Eness Restaurant

[squareeyes]

I tried out Eness last night and was thoroughly pleased. They said the restaurant was quite busy on Tuesday and Wednesday, but it was very quiet on Thursday, perhaps due to the weather, so I had a great opportunity to get to know the staff. When we arrived the owner, Khadidja, came out to introduce herself and told me how to contact her if I had feedback.

The salad with goat cheese, apple, and crouton was delicious and easily shared with my companion. The onion soup was lighter than most I’ve had – not overly cheesy or too salty – really enjoyable. The wines-by-the-glass selection is very limited but I did get to taste three (cotes du rhone, merlot, viognier) of the (I think) five options and liked them all. They probably could do with a third red and white option but that may happen over time and with the headcount warrant it.

I will be back. Next time I’ll try a main course.

[JanS]

I’ve been wondering if anyone had been there. There is no website (although I understand one is forthcoming). I’m real curious about the menu and what is offered, and the prices. Thanks for your feedback…maybe there are others out there who have tried it?

[JoB]

so.. dinner for one…

main course with soup or salad..

under $20

under $30

over $30

????

[squareeyes]

I visited Eness again last night. Tried the veal in a mushroom cream sauce; it was served with potato dauphinoise and mixed vegetables – I thoroughly enjoyed everything on the plate – $21. Dinner companion had the chicken au citroen. He felt that the lemon was a bit overpowering for his taste, and agreed that I had the better dish. We also tried two of the desserts – a perfect creme brulee and a dense slab of rich dark chocolate (fondant I think?) with a blueberry sauce. Yum!!

For the mains prices range from about $15 – $30. The lower prices are for the pastas and a few other main dishes, the highest prices are for the seafood specialities such as bouillabaisse and another dish I can’t recall the name.

The salads are in the $10 range. One that I saw last week (with prawns, avocado, and many other ingredients I can’t recall) could have been shared by 3-4 people and would definitely have been a meal in itself.

Try it out!

[JanS]

http://www.heedthehedonist.com/paris-too-far-try-eness-restaurant

[Gdrgee52]

I tried Eness last Friday night. The weather was awful– probably the reason why it was so quiet at the restaurant. The owner was there with the real Ines (her child) and two waitresses. Everyone there was very friendly, the service was attentive, and the food was great. I had the “special” appetizer of French onion soup and the “special” chicken with mustard sauce. My companion had the eggplant parmesian and loved it. The dessert was excellent, too– an apple tart. The bread was freshly baked with an olive spread reeking of garlic (yum). The wine list is limited, but good selections and reasonably priced. The Pinot Noir is superb and only $32.

I was disappointed only by another customer who ordered something and sent it back to be “cooked more” which was taken care of right away by the owner and then continued to complain throughout her meal. I suspect she wanted a free meal out of her experience. I hope the owners didn’t oblige.

[NGKL]

We went there on Saturday night and really enjoyed it as well. The tapenade and baguette were both outstanding, as were the bouillabaisse and the special, chicken in a peppercorn sauce. We had a lovely bottle of French rosé to go with it. The owner, Khadidja, came over to our table to see how we liked the food and find out if we had any comments or suggestions. I would go there again in a heartbeat and hope they will be around for a long time.

[scouser]

We went on Wednesday, quiet and very nice, the special Lamb cruble was very nice as was the eggplant parmesian,

We looked at the menu and they have a cheese plate with fruit as a starter, should be on the deserts if they want to be french. We ordered it for a desert, not very interesting cheeses, we talked to the owner Khadidja and pointed out that the problem with the cheeses she said they got them from Taider Joes, an poor brie and a couple of ordinary cheeses, the one goat cheese was very good. I hope they take our advise and get some nice french cheese and put them were they belong on the desert side of the menu. The wine list is very nice and some good wines at a reasonable price, try the french rose’ We plan to go back.

[dawsonct]

Or even better, some nice local and regional cheeses. THAT would be French!

[JanS]

I mean…why go to Trader Joe’s when you can just as well get some wonderful cheeses at Met Market…granted a little more expensive, but…local stuff…good stuff

[erichmmahr]

Great little spot. Had the goat cheese salad and the eggplant lasagna. Paired with a great French red. Nice. Downside is the short menu and a very limited choice of wine by the glass.

Still liked the concept and will go back.

[grr]

It’s perplexing to me. We had a nice dinner, some wine, dessert. The food didn’t blow us away, but it was wonderful bistro style, home-cooked food. $100 with tip by the time the night was done however. It just seemed expensive, and not ‘oh my god’ great food.

– And, to be perfectly honest. the decor really needs to be changed. The pink walls/ceiling, etc, had both my and my dining partner pretty uncomfortable all night. It’s right on the borderline of ‘pepto pink’, and it’s just too much. There was nothing ‘inviting’ about the setting (other than a great host, and exceptional waitstaff’. There are some beautiful burgundy accents throughout. Definetly needs a makeover. We’ll be back at some point to see how the menu develops.

[JanS]

grr…and therein lies the problem with that spot. It needs to be a nice neighborhood place that’s affordable. Who has 100 bucks to blow every weekend on dinner? It will be that place for special occasions if they get the menu worked out, but..it’s definitely not in my budget. Same with Springhill. Just too pricey for my blood. Sigh.

[k]

I enjoy having a higher end place like Spring Hill in our neighborhood. It’s bringing visitors from all over Seattle to dine. Yesterday, we saw large groups of people leaving brunch there and shopping along California. I love that! People making a day out of coming to West Seattle and patronizing our businesses. All of the press Spring Hill has received shines a well deserved light on our neighborhood.

[grr]

Indeed…I remember going to Spring Hill about 2 weeks after it opened…It was just ‘so-so’. Nothing amazing. NOW, it is what it is, and it’s a treat to go there once in a while when $$ allows.

–

as contrast to my original post….we dined at Mission tonight..Full meals (house specials), an appetizer, two drinks and desert.. $62 with tip. And I could talk about how wonderful the meal was for an hour (pork chops with an amazing apricot mole sauce). And we love the decor at Mission.

I truly hope that Eness makes a few changes as they grow and expand. The potential is there..just needs to be steered in the right direction.

[charlabob]

The charlabobs finally got to Eness last night (all reservations for Lifelong Aids dinner at Fresh Bistro were taken — so we decided it was time to try the new place in our favorite location.)

The goat cheese and apple salad was amazing and bob got the seafood lasagna which was also amazing — delightful subtle blend of flavors.

Khadidja came to talk to us and was very receptive to both our praise and our suggestions. The charlabobs are both notoriously opinionated — if you ask, we’ll tell. Bob is much more cosmopolitan — Charla is much more opinionated, so it works out.

We definitely look forward to our next visit.

[grr]

charla…the Surrounded By Pink didn’t bug ya? Kinda made me feel uneasy. And I’m very in touch with my feminine side :)

[dhg]

I gotta agree about the paint on the wall. I haven’t been there but just the drive-by is enough. It’s lookin’ a little gynecological.

[JanS]

they have used pink paint in prisons because it’s so calming…

just reminds me of Pepto…

[JanS]

and…it’s been open for at least a month now. Would it be rude to ask for a website with a menu? or at least a Facebook page? Some of us are on a budget, and need to plan ahead, want to know what’s what before we get there. Websites are easy. I do my own. Sure it’s not “professional” professional, but it’s not bad, gets the job done….and has my prices on it!

[grr]

I prefer to NOT eat in a Pink Prison :)

–

in the case of a business, a bad website would do more damage than good. For a killer example of a GREAT local website..Check out Phoenecia’s as well as Hotwire.

http://phoeneciaseattle.com/Home.html

http://www.hotwirecoffee.com

[Al]

I have to say I agree with grr about the food. It’s good, but it’s not great. I wanted it to be great. It’s more formal than we expected, as is the food. I am sincerely hoping that more appetizers get added to the menu. It would be nice to sit out in the patio area with a glass of wine and some apps – or even in the bar. The bar was deserted the whole time we were there on a Saturday night.

They may be hitting the wrong note with this place. What *I* think WS needs is a place like Le Pichet. I wanted more Le Pichet and less “atmosphere” and “serious food.” I actually liked the color, we all looked great ;-) The lighting was a little harsh though until it was turned down later in the evening.

[grr]

actually, Al..I was hoping it would be more like Viola! Bistro in Madison Valley. LOVE that place.

[dhg]

Don’t know Viola Bistro at all but I’ll check it out. A new Le Pichet sounds like just the right kind of place to balance out the German pubs.

[grr]

please do. I’d love to know what you think of Voila. We don’t get there enough, but sure do love it when we do.

[Author]

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