After hearing for years about Canlis's reputation, and reading favorable reviews, we were expecting a truly special fine dining experience. Nothing about our evening was bad, but nothing about it was really outstanding, either. \r
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Service was friendly and very polite but slow. The waiter was slow in refilling wine and forgot one of the desserts we ordered. The food was just mediocre, especially when compared with other ""fine dining"" restaurants. Both my husband's lamb and my halibut arrived overcooked. The waiter did graciously send both plates back, and when we got new plates, they were both perfectly cooked. The lamb was a very nice cut, and the Israeli couscous that came with it was tasty, too. My halibut was fine, but nothing special, and I think better seafood can be had at any number of places in Seattle. The mango, avocado, and prawn salad was great. Canlis salad was decent. The Grand Marnier souffle was very good, but again, not exceptional. When spending over $200 for dinner for two, I think the experience should be a lot closer to perfection than this one was. \r
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Finally, the valet parking is a nice service, but the $5 charge for it was an unpleasant surprise. Maybe this sounds nitpicky, but when you have no choice but to valet, and you're spending so much on dinner, the $5 valet charge just felt like being nickel and dimed. \r
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Bottom line -- great view, gracious but slow service, average food.
Pros: Beautiful view, gracious service, extensive wine list
Cons: Mediocre food, slow service
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