Estelle — Restaurant in Bellingham

[Disclaimer: I am rating the duck confit 4 stars as it is the ONLY thing I’ve eaten here.] I came here a bit reluctantly, as I haven’t been super thrilled with my visits to Carnal (the last time I went I was smoked out from the fireplace — I vowed never to return) but a friend said the duck confit is quite good. So I went once in September and ordered the duck, and it was tasty! I think it came with duck fat fries, but I don’t remember as it was too long ago. I also ordered a drink or two, which were ok I guess (don’t really remember). But last month I went back with 5 friends, and it was not a good experience. It took 45 minutes to get drinks, another 45 minutes to put in an order to get a second drink (still hadn’t received our food), and finally got our food 1 hour and 45 minutes into our seating. Our second drink came with the meal. Four of us got duck, 2 got pasta. The duck tasted like it did in September, perhaps a tad sweeter, but it came with a couple of leaves of radicchio. (Perhaps the bitterness of the radicchio was supposed to offset the sweetness of the duck…?) My friends who had pasta almost cried when they received their portions. They were SO small!! Maybe 8-10 bites. Nobody ever came by other than those 3 times. We couldn’t even get water refills. There was one bartender, and one waiter. That was it. And to be expected to still tip 20% is crazy. I was very disappointed with the service and the drinks (not worth the price tags), and one would think they could hire a couple more waitstaff to move people along. I just don’t get this restaurant group! People seem to rave about them, but I am just not impressed with their venues, their mode of operation, nor with their food, save the duck. I am an incredibly avid cook, and find Bellingham to be a mediocre restaurant city, and I rarely go out because of this, but I’m hoping someday something will come along and blow my socks off. One upside I got from eating there is that it motivated me to perfect duck confit at home. I doubt I...

After a delightful dinner at Estelle, we understand why Esquire Magazine named it one of the best new restaurants in America. The staff is experienced, professional, friendly and above all, committed to delivering an outstanding product.

We had made a reservation for an inside table, but it was beautiful spring evening and a colorful sunset was forming. We could see that all the outside tables were full, but Davis, the host, gave us a place to sit and told us it shouldn’t be more than a few minutes before an outside table opened up. He took his time to chat with us and answer out questions about the history and philosophy of the restaurant. He told us that the team meets regularly to discuss the menu for the evening and the cocktails. They consistently strive to create an elevated experience.

When a table opened up, we were greeted by Savanah, our charismatic server. Her eloquent descriptions of the dishes on the menu made our mouths water. We ordered drinks from a fun and unique cocktail menu. Plays With Fire was smooth while also being sweet and spicy. The Big Star with yerba maté, planteray rum & lime was perfectly balanced. My husband ordered steak frites. The hanger steak was lean and cooked to perfection. The French fries, which were cooked in duck fat, were out of this world. I enjoyed the slow cooked black cod which came in a rich sauce and was nicely complemented by the sunchoke, sumac and lemon thyme. As we were leaving, we talked to a couple at a nearby table. They lived nearby and said that Estelle’s is their ‘go to’ restaurant. They were both enjoying steamed mantilla clams, which they said...

The decor and aesthetics indeed reminded me of Paris. The food and drinks were presented beautifully and tasted fairly good. The service though needs much improvement—diversity and service training is a suggestion. While the decor and food was satisfactory—I’m giving my overall experience two stars. To be fair I came here a while back and never heard back from the owner to connect about my experience so they probably were probably still figuring things out and were still establishing systems perhaps at that time. During my dining experience the wait staff wouldn’t provide any kind of communication directly to me. When I had a question they would only address and communicate with my guest at the table even though I would converse kindly. It was an uncomfortable and a bizarre experience. I expect respect as a human at the bare minimum and at a beautiful establishment with these prices I expect much better service. I’ve heard mixed things about their sister restaurant Carnal but am really cautious to support another business under the same ownership from a restaurant experience that did not welcome me, especially as a person of color—which was the distinct difference between me and my guest, as well as the staff helping us. I’m sure it is difficult to run a business and the day to day as I understand firsthand. Maybe the person was having a bad day but I am hopeful my honest review gives awareness so they can do better and no one else goes through the...