Canlis is a large place on a hill overlooking Seattle. The interior and view from the windows is spectacular. The interior is filled with stone and wood with windows along many sides to enjoy the view. The tables are on different levels so all can look out. The well spaced good sized tables are covered with white clothes and matching napkins. Lighting is lowered and live piano music is in the background. The piano is in the bar which is the first part of the building and short barriers provide privacy as well as good sound dampening, but the lovely sounds surrounds all. The menu is a fixed price for 4 course with a 20% service charge added to all bills. Each of the 4 courses has 5 choices. Service was excellent, attentive without being intrusive and the meal pacing was good – not too fast or too slow. Portion control was also good.
A first snack was sugar pie pumpkin that had been browned in butter and then served with a pecan milk foam. The pumpkin was thinly sliced and crisp. It was good.
Next there were 2 snacks – a buckwheat crisp and sourdough pancake. The crisp was filled with a purée that was yummy and the exterior was nicely crisp. The pancake was in a ball shape and topped with salmon eggs. It was filled with smoked salmon and cream cheese. It was good.
Bread service was a foccacia with nutritional yeast. It was chewy and doughy and served with really tasty butter.
Our table had a couple different first courses. The Canlis Salad is from a great grandmother’s recipe and bacon, mint and lemon are mixed with lettuces. It was full of flavors and textures.
Chawanmushi is a Japanese egg custard and this one was mixed with matsutake mushrooms and geoduck.
On the second courses we tried the Haiga Rice which was in a brown butter dashi with Dungeness crab, fried chili and hazelnuts. It was full of flavor and the sweet crab blended well with the perfect rice. Wonderful.
Spot Prawns were plated with spinach, kohlrabi and a sauce of shellfish, sea lettuce and chicken jus. The prawns were barely cooked and great.
There was a Rabbit that came with Yoshoku potatoes, buttermilk and herbs from the garden that we didn’t order but the server was nice enough to bring us a plate with some small bites that we could try. The meat was moist and fried to a perfect crisp. It was terrific.
For the main course we tried the Pork that was plated with roasted winter Luxury Squash, quince jam and pumpkin seed gomashio.
The Lamb was dry-aged leg and belly with cauliflower and mustard greens cooked in quince vinegar. It was very good.
Soufflé was with orange curacao, creme anglaise and warm madeleines on the side. It was creamy, light and delicious. The madeleines were buttery and a great accompaniment.
Aged cheddar and apple was with French toast, apple chutney, yogurt ice cream and Petit Pomerol cheddar.
Sweet Potato was made with Japanese sweet potato with bee pollen garam, yuzu sherbet and cocoa butter cake.
Peach was made with yellow peach sorbet, fried triticale crispies, caramel gel and lemon confit.
Final treats were caneles, fig, thyme and yogurt macarons, and chocolates.
