john "consumption with gumption."

I came here for a “Seattle Eats” Meetup, and we got a sampling of happy hour appetizers to share. Casuelita’s has a very small bar space downstairs and a larger dining area upstairs. Our group sat in a large private room in the back. The entire restaurant/bar was dimly lit, and neatly decorated with an eclectic mix of artwork.

The service was just mediocre, perhaps because of our large group and our location in the back room. The waitstaff wasn’t prompt with the water and kept forgetting who ordered what, even when the order was just a single drink.

Overall the food was pretty good, though it’s definitely a mixed bag – some things were great and others I’d never order again. Given the ambiance and the nice happy hour specials that go til 7pm, I’d definitely come back to try other things.

Having heard a lot of chatter about this unpretentious (but not inexpensive) beer and burger lounge, I had a high expectations when I finally tried it out for the first time. I was not disappointed.

This F.O., as the shirts worn by the waitstaff say, was far smaller than I expected, and very crowded for a Monday dinnertime. Since it’s self seating, the ordering and table-grabbing process is pretty chaotic. It would’ve been nice if they had a host that actually helped you find a table, instead of just smiling mutely when you walk in.

Given the pleasant setting of a father’s office (burnished wood and a nice bar), we expected service to be better, but it wasn’t. After we sat ourselves, we had to go to the bar to place our order, and the waitstaff wasn’t the most prompt or attentive throughout the meal.

Luckily for F.O., their food and beer makes up for anything lacking on the service side. There’s only about 10 items on the menu, but you only really need to get one – the Office Burger. And maybe some Sweet Potato fries. Then choose from one of their numerous beers. Trust me, you’ll be happy.

Now that I know what to expect service-wise, I’ll definitely be going back to savor the fantastic food and beer.

I’d heard all kinds of great things about Crush before finally coming to try out their 30 for 30 menu. Now I understand why so many diners love this place.

The restaurant was packed for a Sunday evening, so we had a late evening seating. Service was prompt and polite, and we never had to ask for water refills.

There was a bit of a snafu getting our orders in, but the kitchen generously comped us a refreshing salad for the extra wait.

The food was absolutely fantastic. I ordered a meat-heavy course, but each dish was extremely flavorful and well presented. Bonus points for the complimentary sweets at the end of the meal.

I’d been hearing a lot about this new restaurant, opened by the former head chef of the Dahlia Lounge, so my expectations were high when I sat down for dinner on a weekday night. Chef Mark Fuller did not disappoint – overall the food was outstanding. However, other aspects of the dining experience prevented a 5-star rating.

Spring Hill’s menu is small and simple on the surface, but upon closer inspection (and with some explanation) one can see that a lot of time has been spent to create the dishes. Lots of fresh Northwest ingredients and interesting combinations of flavors abound. A large portion of the menu is dedicated to seafood. Overall I thought the food was great – the flavors were unique and noticeable without being excessive.

On the down side, I found the ambiance of the restaurant to be detracting from the dining experience. Everyone at the table agreed that the narrow space made the restaurant very loud, and we all had to speak up and repeat ourselves to be heard. Additionally, the space got a bit warm in the early evening, though it was a warm summer day. Finally, the food came out slow, but it was a nice touch of the waiter to let us know about the “kitchen situation”.

Overall, I’d definitely return to Spring Hill for an occasional good meal, especially when the craving for good food outweighs all other factors.