Date night review: Steelhead Diner

The title of this post might make it seem like I am reviewing my actual date and not the restaurant. My date was charming and effervescent as always....but enough about me.

Hubby and I set out for our weekly date night. He surprised me and made reservations at Steelhead Diner, right in the heart of the Pike Place Market:

The restaurant was featured as one of the 30 restaurants doing a 3 course dinner for $30. Some locations also offer a lunch for $15. ( I can say that I have had lunch here for the $15 with BFF Nikki, and it was well worth it) This event happens twice a year as part of the Dine Around Seattle event. It's nice because you can check out some restaurants that you may have wanted to try, but were hesitant due to cost.

We had a 730 reservation on a Wednesday and the place was packed! Our server was friendly and greeted us very shortly. The restaurant was very loud, so I wouldn't recommend going there if you wanted to have a deep conversation. Hubby and I agreed that this wouldn't necessarily be a good first date place, but perhaps date 5 or 6?? It's dark inside, we sat in a comfy booth. If you are lucky enough to get a window seat, you get a nice view of the Market. I would say the crowd was mostly 30 and up. I particularly noticed two tables next to us: one was four women chatting a la Sex and the City, and next to them a group of about 8 men! Maybe they should have sat together??

I started off with a tasty drink. It featured ginger ale, pineapple juice, and a twist of lemon and lime juices. Very refreshing and something I would love to try and make at home!

First course arrived. I chose the cauliflower veloute with croutons.

The soup was good. Creamy and the croutons were a nice compliment. However, when hubby got his starter.....well......I wished I had ordered something else! He ordered the mixed organic greens salad. I guess it was popular because they were out. So for a substitution he got this.......

The Steelhead Diner House Salad!

Oh yes, that's bacon and bleu cheese...yes, you're interested! The salad was fantastic! Even though it was only iceberg lettuce, it had hard boiled eggs, avodaco, onions and as I previously mentioned...bacon and bleu cheese! The dressing was a Lorenzo dressing. Luckily, my hubby shared with me and we cleaned the plate! I would go back just for that salad. I have a particular friend in mind who I think would also love this salad..........

For the main course, I chose the salmon with potatoes:

It was a piece of sockeye salmon. The portion was large, especially for a dining deal. We both thought the fish was slightly overdone, but still had good flavor. The potatoes were delicious!

Hubby chose the tri-tip steak with a celery root puree:

His review, and I quote, "very tender, juicy." The celery root puree was very tasty. I helped myself to several bites, probably more than my share!

Of course, they saved the best for last. On my previous trip to Steelhead, I had a slice of their pecan pie. Pardon me, a slice of their Theo Chocolate Pecan Pie. oh...served with cocoa nibs and bourbon chantily cream. I'll wait while you wipe up the drool.........

I have remembered this piece of pie and thought of it very fondly. So I knew this was my only choice for dessert. Hubby agreed with me and I knew he wouldn't be disappointed. However, if for some reason he was....more for me!

Let me give you a visual:

Now I will say I remember the pie being delicious, just delicious. I would still say it was delicious, but my memory of the pie was better. I remember a very thick layer of chocolate along the bottom. There wasn't as much chocolate as I remember, but the chocolate that was there was tasty. The cream was delicious and a great compliment. We both really enjoyed the crust, it was almost like shortbread, flaky and delicious.

See, not a crumb left! I don't like to waste.

Even though the pie was different than I remember, I recommend you try it. Great piece of pecan pie!

Overall, we both really enjoyed our meals. The regular menu features several things we would like: mac and cheese, brussel sprouts, fried chicken. We'll definitely be back!