Christina’s

Closed as of Mid-​March 2010.

Catching up with friends? Meeting new friends? Romantic night out? Christina’s is the place to be for amazing food and fantastic conversation. Owner was our server and she made sure we had the perfect dining experience as each course moved smoothly from one to the other. Vast wine selection and tempting cocktail menu.
Northwest fare with Orcas Island produce and fresh seafood. Menu changes weekly. So much to choose from with starters, small plates and main dishes. Had a salad with pomegranate seeds and the world’s most perfect vinegarette. Mac and Cheese is hearty and filling. Shared the clams in a white sauce. Sauce is so good that I had to dip my bread in it. Completed our meal with their flourless chocolate cake with blackberry sauce.
Views of the bay. A great place to grab the sunset as you sip on wine and nibble on Christina’s fine food.

Christina’s is consistently in my top 3 restaurants in the Seattle area. The quality of the food is always excellent (apparently a missed a bad chef spell, but returned this weekend and it was fantastic), the drinks are unique (in a good way) and the service is always top notch and pleasant. And the ambiance, especially if sitting next to the windows, is perfect for a romantic dinner. Cheers to the new ownership!

After all the positive reviews I read and recommendation from friend. Our own dinning experience at Christina’s turned out to be a huge let down.
We were seated promptly but waited long time for water and to have our orders taken. Our order was forgotten and we didn’t get served until it was close to the restaurant’s closing time. Had the waitress checked on us or made herself available for question, she might notice the messes up sooner and we wouldn’t have to wait for over an hour for our food to arrive.
The meal was equally disappointing. Don’t expect a lot from a pricey $ 30 entrée. The portion was small, the taste was not worth writing home.

The food was really really good. It’s NW cuisine done very well with things like oysters and a dish that wasn’t called bouillabaisse but basically was. They had great desserts and great drinks.
I think it is really expensive though. All the entrees are about $ 30 and all the appetizers were in the $ 14 to $ 18 range. Maybe I am deceived by the way it is so laid back so the prices surprised me. Maybe because we are on an island they have to charge more cause they have to ship things in. Or maybe because we are on an island they charge more because they can.
The service was also not so good. To be fair there was no host/​hostess and the one waitress was serving the whole restaurant, but it was slow and when we arrived we waited quite a while to get seated, just standing awkwardly in the entrance.
We also got our appetizers before our drinks, which were ordered first and are DRINKS so that really shouldn’t happen. Dessert was very good. View is great.

You would think that with a captive audience, a restaurant would slack a bit when it comes to presenting a transient tourist population with a fine meal. Christina’s does not do that. I had the 3-​for-​30 special which started with a simple salad of greens and a light dressing which was simple, and quite good. The main course was a roasted chicken leg on a bed of mashed potato, with asparagus, and the dessert was a crème brûlée which was exceptional. What made the dinner excellent was that the food was obviously crafted with simple and quality ingredients, and assembled with skill. When Bittman writes about ingredients making the meal, this is exactly what he is describing. The meal was simple, and without flaw. Excellent.
Somewhere I read that Christina’s introduced fine dining to Orcas. I’d agree with that. Nice work. Eastsound needed a place like this.

Christina’s reminded me those traditional, fine and beloved French restaurants in Caracas, places where eating is a whole experience. Christina’s was whole, and traditional as well.
It’s been a long time since I got such an impeccable service. It was a delightful experience. It was almost like being in a movie: the savvy, casually elegant maitre; the young, well-​informed and polite server, who knew a little about everything; the elegant yet unpretentious atmosphere; the attic of the house with white, wooden walls, persian rugs and several small, dark tables-​for-​two carefully displayed around so the conversation can remain private; yes, we were in a restaurant managed with a hint of old-​fashioned, warm professionalism that is a dying species nowadays…
The food was delicious, although the better half wasn’t extremely impressed. He had a New York strip that was very good, but not extraordinary. I had a suggested menu that was delicious: the salad was a mix of lettuce, peccorino and boquerones fish, well balanced and light; my entrée was lamb ribs, prepared in, again, a very traditional way, on a semi-​sweet sauce that I loved. But the highlight of the dinner was the pastry that accompanied my dessert, eggnog ice-cream…almond, oats and chocolate cookies that were to die for. Crispy and delicious!
We loved this dinner because it was more than just about the food. It was a delightful experience overall. The food is fantastic, but as I said to Ryan, prepared more the impress our parents palates than ours, used to the trends of the fusion or modern cuisines… even though, when we go back to Orcas Island, I’d love to go again. It’s like the hotel manager told us a little before we went to have dinner: Christine introduced fine dinning in Orcas Island. Yes, I agree. This is fine dinning at its best.

Ever have those meals when, warm with wine, savoring your first incredible course, anticipating the next, you look across the table and give a big smile to your love and feel incandescently happy? This is one of those rare and special restaurants that induces said feelings.
One of the most memorable meals of my life. Absolutely the best food and service. Incredible experience. The atmosphere is cozy, especially on a rainy October evening, the service was impeccable without being stuffy. Our server took time to discuss ingredients, preparations and wines with us, was always attentive and was just downright sweet. We gorged on 5 courses and enjoyed every bite. The ingredients are mostly local, and Christine really lets the quality of the fruits, vegetables, cheeses and meats shine through. Her preparations are sophisticated, but fresh and balanced. Her skills shine in every course– appetizers, salads, soup, entrees, and don’t miss dessert! I wanted to go into the kitchen and hug Christine, it was so good!
Also a wonderful selection of wines, of which our waitress and sommelier generously recommended a most memorable Zinfandel (who knew a Zin could be SO good?!).
Don’t miss Christine’s if you are on the island! Actually, get on the ferry and make a pilgrimage to Christine. She’s that good.