Grace’s Kitchen is the newest food addition to the University Village, taking over Zao Noodle’s prominent location. With high ceilings, large windows and classy finishes, I have been awaiting the opening of this 1-week old restaurant featuring classic American food.
Love the booths, finishes, and high ceilings
My hopes and aspirations start to crumble as I walk in and immediately notice a swarm of agitated people.
I can tell the staff is having a bit of a rough day as people inquiring about seating are told there is a 30-minute wait, even though the restaurant appears to only be half-full. At one point, I see what appears to be more people in the waiting area than in the restaurant.
Lots of open tables and lots of people on the waiting list
The wait ends up only being about 15 minutes, but unfortunately, a lot of people are not interested in waiting around.
Waiting area finally starting to clear out as we leave - Not sure if that means people have been adequately seated or just given up on waiting
Service: There is a slight bit of a University of Washington sorority and fraternity vibe, but the servers are all pretty amicable. Clad in gray t-shirts, low profile khaki aprons, cute jeans, and trendy shoes (Toms and Converse seem to be the preferred kicks), these youngsters make me feel comfortable and contribute to the ambiance of Grace’s Kitchen.
The staff seem to be hustling, but are clearly understaffed on their first Saturday lunch service. The kitchen is running behind big time as a hoard of servers congregate by the kitchen, waiting for food to come out. There is a lot of confusion on who ordered what as various servers attempt to bring us food we have not ordered.
Waiting for the food to come out
When our food finally arrives, they bring out our appetizer at the same time of our entrees.
Food: With menu consultation from Seattle’s beloved Jerry Traunfeld, I expect more. I think my expectations may have been slightly on the unrealistic side as outdoor mall food tends to veer on the side of mainstream.
The menu consists of standard fare such as Caesar salads, BLT, and chicken wings. There are a couple of fun items on the menu such as ham and cheese croquettes and a chutney burger with Beecher’s cheddar, bacon, onion and you guessed it, chutney. The deviled eggs stuffed with salmon come out looking less than vibrant, but looks aren’t always everything. The chive and sour cream flavor compliment the subtle taste of salmon.
I order the Cobb salad which conversely comes out looking better than it tastes. The red wine vinaigrette dressing to lettuce ratio is skewed and the chicken tastes frigid and charred.
So-so tasting Cobb salad
My eating companion orders the meatball hero with fries. The sandwich is palatable, but the fries are not. They taste like they have been mixing with old grease and most of the fries are a bit on the mushy side with a few strands that are fried to a daunting brown crisp.
Drink: Instead of a standard cocktail list, I find it clever the menu states “Ask your server about our selection of top shelf liquors and cocktails. We can probably make your favorite drink.” I order a Bloody Mary, only to be informed minutes later they are missing some of the ingredients needed to make the drink.
I settle for a cup of Stumptown drip coffee, which isn’t a bad alternative.
Ambiance: Although I am in love with the spaciousness associated with high ceilings and large windows, my enthusiasm is tempered by the acoustics. It is very loud and feels overwhelming to the point where I decide I would feel more relaxed sitting inside the nearby Pottery Barn Kid’s store.
Conclusion: Grace’s Kitchen gets the award for best dressed eatery in the Village, but as my mom always told me growing up, it’s not just about looks.
As I bike past some of the other restaurants in the University Village which are packed with happy diners, I surmise Grace has some catching up to do before it will stack up against the rest of the average eating spots in the University Village.
Open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner 7 days a week. For hours, call 206.524.3071.
My recommendation for U-Village dining: I love picking up a slice of Delfino’s Chicago-style pizza for some pre or post-shopping nourishment. The interior is nothing to write home about so I like to take a piece to-go and eat it on-the-go. The Stuffed Spinach variation is my favorite.
Hrm. Thanks for the review. I’ve been waiting for Grace’s to open.
How much of their issues do you think are opening month issues and how much do you think is intrinsic to their business model/kitchen? (The menu snippets didn’t sound inspiring.)
Suz -
Hard to say as they have only been open a week so I suppose they deserve to be cut a little slack. Plus, the staff was really nice and appeared to be trying really hard. I am sure Grace’s Kitchen will start getting into a good rhythm on staffing during peak times and I suspect they will start tweaking their menu here and there, too. So, I would like to give them another shot. I may go back and try the quinoa cakes served with grilled eggplant, tomatoes and red pepper pumpkin seed sauce.
Overall though, the menu plays it just a little too safe for my taste and the food coming out of the kitchen was not great.
I was sad to see Atlas Foods close at U Village and am hoping Grace’s will be a good new option when it settles. The acoustics weren’t great at Atlas, either, but they were good enough to have a conversation when the restaurant was packed.
I’m going to wait a month or two, though, so the kitchen can get its fries in order.
Kari – Love your idea of waiting until Grace’s Kitchen masters the quintessential American fare – Fries.
Such a bummer! I’d say that U Village is very much lacking in good restaurants. We’ve lived in the neighborhood for years and rarely eat at U Village because the choices are few and fairly poor. We do like Red Mango for frozen yogurt and the kids like Blue C Sushi, but that is about it! Have you found any gems that I’m missing?
Luckily Frank’s is nearby! Have you been to the new Greek place on 55th called Mazi? We haven’t tried it yet.
Julie – You are so lucky to live by U-Village.
I also love Frank’s and neighboring Pair. I have not been to Mazi yet, but will put it on my list. Thanks for the tip:-)
My only standard go-to in the U-Village is Delfino’s pizza-by-the-slice offering at lunch time.
When I have a sweet tooth, I head to Specialty’s for the oatmeal wheatgerm chocolate chip cookie.
I was there dining with my partner the same day. We wound up walking out without eating our food. After 40 minutes between starters (frites and eggplant spread) which were pretty good but lacked the promised sauces, our food arrived and was a huge disappointment. The ham and cheese croquettes were recommended but we were then told not available. The grilled ham and cheese sandwich had clearly been waiting for the burger to finish. What I found insulting was that the burned grilled ham and cheese (diced ham by the way) was turned over to not show the obvious overcooking. The bun for the burger was small and burned, and the dish lacked the bacon that was recommend and both side salads were swimming in dressing. We asked to speak to the manager who never came over just comped our food. Also, if you are going to use a dark gray paint, make sure to dust the window sills. People had written their names and love notes before us. Final nail on this coffin was the fact that they do not offer breakfast. Just coffee and pastries, but there were only cookies left by 10am! Restaurants cannot expect to be successful with such a poor showing. Given that the owner came from the Schwartz Bros world, I expect much, much more.
Man, that sounds grim. Thanks for the heads up! I will stick with Blue C and Starbucks at U Village and try out Delphino’s with the fam per your recommendation. I also second your recommendation for nearby Pair. Just had a totally lovely meal there.
Jen, Thanks for the great review. I wanted to try Grace Kitchen, but when I walked in, I didn’t get that “I need to eat here” vibe. Great blog and we both know the fabulous wasabi prime.
I’ll link love you on my blog. R&R
Wasabi Prime is the shiz. By the way, I dig the name of your blog.