The Restaurant & Terrace Bar at Salish Lodge — Restaurant in Snoqualmie

Update: Leaving my original review up, but updating the score to 5/5.

After I posted my original review, I had a conversation with Salish’s director of food and beverage. Great guy, who I felt really took our feedback to heart.

We ended up coming back for another dinner and are very glad we did. We felt our dietary restrictions were well accommodated, the service was excellent, and the food was top notch. Night and day compared to our previous experience, particularly in attentiveness to our dietary restrictions / allergies.

We look forward to coming back soon.

Original post below:

Disappointing first anniversary dinner.

My wife and I had dinner at Salish last night for our first anniversary. We're local to Snoqualmie and have been to Salish nearly a dozen times over the years. It's our local go-to for special occasions or when we want to go somewhere a bit more upscale.

Salish is usually a good choice for us because my wife is vegan (they have a vegan menu) and I have a serious nut allergy. We've never previously had an issue with these restrictions being accommodated.

When we checked in at the host stand, we were asked about our dietary restrictions, which we provided. My wife was given the Vegan menu and I was given the regular menu. When we arrived at our table, the server acknowledged our dietary restrictions. Great start!

I ordered the halibut, and my wife ordered asparagus risotto off the vegan menu. We noticed that there was a similar asparagus risotto dish on the regular menu, so she was sure to say the words "from the vegan menu" when ordering her dish.

Salish offers complimentary bread service and a small bite ahead of dinner. The bread was excellent as usual. The small bite came out topped with hazelnuts and over a dairy-based topping, so it was incompatible with both my wife and my dietary restrictions. Disappointing, but we get it. This isn't something we actually ordered. Still, it indicated a lack of real attention to our dietary restrictions.

Then our plates came out. My wife's was topped with cheese (not vegan), and my halibut was served with a pesto drizzle (fortunately on the side in a separate dish). We are not type of people to send food back, and were mortified to have to return my wife's dish to be redone. The dairy in the cheese would have made her sick.

I was left in the awkward position of either letting my food get cold or eating in front of my wife who was waiting ~15 minutes for her re-done plate to come out. I decided not to raise the fact that my "nut free" dish was served with a nut-based side drizzle, but I felt that my halibut probably could have used some sort of topper, as it was overcooked. The flavors were good, but at $58/dish, I would have expected it to have been done properly.

When we dine at a place like Salish, we believe there is an expectation of quality and attention to detail. At $40-$70/main and $20+/drink, it's reasonable to expect quality service and food. Missing something as basic as well-communicated dietary restrictions was very disappointing. This was exacerbated further by the fact that the staff knew this was an anniversary dinner, which I would have expected to be made special.

When a restaurant of Salish's reputation makes the level of mistakes that were made, I generally would expect management to reflect those mistakes in concessions on the bill. Our bill came out at full price.

We are not the type to make a scene or to ruin a server's night, so we politely paid our bill, left a nice tip, and moved on with our night.

I'm hoping we just got unlucky or caught Salish on a bad night, but we will definitely think twice before returning for another...

I have been coming to Salish Lodge for years, and we kicked off what was meant to be an early Mother’s Day celebration on a high note. The host, kitchen, and valet teams were fantastic. Jason got us a perfect table, the host team was warm and attentive, and the valet was professional and kind. The food? Absolutely excellent. The steak was cooked perfectly, the tuna tartare was fresh and flavorful, and my mom loved her salmon. Big credit to the kitchen and valet teams for making it a great start.

Things even started well with Athena, our server. She was kind, engaging, and a pleasure to work with until I asked if I could get some cash back to tip the valet. I have done this before at Salish without any issue, and I think most people would agree that tipping well, especially when service is good, is part of the experience.

But this time it was different. Athena told me they no longer allow that and said my only options were to buy a drink at the bar (which did not make sense, especially since I do not drink) or use the ATM, which charges a $4 fee and only dispenses $20s. Then she added an odd comment about how if I did not do that, she would have to pay it herself and did not have the money. The whole thing felt weirdly complicated and unnecessarily uncomfortable.

I went to the ATM anyway because I wanted to make sure the valet was taken care of. After paying the fee, I went to the front desk to get change, and that is where things took another turn.

Nicole, who was working the desk, at first agreed to break the $20 into a mix of smaller bills so I could leave a good tip. But when she came back, she handed me two tens instead. I said, “Wait, this is not the change we talked about,” and her exact response was, “Didn’t you give me a 20? Well, that is $20 in change,” and she walked off with a facetious smirk on her face. It was unsettling and really icky. There is no other way to describe it. I just stood there, surprised by how unnecessary and rude it felt.

Not long after, someone else came out, and I calmly asked for the name of the person who had just been at the desk because I was still surprised by how the interaction had gone. As I was explaining what happened, Nicole made her way back and stood behind him. That is when, out of nowhere, he turned the conversation around and asked me for my name. The way it came across felt unnecessary, like he was more focused on who I was than addressing what had actually just happened.

We left feeling disappointed and frustrated after what should have been a great night. I spent a few hundred dollars to celebrate my mom, money well worth it for a great memory, especially thinking about all she has done for me, but instead of walking away happy, we both left feeling disrespected and aggravated.

Salish is not exactly known for being the most diverse environment, and I would be lying if I said there was not a point where the experience felt isolating. As someone who clearly presents differently from the rest of the staff, the tone of the interactions, especially as they escalated, felt even more unsettling. I cannot say for certain what was at play, but it left an impression that went deeper than just poor service.

It is a shame because the meal itself and the teams who took care of us at the start were outstanding. But what happened with Athena (after things shifted), Nicole, and the manager completely flipped the night. There is a serious disconnect between the quality of the food and the quality of leadership and service, and that is the part that leaves a lasting bad taste. Salish Lodge, you have the location and food dialed in, but if your service cannot match, does any of it...

We had Breakfast, Lunch, AND dinner while we stayed at the Salish. And they were ALL absolutely phenomenal. Simply over-the-moon; yes, the food is expensive. But it is locally sourced, mindfully prepared, and seasonal....all of which translates to a pricier bill. We never, not once, felt it wasn't justified. The portions were more than enough. I wish I can give multiple 5 start reviews; one for breakfast, one for lunch, and another for the dinners we had.

We LOVED everything about this experience - and it truly WAS an experience. The Honey from Heaven is something we recommend highly for any and all visitors and the tableside filet minon dinner for two was EXQUISITE.

Breakfast and lunch; The biscuits were fluffy, the honey not-too-sweet and very flavorful.

Breakfast; egg Benedict was perfectly cooked - yolk burst at a touch, the hollandaise wasn't broken. The combo of crab and avocado with the pico-de-gello was delightful. The yokun potatoes were crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. The Dungeness Crab omlete was likewise delicious.

For lunch; The soup was creamy and delightful (all the components were cooked perfectly). The burger was cooked perfectly (asked for medium-rare) and my fish was crispy without being greasy. The fries were delightfully crispy and seasoned perfectly.

Dinner; we had the simply grilled (he the sirloin with charred onion and garlic and me the porkchop with rye whisky and sage sauce) with both types of sides available (room service). The meat was perfectly cooked and scrumptious, the sides yummy too. We had the salmon tartar and hen of the woods appetizer; beautifully plated and delicious - neither of which either of us had before. The second night? We had the tableside filet minion for two in the restaurant after our fried green tomatoes and chicken liver pate appetizers. The tomatoes; crispy and the pickled sides so refreshing with the house-whipped ranch. The chicken liver was smooth and rich. While we waited, a DECADENT experience with a coconut/olive oil candle that melted and blended with garlic, thyme, balsamic vinegar, and olive oil to create a dipping blend for the bread. The kitchen sent out a little extra taster; cucumber dish with some cream cheese and smoked salmon. Yummy. The dinner itself? The tableside experience was SO FREAKING COOL - and mouthwateringly delicious; we've never had meat melt in our mouths like that or be able to cut into it with a fork. Desert, made me "mmmmmm" over and over. I was literally teary eyed and giggling with just how good everything was.

The drinks were strong enough to notice the alcohol, but flavorful and balanced nicely. The service was prompt (we give folks a bit of lee-way given the nature of today's employment issues, aka, EVERYONE is shortstaffed and overworked to compensate, and we KNOW that) and warm and lovely.

We had, what felt like, managers check in on us through the meals,...