Drawing a lot of gawkers in The Junction today: The menu and wine list for Shadowland are now posted in its front window (NE corner of California/Oregon). Sample from the “small plates” lineup: Cassie, $6, ingredients listed as “white cheddar, macaroni, love.”
I was just thinking about this place this morning….did they have an opening date posted, too?
Cassie is six bucks and that includes love?!! Sorry, that is just too perfect for words…(thinking of Marge’s tapas/topless comment here)…hehehe
I just saw it a little while ago. Looked a little spendy – small plates seemed to be $8 to $15 or so and large plates between $20 and $30. The offferings looked a little unconventional too, like duck. I may try it out to see how “small” and “large” the plates are for those prices, but from the looks of that limited menu and the prices, it doesn’t look like the type of place I’d frequent, but just stop by occasionally.
Last I heard was Wednesday and a little more vague “next week” on Saturday night as we checked out their menu. I’m definitely looking forward to checking it out, although my frequency is yet to be determined by their performance.
I’ve been so excited for this restaurant. I’ve been anxiously awaiting the opening thinking “small plates to be shared” meant $5 to $10 each so a couple could order 5 or 6 different things and not break the bank. I certainly enjoy nice restaurants that are expensive but don’t get to frequent them as often as I would something a little less pricey. I’ll give Shadowlands a try before passing judgement . . . . I can only hope it becomes as much a favorite as Ovio Bistro was.
Jan, the only thing posted in the window when we peeked at midday — besides the menu and wine list — was a note reading OPENING SOON. We have exchanged e-mail with one of the proprietors, Joe, many a time, so we will ping him again to see if they have an exact date; they were waiting for the results of inspections planned for just before Thanksgiving, when last we checked in.
I can only hope it becomes as much a favorite as Ovio Bistro was.
So much of a favorite that it went out of business! LOL.
And $20-$30 isn’t “pricey”, folks. Pretty average for a good/decent restaurant.
https://westseattleblog.com/blog/?p=1993
I don’t believe Ovio went out of business b/c of lack of business. Most likely cause was the very sad and sudden loss of the original chef which devestated everyone there. It sounded to me like their heart wasn’t in it. WS needs a good, moderately (moderately!) priced place so we’ll see how this goes…
OP, actually yes, $20-$30 per person is getting up there in price for many, for a non-buffet meal. I’m willing to consider spending that IF I get a FULL meal (not just snack-sized plates of food) and IF the meal is very good. If it’s mediocre and small portions, then they won’t get my business.
Sue….that’s the very reason I doubt that I’ll ever walk into Beato. I’m sure the ambience is wonderful, and that the food tastes great…but…not everyone can afford that on a regular basis. There are many places in West Seattle with prices that aren’t that steep. I do have to admit, though, that going out with friends in other parts of the city for “small plates”, that the $6-$15 range is getting to be the norm. The $20-$30 range at Shadowlands is for full meals..guess we’ll see, huh…
$20-$30 per entree for a neighborhood restaurant is about as expensive as it gets in this town. I guess I was hoping for more of a moderately priced lounge/tapas place, not an Ovio replacement. I never actually even ate at Ovio due to the expensive prices – I’d rather go downtown to a better restaurant to pay those prices.
I’ve been to two amazing new places on Capitol Hill recently that have similar (unconventional) menus, Presse Cafe and Quinn’s, and they both managed to keep their main entrees under 20 bucks.
Duck and duck rillette – $7
Braised Lamb shoulder and polenta – $19
What happened to “W Seattle prices”? I guess there are many deep pockets in W Seattle that would rather just spend the big bucks in the neighborhood rather than go downtown to shell out for an amazing meal. I just hope the food at Shadowland is worth it.
I’d happily try the macaroni and white cheddar, though I’m not interested in lamb or duck. I love the small plates concept, too.
All I know is that I’ve had a house full of relatives for the last week – and I’m ready for somebody else to cook! Hurry up and open Shadowlands!
Whoops. The entrees and prices I listed (Duck and Lamb shoulder) are from the places on Capitol Hill I mentioned (not Shadowland). I guess I just wanted to emphasize that you can serve these types of foods without charging downtown prices. I’ve always thought Seattle could use a moderately priced tapas restaurant (a la my favorite places in San Francisco and New York) and I thought Shadowland was gonna finally be it. Guess not.
OP: I’m a better than “decent” cook at home, so for $20-30 it better be damned good. It’s all relative though…the more you got, the more you can spend.
A friend and I were discussing you’re posted menu…apparently the word “cipollini” (small onions) is spelled “chipolini”…either it’s a play on the word or it’s mispelled…if it’s the latter, you may want to change it before printing too many menus…if it’s the former, I can’t wait to see what “chipolini” are!
Coffee geek, haven’t had anything from the dinner menu, but thought the happy hour food and prices were fantastic. Can’t beat 50 cent oysters (unless you go to Flying Fish between 5 & 6pm when they’re 25 cents). The Po Boy oyster sliders and steak sliders were great as well.
hey coffee geek- thought the food at Ama Ama was decent at best, lamb “riblets” tasted good but were a little dry, although the guy next to me at the bar also ordered them and his looked alot better. The steak sliders were very good. I wouldnt order the salt cod cakes again, and the chicken fried oysters w/mac and cheese dish was way to oily to finish, with soggy oysters that were just too bland. There were a couple other minor food issues, but the real problem was the service at the bar. Cool and comfortable bar atmosphere, but they need to add a second bartender on busy nights, or hire someone that can handle the business. It took us five minutes before he even took our drink orders, then we asked for menus which we never received, eventually we had to get them ourselves. We basically had to flag him down for every request. I am usually patient with a new place, but its really hard to be understanding when you cant even get a drink but watch the bartender drink what looked like a lemon drop shot with his friends at the end of the bar. I absolutely dont begrudge a bartender doing a shot once in a while, but come on, it was 7 on a weekend night, at least wait until you get thru the rush. To end on a positive note, when we first sat down the couple next to us were just finishing and they loved all of the food, so there is hope.
I ate at Ama Ama about a week after they opened. Tried a bunch of different seafood dishes and enjoyed all of them. The service was very attentive, almost to the point of overkill. Been meaning to try it again now that it’s been up and running for a while. I *love* the atmosphere in there, very cool and comfortable.
Great! We’ll be checking the happy hour out soon. I agree, the place looks super cool…tiki bar-influenced? :)
onceachef: I wonder if they’re naming all their menu items after friends…or preferred celebs? Mario Cipollini…Cassie? Can’t wait to check the place out.
For a well-made, non-home-cooked meal (coffee geek) at an moderately upscale fine dining restaurant (aka: a “non-buffet” meal) where, yes, you get a full meal (Sue), $20-$30 a plate is reasonably priced. And as a place to go eat on a special/once-a-month occasion, it’s even more in line with its pricing.
Now I agree, given the economic and family demographic of West Seattle, I’m not sure how well Shadowland will do at those prices, but we shall, yes? Yes! In the meantime, I’m looking forward to tasting some tasty, non home-cooked fare. :-)
OP…are you saying that your cooking isn’t the best? ;-) (geez, I suppose I was assuming that you cook for yourself…maybe I’m wrong – hahaha)
Ama is decent, especially for the happy hour oysters, if that’s your thing. Certainly NOT a vegetarian friendly place tho Menu is limited in that area. The night we went the service was EXCELLENT..however. And the Steak Slider things were pretty darned tasty. As was the tequila.
onceachef…..actually, both spellings are acceptable..
http://www.freshdirect.com/prodpop.jsp?productId=on_cipol&catId=on
I saw the Shadowlands menu yesterday while doing some errands along California Ave. I don’t understand the dissing on prices? The place offers what look like nice drinks and paying over $20 for an entree is standard in a decent place, unless you’re getting Thai or Chinese or something, in a neon-lit restaurant. The whole “small plates” thing in restaurants is sort of a misnomer — some small plates are smaller than others. At Black Bottle in Belltown, for instance, a “small plate” like a flatbread pizza for $8 could feed two people as an entree (if you got a salad, too) whereas a “small plate” at Lark is, well, pretty small. Here’s what I don’t get at Shadowland — it’s a wine bar with fancy food (duck, whole fish, etc.) — AND A TELEVISION OVER THE BAR???? Is it a sports bar or a wine bar? Ama Ama has the TVs, too. Sort of schizophrenic if these places are going for a “mellow, adult” vibe.
And one other thing on Ama Ama — I’ve been there a few times now. The happy hour and bar service, I agree, are not the best. But when I went for dinner in a group of four the meal was great. The clams in a fennel/pernod-type broth were excellent and came with great bread and fish and mussel entrees were all quite good. The vibe in the “main seating” area away from the bar is much better than the at-the-bar vibe. I agree the cod cakes weren’t so good. But crispy monkfish, mussels, and the clams were great — ditto the clam chowder.
I hope that Dan’s perception of the bartender doing a shot at 7:00 p.m. (or any time!) was wrong. It is in violation of liquor licensing in WA to drink whle bartending. WAC 314-11-015. In fact, no licensee or employee can drink while on duty. This may be worth sharing with Ama Ama. It would be financially painful for a newly opened restaurant to have their liquor license pulled, even temporarily.
WSB: We shall see! Lucky me gets to brunch there on someone else’s nickel soon… Mmmmm.
I thought I heard that the TV over the bar was going to show Frances Farmer movies (the restaurant is named after her biography). Who knows, though. TVs seem to be a requisite for all new places these days: Matador, Talarico’s, Ama Ama, etc. The name ‘Shadowland’ doesn’t really connote sports to me, so it does seem strange if they go that route.
T.V. monitors???????? Shadowland will be off of my list if that is so. I’m not spending $2 a plate nor $20 a plate to have my dinner companion watch a screen. I know the power of the t.v. over otherwise intelligent folks and it does not have an audience at my house during dinner (or almost any other time).
About TVs in restaurants – I might as well speak up in hopes that people who open restaurants read blogs.
Here it is folks: if I wanted TV, I’d stay home. Restaurants in the over-$12/entree range are about escapism – pretending the dirty dishes in the sink don’t exist, avoiding the responsibility of figuring out what foods go together and shopping for them and preparing them, slipping into someone else’s (hopefully tasteful and flatteringly-lit and tasty) world for an evening.
Having my eye dart over to a sporting event or CNN or whatever brings it all back to the realm of the mundane. Please stop it.
What JW said. TVs are annoying and distracting in a restaurant. They detract from the food, the ambiance, the conversation, the everything. And then the commercials start, and the whole experience is cheapened even further.
I totally agree about the TVs. It’s one thing when I’m at Red Robin or a similar place, or at Talarico’s when I’m spending $5 on pizza. It’s another thing when I’m spending that much on a meal in a “nice” restaurant. I’m there for the atmosphere, enjoyment of the food, and not a TV show of whatever kind. If I wanted TV with my dinner, I’d order in pizza. I’ve spent one too many meals out with my dinner companion watching TV and basically leaving me sitting there alone to eat.
My husband and I ate at Ama Ama a couple weeks ago and we thought it was “ok”. We like to have the usual wine with dinner, side salad, main entree, and possibly even dessert. I was surprised to get our $100 bill considering the food was nothing to rave about. In fact, I can’t even remember what entree I ordered.
About the TVs in restaurants…yes, please have them all removed! Remember when ONLY sports bars had TVs………………..
When you all risk your time, money, and sanity opening a restaurant, then you can cross a flat screen above the bar off the list. Until then if you don’t like it, don’t go there. It’s simple. No need to get all indignant…if you’re that concerned over your dining companion looking at a TV rather than you, I’d wager the TV isn’t the root of the problem.
When you all risk your time, money, and sanity opening a restaurant, you might want to pay a little attention to what your local customer base is looking for. Or not looking for.
I’m sure they’ll do just fine without you Keith, should you decide not to patronize. May you have boob-tube-free pleasurable dining, wherever your palate and wallet may take you. If you do check out Shadowland and like it or not, make sure to let us know. I’ll be reporting back to WSB-land for sure. :)
Just went to shadowlands for dinner.
Never got to taste their food.
was told we’d be seated in 20 minutes.
Waited 2 hours then went to Jacks.
Saw some one (i watched this guy give directions to the bartender @ shadowlands,. maybe he’s a manager? Owner?) from shadowlands down at Jacks having drinks.
I guess he doesnt care.
Not going back to Shadowlands.
People lets keep in mind that this is a BAR with really nice food. It is not a restaurant. Keep that in mind when your setting expectations.
Well, if you want the Italian spelling, it is cipolline (sing. cipollina) where ci- is pronounced as we would pronounce chi- in English. So it is chi-pol-lean-aye, more or less. (Also the name of a town in the Calabria region at the very South of Italy.)
It doesn’t look like they are off to a good start. Bummer, looking for a nearby anniversary/New Years Eve dinner.
Sorry Jan…you’re link above in reference to the multiple spellings of cipollini doesn’t work. It’s phonetically pronounced “chipolini (chip-o-lee-nee”) but I’ve never seen it spelled that way…not referrred to in any dictionary or food reference (i.e., Food Lover’s Companion…basically the “bible” about food references) that I can find. I think the Italian spelling is the way the menu should have been printed….but that’s WS for ya’.
I haven’t been here yet, mainly because my neighbor went and HATED it…for him it was overpriced (whoever thinks $20-30 is “average”…you must work at Microsoft!) and the service was poor…but that was his experience…I will check it out on my own. West Seattle is trying too hard to be in the spotlight…good food (which can be eclectic and familiar at the same time), service and fair prices are what will keep them open. For me it’s the total experience…there has to be continuity in the “culture” of the restaurant as a whole – food, service, prices, music, staff behavior, clean bathrooms, etc. One thing out of sync can ruin the experience.
In reference to KGB’s comment-
“People lets keep in mind that this is a BAR with really nice food. It is not a restaurant. Keep that in mind when your setting expectations.”-
my expectation, bar or restaurant, is that if you want to charge me $20-30 for a meal, it better be top-notch in quality and preparation….there are no excuses as to what the business model is.
Been to Shadowlands for the first time and we were pleasantly amazed – yes, this is a bar with good food (not the other way around). The manila clams and italian sausage was to die for – fresh oregano was great; the scallops-pea vine-potato gratin was excellent, done very well and delicious; and the seared pork belly with a fried egg – glad I am sooo not a vegetarian! These were small plates we shared and it was more than enough for both of us. We had two cocktails and the total was only $56. Pricing there is just fine. Other area places are a little bit off and sometimes the food isn’t consistent with quality and taste – like AMA AMA.
Sorry, comment time is over.
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