Northwest Gold Coast Archived Restaurant Reviews

Spencer's for Steaks and Chops: A Bit of Tuscany in SeaTac

Since its opening on October 24, 2000, Spencer's for Steaks and Chops has been quietly delighting business travelers and local residents with its stately, inviting Old World charm. At breakfast, dinner, or the 50 minute guaranteed lunch, you will find exquisite cuisine in a setting that reminds one of Tuscany, Italy.

Located adjacent to the lobby of the all new Hilton Seattle Airport Hotel, this 5400-square foot dining room and bar comfortably accommodates up to 146 patrons and includes a private dining room which can seat 24 or host cocktail parties for up to 50 guests. Secretaries and concierges who call and book reservations personally receive $2 per person in Spencer's credit to be used at their leisure.

September 11 brought an eight week drop in receipts which has been rebuilding slowly. Restaurant Manager, Aimee Smith, attributes their renewed growth to corporate America's return to the skies. A normal decline in sales occurs the week before Christmas and lasts through January. To combat this aberration, the managers of Spencer's will be randomly handing out $20 off coupons to guests that can be used at the restaurant in the month of January.

Spencer's, named for a special 22 ounce cut of bone-in rib eye steak, features an extensive menu of USDA Prime Midwestern corn fed beef, select chops and seafood. Only 2-3% of all beef produced in the U.S. can meet this premium grade. Spencer's well-marbled beef is aged for a minimum of three weeks to achieve maximum tenderness and flavor. Spencer's steaks and chops are cooked in a state-of-the-art infrared broiler at 1800 degrees Fahrenheit. This process sears the meat so that the juices and flavors are sealed in.

Spencer's other menu highlights include award winning Dungeness crab cakes prepared with tender succulent crab topped with a mustard beurre blanc sauce, double cut lamb and pork chops, seared ahi tuna au poivre, Alaskan Halibut oscar, alder planked King Salmon and for dessert, a 7" high strawberry shortcake.

The restaurant's interior has an open inviting appeal. Striking are the contrasting oak, mahogany, and cherry floor panels. The expansive mahogany pillared bar hosts a fully equipped bar that faces the restaurant and on the backside provides shelter for a well stocked espresso and pastry shop. The espresso store faces the corridor that connects the hotel's lobby with the hotel's elegant new conference center.

The rich jewel tone colors of the restaurant's decor are played out through 15 foot high royal blue velvet drapes in the main restaurant and ten foot high burgundy velvet drapes in the private 50 guest dining room. These colors beautifully coordinate with the dynamic patterned upholstery and are complimented by the warm earth tones and rich hardwoods throughout the restaurant. The restaurant's high vaulted ceiling is hand painted with an evening sky mural. Also notable are the restaurant's framed art depicting life size scenes of Pike's Place Market and the warm glowing Tuscany style lamps. The sounds of Jazz and Big Band music also add to the ambience and buzz of a traditional chophouse.

The restaurant's bar list is one of the most extensive in the Pacific Northwest including 79 Pacific Northwest wines and 77 wines from around the world. The wines are moderately priced. A lso available are 21 top of the line vodkas and Spencer's 26 Premium Martinis, 14 micro brews on draft, and 4 bottled beers. After dinner drinks include a variety of coffee drinks, cognacs, ports, single-malt scotches and small batch bourbons.

From business casual to black tie all guests are greeted warmly and are invited by staff to enjoy their dining experience to the fullest. At breakfast, lunch, and dinner the staff are highly attentive. At dinner the wait staff are attired in white dinner jackets and black slacks.

Spencer's is already well known in Salt Lake City, Utah and Spokane, Washington as a destination for fine steakhouse dining. The restaurant's extensive wine list and menu and online reservations service are available online at http://www.spencersforsteaksandchops.com.

Simply Thai's Menu a Sellout Success

Simply Thai has been serving high-quality Northeastern Thai recipes for over a year, with great success. Located at 375 Strander Blvd., directly across the street from Southcenter Mall between Zoopa's and Burger King, the restaurant experienced a sell out in the first hour of its first day and required a second shipment of food items to meet demand.

Simply Thai serves variety platters with vegetables, garnishes and meats and platters of noodles and white rice with a vast choice of toppings, including some home-made spices. Family style service is available so that each diner in a group can create his/her own unique combination.

Serving lunch and dinner Simply Thai is a sit down restaurant with waiter and waitress services for those desiring a relaxed dining atmosphere; the restaurant also provides take-out service. The food is prepared in minutes to assure high-quality taste and flavor.

Owner, Rick Moore, believes that Thai style recipes have not yet been fully introduced to the Western Hemisphere, partially due to the language barrier. "I want to be the first person to correct that," said Moore. When Northeastern Thai and Laotian culinary art and style is properly and completely introduced to the area, a dream of his will be realized.

Simply Thai's success has provided the opportunity to open a second Simply Thai restaurant in January 2002 at 1001 Andover Park East. And according to Moore, there is a 99 percent chance that Simply Thai will also be opening a third store in Spring 2002 to be located on Broadway in Seattle's Capital Hill district.

Moore has been in customer service most of his life. Some of his customer service experience was with the airlines. He also brings experience as a business entrepreneur that he utilized at Immunex before joining his wife, Nitha, full-time in the restaurant business. His wife, Nitha, has been in the restaurant industry for 15 years.

Moore lists seven keys that he applies to building a successful business: 1) belief, 2) passion, 3) strategy, 4) vision, 5) energy (internal, motivating energy and external, physical energy), 6) a bonding type rapport and 7) masterful communication.

During the wake of the September 11 crisis, Mr. Moore and Simply Thai donated prepared food to families in New York that were impacted by the tragedy. Radio station KISS 106.1 and the American Red Cross openly accepted the gift, sharing with Moore that his restaurant was the only business in the area that gave food toward the cause.

"We [Simply Thai] appreciates the Southcenter community, it's given us so much, we want to give our service in return. We want to build a bond with the business community here," said Moore.

A Wild Place to Shop, Eat...and Learn

The Rainforest Café located in the Southcenter Mall at the junction of I-5 and I-405 has been serving up delectable dishes since 1999. This Tukwila location is considered the outpost of parent company Landry's Restaurant that is headquartered in Houston, Texas.

Besides the obvious, great food and wonderful ambiance, the Rainforest Café is making its mark in South Seattle as a partner in education. In the last two years over 300 groups of students have made their way through the Rainforest Tour. Elementary schools throughout the community are encouraged to bring their students for a tour of the rainforest. Local teachers are also provided, at their request, grade level lesson plans as well as beautifully colored charts and graphs. Along with the aforementioned, coupons are donated to the schools that teachers can use to reward their students. A lot of schools study the rainforest in the 5th or 6th grades. However, July of 2001 saw every LaPetite Academy, a local preschool, take the Rainforest tour.

Fulltime curator, Debbie Combs and manager, Mike Miller guide Boy Scout, Brownie and Girl Scout troops as well as preschool through eighth grade classes through the Rainforest tours. Approximately 800-1500 children take the tour monthly. The prime age group seems to be 1st through 4th graders. Tours start at 10:15 am, meeting out front by Nile the Crocodile, and last about 45 minutes. The first part of the talk, lasting approximately 20 minutes, is general information about the rainforest and the depletion of some of the natural resources. One of the main themes students will hear is "Reduce, Reuse and Recycle". Tour guides also talk about some of the plants and animals that are indigenous to the rainforest and why these animals might be on the endangered species list or why they might have become extinct. Some information about where animals live and what happens when they tear down the rainforest is also mentioned. Because the ages of the students vary, the tours are tailored for each group. Debbie uses rhyming, an always-popular learning tool, to help children retain information she's taught them.

The last part of the tour is a walk through the restaurant and includes the glow cave in the retail village. Caves and some of the animals that live in them are the topics of discussion. A general walk-through ensues with dialogue about everything from the salt-water aquariums, the gorillas and how they live in troupes to the African elephants and the noises they make as well as their ears and tusks and why people might hunt them. Then it's back out front and the tour ends with talk about the python. Some stay for lunch but all children walk away with a certificate of learning about the rainforest. They also get a free kids meal coupon that they can use when they come back with their parents.

Patrons can also benefit from joining the Safari Club. A $15 membership provides the following benefits: quarterly newsletters, 10% off your meal every time you come in and a $10 gift certificate in the mail after joining. The Rainforest Birthday Bash includes balloons, activity pads, crayons, goody bags and safari pith helmet for partygoers.

From grandparents bringing in their grandchildren to nursing homes who regularly bring 18-20 seniors in to enjoy their lunch in the midst of the automated rainforest; seniors also enjoy life in the rainforest. The Café truly provides a multigenerational learning experience.

You can visit their website at http://www.rainforestcafe.com or, for reservations, call 206.248.8882.