Review only based on hostess experience because that's as far as we got. Came tonight in a group of 5 people at 6:25. We were told the wait was 50 mins because there were lots of reservations tonight ( they take reservations for groups 6+). We stood in the entrance trying to figure out if we wanted to stay and wait. While we were deciding, a group of three came in, and got seated at a table that would've fit us! There were 2 2-seater tables put together to make a spot for 4, and the hostesses separated the tables and sat the party of 3 at one 2-seater, and left the other 2-seater available. Surprised, we asked the hostess why they didn't just seat our party at the table when it was configured for 4 (and add a 5th chair to the side, like they did for the 3 people at the now 2-seater). The hostess wasn't even very apologetic, she just said "oh, we didn't think about that".
So...that decided it for us. We went somewhere else for dinner. Didn't even get to try the food. Isn't a hostess's main job to greet and seat people?!
Bougie Alert!! Definitely a few things noted off of the bougie list here, specifically #15-17, maybe #18, definitely #25  <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fthoughtcatalog.com%2F2012%2F32-things-bougie-people-like%2F&s=87a87d7de974880dcc32c2183c61de518697c28a45a6dfe56a0db9a38a0c5cdf" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://thoughtcatalog.co…</a>.  Unexpected for a small cottage like venue located across the street from a cemetary.  FYI, not for those who want to gourge off the table like a quarterback.  But come on your best behavior and small appetite as if you will be sharing afternoon tea amongst high society.  Among the plates my group shared, the most memorable were the mac and cheese and pomme frites (aka french fries).  Service was hit or miss. Our water was not refilled and the dessert menus were placed on the table with no hesitation for questions or explanation.  The creme brulee seemed slightly undercooked too. Cute place to take gramps and nanna though.
Review Source:Small local restaurant on a quiet street that is seemingly hidden a short distance from the University Village. I believe it is looking to be a boutique place. The dishes were small and they weren't inexpensive by any means.
Our group was there from happy hour into dinner. We tried a brisket sliders, sliced potato and sauce, hummus with toast, green salad, free range  1/2 chicken, roasted pork belly, a slice beef(?) dish, and bread pudding.  I'd have to say that I wasn't very impressed by the small plates. They were at most just average to me. The chicken was good and probably the better dish of what was sampled but I wouldn't say it was the best chicken I've had.
There was plenty of street parking around and it is across the street from a cemetery. Service was friendly but interesting in behavior on clearing the table as quickly as noticed but seemingly didn't feel that there was a lot of checking in on additional things we may have wanted.
Super cute little european style bistro, tucked into an unassuming corner. If you want small plates, a really nice wine selection, and a classy casual dinner spot, I recommend. It's not cheap, head to happy hour if you want a little better deal. On a recent sunny evening, with the doors open, glass of wine in hand, and a women speaking french next to us, I was momentarily transported back to a wonderful summer in the south of france. Can't beat that!
No parking and I was still a little hungry when our $70 bill came, so 4 stars instead of 5.
It pains me to have to give a local, neighborhood restaurant an average review, but unfortunately after 3-4 visits over the last five or six years, I'm afraid 3 stars is generous. Â This place is so unfortunately overpriced and the quality of the food simply doesn't justify it. Â We had the roast vegetables which were so undercooked, that both my dining companion and I kept slamming our knife into our plates in our vain attempt to try and cut the rock-hard fennel. Â They had to have stuck it in the oven for (max) two minutes before bringing it to the table. Â The fennel was abnormally licorice heavy- it overpowered the carrots which sadly didn't fare much better. Â (I had a similar dish at the Whale Wins which was not only far more delicious and adequately cooked, but also much bigger in portion! Â How is it that I could get a cheaper, bigger, and more delicious meal in Fremont, than in Bryant?!) Â The homemade spaghettini was pretty good albeit the sauce a little too tart. Â It also was definitely not spaghettini- it was on the thickness level of linguine actually.
The best dish of the night was the smoked salmon toasts- they were very good and the crostini was the perfect bread to serve it on.
It's unfortunate that places in this neighborhood don't have to try that hard- there simply isn't enough competition. Â That means unfriendly prices and average food. Â I guess I'll have to venture further to crowded Fremont, Ballard, and Capitol Hill- at least I know it will be worth it!
This rating is due to the service my boyfriend and I received last night. Â I have been a regular customer at Pair over the years and have ALWAYS had great experiences... until last night. Â
Due to the popularity of Pair, we sat in the bar and waited 10 minutes before our server gave us water. Â (It's a very small bar and we were right in front of her) Â She finally returned for our drink order and we started out with some starters and said would order more later. Â She quickly dropped off our starters and ran off before I could get the worlds "beef brisket" out of my mouth. Â
I understand, that when sitting in the bar, your server is most likely tending to the drink orders of the whole establishment. Â But this girl seemed to have little experience with multitasking. Â I have sat in the bar before and have ALWAYS had a positive experience. Â
Later I had to ask weather Pair had changed their policy for free bread in between meals. Â She responded, "Oh did you want some?" Â Yea.... didn't realize you had to ask. Another feature she failed in doing, was bringing a clean plates in between the starters and the meal. Would any other restaurant make you eat your main course off of your salad plate? Â Very odd. Â Then when trying to decided between ordering the lamb steak or chicken for our last serving, the girl talked us out of the chicken and suggested the lamb as her FAVORITE meal. Â Having no concrete information on WHY this was her favorite meal should have been a giant red flag. Â It was WAY too undercooked and GAMEY tasting for me. Â My boyfriend described it has having to chew it 15 times before swallowing. Â No to mention it was so raw I couldn't cut it with my knife. Â When I told the server I thought it was gross, she just said SORRY and charged us for it. Â
In past experiences the servers have been articulate, polite, and highly informative regarding the menu.  It will be a while before I go back to Pair, which is a pity because I LOVE their beef brisket.  And it's a cozy setting for a rainy date night.  Hopefully this girl will get some more training before she is left to tend the bar and customers at the same time. Previously being a waitress myself  I always tip 20%, but after spending $65.00 (no alcoholic drinks included) my boyfriend was generous enough to leave 13%.  I would have tipped %10.  Making sure your customers have a great experience should ALWAYS be #1.
For this small European restaurant where dish sizes are tapas style where you can order a few and share with friends. Though located by a cemetary, it's good for a relaxed lunch or happy hour in the summer. Pair's chefs do a good job in food preparation, service is quick, and the location is not difficult to find.
The menu changes seasonally and the restaurant is small. Plan for no more than four people or else you will be waiting for a long time. One of my favorites is the sauce preparation because they are light and tasty and the fondue.
If after a light lunch here, you want afternoon tea, Pair is right around the corner from Queen Mary Tea Room.
This review is for happy hour only:
I wanted to love it! Â I had read reviews and looked over the menu and was anticipating a new favorite! Â Unfortunately, it wasn't. Â The good/positive: cute place!! Â Small but nice and open floor plan. Â Food was good, especially the gougeres and the sauce that came with potato slices. Meh: We tried all but one HH item. Â Despite other reviewers' raves about the Mac and cheese, it seemed just ok. Â Mostly pasta and bread crumbs, but with good flavor. Â The sliders were most unfortunate: 3 about the size of a 50 cent piece each (seriously) and less than a teaspoon of "brisket" between all 3, so about 98% bread. Â I mean way less, could hardly find it! Â The other unfortunate part was that when we arrived, the place was about 15% full, yet the hostess said she'd be right with us, walked to the bar area and chatted, did something with glasses, came back to the front and then returned to the bar to pick up what appeared to be two water glasses and delivered them to a table, then got back to us about 5 mins later. Â She seats us two feet away which took all of 10 seconds. Â Weird.
I might try it again, but with so many other choices out there, probably not.
We still had a good time, though! Â :). I'm giving 3 stars for the setting and our server was good, and food was pretty good.
Sorry, I am probably more critical than most reviewers!
Tried this place out for happy hour and was pleasantly surprised. The servers were extremely friendly and helpful in picking out some good bites for sharing. The restaurant is on the small side, but the ambiance is cozy and welcoming.
I especially enjoyed the happy hour mac and cheese, the fondue, and the gougeres. The prices are fantastic for the quality of what you get. Even the house wine at $5 was really tasty.
Even the regular dinner menu looked fantastic and very reasonable. I'd definitely come back just for the dinner.
It does get VERY busy, VERY quickly. This place is better for smaller groups - 4 people max. Otherwise it could take a long time to get a table.
It took me a long time to try this neighborhood spot because I'd heard it was always packed, but I'm so glad I finally tried it. We got there on the early side of their happy hour (5-6:30) on a Tuesday and there were plenty of tables, but it did definitely get pretty busy by 6:30. Most importantly, the happy hour menu was amazing!
They had various options for happy hour drinks, including house wines, champagne, cocktails, and beer (all for under $6) and about seven or so happy hour dishes, ranging from olives to "gougeres" to brisket sliders (all under $5). The herb & cheese gougeres were delicious- fluffy cheesy puff pastries, and plenty of them. There was also a healthy option- the quinoa and red spinach dish was really refreshing. All of the food was impressive, especially for the prices.
Service was great, wine was generous, ambience was adorable, and food was gourmet. A definite win.
We have lived less than a mile from this place for 10 years, yet tonight was our first trip.
While not exactly tapas style, Pair offers smaller plates, and ordering multiple dishes to be shared works well. Like others have said, this is a small space, and we sat at the bar to avoid a wait. If your showing up on a weekend night at prime time, budget 1/2 hour to chill out and have drinks before being seated. No worries, the drinks are excellent, and the space is warm and friendly.
Food was superior. All of it. FANTASTIC risotto dish, endive salad from heaven (insert happy place here if your an atheist), caramelized cauliflower in a sauce that packed a piquant punch, crab cakes that were heavenly.
I'm happy we sat at the bar. The bartender, Brandon, chatted with us, and was knowledgeable about the menu. He made excellent drinks, and given his professionalism and enthusiasm for the restaurant, you would think he had worked there for a years. But it turns out he's only been there a year. He was like a multi-armed Indian god he was doing so many things at once, yet he was calm as a cucumber. Good people.
Don't miss Pair. An excellent restaurant that has earned its wings.
I love the fact that one of my favorite restaurants in Seattle is within walking distance from my house. The food is fantastic. We have been there numerous times and I always try something different. I've never been let down. Love the atmosphere. Here are a few of my favorite dishes: the cheese spread, sauteed brussels sprouts, natural beef brisket.
Review Source:On our first date to Seattle, we decided to go all out and went to pair. This place is located in a neighborhood in a small house turned restaurant. They open at 5 PM and we were the first people there.
I was surprised at how small the place was because the reviews were so high in so many people had to view them. We sat down at a table for two, and then they gave us water. The water is served in a wine glass looking thing which kind of makes it fun. The way that the food is set up, it is almost like tapas but American-style. The prices are very reasonable, but keep in mind that the food is small. We ended up ordering about five dishes between the two of us. Even that was too much food, but we Managed to get it down.
Since we came before 630 at night we ended up getting some happy hour specials. The fiancé got some beers, and I got some sparkling wine. Those were about five dollars a glass. For an appetizer we got bees herb and Gruyere cheese balls, which seems really odd to me. I had never heard of anything like that before. When they came out, they had the texture of a pop over, and were really delicious. Really strong on the cheese flavor. Those were less than three dollars
The next thing we got, which was the best thing ever , was the mac & cheese. I had never had such delicious mac & cheese of my life. I had at an onion flavor to it, without having any onions in it. The cheese was very very delicious, and I ended up taking the rest of the bread they gave us and scraping the bowl of it.
We then got the charcuterie platter, which had some meats from Salumi, which we couldn't go to because they were closed the entire time you were there. So this is a good place to try that. They had three different kinds of meats, and a really good stoneground mustard with it.
For our actual meal, we decided to get the trouts, which was very crispy and served over a bed of apples onions and herbs. It was a really odd combination, but it works. I really hate trout but I ate my share of this. Â We then also got the braised brisket, which was served with a horse radish sauce. It was very sweet and tangy, but when we got it was a little bit cold, but I could've also been because we had to let our stomach settle before eating it.
For dessert we got the banana bread pudding, with vanilla ice cream on top. It was really delicious and quite unusual. I was so stuffed after this meal it was a struggle to get it down.
Overall for the two of us, it was about $70. It was quite a splurge, but it was worth it to eat in such a unique environment.
Small plates are the perfect size for me. Â Usually I split an appetizer, a salad and an entree with my husband. Â Here, we each order what we want and nothing goes to waste.
The food is amazing, well presented and the atmosphere is casual and unpretentious.
I got the brisket and potatoes au gratin both times.... Reminds me of the home cooked gourmet food I grew up on.
My one complaint is that both times we were here it was very loud with cackling women in their late 20's - early 30's out for a girls night sitting at the big tables. Â They were so loud and belonged in their own private party room. Â My ears were ringing for hours afterwards from their loud, high pitched screeches of fake enthusiasm.
I refuse to take a star off for this because I love Pair THAT much.
Pair is one of my favorite restaurants in Seattle and I'm a little amazed I haven't written about it until now. Â When my husband and I lived a few blocks away, we came here enough that the waitstaff started recognizing us - good customer service, but probably bad for our wallet!
In the years we lived in Seattle, we went there for birthdays and anniversaries. Â We took out of town friends/family and in town friends. Â When I had to go to the ER and couldn't eat all day, my first meal afterward was at Pair. Â We had a 13 person graduation dinner here. Â We've done early dinners and late dinners. Â Even when we moved to Ballard sans car, we would still trek over here. Â What I'm trying to say is that I love it. Â
The food is always excellent. Â They just make good food, without getting too over the top. Â The menu changes seasonally, but I consistently love the brisket, the brussel sprouts, the gougeres, the macaroni and cheese, the fondue with pears or apples, the beet dishes, etc.... Service has always been outstanding and professional. Â The decor is comforting and makes you want to sink into some more delicious(ly fatty) dishes. Â
Order a variety of plates to share amongst yourselves. Â I usually find that 2-3 a person works well, but your mileage may vary depending on your stomach. Â If you are my husband, you order the steak frites and don't share. Â If you are me, you steal some when he's not looking.
If I had to fault them for anything, I would say that dessert isn't that exciting, but it does the job. Â Reservations are for six or more. Â Their brother restaurant, Frank's Oyster House and Champagne Parlor, is just down 55th St and also excellent.
Bathroom: 4 stars. Â Clean, moodily lit. Â Only one per gender though, so don't dawdle!
Came here once and it was super busy so we sat at the bar, which turned out to be quite a lot of fun. Super cozy place and good atmosphere. We ordered a few things, including the seak frites and gnocci. Both were very good.
The thing is, these are small bites... and i mean small, i had to go home and sadly eat a microwavable pizza.
Quality wise this place gets more than three stars, but im just not a fan of small bites, and im definitely not a fan for paying an average of $10/each small plate.
Very cute restaurant with a rustic European feel and an affordable menu. 3.5 stars overall.
Here's what we ordered, for 2 people to share, with prices approximated to the best of my memory:
* Smoked wild salmon toasts with pickled shallots, crispy capers + creme fraiche - $9.5
Somewhat basic. A good starter.
* Roasted broccolini with lemon + yogurt sauce - $8
My least favorite dish. The broccolini was a bit dry and not well seasoned.
* Steak frites with blue cheese chive butter + red wine jus - $15
The sauce on the steak was superb!
* Tagliatelle with white wine sauce, English peas, watercress, hazelnuts - $12
I liked the pasta, although the hazelnuts were somewhat hard and interrupted the texture of the dish for me.
* Coffee + chocolate pot de creme - $8
Yum!
After my second time dining here, I've decided to review it.
Good food, small dishes although it is still $$, so while I accept the fact that it is designed to be a "European" serving plate, that does not mean I enjoy this place due to that fact.
They have a fun, changing menu with the seasons and mostly anything you get WILL be delicious. While they do have a cocktails, I have personally not been super impressed with them-neither has my husband. So if you order drinks, go for the wine: definitely more of a wine place than cocktail.
It is a small cozy restaurant, with a home-like feel. I'd like to give it 3.5 stars, simply because I have not been "wowed" by the food consistently w/ every dish that I feel this place could/should be capable of, but the service has always been attentive, & wonderful.
We went in for dinner during Seattle Restaurant Week! They only take reservations for parties of six+, so we went fairly early to be sure to get a table. This turned out to be a good decision, as they have Happy Hour from 5-6:30, Tues-Sat. The prices are fairly decent on the HH menu for alcoholic drinks and little bites. I wanted pommes frites, but that probably would have spoiled my dinner. Next time, for sure!
We both had the house wine, and chose different items off of the RW menu. The dishes were good - maybe not the best we'd ever had, but still very good. Service was friendly but unobtrusive, which is nice for date night. The restaurant itself is super cute and definitely European-inspired; I really liked it. There's a small bar, as well. The items on the regular menu also sounded pretty tasty, so we'll be back, especially since this is a cute neighborhood place close to home. Prices seemed reasonable, especially if you go in for HH.
Glad we finally got in. Â The first time we tried to eat here we got turned away pretty rudely, so it took a while for me to be ok with trying again. Â We finally went and were able to get seated quickly. Â Unfortunately, while the food was great, service felt slow and inattentive.
We tried a series of different things on the happy hour menu, and were pretty happy with them. The Mac and cheese was crispy and deep with flavor. Â We also tried the Herbed gougeres, which were light and airy and delish. Â The sliders had great balance of flavors with the horseradish and brisket. Â Finally, we also had the rillette, and the toasts were a great pairing.
Overall, food was good but a little overpriced, and service was just so-so. Â I think we'd like to try more of the menu in the future.
Pair is a place that grows on you, and, to its credit, it doesn't necessarily grow on you in a hurry. It comes on kind of oblique, starting with the sign. You drive by and it's clearly marked, you turn the corner, and, again, it's clearly marked. But it's kind of old construction (especially for Seattle), and the outside is pained all one color. Well, the glass isn't painted, but pretty much everything that can be painted is painted, and the exterior space to some extent blends in with the office frontage next door.
Let's just say that I mapped the location, GPSed it on my way there, parked, and *still* wasn't entirely sure I was heading through the door until I had hand on the handle. This might well say more about me than it does about Pair, or architecture, or paint color.
And then when you're in, it's perfectly clear where the bar is, where the dining room is, where the lobby is, and so on, but it's all just one big space. They have some wrought iron balustrades in the middle of the floor to enforce a No Minors Beyond This Point policy, but, really, the whole thing is one big room. It's what my sister (and she would know) would call deaf-friendly architecture, because everybody who's not either in the bathroom or the kitchen can clearly communicate with anyone else in the place using only sign language.
There's a bar, and there are tables, and there are benches, and there are the aforementioned balustrades. But, given that the place is in an old building, and they haven't really added many divider walls, it walks a fine line between a semi-formal bistro feel and a real living room feel. What's best about this is that they walk this line perfectly, but they don't insist that you notice right away. You sit for an hour or two, and that's when you realize that the ambiance is just as it should be. I wasn't facing the street, though, so I didn't have an eyeful of Calvary Cemetery. Not sure if that might change the sense I got. Probably not.
We're just across the gulch of U-Village from the greatest source of entry level restaurant labor in the city, that being the UW. And the staff here seems young, but you don't get the sense that they're just putting themselves through school. They might (or might not) be career restaurant people, but they clearly care about the work and they do a great job. And, besides, they might not have anything to do with college...I can't tell the difference between 20-year-olds and 25-year-olds anymore.
In fact, I should hasten to add that the service is part of what makes the place great. They handle every table visit and every other interaction right on time, but they project the sense that they actually enjoy finding out what people are interested in ordering, rather than just asking because they have to. Who knows? Maybe they'd even work there for free. Well, probably not. But they do seem to enjoy the work, and genuinely so.
As far as the provisions, there's everything to like about those as well. The Maritime Pacific Old Seattle Lager is certainly a great choice for a place with two tap handles, but, alas, as seems virtually always to be the case, it was shot through with diacetyl. Tasted like a big imperial pint of popcorn butter. Switched to a very nice Walla Walla red, Forgeron I think, that's available by the glass. The Delmas champagne seemed to be welcomed heartily across the table.
The special last night was chicken oysters. They're little dense, earthy, chewy delights from...somewhere inside a chicken. There are two great scenes in Amelie wherein Dominique Bretodeau relishes eating the oysters out of a freshly roasted chicken, before he even musters the patience to carve the bird. This is really not a culinary basis for wanting to try a new food, but it's piqued my curiosity for years, and it's very cool (for me at least) that Pair happened to have these out as a special.
One thing about the approach here is that small plates are a focus. The charcuterie plate and the cheese plate both turned out beautifully. I'd not had blu di bufala before, but it's a great funky way to eat blue cheese. Altogether, the oysters, cheese, and cold cuts made for a great french-ish sort of indoor tapas picnic by the graveyard.
Dessert capped the evening in fine style, again in the theme of homage to Amelie, being a creme brulee--one of Amelie's favorite things to do in the movie is crack the brittle surface of creme brulee with a spoon. Evidently, people who truly delight in creme brulee take fairly universal delectation in the cracking of that brittle surface. Especially if the creme brulee is as good as Pair's; just the featheriest crackle of darkened sugar keeps you from the tureen of sweet cream you seek here. If you keep your fingers away from the edges of the well, you'll walk away with no spoon scars if you're lucky, but that all depends on how much everyone at the table likes creme brulee.
After discovering (and loving!) Frank's, we were really excited to check out Pair (same owners). Â I have to say I LOVED it!! Â Loved the food, the service, the setting. Â Really, no complaints. Â We had no trouble getting a table on a Saturday night, contrary to some of the other reviews. Â
All of our food was excellent. Â I can't wait to get back for more fondue!! Â Serving sizes were perfect for small plates. Â Enough to really enjoy each plate, but not so much that you couldn't try a handful of things - perfect for me. Â
Definitely looking forward to going back soon!
Meh. That pretty much sums up my experience with Pair.
ATMOSPHERE:
When we came in, I remember commenting to Dana W that I felt like a little kid at the grownup's table, but I've been feeling that a lot since hitting my mid-twenties, so that might not be a reflection on the restaurant.
The ambience was definitely intimate, more the kind of place you'd take a date, your parents, or a couple really good friends on a night you want the feeling of eating at home with the luxury of service. The music was just loud enough to recognize the songs (Something by Pink Martini and Ravel's Bolero), but quiet enough to talk over without having to repeat yourself. The acoustics of the restaurant also lent the same quality to neighboring conversations; even the conversation of tables seated next to us didn't interfere with ours, and though the space was limited, we didn't feel like we were on top of anybody.
SERVICE:
We were told it was a 45 minute wait and given menus to look at, but we were seated within 5 minutes, and greeted almost immediately by our server. Service in general was not exactly neglectful, but also not attentive. Even though I couldn't pinpoint anything specifically bad, this was the first time I considered giving less than my usual tip.
FOOD
We had the moules frites and the steak frites. The steak was amazing: the meat was tender and juicy, and the au jus and blue cheese sauce were a perfect combination and seemed almost to hint of Chinese style meat sauce, which was a very odd experience for me (though not altogether unpleasant). The frites were not as crispy as I hoped they would be, and more a convenient way of disposing of the delicious, delicious sauce than anything else.
As for the moules; the one thing that keeps me from wholeheartedly loving shellfish is that terrible moment when you take a bite and your mouth is flooded with this nasty, grimy, sandy saltwater taste like you've just done a face plant on the beach. Though Dana W. didn't complain about this, about 2-3 of the 4 mussels I tried had that flavor, so unfortunately I can't offer much more of a review of that- you'll have to wait for hers.
For dessert, we ordered the flourless chocolate cake. The cake was great and topped with homemade whipped cream, but the cherries tasted like cough syrup.
BOTTOM LINE:
Pair was good, but didn't earn its reputation.
I wanted to love Pair. Â I really really did. Â
I loved the space. Â It's super cute and the atmosphere is quite pleasant.
The olives were great (what are they marinated in? Â It's a tasty mystery). Â
I ordered the caramelized fig & arugula salad (sans bacon) and was super excited to taste it.
And then it came - now, I luuuurv arugula, cheese, and figs. Â Together. Â But this was kind of bland, which made me sad b/c it looked so...tasty. Â I'm not blaming it on the lack of bacon b/c I don't eat the stuff. Â Maybe there wasn't enough salt? Â Pepper? Â Spice? Â I'm not sure.
We also had the mushroom risotto, which also sounded amazing on paper, but when it came, it was tiny ($14? Â Really?), and also a wee on the bland side.
The flourless chocolate cake was Pair's saving grace - as it was dense, chocolate-y, and quite lovely. Â And gluten free! Â
Our server was sweet, but I was a bit perturbed when they started clearing our table when we hadn't even paid yet.
I'm not saying I won't come here again, b/c I probably will. Â Just not anytime soon.
I've been to Pair many times and I have been pretty lucky to have great tasting food everytime I've been there. I rated 3 stars because of the price and portion. I know this restaurant is a "small/tasting plate" kind of place, but the size of the plate does not justify the price.
The sliders and brisket are delish! I love their horseradish, so yummy! Not overpowering in taste, just the right amount of "kick". The cheese plate is also good. This is the first place I've had cheese served with honey. It was totally unexpected, but it works so well together. It was a great unexpected flavor in my mouth. Who knew honey and cheese would be a great combination?
I do like Pair and I will always go back, but the price definitely hits the pocket even with happy hour! Even though your bill may be a bit pricey, this shouldn't prevent anyone from trying this place out at least once!
We have been TRYING to get into Elemental over the past two weeks. Seems that in this case, perseverance does not pay off. After 3 unsuccessful attempts on 3 separate days, we gave up (for now). Because Elemental requires you to show up before 5pm to even have a chance to get seated, we were now in search of a restaurant serving dinner pretty early. Driving around, with my Yelp app open, we came across Pair.
Pair is a rather small, but really cute restaurant in the U-District/bordering Wedgewood. I've driven past it several times, but it always looked closed. As we drove past it today, I spotted an Open sign in the window. Bingo, we found dinner!
We walked in and noticed one occupied table in the otherwise empty room. As we were seated, our waiter informed us that it was Happy Hour. Awesome! We decided to try several dishes from both the Happy Hour menu as well as the regular dinner menu.
Everything that we ordered, with the exception of the stuffed grape leaves, was scrumptious. The two dishes that stood out in my mind were the Brisket Sliders and Smoked Salmon Toasts.
Brisket Sliders were so good! 3 for $5?! Here's a hint: Get TWO orders of this!
Smoked Salmon Wild Toasts - seriously good! Maybe it's my strong love of smoked salmon....or maybe it's because I'm a greedy greedy person...whatever the reason, I definitely ate more than my half of the dish.
The quality of food that we got, paired with the happy hour prices (see what I just did - a play on words! 'paired'....haha, ok, nevermind) made this restaurant a real find!
I thought this place was a little overrated... although the service was impeccable! There was about a 15 minute wait but it wasn't so bad, the restaurant is tiny... First we were seated at the bar and ordered our drinks, and then we were escorted to the table that opened up.
During happy hour, my two girlfriends and I had two orders of the mac n cheese, pork belly, half chicken and the sliders. The sliders were SO tiny, omg. They were really adorable though AND tasty but... I eat a lot so this were ridiculously small sliders.
I really liked the mac n cheese but my friends thought it was tasteless... I have to agree with them but I sprinkled some pepper and salt over it and it tasted dandy.
The chicken was REALLY juicy, I had read all the reviews about how amazing the chicken was. Well, I wouldn't say it was absolutely the best chicken I've ever had but the sauce or broth or whatever it was cooked in was very tasty and the chicken felt so tender and moist... if that's even possible? But, again my roomies thought the chicken had no taste... which sadly, I hate to admit, it was quite bland but we dipped it in the sauce and it made everything a little better.
The pork belly was not bad either although I'm Taiwanese and I feel like we can get this kind of slab of meat and fat on the street stands for like a couple of bucks but this baby was about $13. Tasty but not worth the price.
Our waiter kept coming around to check on us... maybe a little more than necessary that it felt really awkward saying 'everything's great' or 'thank you' a million times.
I really wanted to order the creme brulee but it was $7 and I was surprisingly full already so I passed on that. This place is really pricey but if you're a light eater and enjoy bland foods on small plates, then this is the perfect place for you. As for me, I will stick to moderately priced flavorfulness that will keep me full without burning a hole in my wallet.
According to researchers at Yale University, the ability to delay gratification is a sign of high intelligence. I've been delaying eating at Pair for so long I must be a freaking genius. I like that explanation better than being a moron for waiting so long to enjoy the likes of Salt Cod & Ricotta Cakes with red pepper aioli and kalamata olives, Gougères (herbed cheese puffs), Smoked Wild Salmon Toasts, watermelon with feta cheese and a rich, meltingly scrumptious chocolate & coffee pot de creme.
Really, though, waiting a long time to go didn't do anything for my appreciation for the interior of Pair. I would have loved the cute, cozy, casual French country-ish decor just as much a couple of years ago. The out of the way neighborhood location and wide open doors on a sultry summer night would have charmed me just as much then as it does now. On the other hand, it makes me smarter, so who am I to complain?
The only things keeping this from a five-star review are the tables that are just this side of too small, seating that could be just a skooch bit comfier and the Potato Leek Gratin that, while good, had way too much salt. Service was good but not outstanding. There are several menu items I still want to try that will bring me back to Pair. I think that's an intelligent choice.
JUST DAMN FANTASTIC!!
So my new found foodie/coworker!! seriously... why didn't we find out earlier!!! took me to pair, and pair-gernized me lol
anyhow, pair is one of those hidden gmes on 55th avenue, and I am so mad I grew up in the city and didn't know that this place existed! wtf nina wtf!!!!!!!!!
anyhow, my girlfriend had informed me that this place is a small plates ( tapas ) place... I would pretty much admit, it is quite small plates, and worth grabbing more than 3 things to share with a friend, and 5 things with a foodie friend :)
the bib salad.. dont' get...
the cheese balls don't get....
but do get!! THE CHICKEN..... OMG OMG OMG.. IT TASTES CONFIT BUT IT'S NOT CONFIT.... just damn delicious...
the ahi tuna ... perfectly seared, and the blood oranges are a no go on the combination, but the olives, and the potatoes :)
and last but defintely not least.... the potatoes au gratin! words could not describe the flavors in such a simple dish!!! .. done and done...
this place is really small, and the wine selection is pretty great :) do ask for some suggestions.
I went here with a few co-workers and really enjoyed this restaurant. We tried several different dishes and everything was good, not a bad or questionable dish in the whole bunch. We had the cambozola fondue, a couple of salads, steak and frites, prawn and scallop beignets, porcini gnocchi, asparagus, smoked salmon toasts, potato cauliflower gratin and maybe one or two more that I don't remember. We also shared a chocolate cake and a rustic apple tart. Dessert didn't seem to be their strong point, but they were still good. For wine, I had a very nice glass of Viognier.
Yes we did spend $50/person (including tax and tip), but figuring that we had such a variety of dishes we found we didn't mind. There were 4 of us and this seemed to be just the right number for everyone to share a little bit of everything. We also lingered here for quite awhile (over 2 hours!) and service was always good, and never tried to rush us out the door (however we did go during the work week and they weren't full).
From what we understood they do not take reservations and the restaurant is not that large. But if you go early, there doesn't seem to be problem getting a table--however with all of the positive Yelp reviews, who knows maybe they will just get busier and busier ;) .
The three of us walked in bold as brass at 5.05p because the sign said they opened at 5 and we were cold and hungry and didn't have time to dilly-dally. Gah.
The glum looks from the bar were misleading. So was the grumpy let me show you to your table attitude of the hostess. Like magic everyone snapped out of their funk almost immediately.
The food was nice. The decor was pleasant. The wine was good. And although my eyebrow was brushing my widow's peak when one of my dining companions ordered a plate of fancy cheeses and a Kahlua and cream, the waitress didn't bat an eye. Good job, waitress! You earned your tip for that alone.
Of note: the resto was filled with chicks. I think it must have been Momma Monday or a meeting of some secret sister society.
Great place for a good variety of dishes. We each ordered two and shared so we ended up having everything from brussel sprouts to beef brisket to fryed scallops and stuffed meatballs.
We sat at the "communal table" which we shared with what appeared to be a UW grad student and her parents so that was an interesting experience in eavesdropping.
The highlight of the night for me was the Banana Bread Pudding which combined three of my favorite things. Banana bread, bread pudding and ice cream.
If you enjoy an espresso after dinner you'll just have to settle for the cafe Umbria french press.
2 Words ...BOMB NOTE!!!!!
This place is commin with it like they come with it over there at Art of the Table...Great small plates...reasonable prices and great wine...My bro and I strolled in at around 8 45 one night and proceeded to take down about 12 courses...all "Paired" up with wine....The food was bangin....The only downfall was i woke up still uncomfortably full....We shall meet again Pair....next time 14 courses
Our friends took us to Pair last night and we had a great experience. They go regularly and this certainly helped to optimize the evening. They serve small plates of comfort food variations. We ordered a lot of dishes and shared. This can be such a fun way to eat when everything you try has such full flavor.
The room is simple and pleasant. We sat at the bar waiting for a table to open up as they do not take reservations. The service last night was pretty good. There were a few small issues, but the general attitude is comfortable and relaxed - so do not expect highly polished, taut service.
The food was generally fantastic. Everyone loved the Cambozola fondue, which I did not try. The salami plate with products from Salumi was excellent. The smoked chicken rillette was served with a terrific mustard along with a cherry gastrique. We ordered four plates for our second course along with the potato-leek gratin, the greens, and the green beans. The roasted half chicken is excellent; the supreme and the leg are served perfectly roasted with thyme over the top. The bit of the halibut I got was pan-fried with a great crust served over a sweet potato puree with roasted shallots. The duck confit itself was pretty good, but mixed with the poached egg, the frisee, and the dressing, it was excellent -- rich, salty, duck-y, crisp with fantastic impromptu marriage of the vinaigrette and the egg yolk. Â The sweet corn risotto was, well, sweet.
There is no good reason I can see why they do not take reservations. It would make it hard to plan on going, but... I do not drink and they had two nice acceptable alternatives - limonata and the orange flavor of the same. This is too few options, especially in the town with Dry Soda.
This ambiance of Pair has a warmth and charm that melts away the stress and worries of the day. The small dishes are lovingly crafted with high quality ingredients in sometimes. We usually share 3-4 small dishes, or bring another couple and order nearly one of everything. Because this is handcrafted artisan food, they run out of some dishes later in the evening, so show up early for the best selection. We enjoy romantic dinners here as well as lively conversation filled evenings with friends.
Getting a seat can sometimes be tricky, so show up before you are hungry and anticipate the wait. Often there will be space at the bar to enjoy a glass of wine before a table is ready for you.
When I first gathered a list of places to visit in search of great mac 'n cheese, I remembered hearing about Pair, in Ravenna. While everything I'd read sounded great, I delayed heading there for nearly a year. My boyfriend used to live around the corner from Pair, which was super-convenient for the two of us when we finally made it there.
We arrived at Pair around 9 PM on a Thursday night. We were seated immediately. Pair has a menu full of various "small plate" comfort foods, which is noted in almost all printed reviews of this establishment (Seattle Times/PI/Seattle Mag/Seattle Metropolitan/whathaveyou). Which leads me to note: am I the only person who finds the term "small plates" disconcerting? I'm not even sure why--even though I tend to like places that have "small plates". Anyhow. The waiter recommended that we order two-and-a-half to three plates per person. Two probably would have been enough, especially if I'd known we were going for dessert after, but we ordered five between the two of us.
We ordered a number of items that I bet I'll be going back to order in the future. We started with Napa Valley Chardonnay while we mulled over the menu. Next up, we had the Cambozola Fondue with d'Anjou pears, apples and crostini. The cheese was thinner than I'd anticipated, but with the crostini and apples, it was a very tasty winner. Right before the heartier portions, we had a green salad with butterleaf lettuce, vinaigrette and goat cheese toasts (very French). The salad was standard and the good goat cheese is always well-loved when it shows up on our table.
To share, we'd ordered the Halibut in Parchment with asparagus, onions and tomatoes, the Pork Tenderloin with tomatillo relish, and the Macaroni and Cheese. I know that I've enjoyed pork tenderloin often lately, but Pair's was great. The relish and the seasonings were so, so tasty. While the halibut was mostly unremarkable, the macaroni and cheese is the first I've had in Seattle that's truly given Cafe Venus a run for its money. In fact, I may have to check into options for ordering it to take home some night when I'm needing a little mac 'n cheese boost...
The surprise winner of the night was one that I would not have ordered on my own: Banana Bread Pudding with caramel and vanilla ice cream. Amazing. I'd go there for this dessert alone.
I went to Pair tonight with my wife based on these amazing Yelps. Â Overall I thought it was quite good but not fantastic.
The ambiance is fairly nice, reserved, and darkish. Â The place is clearly on the older side, including the bathrooms (which have lousy water pressure). Â They don't take reservations for less than 6, so we had to sit at the bar. Â There was a strange odor there that bothered us at first but we must've gotten used to it. Â It was a cute place for a date were it not for the odor, which hopefully is not standard there.
But then again if it's a foodie place then you're there for the food, right? Â My wife and I aren't big into wine but it was certainly featured there. Â They only had 2 beers and 2 soft drinks available, so hope you either like wine or what they have.
As for food, they are small-to-medium sized tapas. Â I've had smaller at other places. Â The butter lettuce salad with chevre toasts was very good. Â The fondue was fun and tasty but thinner/runnier than optimal so it wouldn't stick to the apples well. Â The mac & cheese was unusual, grown up, not too heavy and outstanding - my favorite dish there. Â The herbed puffs were moist and doughy but the flavor was unremarkable. Â The roast chicken was pretty good, cooked just right but could have been more flavorful. Â The chocolate pot dessert was rich and nice, but not delightful (Cucina Cucina used to have a fabulous espresso/chocolate/ice cream dessert and this is not it).
What else can I say? Â The service was knowledgeable and attentive. Â Parking was a breeze. Â Finding it was easy (it's in Ravenna on 55th). Â It's not a big chain place with no charm. Â The prices are fairly reasonable -- the 2 of us got out of there for $55 before tip (but keep in mind we didn't have any wine).
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