Barking Frog

The Barking Frog is located next to The Herbfarm and Red Hook, in the south-west corner of Woodinville near the wineries. The Spirit of Washington train stops just across Red Hook from it, and there's a corporate team-building jungle gym (or used to be) behind it. It's right on the Burke Gilman (sp?) trail. Why do you care? Because this place felt to me more about image than about experience. What's Right? Pretty good, creative food. Some unusual luxury items, e.g. Kobe Beef burgers (which kinda miss the point of Kobe which is that it is exceptionally tender; you don't NEED to grind it!) Good wine selection. So what's my beef? The building is large, open, cement-floored, arched, with a fire in the centre. Not much sound baffling, not much by way of dining-space division. Everybody is on-show. And a lot of the people, the food, the presentation, are for show. The prices reflect the goal too. Service is decently prompt, but doesn't feel as friendly as pretty much anywhere else in Woodinville. This would work a lot better as a dinner before going to see a play or other cultural event, when you're gussied up anyhow and going to be around people. But for a quiet semi-private dinner, not so much. The lunch experience is better, less pretentious, a bit less expensive, and the food is still good. more

I adore Willows Lodge and I love this resturant. I've probably eaten there 10 or so times and loved it every time. Romantic atmosphere, great food, good service. . . And nowhere near Seattle! For those of us who live on the East Side-- You can't beat that! more

We were meeting some friends at Forecaster’s at the Red Hook Brewery when we discovered the Barking Frog. As it turns out Forecaster’s was packed and we opted to give the Barking Frog a try. Located right next door to the brewery and across the street from the Chateau Ste. Michelle winery, the Barking Frog adds a needed fine dining option to end your day of wine or beer tasting. We, however, had just been planning to grab a few beers and some pub food at Forecasters’ and had dressed and set our budget expectations accordingly. When I saw the high end décor in the Frog I thought we might be out of our price range for the evening and upon seeing the menu I was sure of it. What impressed me about the Frog was not the swanky-ness of the place but the grace and style the wait staff showed in dealing us. They didn’t blink when we quickly and awkwardly down-shifted from dinner to drinks and never showed us the slightest disrespect despite the jeans and t-shirts we were wearing. One of the things I love about Seattle is the lack of pretension but still the love of the finer things in life and I was happy to see this common sense alive and well out in Woodinville. more