WineLovers Discussion Group

What a great idea of Tom's to create a meeting place like that--restaurant intimacy and quality with business practicality. How novel.

Yes, I definitely remember the original Wild Ginger. I was living in Alaska but frequently flying in/out of Seattle for various professional services not available at home. I know I've never been so enamored of a restaurant in my life--we'd go straight there from the airport for lunch. Ritualistically, that meal would always be a whole crab Burmese curry and whatever other seafood dishes we fancied with a Gunderloch Spatlese, and then we'd return for dinner and order meat curries and a California Zinfandel. It was there that I tasted my first Rafanelli Zin. The impressions the restaurant left on me are, obviously, indelible; and the new space, both before and after expansion, has fed me well a time or three but never quite met the standards routinely set by the original.

And yes, I accept it as normal for this to happen. But I don't have to like it.

I've lived in Seattle for the better part of my adult (~20 years). We just moved to Brooklyn, NY but just made a trip back to Seattle last week. Here are my two cents:

Wild Ginger - overrated
Salumi - fantastic salami, great lunch spot (only open weekdays lunch hours)
Lark - small plates, excellent but concise wine list, lots of NW wines, very knowledgable wait staff
Harvest Vine - just went, Spanish tapas, some of the best food in Seattle, mostly spanish wines, long list and knowledgable wait staff
I Love Sushi - excellent value at lunch, fantastic sushi, not suprisingly not so much for wine
Matt's in the Market is another solid, very small restaurant... not sure about their wine list

Pete's on Eastlake and Esquin in S. Seattle on 4th Ave S are great for purchasing NW wines. Esquin will usually come up with the packaging if you want to ship/fly your wine home. Pete's has slighly better prices.

Have a great trip!

Christy - It sounds like we were making our trips back at the same time. You weren't flying Southwest, were you? Perhaps our paths crossed

We decided to definitely go someplace we hadn't been before - that knocked off 85% of my list, which helped. We ended up at the Harvest Vine, which we all decided was the best restaurant experience we'd ever had. Thanks to Gary B. for reminding me that it was on our "must go" list. Excellent food, friendly environment, lots of good wine advice - great time all around.

We went to our favorite wine seller in our old neighborhood (Bear at West Seattle Cellars) who helped us empty our pockets for all my favorite Walla Walla syrahs and Oregon pinots.

After that we mostly just gorged on Thai food and Starbucks in between visiting all the old gang.

Thanks everyone for all the suggestions and discussion!

Laura Brand-Bauer wrote:We decided to definitely go someplace we hadn't been before - that knocked off 85% of my list, which helped. We ended up at the Harvest Vine, which we all decided was the best restaurant experience we'd ever had. Thanks to Gary B. for reminding me that it was on our "must go" list. Excellent food, friendly environment, lots of good wine advice - great time all around.

Well, I am quite tickled that you so enjoyed the Harvest Vine, but the real thanks should go out to the WLDG-FLDG community whence the original recommendation came.

Parking is fun there, isn't it?

Parking anywhere in Seattle can be an adventure. We used to joke that in Seattle if you see a parking space you just take it, regardless. Magically, we found rock star parking directly behind the Harvest Vine.

So thanks, then, to the whole WLDG and FLDG for conspiring to provide us with such a wonderful evening

Sounds like you did what any self-respecting former Seattlite would do...

Laura Brand-Bauer wrote: After that we mostly just gorged on Thai food and Starbucks in between visiting all the old gang.

Nope, our paths probably didn't cross. I was on Delta non-stop. We were at Harvest Vine 10/3 so probably a bit before you were there. Glad to hear you liked Harvest Vine -- good taste buds agree?!

We got a case of wine too at our favorite wine shop. I feel like a child in a candy store, wide eyed and all giddy with excitement when I splurge on a case of good wine. I was tempted to get two but since I haven't started working out here yet I decided to be more fiscally responsible.

- Christy