Seattle Western Cuisine / A Date-Worthy Steakhouse in Bellevue

El Gaucho A steakhouse offering a $65 three-course meal during restaurant week in the Eastside. Usually, they serve a variety of steaks, baked snails, scallops, lobsters, and a budget-friendly happy hour. You don’t necessarily have to wait for restaurant week to enjoy it. The service is impeccable; the waiters are in suits and ties, and they refill your water glass countless times, ensuring it’s never empty. They also promptly change the cutlery before you finish each course. The ambiance is romantic, with candles on the tables and someone playing the piano in the background. 😍🎶 We ordered: 🥩 Steak Frites - $20 A very American happy hour choice. The 6oz steak was divided evenly for two people to share, making it seem even smaller, haha. The fries came with ketchup and a garlic aioli, the black truffle flavor was strong and quite aromatic. 🍟🧄 🦀️ Crab bisque We chose two crab soups for starters. The dungeness crab leg meat was the highlight, enriched with cream, making it thick and creamy. The use of red label whisky added a slight spicy kick, but it was a bit too salty without the bread to balance it out. 🍲🦀 🥩 Top sirloin culotte steak A very thick and less fatty cut compared to the one we had at kokkaku. Ordered medium, it was a perfect medium-rare, with slightly charred edges but still good. The mashed potatoes were aromatic, but the asparagus was nothing special. 🥩🥔 🐟 Wild Alaskan Halibut The wild Alaskan halibut was a bit ordinary and slightly overcooked. The side dishes were spinach and roasted potatoes; the little potatoes were unexpectedly delicious, with a glutinous texture that wasn’t dry. 🐟🍠 🍮 Creme brulee The creme brulee was excellent, apart from being a bit sweet. The top had a thin, crispy caramel layer, and the cold brulee beneath was silky smooth with a slightly runny texture, leaving a strong taste of egginess. 🍮🌟 🍫 Dark Chocolate Ganache A dark chocolate dessert with chantilly and hazelnuts, not too sweet, with the whipped cream on top also not sweet. Ganache is a chocolate-making technique where chocolate and cream are gently heated until completely melted, creating a moist, smooth, and rich chocolate. So, it’s more like a large piece of dark chocolate rather than a cake. It’s intense at first but can become overwhelming, so it’s best shared. 🍫🥛 #LocalFoodSecrets #Seattle #SeattleSurroundings #SeattleFoodExploration #SeattleLife #SeattleFood #SeattleWeekend #SeattleDaily #SeattleDelicious #SeattleDelicious #Seattle #Bellevue #SeattleSteak