Lampreia – The best Seattle restaurant you’re not trying

[christopherboffoli]

No way. We had an 8 course tasting menu and it was about $150 per person without wine (and that included the extra amuse and dessert)

But again, they offer a four-course tasting menu for $30 every night before 8pm.

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[JoB]

christopherboffoli…

$150 per person without wine is still pretty steep for most of us.. even for a special dinner out…

you walked away full.. but you spent $300 for the two of you to do so… not something i would be willing to do.

We just spent 4 days in Victoria and probably spent less on the clipper and lodging than you spent on dinner and wine…. and still stayed within a block of the harbor in a small suite.

We did walk neighborhoods in Victoria to find restaurants.. and cruised menus posted in windows.. but followed our noses in the door.

I have often walked past Lampreia.. having a weakness for James Beard award winning restaurants… and gazed at the menus over the years.. but my nose has never induced us to follow through. To be blunt.. the prices were always too high for the risk of a place where the aroma didn’t propel us through the door.

Perhaps that has been our loss…

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[villagegreen]

I think the point christopherboffoli is making is that there are other restaurants in Seattle at the same price point that are always busy. I think he’s simply saying that the food at Lampreia deserves support as well. Pretty simple point.

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[christopherboffoli]

villagegreen: Thanks. Exactly.

JoB: If a $150 meal is too much for you and the untold masses you presume to represent then perhaps you could try the $30 four-course menu that I’ve mentioned at least twice now. Or if food is something you prefer not to spend money on then by all means do whatever makes you happy.

My intention in posting was to share a good experience at an excellent restaurant with a West Seattle native chef who really cares about food and who has devoted his life to it. If you’re not a foodie or are just not into fine dining then why not just skip this thread and contribute to another? Why spend time just posting things to be counter and trying to infer that I’m elitist or obtuse just because I want to spread the word about something I enjoy?

Seattle is a diverse city in many ways. I think there’s plenty of space here for people to advocate for the things they enjoy, be it a $2.50 bahn mi sandwich or a $150 multi-course tasting menu. Just as it would be ridiculous for someone to write off a delicious corn dog based on its price, so too is it foolish to completely dismiss what is arguably one of the best dining experiences in the City.

This “well SOME people can’t afford it” whinge just comes off as self-aggrandizing sour grapes. Just because I can’t afford an Aston Martin doesn’t mean that I have to sharp-shoot the people who can. I prefer to just be happy with my Volkswagen and wish the Aston Martin owners the best. I find that being grateful for the things I have as opposed to spending too much time worrying about the things I don’t have is much more conducive to mental health.

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[Traci]

Ah, Christopher that’s WAY more reasonable…I’m sorry for throwing inaccurate info here.

I agree with your latest post completely.

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[Traci]

Ooops I double posted that!

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[beachdrivegirl]

Christopher, thank you for the review. I know my husband and I are always looking for new places to try and Lampreia will now be added to the list. We are one of those couples who chooses not to eat out on a regular bases but on the rare occasion that we do eat out, we like to eat out in style. We like to try food that we don’t cook in our kitchen. And for me, a chef who will decide what to serve me is even better. I know that I can’t afford Lampreia on a regular bases but it is great to *hear* about a place like Lampreia before we are looking for a place to celebrate something in that price range.

And for those that are so judgmental of Christopher and his choice of restaurants grow up. Putting down someone b/c they were fortunate enough to be able to eat at a fabulous restaurant is rude. And judging someone by where they spend their money is not only rude and judgmental, but also immature. Every person has their own passions in life, it sounds like, from this posts & other posts by Christopher that food is very important to him. I know for me, my passion is travel. So while Christopher is spending his money in nice restaurants I am saving that money for travel. There is nothing wrong with this at least we all know that neither Christopher or myself our hoarding our incomes during this recession.

Thanks again for the review and I’ll let you know what I think once I am fortunate enough to try it. :)

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[christopherboffoli]

Beachdrivegirl: Thanks for your kindness and support. I’m so excited for you and your husband to try it. I know you won’t be sorry. I’d love to know what your impressions are after you’ve been there.

I think especially in tough economic times you should get your money’s worth and Lampreia always delivers. For me there is nothing worse than getting all psyched up after hearing about a restaurant and then going there, spending a lot on the meal and just discovering that the food was so-so and more hype than anything else.

One of the best things about Seattle is our nexus of cuisines (West Coast, Asian, Native American, etc.) matched with our incredible seafood, the produce and wines of Eastern Washington, Puget Sound farms, foraged mushrooms and herbs, etc. It is always so great to find a chef who can best exploit everything our local purveyors have to offer. And rare to find someone who can make simplicity of freshness and flavor so sophisticated.

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[KBear]

Christopher and JoB: Why can’t both of you accept each other’s point of view as being valid, even though you don’t agree with it? Christopher recommended what he thinks is a great restaurant. JoB said it was too expensive for her taste, without disputing the quality of the food. Fine. You’re both right. As for the rest of us, we don’t need to read through lengthy and repetitious tirades to decide with whom we agree.

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[KBear]

And thanks for the recommendation, Christopher.

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[JoB]

i have no problems with christopher’s point of view..

I do have a problem with personal judgments which he made in post 30 and i responded to in post 33.

i have already reported post #34 which is little more than a personal insult and asked to have it removed.

I would be just as glad if posts 30 and 33 were removed as well. It was never my intention to insult christopher.

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[JanS]

KBear…I agree. This is the place to agree with the poster or not agree. It is an open discussion. No one is wrong or needs to grow up…judgements go both ways, and we don’t really need to go there.

I’m glad that Christopher enjoys this place, and he gave it a great review. No one ever said that the world has to agree with him, nor do they have to agree with JoB. It’s simply a discussion. When you open a thread, it’s no guarantee that everyone will be likeminded.

I will remember the name of this place when I find that I can splurge on something like the 4 course meal.

Thanks for the review.

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[christopherboffoli]

KBear and JanS: I agree with you philosophically but I don’t agree that this situation in particular is as simple as your portraying it. I don’t have any problem with someone disagreeing with me and I have no problem with opposing views on these forums. But my experience with JoB is that the simplest things get loaded with all of this unnecessary baggage. There is a certain element in these Forums (and some who have responded to this thread) who just love to beat away at the same drum, be negative and reframe everything around their own agenda. I’m weary of the comedy stylings of JoB so I’ve added her to my ignore list. So that should minimize the tirades coming from me at least as I’ll no longer have any of her zany posts to respond to. Not that anyone was forcing you to read them anyway.

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[JanS]

that’s true…gotta remember rule #1…not make it personal…sorry if you felt it did. Guess it goes all ways, huh. Now…you need to take a big breath, not take things so personally, and report on more restaurants that you like. Would love to know if you’ve been to Cremant in Madrona.

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[JoB]

I have asked to have post 30 which started with a personal comments directed at me removed and i have also asked to have post 39 which contains more personal comments about me removed.

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[Anonymous]

been reading this post for the past couple days and don’t see the personal comments that are getting upset. looking forward to trying this place when we’re downtown next time.

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[christopherboffoli]

JanS: I don’t take anything personally here. This is just an Internet Forum and these people are all strangers. I lead a full life and don’t need these Forums to find my identity. I just posted something I liked and recommended. It is unfortunate that some people felt the need to chime in with “well most of us can’t afford it.” Was that really necessary? How did that move the conversation along? If someone posts something on the Forums that is beyond my area of interest or is something that doesn’t apply to me I usually just skip over it.

I know JoB is your friend and I admire and appreciate your loyalty in standing up for her. It’s pretty much what I’ve come to expect from you. I’ve really tried but I’ve continually seen your friend just suck all the air out of threads. And I just don’t feel like trying to reason with her anymore.

I have tried Cremant. First it was pretty good. Then the last time I went (a few months ago) it was really disappointing. Worst steak frites I’ve ever had. You’d better hurry up if you’re thinking of tying it. I hear rumors that the restaurant is failing and will close its doors soon, just as Coupage across the street did last year.

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[sw]

I agree with NaturalMom, although I suspect some of the offending comments may have been deleted. If you read the whole thread, however, it’s pretty clear where it went off track.

I have dined at Lampreia and found it fabulous. Not my usual cup of tea as the family tends to dine around the ‘hood, but would not hesitate to go back.

As with most things, your mileage may vary.

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[JoB]

I am not sure how far the moderators are going to let this go.. i will assume they are busy.. but saying i “suck all the air out of threads” is just about as personal a comment as it gets…

i have also reported post number 43.

I would like to point out that i am not replying to these posts.. but i have asked to have them removed.

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[Andre]

I personally feel JoB is overreacting. I read the entire set of posts and can’t find anything offensive. Opinionated? Most certainly. But offensive? I don’t think so.

This is one of the most well behaved forums I’m frequenting. If you want to soften it even further then I think we would lose any sense of genuine opinions on controversial topics. It would be as fake as the annoying “How is your day going?” at a random Starbucks on the Eastside…

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[JoB]

Andre..

you may think i am overreating… but it is against forum policy for any poster to make personal comments about another. Christopher violated that by posting several personal comments about me.

I have asked to have them removed because of the nature of the comments.. not because of their content.

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[GenHillOne]

jeebus, people.

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[beachdrivegirl]

Christopherboffoli, i cant wait to let you know what i think about Lampreia. In fact, I cant wait to try it. I went to Crement about two months ago. I wasnt overly impressed. I didnt know if it was because I had over hyped it in my head or if indeed it wasnt quite as good as all of the hype. in some ways I am glad to hear it wasnt just me. thanks again for the reveiw. Ciao. BDG

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[alki_2008]

Wow, what happened to this thread? I missed the posts that were apparently removed, but I think everyone participating in a discussion forum needs to have a thick skin about most things. Some forum members having opinions about other forum members doesn’t seem “personal”. Posting someone’s license plate number, address/phone, or other facts about someone that hasn’t already been made public in the forum by that person does seem “personal”. From the 50 posts that I currently see in this thread, then I don’t see anything “personal”.

Christopherboffoli, after having a generic dinner at a generic restaurant earlier tonight…I was able to convince one of my foodie friends to try Lampreia. We’re going to wait until it moves into the new location though.

Had heard about Cremant, but not too enthused about trying that place after your and bdg’s comments. Maybe that’s good, to save up for Lampreia.

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