Sunday, August 19, 2007

Chez Gaudy

I think Chez Gaudy wins the award for the best hidden restaurant. Chez Gaudy is located at the intersection of Bellevue Avenue and Howell Street on Capitol Hill. I have walked past it dozens of times, but never knew it was even there. Then one night I went to dinner with some friends and we ended up going to Chez Gaudy. I'm so glad we did. This place is like a hidden gem. First off, to enter the restaurant you have to walk down this little hallway off the sidewalk and enter through a side door. The layout is quite unique. It's chopped up in sections and rooms, which makes it very cozy and a good place to take someone on a date. Chez Gaudy reminds me of the Cellar Bistro on 10th Ave. sans the screaming kids. I love the quirky decor at Gaudy. Another touch I like about this place is how the silverware is placed in a glass on the table. This allows for everyone to grab what they need and it gives the place a more traditional family-style restaurant.

Now I have been to Chez Gaudy plenty of times since my first visit, most recently two days ago. They have a good wine selection and a good mix of cocktails. On Tuesday nights they offer discounts on wine and the menu is exclusively tapas. On my most recent visit I decided to go with the chicken on portabella mushroom. This meal was very good. The chicken was cooked perfectly, and it was very juicy. The portabella mushroom was sitting in a dark sauce that was so good I would have eaten my napkin if it was covered in it. The service was great and our server was very knowledgeable about the items on the menu. I know it sounds weird saying that, because you're probably thinking well of course the server knew what was on the menu, or what is in the dish, etc. Believe me, that's not always the case at some restaurants. Some servers are clueless. Not the case here, our server was very knowledgeable, checked on us just enough to not seem too pushy, and even put up with our wisecrack comments. Chez Gaudy is definitely one of my favorite "regular" eat spots.

I give Chez Gaudy 4 out of 5 breadsticks.

Chez Gaudy in Seattle

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I have been to Chez Gaudy several times. The atmophere is lovely, dark, and romantic. The drinks are fabulous and the food is ok but a lttle over priced. One night we happened to go on a Tuesday which is the night they don't have a regular menu. They have a variety of cheeses and spreads and they come around with various small entrees to pick from. It was fun but when the bill came I was really put off because they charged $1 each time they brought bread (which was 3 small slices) We ended up paying $7 for bread and we felt like they should have mentioned they charged for bread. Especially since the spreads all required the use of bread. Will go back again but not on a Tuesday.