Three Hour Restaurant Wait…Worth It?

When searching for seafood in Seattle, one establishment comes up time and time again – Walrus and the Carpenter.

Staying in Seattle for only two full days, the Fiance and I decided to save what we thought would be the best meal as the last meal of our trip.  Fiance had been looking forward to sucking down some oysters  for weeks leading up to the trip.  We were aware the restaurant gets packed, yet does not take reservations based on information we read online.

No problem – we’ll just go and wait.  How long could it possibly be?

Entering the restaurant after walking through an eery, wooden hallway I waited patiently to put my name on the list.  The small restaurant was dimly lit with an exposed kitchen allowing diners to observe all the chefs at work.  When it was my turn, I informed the balding host with an upturned, French-style mustache that it would be a table for two.  He looked at his list of 6 parties ahead of me, and told me it would be a three hour wait.  He said it with a straight face so I thought he was pulling a fast one on me.  Except when I repeated “three hours?” he looked at me like I was completely oblivious to the obvious norm of waiting three hours for a table.

He nonchalantly gave  suggestions of nearby bars where we could get a drink  while we waited for the next three hours.  My mind could not align with the idea of a six party wait being three hours.

Admittedly, the THREE HOUR WAIT flashed in my mind like a flickering neon sign, and part of me already disliked Walrus and the Carpenter.  So, Fiance and I, tummies rumbling in the cold Seattle night, walked down a few blocks and ended up at a wine bar called Portalis.  We sat at the bar and enjoyed some wine (I got my Reisling for $5 because the bottle had been opened the night before at a tasting – woohoo for frugality.)

After about two and a half hours we returned.  The restaurant was still packed but this time at least there were other diners waiting in a corner inside.  Mr. Mustache enthusiastically said “Don’t worry, we have a space for you to stand for a few minutes while we wait to get you seated.”

Gee thanks mister – I feel so privileged.

Upon being seated at the bar, we decided since we had waited so long, we would treat ourselves to whatever dishes we wanted.  Heck, there’s got to be a reason sane people would wait on this place for three hours, so why not try a nice mix of what the menu offers.

We tried six different types of clams/oysters – which were the best thing I tasted that night.

Among of dishes we ordered:

Smoked Trout  with Lentil, walnut, creme fraiche, pickled onion

Grilled Sardines (Shallots, walnut, parsley)

Avocado Tartine (Baby carrot, cinnamon, whole grain toast)

Bread and Butter (C’mon – $4 for bread and butter? Seriously? After a three hour wait?)

Fiance enjoyed the smoked trout the best.  I did not really fancy any of them…so we put in another order for a few oysters so end on a high note.

As an aside – at one point we put in an order of shrimp but it was somehow forgotten as it was never made, brought to us, nor put on the bill. Probably for the best.

Am I bias and slightly bitter that we had to wait three hours to suck down some oysters, so to speak?  Yes.

If I had a fantastic experience would I go back because the food was so darn good? No.