Spring Hill Restaurant – Can you give less than one star?

[RandyB]

There is always the fear of venturing to a new chef-owned restaurant. Either it’s wonderful or it’s not. Spring Hill in West Seattle is not.

There were four of us this last Saturday night, August 2, 2008, all of us experienced around-the-world diners. We gave it 2 months to work out the quirks and decided to venture forth.

The first problem was no substitutions. One of our party ordered an entree but asked for vegetables instead of the starch. We were informed that “the chef allows for no substitutions, whatsoever”. Another of our party requested the entree rare. It was served well done. Then my duck arrived raw. And yes, I know how duck should be cooked, but this was raw. I sent it back, asking for just a minute more of cooking. Twenty (20) minutes later I am complaining as to where my food is. Apologies came but too late. Obviously a bit of “chef attitude” involved.

There are two kudos I can give. The space is sleek and well done. Also, the wine list, though sparse, is excellent. However, none of this makes up for the fact that at Spring Hill, the customer does not come first. I hope this changes, as it could definitely become a destination restaurant. Until then, maybe a course in customer service from Nordstrom would be in order.

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[elgrego]

But how was the food?

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[RandyB]

The food was good. Good less grief equals great.

My whole point is that there are many great restaurants in town, and the dining experience for me is more than the food. True, without excellent food, why bother. Yet from the hype I was expecting a whole lot more, and received a whole lot less.

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[Anonymous]

Randy “I feel your pain” .. I commented a while ago about my experience but I don’t think anyone thought I had a leg to stand on and I didn’t even really rip it up, I just said the service was slow with only 4 other couples in the restaurant.

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[RandyB]

I hope it improves. It’s a great space and has all the potential to be a long term resident.

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[swthistle]

RandyB,

Sorry to hear that your visit was so unpleasant. We ate there in June and had a wonderful dinner. The service was good and we enjoyed the lovely placesettings, and attmosphere. My complaint with many of the new resturants are the crappy table and chairs..we had a bench seat at Springhill that night but noticed the table and chairs looked very uncomfortable to enjoy a nice time out (2hrs). Anyone else find this annoying? La Rustica is another with terrible seating,(unless your outdoors on a beautiful night) and Ama Ama has great booths but their table and chairs are treadful! We haven’t gone back to Springhill yet but we’ll definitly try it again and I’ll pay attention to your comments.

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[cjboffoli]

I had a good experience at Spring Hill when I ate there with some discerning foodie friends a month after the place opened. The food and service for us were good. And I say this knowing the raves that mediocre Seattle restaurants often garner. Whereas I wouldn’t exactly nominate the place for a Michelin star I would definitely go there again.

That night we met one of the owners, Marjorie, who was friendly, professional and very kind. I would think that criticisms directed to her would be responded to and remedied.

swthistle: It seems to me that seating a tricky balance in the restaurant industry. You want seats that are comfortable enough for the duration of the meal but that are not too comfortable that you can’t turn your tables fast enough.

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