El Gaucho Bellevue — Restaurant in Bellevue

Overall, it was not okay. I visited expecting the great experience I’ve had before, but it wasn’t the same.

The bottle of wine that was brought out was dry and bitter to the taste as if it was stored improperly. I have tried the same wine few times and I could tell the difference.

Steak that we ordered, Chateaubriand, came out very late. I went in at about 5pm on Thursday with my mother for early mother’s day. The restaurant didn’t seem busy, but the steak took forever to come out, despite that we have placed our order early with ichiban oyster, soup and salad. we got tired of waiting for the food. After waiting for long(about 30-40minues AFTER we finished the oysters, soup and salad) she went to the restroom to kill time. I saw the waiter trying to finally bring out the steak after the long wait, i got excited! but he made a U-turn to put back the steak at the window. I was puzzled at first. I realized that he wanted to wait for my mother to come back to do the great presentation, however I wish they gave us the option and ask us if we want to wait for more for her to come back for the presentation or just prepare the food so she can have it in front of her when she comes back. At least give us an option! so we don’t have to wait more and starve! After waiting few extra minutes for her to come back from restroom, we were watching the waiter cut the steak and prepare in front of us, we were not happy to wait longer. The steak, baked potatoes, tomato and the plates all got cold by the time we received the dishes. The cheese on top of tomato was not melty anymore, it was like piece of an eraser or rubber. I was shockingly disappointed by the service and attention to the customer.

Members couldn’t pay much attention even when it seemed to be not too busy at Thursday night. So i had to ask who seemed to be a server assistant lady to ask for when our steak will be ready and to get us some sea-salt. I wanted to talk to the server.

I wish they could tell that I was not very happy with the service. I wish they can see my facial expression and check if everything is alright. All they did was just saying ‘everything good?’ As they were on their way to next table, turning shoulder at us, not really waiting for any real feedback. I would have complained about the experience if I have gotten a chance.

Ambiance. It was okay until there was a big group showed up right next to us. There was a baby and a kid, the baby was crying her lungs out. I do understand that it’s out of the restaurant’s ability to control when customer brings their newborn baby and cries, however it did ruin the ambience for us. I wish they were sat away from other tables like 2nd floor which was not being used at all. (I would appreciate it if I was in the situation for the party with a baby, I wouldn’t have to care about my baby crying loudly if I get more private table) What it tells me is that the restaurant values efficiency before the ambience 😅

Unlike my previous visits, my experience was horrible this time as you can see. I do value the compensations for service, I would have tipped generously if service was up to the bare standard, however the service I have received this time did not feel like it deserved the minimum service charge.

I would come back when I long for cold steak, rubbery cheese, baby crying, wasting money, time and trashing the night’s mood on a...

I don't know where to begin, but I'll say this and build from there; I was celebrating my birthday with my sisters and I chose to dine at El Guacho in Bellevue. Convenient garage parking and/or valet. We were met with a genuinely warm welcome from staff the moment we walked in the restaurant, Taylor who greeted us at the front entrance to our hostess guiding us to our table. We had never been to the Bellevue location, so we weren't altogether sure of the flow and seating, but I had called in advance to make reservations and told them it was a special occasion and we had the perfect seating, a half circular booth that overlooked the dining area, giving us a birds-eye view of everything happening in the restaurant. We were greeted at our table by our attendant Manny, and from the moment of walking up to us, he was the consumate server! He read each of us as if he's known us for years, a true sign of someone who is skilled and adept at their craft, and it showed the entire evening. He knew when to be playful, professional, food aficianado; when to stay and converse with us and when to go and handle business. Manny came and went quietly and unobtrusively, adding and replacing utensils seamlessly after each course, making small talk that was benign without being mechanical, engaging and personable. When a napkin fell, he saw it and replaced it before it was even noticed by any of us. He answered our questions about everything from appetizers to desserts. He co-worked with others that assisted in our fine dining experience and it was like a dance with partner-familiarity and appreciation, smooth and effortless. Then our food came...Good God, it was de-li-cious! Scallops that were plump, tender, succulent and seared to perfection. I was doing a happy dance in my seat. Oysters that made us change our minds about what we previously tasted at other establishments and just liking them to declaring, the best I've ever tasted! Our salads, wedge and Caesar were just right👌🏽. The bone-in rib eye was excellent, the chateaubriand for two was divine and my linguine with scallops and prawns had me wanting to savor the dish and lick my bowl at the same time. No joke, but I have good home training.😉 It was sooo good!😋 And then it was time for dessert. There was key lime pie that had just enough pucker in each forkful of the creamy custard that our eyes would close and a dreamy smile would be on our lips. The bananas foster was off the charts. My first experience having it and I can see why it gets rave reviews. Yummy and decadent. The entire evening was fabulous. I call it a dining experience, because truly it was. It wasn't just the outstanding food. It wasn't just the atmosphere and ambience. It wasn't just the friendly professionalism of Taylor at the front counter or the serving staff, including our man Manny. It wasn't the fact that we stayed for hours without one raised eyebrow from the staff wondering when would we leave. It was all of it combined. Bravo, El Guacho! Bravo! We...

Absolutely amazing experience. The atmosphere was very romantic but not stuffy. The live piano was great though our reservation was for later in the evening so it didn't last through our entire meal, so I suggest making an earlier reservation for the piano.

It was date night with my SO so we decided to get the Chateaubriand. The steak was probably the best steak we've ever had. We asked for medium, and as I prefer a bit less pink they were happy to give me the end pieces and that extra char on them was divine.

I think we were more surprised by the vegetables however, as there was a generous portion of asparagus cooked perfectly, delicious mushrooms for people who don't like mushrooms very much, and probably the best tomato we've ever had as well.

Chose to get the scalloped potatoes rather than the baked potatoes, at Stacy's (our server) recommendation and the man who served our steak also had high remarks about it. Unfortunately we only ate a small bite of our potatoes because we were so full, but amazing flavor and the cream was very rich.

We also got the Milk Punch with subtle citrus and herb flavors, and a Chocolate Mint Martini, that was beyond your typical creamy mint drink.

For dessert we were barely able to finish the Creme Brûlée, but we made it happen. It was set perfectly and had a wonderfully delicate vanilla flavor. We were very happy that they didn't skimp on the Brûlée, as most places that serve it these days hardly caramelize it at all, and that's our favorite part of the dessert.

All of our leftovers were boxed to finish later and I was just fine with the 20% gratuity. It's only 5% more than I typically tip, and I didn't have to do any math at the end of the night.

HOWEVER, that brings me to my bad review. Our server Stacy was amazing and very attentive. She made sure to check on us regularly. However, another server came by the table next to us many times, even though I don't think he was the table's sever. He was very loud, and made a lot of obnoxious jokes, one that stood out was a sexist joke about not trusting girl math, while addressing the table, which was a man and woman on their anniversary, and, because he is so loud, I gleaned that she was a professional marathon runner. I don't think these types of sexist jokes are tasteful at all, especially as directed as it was, negatively, towards the woman at the table. Another negative was that the booths face each other slightly, and there was a table across from us with a very loud business party, and we basically heard their entire conversation for the duration of our stay. Not the restaurant's fault obviously, but it's something I want to mention. Based on what I saw, you might be able to ask for a quieter area if you are there for a romantic dinner.

Overall, a great experience worth the price tag. I'm not local, but if I'm in the area again I'd love to stop here...