Cook Weaver — Restaurant in Seattle

Hmm....I don't often leave low-starred reviews, but after all the hype and fanfare, as well as the descriptions and others' reviews, I felt compelled to offer another perspective. I'll say this, service was really good, and very attentive. Drinks with liquor/spirits were frugally poured which was quite a disappointment considering the price per drink. You get a better bang for your buck on wine. The interior of the restaurant is actually quite exciting, and is preserved from its landmark history telling the tale of the Czar Saltan as a mural that wraps along the entire periphery of the dining room.

The dishes' descriptions sounded absolutely mouthwatering and were plated exquisitely. This is where the pros end, unfortunately. With the exception of the Kasu Cauliflower, which were cooked well and had a nice balance of flavors, along with the novelty of "black ketchup" as well as the somewhat basic Chicken Liver Mousse, which was also quite good (chicken liver can cover up even large mistakes), the rest of the dishes were extremely lackluster.

The Pastrami Cured Steelhead, while plated beautifully, and designed for you to cut into pieces and assemble into small, bite-sized wraps with the accompanying lettuce was just awkward to maneuver and each slice of the fish ultimately crumbled apart - perhaps if they cooked it 2 minutes less it would have held itself together a bit. The rest of the accompanying sauces and salads were kind of bland-tasting, almost like a whisper of what they SHOULD have tasted like - not enough UMPH.

We were especially excited to try the Squid Ink Rice Noodles and was by far the biggest disappointment and frankly, a waste of uni in how it was prepared. The dish was served with chopsticks, which were not ample to properly eat the dish. The long pappardelle-style pasta kept slipping through the chopsticks, and we were forced to use the forks, which was fine, but felt a little weird since it was clearly intended to be eaten with the chopsticks. The kelp chips, while beautiful, had a dissonant texture compared to the somewhat soft and not-toothy pasta - which also didn't have much of the squid ink flavor - just a beautifully lush black color. Lastly the uni butter sauce was so thin, it didn't coat the pasta at all, and was also lacking in flavor, it was very light and lost against the salmon roe, which also was impossible to eat with the chopsticks - huge huge fail.

The "Reuben" also was a disappointment, and frankly, the wild boar shoulder tasted far better on its own, than with the other components on the dish. The "crisped" injera was categorically NOT crispy at all, and only had a light crisp along the outer edges - texturally this dish was not great.

Overall, I would not return. This felt more like a hyped up kitschy place were you can get some fabulous food photos, but at the price we paid, the food needed to be GOOD first and foremost and I'm sad to say, it was not. The dishes felt like an over-excited newly minted chef putting together ingredients that seem like they should work, but did not make it through the proper vetting and testing in the kitchen to ensure the integrity of the experience was...

I had the tremendous pleasure of dining here with two friends last night and in no uncertain terms I can say that I have fallen in love with the restaurant. We booked the chef‘s table experience because I was fascinated by the notion of being able to be in the kitchen itself watching the team craft each component of the meal, and it was everything I had hoped it might be plus so much more.

See for context I’m just a home cook presently but I have very serious aspirations to enter their world myself, and at Cook Weaver they quite literally personify the excellence and attitude that I am striving for. From the amuse bouche to the dessert every single course was well thought out and balanced quite nicely. So often when I dine out I will find little things that I would want to change were I to make the preparation myself, I suppose it’s a byproduct of my love for cooking because I like to break down and understand the dish then think about what changes might make it interesting in a new and enjoyable way. It is a rare thing for me to go through the full sequence of a meal without finding at least one thing that I would have liked to see done differently yet that is precisely the sentiment I was left with following the experience last night.

Another aspect that struck me was the nearly silent dance that took place before our eyes, though my experience to date in professional kitchens is still limited I am quite aware that many times the environment can be rather chaotic and (unnecessarily so) facilitate abusive behavior, Joël Robuchon was a prime example of an individual who ran his kitchen based upon fear. His influence on the culinary world and the excellence of his restaurants and legacy are undeniable, but that said I completely reject the notion that his methods as it relates to the treatment of his staff were the best way. There are many who romanticize the intensity in terms of caustic personalities that exist in a kitchen but I believe that the unfortunate byproduct is that it stifles growth and creativity. I feel that Éric Ripert of Le Bernardin on the other side of the coin embodies how things can be, the man is known for being incredibly passionate and talented while still being a kind and gentle spirit, and I very much view him as a role model in the industry. I paid close attention to how each member of the kitchen team treated each other and I am quite fond of what I saw, further I was truly impressed with how relatively little they needed to speak during the composition of different items, it truly is a testament to how cohesive of a unit they are which again points to a healthy environment overall.

I suppose this has turned into a bit of a love letter and deservedly so, I myself am from Denver and I can say without a moment’s hesitation that I will gladly make trips back to Seattle specifically to dine at this restaurant, something which I do not say lightly. I cannot wait to go back and I hope that this will encourage others to dine with them as well because it is absolutely worth it. Thank you to the entire team for making last night an experience that we will...

BEWARE! Owner freely lets large parties of friends run amok in the restaurant who destroy every shred of atmosphere and ruin all other guests’ experience. This restaurant only serves the out-of-touch Capitol Hill elites. For the first time in my dining history I left mid service due to the incredibly distracting volume from the other party. Beyond this, I would have suggested enjoying one of the many other restaurants in the area, so let’s take this slowly from an out of town critic’s perspective.

Atmosphere: Desirable, authentic building with on theme murals. Silverware and dishes felt intentional. Tables did lack individual light sources. Crystal wine glasses and hand made pottery plates were a nice touch. Silver flatware was in desperate need of a polishing. Shame it was ruined by a owner’s personal life, if they compromise on such a public aspect, I can’t imagine what they are sacrificing in the kitchen.

Wine: Interesting choices, fairly priced. No description of wine tasting notes from the menu nor the server, missed opportunity. Wine pairing did not feel intentional, so what’s the point of paying for it?

Service: Servers were unfamiliar with the menu. Both struggled to recall ingredients, menu was not recently changed. During our 1.5 hour stay, they stopped by only twice. Further, we moved tables due to the incredible lack of perception from the party of 12, and was not met with a shred of compensation, apology, or remorse. Further, the next dish to come out required a spoon to eat, but it took 10 minutes before we could even flag down a waitress. Their manager knows they typically run a full ship, so I’d expect they allot an appropriate amount of waitstaff to keep guests comfortable. Further, if you have a party of 12 cantankerous cacklers, I’d suggest you prepare guests and respond to their complaints beyond comping “the next drink”. Only half of the cost should be for what is on my plate.

Food: Interesting, but nothing special. Courses tasted remarkably similar, all having a singular note. Distinct lack of depth and variety. Plating was well done. Presentation from servers left something to be desired. For the price of $14 per plate, I’d expect far more variety and more attention on progression of each course. Dishes were too uniform in the palate. The most standout part was a curried cashew garnish.

Here’s the bottom line, if you’re going to allow your friends to celebrate a 50th birthday in your restaurant, take up half of your tables, be egregiously loud, and ignore the requests of customers to tame their volume, close the restaurant to the public for the evening. Pay attention to your recent reviews, you are just an average restaurant and your clout is built on years past. Stay relevant and interesting, or be subject to the change which will end...