Bin On The Lake

After much debate between Bin on the lake or my hotels restaurant, Trellis . I decided to go to Bin on the Lake due to the location. What a huge mistake.\r \r Lets start with the appetizers. Usually , when an establishment has a small menu,they are damn good at executing it. In there case,the appetizers I had there were way over spiced ( the goat cheese with tomato sauce was so spicy and I eat siracha chilli sauce )that it left a bad taste on my pallet or they were way under sauced (the confit duck rolls). For dinner I then ordered the scallops for my wife and the Ahi tuna for myself. The scallops , I will say were cooked perfectly , but the white bean, greens and tomatoe olive oil broth was far from a broth and more like an unappealing mush that was very bitter and did not pair with the scallops at all . My Ahi tuna was a very weird combination on its own. The tuna came with a braised ox tail for a sauce , but it was bland and offered nothing to dip into. The Bin kim chi I will say is good but came on top of a parsnip puree which is not a good vessel to pair with the kimchi. It was almost like two small dishes combined into one. In the end I found the food not worth the high price and left very dissapointed . I actually stopped in the hotel restaurant( trellis) for some mussels and sliders. If anything I would recommend the bar downstairs and not much else., unless you like to leave paying a large tab and unhappy with your choice more

I met a friend in the bar this week and was blown away by my 80 choices for wines by the glass. As if that wasn't difficult enough, I also had to choose if I wanted 1, 3, or 5 ounces of said wine......\r The wine list is more of a ""book with chapters"" with many delicious wines to consider. I started with 3 ounces of Veuve Cliquot Rose', 3 ounces of Caymus Cabernet, another 3 ounces of Waters Bordeaux blend and finished it off with a 5 ounce pour of Cullin Hills ""The Dungeon"" Syrah.\r That equates to 14 ounces of ""good God!""\r As mentioned these wines are kept on a preservation system that regulates pour amounts, temperature, and is said to keep wines fresh for up to 24 days.\r If you are a cork dork at all - you deserve a trip to Bin Vivant to check it out for yourself! Pros: 80 wines by the glass! Beautiful view! Cons: can be a bit pricey more

We made a reservation over one week in advance, but we still had to wait for our table. The hostess then seated us at a table where the outside railing blocked our view, when a table with a better view was available. When we told the waiter we wanted to take advantage of the Dine Around Seattle menu, he instantly became inattentive. We had to ask for basic items such as bread. The food was very good, but I received only three measly little scallops for my entree. When we noted that he left a drink off the bill, instead of comping it as a good server would do, he charged us.\r \r While the food was tasted fine, the entire experience was disappointing. It's extremely expensive for such small portions and poor customer service. Pros: nice view Cons: Extremely expensive, small portions, poor service more

It truly amazes me to read some of the very negative reviews about this fine restauant. I have dined here many times and have never once experience any of the negative things others have written about. Recently had another great experience celebrating my daughter's 30th birthday. Both the food and our server were outstanding as is the view! Is it expensive, yes it is, but I happen to think it's worth it for a special occasion.\r \r We had crab cakes and calimari for appetizers and both were quite good - probably some of the best calimari I've had and I'm not particularly fond of it. My daugter-in-law had the rissotto which she said was great. My son had the tenderlion and I had the Kobe beef tenderloin, which was one of the best steaks I've ever enjoyed. The birthday girl had a Thai seafood grill that she thoroughly enjoyed. All in all another wonderful meal with a server who provided great customer service with a smile. more

Dungeness Crab Cakes : pretty good... \r Ruby Grapefruit Dungeness Crab Risotto : so so... \r Fire Prawns : good... \r Golden Fried Fresh Calamari : ok, not very special...\r Pan Roasted Black Cod : very very good... impressive...\r Berkshire Pork Chop : surprisingly good...\r \r Classic Profiteroles : my friend thought it was great, but I thought it was just ok...\r Burnt Creme-Sicle : so so... Pros: good food Cons: expensive more

We had a wonderful dinner at Yarrow Bay Grill. We sat outside and the view was amazing. The team that served us was just as wonderful. They made recommendations and were totally focused on us have the best meal possible. I will make it a point to eat here every time I am visiting. more

Very gorgeous view of the Seattle Bay. Fresh fish. Delicious lentil soup. VERY high prices. Too high. Weird chocolate sauce on the dessert. I just don't think I'm into very fancy restaurants without concepts. more

We went there on Valentine?s Day ? and what a perfect choice it was. We are newly-weds, and I guess the happiness and romance was written all over our faces :-). The waiter was very professional and sensed the romance in the air and made the evening even more memorable ? she knew when we needed attention and even guessed what we needed before we even asked for it.\r The food was fantastic ? I had the best lamb ever! I complemented the chef on it, and the waiter brought the chef out of the kitchen to introduce to us! It was a very nice and personal touch that does not happen too often! \r The portions, the arrangements, the quality and the variety of food is superb, and if you can get a table with the view of Lake Washington, it hardly can be a more enjoyable experience than that! \r Highly recommend for romantic night out. Pros: Fantastic food, great service, great view more

I frequent this place quite often. They are usually on the 25 for $25 list of restaurants and I have been... more

This is the only place in Seattle or the Eastside that you can sit at a table by the lawn, with incredile views of the lake and no wind whatsoever. I think because this restaurant is in a hotel, not everyone knows it is here. But the food is better than its neighbor restaurants and the ambience excellent. It is the perfect place to sit outside on a warm day and look at the beauty of Lake Washington. As for the food, it is excellent and the menu constantly changes reflecting local ingredients and specialties. Pros: The view is incredible more

This is a great place to bring people from out of town. Most people don't know it even exists. Good food and good service. more

From the amazing food variety, to the great view & service, Yarrow Bay Grill is one of my favorite restaurants in Western Washington. I've been there a couple times for the 25 for $25 value that usually happens in November & March through The Seattle Times. Both times I LOVED the food. Pros: Great Food, Great View Cons: A little Pricey more

Plenty of people visit Seattle with out exploring the Eastside neighborhood of Kirkland,but its well worth the fifteen minute drive. Especially if you plan to send some time at Yarrow Bay Grill which is open for lunch and dinner. YBG provides an upscale menu that appeals to every taste as well as a full service bar. The patio is very nice in good weather but can be a bit busy. Enjoy one of their signiture cocktails along with a view that stretches beyond the downtown skyline to the Olympic Mountains. I recommend making reservations. Pros: A great view Cons: can be a bit busy more

I have been to Waters twice in the past year, both times when the Yarrow Bay Cafe had a long waitlist. You can't beat Waters' location, especially the outdoor seating (check first whether there is a wedding going on, the Woodmark Hotel wedding court is right next to the restaurant patio). Frankly, Waters seems to have a major and ongoing problem in the kitchen. Both times, the wait staff apologized by saying that the kitchen was short-staffed. Apologized for what? Slow service, poorly prepared food, out of specials, you name it. This restaurant is much too expensive to be making this kind of excuse. Pros: Great location Cons: Terrible kitchen more

The restaurant was nearly half empty and we couldn't get seated for 15 minutes. We sat for five minutes without being acknowledged. When we told our server we just wanted coffee and dessert, he sarcastically replied ""How exciting"", grabbed our menus and walked off. When I've visited in the past, the food was good but overpriced. Their desserts are delicious and the press coffee is wonderful (comes with yummy condiments like chocolate shavings and whipped topping). Be prepared for a pretentious environment and service. The staff tries to pretend they are better than the clientele and acts a bit snooty for my taste. Would not return again because of the serviceI am definitely missing out on the coffee, but its not worth it. Pros: Seafood, dessert, and location Cons: Service more

The food was reasonable, the ambience was good, the service was poor. Overall, this is a decent restaurant, but not a great one. You can't make a good restaurant a classy restaurant just by raising prices. Yarrow has the prices of a classy restaurant but does not have the food, ambience or service of a classy restaurant. Pros: OK food Cons: Poor service, Average ambience more

Service was the bottom of pit. Bartender gave me a drink with soap water running inside of cup. I can taste the beer with soap in it. She didn't even apology to me but gave me a look when I pointed out to her. Waiter didn't know how to serve food. They just act busy but not really care for customers. I never go back there again. more

Treated my Parents to a delightful sunset...Pleasant and attentive staff with excellent priority and humble service. Wine was great along with tender roast duck. I would recommend this beautiful experience to any. Please leave children at home! more

Took a relative there for a nice birthday dinner. Food was undercooked (lamb) and rest was overcooked and bland!!! Price was exorbitant!!!! and very small portions.. French cuisine this is NOT.... Sent letter of complaint to them with a letter back with no apoligies. Will NEVER go back there again! Save your money and go to Newport Bay... Pros: View?? Cons: EXPENSIVE, FOOD POOR, SVC SLOW more

This has been the best experience myself and my group of friends have had for 25/$25 this March. The food was impeccable - everyone at our table of 6 raved about their food. I tasted the mushroom ravioli (really good), and had the grilled sturgeon. (Quite an unusual fish, tastes a little like chicken). The dessert selection is the wonderful - you can pick any dessert off their regular menu. I pigged out and had the cheese selection, three great cheeses, generous amounts of each. (Many other places skimp during 25/$25). If you can't decide, get the dessert sampler and try 3 for the same price. The service was wonderful, the ambience is very warm and romantic, and their regular menu prices are decent. more