Allium Restaurant

This was the worst tasting and most expensive meal on our three day stay on Orcas Island. The view is great, service good and the food presentation is nice. There was a beautiful swirl of cream in the chowder, but the dash did not make a creamy chowder. No seasoning, except salt. Predominately clams, no fish was in it, maybe one oyster. The catch of the day was King salmon, it was a great fresh cut of fish that was destroyed by overcooking and over salting. The mushroom cream did not help as it was beneath the zucchini and never touched the fish. Luckily there was ginger in the rice to bring a little flavor besides salt and to sooth my stomach.

The view is great, the service professional. The food is visually very well presented. The pre-​dinner breadbasket had some delicious biscuits that really got my attention.
The main meal was disaappointing once I took a bite. Generally over salted and a bit dry– I had crab cakes. Small, dry, possibly overcooked and very salty. The restaurant charges an upscalle price but it didn’t melt in my mouth. I started with a seafood chowder, which seemed again too salted — it contained a few clams, maybe a mussel and part of an oyster.
This was not one of the best meals I’ve eaten on the island, but certainly the most expensive.
Taste needs to be as outstanding as the visual presentation.

I should have gone with my gut and stuck with New Leaf, something tried and true. I should have heeded the other reviews warning that this place wasn’t all it was cut out to be. I should have, but I didn’t, and though I don’t regret learning for myself that I won’t come back again, I do regret the time and money I invested here, the smarter-​than-​thou attitude of the server, and the calories I imbibed that frankly weren’t worth it. But, the view was fantastic!
I love Orcas Island. And factored into that unequivocal devotion is the fantastic food offerings. So, when I go, I carefully plan the food itinerary, knowing there are precious few opportunities for dining. A weekend trip is only two dinners, after all!
Ship Bay was top o’ the list (and never fails to impress). The second dinner slot was up for grabs between New Leaf and this. I read the reviews, had serious doubts, but opted for it anyway. Try something new, I told myself.
We sat on the deck. It was a beautiful evening with to-​die-​for scenes and the most perfect weather that even your most romantic visions couldn’t conjure. Let’s top off this perfection with some good eats, I thought.
For apps, we ordered the French taco (green crepes with braised lamb shoulder) and the soon-​to-​be-​famous gnocchi. The gnocchi was a solid offering. No complaints there. But the lamb was completely lackluster. The texture was boring and the lamb had no flavor whatsoever! I looked for the salt shaker.
Disappointed, we persevered to the main course. I ordered crab cakes while my beau chose the scallops. The scallops were pretty and prepared well, with a nice sear. The sauce was uneventful though. My crab cakes were dry, spongy, and EXTREMELY SALTY. I have a high tolerance and will usually struggle through, but it was so bad that I had to send it back. I asked if it was possible to get a new order that was less heavy handed in the salt department. I was told no, but she offered a different entrée. Salmon it is.
This was no better. There was little flavor, and the fish was severely undercooked. The lower portion of the cut of fish was still cool to the touch, and the knife wouldn’t cut through it. I asked whether this was prepared as intended, and was lectured that this is how salmon is usually prepared. Insulted, I felt no need to argue and settled in my mind that it was sashimi for dinner.
Normally I would advise you Unilocalers to try something new, but for this one, treat your palate well and go to Ship Bay or New Leaf.

After reading all of the awesome reviews about Allium, I was super excited about eating there. However, I have to admit, that I left a bit disappointed but I really wanted to like it a lot more. The views were spectacular from the porch — a true plus and the biscuits were one of the highlights. Service was fine, nothing special in particular. My polenta was a bit underwhelming. The egg on the polenta was super super salty, and the vegetables in the dish were fine, but nothing really jumped out in that area. The fish was good, but again nothing too extraordinary that made you really wanting to come back to eat there again.

I’m baffled by the superlative reviews for this place, but maybe we went on an off night. My husband and I were certain we needed to eat here after reading about the chef’s credentials, but the whole experience, except for the view, was underwhelming.
A summary of the positives: Our service was very friendly, if not knowledgable. The interior is intimate and pretty cute, and we got a small table next to a window looking out on the water, and our view was breathtaking. Lastly, the scallops were cooked correctly.
The cocktail list looked cloying, so I got an expensive glass ($ 14) of French pinot noir that turned out to taste like grape juice. As a starter, we ordered the saffron seafood chowder. It was surprisingly light and delicate for something that appeared so rich. It had no gumminess that often happens with chowders. But I detected no saffron in it. We also ordered the beet, fennel, and goat cheese salad. The grilled fennel was cold. Room temperature would have been fine– but cold seemed wrong. I think it was cooked during the day for convenience and then refrigerated. I also don’t understand why they wouldn’t use the local Myers Creamery goat cheese in this dish, which is incredibly creamy and smooth. The goat cheese that was served with the dish tasted like average supermarket goat cheese.
I ordered the gnocchi, and they were bad. They tasted like heavy, bland potato dumplings. The chef must be using too much flour in her mixture. They were served with asparagus and bacon in a bland mustard sauce. Odd because the menu described a sauce with truffle oil – definitely no truffle oil. My husband got the scallops, and they were cooked perfectly, as mentioned before, but at $ 36, that’s small comfort.
My husband and I discussed what might be going on here. Maybe there’s not enough demand for fine dining on the off seasons and/​or because island culture is generally better suited for casual dining, and so maybe the chef has gotten lazy and uninspired,. but what is happening there right now is not working.
I was wishing we had done what we did the night before– grabbed some Myers goat cheese, olives, and bread from Rose’s and enjoyed it with a bottle of Lambrusco in our hotel room.

HAIKU REVIEW
A special event?
Eat here — you’ll remember it
My God — the biscuits!

This is our third visit — I’m surprised that we didn’t write a view from our last trip, but we can take care of that now.
Allium is a destination restaurant for us. When we think about coming back to Orcas Island we inevitably say «And we can go to Allium while we’re there!»
Yes, Allium is a little expensive, but you can’t judge it against the bar & grill next door. Lisa Nakamura is a hell of a chef. She came up at restaurants like the French Laundry (where you will spend $ 500 per person) or the Herbfarm ($ 200 per person). The fact that the entrees at Allium are in the $ 30 range shouldn’t be scaring people away, it should be drawing them in!
Our first visits to Allium were perhaps a little more exciting than last night’s visit, but still, some locally– or house-​made sausage, beautiful sea scallops, and some of the most tender, juicy chicken I’ve ever had. A bottle of Montrachet complimented the meal beautifully.
Oh, and the bread. We forgot about the bread. It’s a silly, small thing, but the little biscuits they bring to your table? Just fantastic.
Now, we’ve only been in the off-​season… we kind of like it that way, really, we can wander in when we want, get a seat. Usually that means there’s just one server working the front of the house, but she seems very skilled and we’ve never had a real problem with slow service. Also, it’s usually too dark to enjoy the great view. But it’s cozy, the drinks are good, the food is fantastic.
And we’ll be back the next time we’re on Orcas. Just a shame they don’t do brunch any more.

Called Tuesday for table… no call back. Called again on Thursday… no call back. Called again on Friday 5 minutes before we supposed to have a table (had made alternate plans by this point) to see if perhaps the restaurant was closed or something. Nope, they just apparently don’t return phone calls. (Actually, the response was — Well, I didn’t take that call)
I get that October isn’t high season, but… come on.
Eat at Inn at Ships Bay or Doe Bay Café — food is great in both places and they haven’t forgotten they are in a service industry.

Came here for a post wedding dinner. The food was good but I’m not sure they were ready to serve 40 people at once. The gnocchi was definitely the star of the meal but the salmon was very fresh. The steak was fine, but you could get better steak elsewhere. The appetizers for the cocktail hour were pretty tasty as well. Overall a small place to eat that had decent food. The room inside was not air conditioned so it got very warm and it was much nicer to eat outside.

Allium is a must-​go-​to stop on Orcas for any foodies who finds themselves in the area. It has the location, the pedigree, and the food to back up the growing reputation.
We had the unique pleasure of eating here on the 4^th of July, at the second seating. The menu was fixed for the occasion, and our only choice was between the steak and the salmon. No matter — we picked one of each. Because it was a special occasion, the regular menu wasn’t available, so I won’t mention particular dishes. However, everything from the red, white and blue cocktail to the cherry pie and ice cream was perfectly prepared and delicious.
For any foodie from Seattle (or from anywhere else, for that matter) — this is a necessary stop on the island.

My husband, sister, nephew and I went to Allium for my birthday dinner. Both the food and service were amazing! The wine pairings with our entrees were perfect and dessert, lemon pudding, was phenomenal.

Like the other 2 or 3-​star reviews given to Allium, I concur that my husband and I *really* wanted to love Allium. I mean, how can you not? A chef with experience from both the Herbfarm and The French Laundry? Using local northwest ingredients on Orcas Island where there is a plethora to choose from?
The things that really ended up disappointing were the details, I found, that you simply don’t notice at better restaurants. You definitely notice when they are missing. Things like your water glass being filled when empty, dirty plates being cleared right away, or the cadence at which your meal is brought out to you. These types of things are neglected at Allium.
Additionally, the chef has a «no splitting» rule on her dishes, as she feels it «ruins presentation» (pure chef-​snobbery, IMO), yet no one ever actually said this to us when we requested to split an entrée. We found the starters to be much more interesting on the menu, so ordered 4 starters and 1 entrée. When it was time for our entrée to come out, our server asked us if we’d like plates to split it ourselves. I said I preferred to have it split for us, assuming she missed our request when we ordered. She smiled and walked away, then returned with two plates. I was still baffled, so I asked, «Will the chef not split the entrée?» and the server finally said, «No.» with no further explanation. Painful to see when the dish came out it was 4 scallops with a pile of baby veg and a jus on the plate. Presentation indeed.
Like EVERY other reviewer has said here — YES the gnocchi is good. So if you’re desperate for some really good gnocchi– make the trip to Allium. Otherwise, stay away from this place. Because that smell wafting down from the staircase is not the heady scent of truffle oil — it’s the stench of very bad service that thinks it’s better than it is and the attempt of a chef trying make her mark on the culinary world but forgetting about who can really help make her famous — her customers.

W-​O-​W.
I have enjoyed some really stunning meals in my life, from the fanciest of 5-​star restaurants to the most hole-​in-​the-​wall diamonds in the rough. My dinner at Allium last weekend soared right to the top of this very elite list.
From the outside, Allium is unassuming; a modest door opens unceremoniously to a downstairs landing with restrooms and a long flight of stairs. But once you set foot on the second story, you are welcomed into a cozy and casual dining room. The big front windows provide a sweeping view of East Sound, and on warmer days I can imagine the outdoor rooftop patio is an unbeatable place to enjoy a meal.
We started with a bowl of rich, creamy clam chowder and a festive salad with a surprisingly good mix of arugula (I think), grapes, and potatoes. Our starters were accompanied by fresh white bread and hot biscuits, along with this amazing caramelized onion jam (brilliant!). All of this, along with the wine selection, was quite good. However, it was my dinner that stole the show…
I don’t often find myself ordering special dishes; I find that they can be hit-​or-​miss, and when I only get one shot at trying a restaurant, I generally go for the tried-​and-​true options on the regular menu. But I am a sucker for a good lamb shank (such a rare thing to find at a restaurant, probably because of the lengthy time required for proper cooking), and I had a feeling that Lisa Nakamura’s version would not miss the mark. My, oh, my. My idea of a «good» lamb shank has been forever redefined by this single meal. I’m not sure I have ever had a bite of meat that packed more flavor than one morsel of this tender, mouth-​watering lamb shank… and the creamy polenta along with ever-​so-​slightly crunchy carrots and chard (I think) complemented it perfectly. Every bite was heavenly. I can’t remember the last time I took such pleasure in eating a meal.
My boyfriend’s pork chop was also quite impressive. I rarely order pork chops, as they so often end up chewy or overcooked. This version was very tender and moist throughout, just as it should be.
The service was casual, like the atmosphere, but competent. I was impressed when our waitress presented us with a gift card at the end of the meal, which my dad had called and purchased for us earlier in the day as a surprise for us, knowing we had a dinner reservation that evening — it was lovely that they could accommodate this request. The menu prices are high on an Orcas scale, but no more than you’d pay for such world-​class cuisine if it were located in Seattle. The portions are quite large, too, so you will NOT leave hungry. Make a special night out of it; you won’t regret it… and don’t be afraid to try the special!

What a cute little restaurant!
The restaurant was empty. The service was warm, friendly, and a bit on the slow side. Notwithstanding, my boyfriend and I had a lovely dinner.
We ordered clam chowder, seasonal soup, and fish of the day (halibut).
Unlike your run-​of-​the-​mill clam chowder, theirs was delicate and less hearty. It had some evenly cubed potatoes and clam chunks. It was not bad, but not even nearly as good as their seasonal soup: sweet potato soup. It was so delicious that my boyfriend practically licked the bowl off!
We LOVED their bread basket with some delicious slices of bread and square biscuits (we had to ask for more!) with caramelized onion jam. The halibut had a beautiful corn meal crust and was sitting on top of sunchoke purée, beet chunks, and parsnip cubes.
When we go back to Orcas Island, we’d like to try their brunch!

First of all, let me just say that by 3 stars, I really do mean «A-​OK», as the Unilocal site describes it. I will admit that I was expecting better, though. Earlier this year I saw Allium pop up in a Seattle Times article, and I was intrigued (though it mistakenly credited Allium as one of the restaurants on the New York Times’ list of «10 Restaurants Worth a Plane Ride» — that’s incorrect; Willows Inn on Lummi Island was the nearby restaurant that made that list).
The chef used to cook at the Herbfarm in Woodinville, which I love, so I made a mental note to check Allium out. While we were visiting Orcas Island recently, I did — a few times, actually (there aren’t a lot of decent restaurants around! :)
I sampled happy hour, dinner, and brunch during my time on the island, and ran into a few issues that made me think twice about why it would make a plane ride worthwhile:
— the menu: it didn’t always reflect what you would be served. The french toast with «red wine macerated cherries» sounded delicious, but what I got was french toast with obviously-​defrosted strawberries subbed for the cherries. The menu also didn’t have much to choose from during any of my visits — maybe 7 or 8 dishes. Even the cocktail list only had one drink I was interested in, and an obvious lack of locally-​sourced, seasonally-​available star ingredients. The food menu was clearly going for this, so I was confused that the cocktail manu was so uninspired.
— problems with the food: During happy hour, warm marcona almonds were either stale, or weren’t given time to cool off after being toasted: They had a mealy texture that I’ve experienced when I under-​toast nuts at home. At dinner, an the egg served on top of my roasted vegetable polenta had an undercooked egg white (though perfectly-​cooked yolk).
At brunch, my french toast was served with a cute little cappucino cup full of diced fruit, but it wasn’t very good: mealy old apple bits did not entice me to eat much of this, even though there were decent pineapple and nectarine bits in it as well.
— service issues: My water glass didn’t stay filled on any occasion that I visited. At some point during brunch (we were the only people there), someone wandered into the restaurant at one point and was completely ignored, while I walked around looking for the bathroom key. (It’s attached to a giant wooden mixing spoon, reminiscent of grade school hall passes).
The bartenders/​servers were never absolutely sure what drinks were available or what the specials were, and the servers generally didn’t seen too knowledgeable about the menu, except for one lady who seemed to be making the rounds to check on all the tables that the other servers were neglecting. I got the feeling that maybe all the waitstaff this summer had already left in preparation for reduced winter hours, so maybe it was just a timing thing.
Finally, I want to say that I don’t regret eating here at all — the food was good, with some notable standouts: gnocchi was soft, pillowy, and served with a tasty truffle sauce. Roasted vegetable polenta was delicious and filled with perfectly-​roasted fall veggies. At dinner and brunch, you get the most delicious little flaky biscuits — these were great! Especially paired with the carmelized onion «butter» that came with the bread basket. The sourdough in the bread basket was also great — crispy crust, soft inside, and served warm.

Lisa Nakamura has a really great thing going here in Eastsound on Orcas Island. After anticipating my visit to Allium all summer long, I finally got to eat there twice at the end of August. It was everything I’d hoped it would be!
First my friend and I had Friday afternoon happy hour there, delighting in some glorious Orcas sunshine that streamed through the window as we drank lemon verbena cocktails and ate delicious almonds along with a cup of clam chowder and local greens. My friend had the lavender goat cheese quesadilla. All super scrumptious.
For dinner the next night, the weather was lovely again but yellow jacket threats (the ONLY drawback to August in the San Juans) kept us indoors. As a party of four this time, we ordered some appetizers of the day: vegetable flatbread and local steamed clams. So good. Plus, dinner comes with a bread/​biscuit basket accompanied by butter and a delicious onion spread. I was already starting to get full… Then came the smoked salmon rice paper rolls and the carrot soup. Oh my. A friend had the vegetable polenta as well and it looked so good.
We were able to move to the deck for dessert and enjoyed a pot au crème, a berry cake thing (don’t remember exactly what my friend ordered), and cherry napoleon. I could barely walk out of there I was so full.
All of the press that’s been deservedly given to Allium describes its loveliness better than I ever could, and while I hope Orcas Island stays as peaceful and beautiful and perfect as it always has been, I think everyone deserves the chance to visit and eat at Allium at least once (or twice!).

If you take a vacation on Orcas you’re contractually obligated to eat at Allium. I think that’s what the cabin rental fine print said, anyway. So dutifully we went off to Eastsound, ready to cram our faces with some expensive food. And since sunshine sort of demands dining al fresco we promptly planted our asses at a table on the deck. The wind kicked up a bit but, in a very thoughtful move, all the chairs outside were equipped with a super snuggly blanket to stave off the chill.
The bread basket brought some flaky, delicious mini biscuits & a little ramekin of onion jam, which was apparently rendered over an eternity because it was smoother than Lionel Richie. Why yes, onion jam, it IS you I’m looking for. Also smooth? The carrot soup, rich and luscious with a whole cow’s worth of cream.
The caramelized scallops arrived in due course, all dressed up in shiny golden coats and a foie gras broth. I’m usually a touch apprehensive about ordering scallops because they’re so easy to ruin, but I figured that if you can’t get a good scallop at Allium then it’s probably the Apocalypse anyway. It was a faultless supposition — the scallops were perfect, tender and sweet, with nary a hint of rubber. And the foie broth? Yeah, I wanted a straw to finish that off. Why is etiquette so damned restrictive?
Of course a here-​piggy-​piggy-​soo-​ee! dinner is not complete without dessert, so we decided to sample the pecan pie and the chocolate & pistachio cake with cherry ice cream. The pecan pie advertised bacon in the crust but the bits were super small. More bacon! More! Otherwise it was one of the best pecan pies I’ve ever tried, plenty of bourbon and vanilla flavoring and a gooey yet non-​gelatinous texture. The cake was, well, cake. Excellent cake, to be sure, but I actually have a pretty hard time getting worked up over non-​fruit desserts. Still, great pastry chef (previously of Herbfarm), and it’s nice to see that Allium takes their dessert as seriously as their entrees.
Prices: ye gods. Do not come here if you’re pinching pennies. Hell, don’t come here if you’re pinching twenties. The check will send you into cardiac arrest. Otherwise? Do your Orcas Island duty and check it out. Your tongue will thank you.

$ 28 cod? Are you for reals?
Allium was quaint enough, but it didn’t provide the «dining experience» you’d expect – nay, deserve! – from such steep prices.
Instead of ordering an entrée, I opted for a half-​portion of the truffle gnocchi ($ 13) and a chard salad ($ 8 or $ 9). First of all, this order somehow stumped the waitress, who, after an uncomfortable pause, asked if I wouldn’t prefer the entrée portion of gnocchi. Because why consume less when you can consume more, eh?
«How much does that cost?» «Oh, I’ll go check.» [insert 5 – 10 minutes] «Twenty-​two dollars.»
Second of all, there were maybe three miniscule truffle slices in the truffle gnocchi. Why even bother? Thirdly, the gnocchi came out first, followed by the starter salad, which would have been nice to start with.
In summary: The food was all right, but overpriced, and I remain thoroughly convinced that Doe Bay Café is the best game in town.

My boyfriend and I came here on our trip because we heard the chef was from the Herb Farm and we wanted to try Herb Farm food at non-​Herb Farm prices. We were told by our bed and breakfast owners that it was The New Restaurant on the island, so we thought it would make a good place for a nicer dinner.
We got there a little late for our reservation. We called beforehand and they were pretty flexible. The restaurant is a little dark as these types of intimate, romantic restaurants tend to be and we got a nice corner table. I would have liked to sit closer to the window probably, but it was nice.
We ordered:
A bottle of white wine.
Appetizer: smoked salmon roll
Entrees: Seafood pappardelle with cream and truffle sauce (mine)
Duck breast with roasted artichokes, olives and Brussels sprouts (his)
Dessert: A chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream and caramel
The smoked salmon roll reminded me of a Vietnamese fresh roll except with salmon. It was eh.
The papapardelle was oh-​so-​good. I had never had pappardelle before and the combination with the seafood, cream and tuffle oil was perfect. The proportions of everything were perfect and the sauce was not too heavy (as is my concern with cream sauces). My boyfriend liked his dish a lot. I really liked the roasted flavor on the brussels sprouts and artichokes. I like to taste the flavor off of foods cooked this style so points from me.
The chocolate cake was pretty good too. I kind of regret not ordering the seasonal fruit pasty though as I usually like to get something a little more unique at these places. Don’t know… I was just in the mood for chocolate that day I guess.
Service was good. Our waitress was really nice. The ambiance is quiet and romantic though I did see families. Its annoying that everything in Orcas Island closes early (as I live in Seattle normally… haha), but that isn’t exclusive to this restaurant. If you are looking for a nice dinner on Orcas Island, this is a good place to go.

THE FOOD THE FOOD THE FOOD
Good lord. This place gets it right, the flavors, the textures, the seasoning, just everything.
Nice little Restaurant, well appointed. Exceptional Service.
We had early dinner and sat on the outdoor patio. It was a little windy, but they provide nice fleece blankets to cover you while you dine in the majesty of Eastsound bay. Couldn’t ask for more from the setting.
We had the gnocchi as an appetizer, stunningly prepared. Best gnocchi I’ve ever had.
My wife had Salmon I had steak. Both amazing, but the SALMON was possibly one of the most perfectly cooked piece of fish I’ve ever seen.
With technical prowess like this in the kitchen I would have to assume that anything you tried would be amazing.
Great selection of wines by the glass.
No hesitation to give 5 stars.
Like all places on Orcas, GET RESERVATIONS!