Patagōn — Restaurant in Seattle

I have been a cook for 10 years and an actual chef for 10 years; totaling 20 years in the restaurant industry. My mother and I were in the neighborhood killing time before a show we had tickets to at the Moore Theatre about one block over. We were chilly from the Seattle weather and hungry so we decided to step into the doors of a hotel to warm up and make a plan. Then we looked to the left of us and saw this beautifully inviting restaurant. Patagon Argentine Grill. We decided to give it a try and we couldn't be more happy that we did. This is by far and away the BEST restaurant experience I've had in a very long time! It was stellar service from the hostess to the waitress, the food runners, the bartenders, and of course the chefs and cooks. I don't know how they managed to hire greatest staff ever, but bravo to them. Now for the food... OMG, this is the stuff dreams are made of. The flavors all balanced perfectly and everything was just done to perfection. We ordered the beet salad and brussels sprout salad, both of which we not what we were expecting but instead, it was an even better surprise than we could have imagined. The perfect ingredients married together in each salad, just the right amount of dressing tossed throughout, and the portion sizes were spot on for the price. Not gigantic and ridiculous, but not small and irrelevant. We each decided order steaks because the waitress explained that the meat was butchered fresh every morning. My mom got the filet mignon and I got the eye of round; both came with a side of chimichurri. We ended up splitting each of our Steaks in half and sharing with each other because they were both too delicious to keep to ourselves. In the end, the bill was VERY reasonable considering we had the best restaurant service and food experience we have had in years. Every employee, manager, and owner of this place should be very proud of themselves. And if you've made it this far through my extremely long review, reward yourself and go...

I'll preface this review with a reminder that 3 stars means "It's okay" as I share the critical details. Ambiance of the restaurant is decent but seating is mostly tables, very few booths. Service was friendly but minimal touch, and there were very few patrons dining on a Wed night. I started with the Chili Rubbed Pork Belly, and when delivered my server informed me "It should really be called Brussel Sprouts and some Pork Belly", and he was absolutely right. It would have been nice to know at the time of ordering that the primary advertised ingredient comprised only 10% of the dish. It was a very good appetizer if you're interested in brussel sprouts, and I was disappointed at the misrepresentation because I came here for meat. They really want to you order your steak rare - when I chose the NY Strip my server asked, "Medium Rare?" to which I replied "Medium, please" and it ended up being just a touch above rare to be classified as medium. It was very tender and juicy, but lacking any significant flavor. For being cooked over wood fire there really wasn't any fired or smoked flavor, nor any salt or other seasoning. Two spears of asparagus are just enough to garnish the plate with a touch of green, and again not seasoned at all. The scoop of garlic mashed potatoes was the only item on the plate to include salt. Serving a steak in a deep-lipped bowl/plate isn't the best choice for a meal you need to access with both utensils. This could be an acceptable place to eat if you're staying in the hotel, but I woulnd't go out of my way to come...

I stayed at the hotel and was told I got a $25 dinning credit here each day so I ended up coming for breakfast twice and dinner once.

Starting with the bad: The service during breakfast is some of the worst I have experienced. There is a staff of 2 serving and they aren't equipped to multitask. Both days when I arrived there was a line of several people waiting to be seated. The lady would seat 1 group at a time, then get them water, then take their order, then enter their order before coming back up to seat the next group. Several people left the line waiting for their turn. Both staff members were running around like they were super busy, but they weren't actually getting anything done. Almost like they were walking around in circles and stressing themselves out. The kitchen kept calling for an order that was ready to be taken to the table. It took over 10 mins for the staff to come get it after she passed by 5 times saying she was too busy to get it..

The prices are fairly high for what you get at breakfast.

The good: Came for dinner one night after a long work day. I had the chicken and it was absolutely amazing! I ate 100% of everything on the plate! The service was improved at night and there were no issues like...