strong taste of canned milk.
My glass of wine was great (O'Reilly's Pinot Grigio, $10). Their wine list is long,but not cheap. It's a pity they don't show off their wines more during 25/$25 by offering a flight of wine.

Posted 03/20/05

I had dinner the Bark Frog last night for the first time and took advantage of the 25 for $25 promotion. The dinner itself was good. I went with the prawn appetizer which was excellent, seared halibut - cooked to perfection and fallen chocolate soufflé.
The portions were pretty small (the prawn appetizer for example, was 3 prawns) but after 3 courses and bread, I was just satisfied and full - not stuffed. The wait staff was totally on top of things and we didn't have to ask for anything - not more bread, not more anything. The service was totally impressive. The place lacks atmosphere (seemed cold, non-cozy and bordering on corporate) which would be my only real critique. I'd visit the Barking Frog again.

Posted 03/09/05

Came to the BFrog for the 25 for $25 offer. This was my second effort with this offer and I again found the food disappointing. Apparently local eateries put their very worst foot forward for this...
Reservations were only available at 5:30 p.m. and 8:50 p.m. so we chose the 5:30 a.m. - we had to work tomorrow. I ws seated promptly - the place was empty. Had a choice of one of three starters, one of three entrees and one of three desserts. Food was okay, but not stellar. Wine is outrageously priced by the glass. JWould order off the regular menu next time...if there is a next time.

Pros: Ambience, Wine selection, Service

Cons: , Promotional menu, Price again

Posted 11/17/04

I was very impressed by my recent dining experience and food at the Barking Frog. Though a bit of a distance from its competitors in the Seattle area, this restaurant sucesfully soared above with an innovative and creative menu (the 5 course tasting menu was impressive.) They wowed us with user friendly service and an amazing wine list to top it off. Expensive, but truely unique and worth a trip out to Woodinville!

Pros: Food!, Wine!, Service!

Posted 11/16/04

The food here is excellent in terms of both quality and presentation and they have a better than average wine list (although it is organized in a way that only neophytes will enjoy). The service is also very good. However, this is not a spot for romance or serious table talk. Part of the problem is tables so long that you are much closer to the persons at adjacent tables than you are to your own dinner companion. Even worse, the decor is all hard surfaces like one would expect in Belltown (where the same food costs half as much). Through the constant din, it is very difficult to carry on a conversation. Some diners just give up, but others respond by talking loudly, thereby making the noise level worse for other diners.

Pros: service, quality ingredients, presentation

Cons: , over-priced, amateur wine list

Posted 10/26/04

We thought it would be busier on Cinco de Mayo, but we practically had the place to ourselves for dinner. You could guess, then, that the service was fantastic. We decided to go all-out and get the tasting menu paired with local wines, and it was definitely a good choice!

If you don't want to pay as much for the Herbfarm next door, but want food that's just as good, the Barking Frog is a great choice. Their wines were expertly paired, the food was all made with fresh ingredients (many or all of them grown locally) and the service was fantastic - my water glass was never empty (nor was my wine glass :)

We ate at the Barking Frog while staying at Willows Lodge (right next door) and their room service is just as great! Try the fries with bleu cheese and ketchup - yum!

Pros: fresh, local food, extensive wine list, interesting decor

Cons: , can get busy!

Posted 06/20/04

Fabulous getaway meal for Seattle folks. I've had both lunch and dinner at the Barking Frog and found both very well prepared and presented. Lunch was a simple crab salad with a light use of dressing. Dinner was for the 25 for $25 and it was also very tasty. A great place for a casual lunch or a slightly more dressy dinner. Good to take out-of-town guests while touring some of the wineries and the brewery. Lunch was easy to find seating but recommend reservations for dinner.

Pros: good value, nice decor, getaway from city

Cons: bit of a drive

Posted 07/23/03

I recommend The Barking Frog for anyone wanting to celebrate out in wine country...it is a nice place with good food, the major down side is that it is terribly overpriced. When the service is on the ball, it can be a great experience.

Pros: good food, unique, wine list, service very helpful

Cons: $$$$

Posted 06/29/03

The food at the Barking Frog was okay. We came for breakfast after biking. The Dungeness crab cakes was great and the Chicken apple sausages were exceptional as well. But, the service was another question. The restaurant's hostess was a snob and "hid" us in the corner of the restaurant. Our waiter even served us sugar cubes in a napkin, which I think is unacceptable considering it is an upscale restuarant.

Pros: great food, ambiance, location

Cons: snobbish staff

Posted 06/26/03

Great presentation and very tasty. Tends to lean to the traditional/classical side ,however, and lacks originality and flair.

Pros: Ambiance, Service

Cons: Price

Posted 02/15/03

It's close to the Red Hook Brewery. I must say it was some what hard to find but completely well worth the trip. I would recommend this place to anyone. Special occations and such are a must but I do worn you it is pricy.
Just try it once you would thank me!

Pros: Exquisite food

Cons: A bit expensive

Posted 01/16/03

It's tough to live in the shadow of the Herbfarm. The Frog has decent food, but for the prices, most dishes aren't worth it. Their soups are great for a chilly night and the desserts are quite lovely, but we weren't impressed with the main courses -- the tuna was a bit overcooked and the flavors seemed a little uninspired for the amount of hype surrounding this place. The wine list is the only real impressive aspect of the restaurant; next time I may just go for some wine and top it off with one of their rich desserts.

Pros: great service, rich desserts, wine! wine! wine!!!

Cons: so-so main courses, overhyped

Posted 12/04/02

Quite simply, this is some of the best food available in the Seattle area. It beats many of the popular downtown restaurants hands down, and the fun of going out to Woodinville for a good meal adds to the experience. The food has been excellent every time visited. Consider the tasting menu if you're up for it. Otherwise, don't hesitate to ask for suggestions from your waiter, or the sous chef who is often out on the floor. If you'd rather choose your dishes yourself, consider the scallops, lamb, tenderloin, or sea bass. Desserts have also improved considerably in the past couple of years. Wine selection is also nice. Price can be high, but on a good night it's more than worth it. Atmosphere is comfortable, but can get noisy when crowded.

Pros: food, food... yes, again!, location

Cons: can be pricey, noisy, but acceptably

Posted 11/14/02

I took a friend from San Francisco to the Barking Frog for his birthday. He is a major foodie, always talking about how restaurants are outstanding in San Fran. I was eager to show him what NW cuisine is like. My friend was wowed. The extensive wine list (with helpful hints for those unsure of how to choose) alone impressed him. Then the food. Oh man. We did a tasting menu and almost did ourselves in! Beef tenderloin rubbed with foie gras. Holy moly. Never met a foie gras I didn't like, but never had it like this, yum. The sea bass was excellent as was the Grilled Ahi. The lamb was heaven on earth. Dessert was rough because we were so full, but we powered through. Blackberry cobbler, and some kind of glorious chocolate death. Great food and a lively atmosphere.

Pros: Fabulous food, Warm atmosphere, Helpful staff

Posted 11/13/02

My wife and I dined here a couple of Saturdays ago. The ambience is very pleasant, casual yet upscale. Our particular server was very genial and knowledgeable, and the food was quite good. We're very familiar with and accustomed to high price tags for a particularly good food experience; paying $150 and more doesn't frighten us. But in the case of this restaurant, it's overpriced. With a $47 bottle of wine, plus tax and gratuity, we paid about $200. A tab of $130-150 would've been more reasonable.

Pros: Service, Ambience

Cons: Price

Posted 11/01/02

I'm not sure if that last person who reviewed the Barking Frog actually went there. I have had dinner at the Frog about 5 times now and I find it better each visit. True, they are mixing elegant service style in a more casual enviroment but they pull it off and they pull it off in a big way. The chef and his staff are completely user freindly with the menu and the wine list. I will be heading back next week and can not hardly wait. Bon Appetite

Pros: Location, Ambience

Cons: Hard to get resevatio

Posted 08/23/02

Where can you go for a nice dinner with a cozy atmosphere and a beautiful setting? The Barking Frog in Woodinville is all of those and more.

Last night, for my first anniversary, my husband and I went to the Barking Frog for our second time. Our waiter was very helpful, the wine list extensive. Once again, the well-portioned entrees were fabulous and the prices reasonable.

Take the time to visit this wonderful restaurant for your next special event or just because. Try, my favorite, the Grand Marnier Prawns for starters and leave room for dessert!

Pros: Good Parking, Huge Wine List, Great Service

Posted 07/28/02

There were many wonderful things about Barking Frog considering we came in without a reservation on a Friday night. Not only did we get seated at the wonderful round table by the fireplace, but we received excellent service. The tenderloin and potatoes were phenomenal, and will definitely bring me back for more. The manager and wait staff were friendly, helpful and full of personality. We'll be back for sure!!

Posted 07/04/02

I went there for dinner and it was excellent. I had the tenderloin & potatoes w/blue cheese gratin. I have not seen desserts like theirs. Molten chocolate cake was to die for.

Pros: ambiance, food, service

Cons: bigger menu, very busy, separate area for bar

Posted 06/16/02