Row — Restaurant in Olympia

Valentine's evening. After what I imagine was a loooong and exhaaaauuusting day for all the staff.. I had the following experience despite being happy regardless. 4 tables empty as well as an empty bar, I stood in the entryway with my date for 12mins waiting to be seated with nobody else waiting to be seated (the server was sitting or dining with someone who I presume was the owner?, Maybe on break?) and only one table hadn't received their food out there (meaning they weren't currently overwhelmed with orders) plus I called ahead to ask if they were too busy. After being seated at the bar (which I preferred because the seats were higher quality than the wooden chairs on the dining floor), we ordered the steak frites & salmon. The bartender didn't bus the tasting glass from in front of us the entirety of the meal. The steak came out blue, I ordered rare and the fries were cold. I'm obviously sad to point this out but I just wanted my steak bloody & rare, not seared on the outside and raw (which can be identified by feeling the meat). They reheated the steak at my request which then came out medium rare but was better. Was not a "melt in your mouth" type of steak or seasoned enough. Fresh fries and the salmon entree were epic (even though minced garlic took over the flavor of both dishes). However, my glass of Makers was poured with one larger fly (kind of like an ant with wings) and one smaller fly (gnat).. which again I'm not mad at this point, just feeling really terrible to point it out after the steak being reheated. After everything I tipped $20 ($112 total) and went to dairy queen afterward. Really bummed this wasn't our new upper-echelon spot to eat here in our hometown. I'd have happily paid up to $40-45 for a tastier steak dish 😔 Lastly, don't yell the server's name when food is ready. Can say "order" or ding a modernized bell noise or something; this isn't the 1950's where women are yelled at to serve food ☠️ I'm still searching for a high-quality dinner spot.

3 stars for environment & server's good personality (otherwise would have been 1-star)

A lack of sustainable passion & respect was noticed from the head chef. Which isn't personal, it's business-educated feedback from one craftsman to another. Evidence of this was the t-shirt while cooking expensive dishes, dropping multiple noisy items on the ground during our hour there, obviously no in-person apology for the raw steak, and the passive-aggression in how the reheated plate looked in appearance. 😐

Pains me to report this experience. I think on a "good" day maybe things could have been better. Could have just not charged me for the meal, charged my date for the cocktail & salmon and I'd have tipped $50 or $60 for...

I had to think on 5 stars with this one. I was there for the first time with my wife last Friday eve. If I had reviewed that night, no question. Food and service, excellent and even the price was reasonable when you considered taste and quality. We especially enjoyed the shrimp toast appetizer. The next day, Saturday, I decided to revisit with my daughter after visiting the Lake Fair. She is a single mom with an 18 month old and does not get to eat out much. We sat at an outside table like the previous night but were completely ignored by both outdoor servers. We watched table after table get seated, served water and drinks, and never once did either server acknowledge us. After nearly 15 minutes, we even tried changing tables to get out of what looked like a middle dead zone. No help. I went to the bar and got some water. A little while later, went back to the bar and got some drinks. The second visit to the bar is what brought this restaurant out of the depths of bad service. The bartender became our server!! She was a savior. She came outside to our table often just to check on how we were doing and took our order. Unfortunately, my daughter had lost interest and we left shortly after appetizers. So one excellent visit, and one disastrous saved by a kind and thoughtful bartender. I wish the servers had at least once acknowledged us. Even to say it was a rookie move of I didn't know it was my table would have been nice. My daughter insists it was because she brought her kid and servers don't like to wait on tables with high chairs. I hope that wasn't it? Great food,...

5-stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Row continues to impress with its commitment to scratch-made brunch delights. On this my fifth visit this morning (8-18-2024), the Hangtown Fry Omelet stole the show - a golden, soufflé-like mound cradling perfectly fried Pacific oysters (crispy outside, tender inside), smoky bacon, and caramelized onions. The 3-egg creation’s delicate exterior gave way to a savory interior, harmoniously blending briny sea bursts, earthly smoke, and sweet onion depths. Crisp bacon and plump oysters texturally contrasted against the silky eggs, with grana cheese adding a salty, subtle piquancy. Alongside, Row’s pancakes also shook us.  Two golden plate-sized discs, their caramel-colored edges arrived adorned with inky blackberries amidst clouds of sour cream. This unexpected pairing – tart and sweet fruit with tangy cream - elevated the dish beyond the realm of humble flapjacks. (Hash, your pizza-sized pistachio/blueberry masterpiece still has my heart, but Row’s pancakes are gaining ground.) The amber maple syrup united flavors in a sweet embrace. Bold, rich coffee flowed freely, courtesy of excellent wait staffer Cayla, whose genuine enthusiasm for Row’s brunch menu was evident in every interaction. The kitchen’s dedication to scratch-made everything astounds – from truly potato-tasty hashbrowns to the elegantly flaky but sturdy palmiers replacing ordinary toast. Swift service, exceptional flavors, and a commitment to craft have cemented Row among my top three Olympia brunch spots. It’s a culinary adventure worth repeating,...