The Carlile Room

Come for the cocktails, stay for the veggies! I came here with my boyfriend and his family prior to a show at the paramount and boy was I glad they were footing the bill. A spendy joint for small but high-​quality and well thought out dishes and FANTASTIC cocktails.
As a group of five, we shared six small plates (not nearly enough food for this group) and we each got our own portion of meat. I had the filet mignon which was a perfect medium rare and very tender. All of the side dishes (veggie focused) were tasty, but there was only enough for us each to have one small veggie per dish — if you enjoyed it, too bad because there wasn’t enough for seconds.
I also had two Manhattans — try them!!! The only disappointment was how long it took for them to turn out drinks, we learned to ask for another beverage before finishing the first because it was soooo slowwww.
Overall great food and cocktails, expensive (not necessarily a bad thing) and slow drink service.

It was a TomDouglas/​Chef in the Hat showdown this week. I came down from Bellingham and decided to try the Carlile room for TD and Loulay for Rautureau. I sat at the bar at the Carlile Room and received exceptionally good service. Quiet, but hip atmosphere. I am glad I left before the DJ, but you might want to stay until 10 for the music. The Duck Fat Hushpuppies with Duck Liver Mousse — Trop bons! Roasted Pork Loin (small portion) — Perfection in Pork. Bellinghamsters can be easy to please as we don’t have too many «fancy» restaurants. The Carlile Room showed me what I am missing.

I just went to HH here so didn’t get to experience the full menu although it looked like lots of tasty items to try. I wasn’t blown away by my experience but didn’t have major expectations since I have heard mixed reviews.
I had the filthy martini which had almost a cucumber flavor to it– not sure I loved it but the cheese stuffed olive was delicious. We also had the mozzarella croquettes and the salmon dip with potato chips– both just ok. I wished there had been more marinara under the croquettes and the potato chips lacked some flavor and crunch– almost as if there wasn’t any salt on them.
I’m undecided with how I feel about the place overall. I like the rock vibe with Bob Dylan playing and it’s great to have a place right near the Paramount now so that’s exciting stuff. Maybe I need to give it another go.

Just had a fine dinner there. The high point was the gunpowder cocktail — a nice combination of rum, lime, coconut and allspice. My wife had a pink sparkling wine that oddly came in a wine glass (not a flute of some nature) and wasn’t very bubbly.
We had a Kona kampachi sashimi starter which had amazing flavor when you could find the kampachi. It was cut into these very thin ragged pieces. I would have either increased the amount of tuna and price point or just do one small piece rather that taking a small piece and making it into many smaller pieces.
Followed it with the chick pea fava fritter which was really tasty with the kumquats. The ricotta cakes were good but lacked flavor — I think some salt could have helped it along. We finished with a Greek yogurt cheesecake which comes with a really good pistachio cookie.
All in all this is a nice restaurant with no disasters but for the price ($ 100 for 2) you can do better in the area.

This was me and my husband’s second TD experience, our first being Dahlia Lounge (amazing) a couple of years ago for our anniversary. Based on reviews, I was very excited to try The Carlile Room, but I left a bit disappointed.
Pros: the ambiance — a little dark, a little loud, but we like that kind of thing; the service — we were seated and acknowledged promptly; the cocktails — I had a Salty Dog, husband had a Boulevardier, and both were decent; the spaghetti with chanterelle cream and the chickpea fritters — I’d go back for these two
Cons: the albacore tuna — super-​disappointed in this because not only were 90% of the pieces overcooked, but it was incredibly overseasoned (I don’t really drink water, and it caused me to go through at least two glasses); the lamb — on the contrary, this was underseasoned but also overcooked
I would consider returning perhaps for happy hour or the late night Hunter’s Breakfast, but overall we were underwhelmed and thankful we had a gift card (because it was not worth the total price).

Cute new Tom Douglas restaurant with great bar and bites — located just across the street from the Paramount Theater in downtown Seattle. We only sat at the bar, had some wine and an risotto ball appetizer prior to going to a show, but it was enough that I definitely plan to be back.
Props for having «cheesy poofs» as a free bar snack if you want it. I didn’t need to have my fingers glow orange, but it added a bit of levity to an otherwise fairly boring item most bars throw up there (nuts, olives, etc).
Love that they have three different bar areas: one near the kitchen where you can watch them cook, one «normal» bar, and another one designed to be more of a wine bar (although of course you can order everything from the menu at any of the locations).
Reservations are highly recommended, as when we came in we were lucky to get seats at the bar and it was still pretty early in the evening. I’m sure proximity to the theater across the street contributes to that with mass crowds arriving/​leaving at the same time.

AMAZING! We had such a fantastic time stopping here before the Book of Mormon show this weekend. *NOTE* if you want to do something similar, make a reservation well in advance!
We had a group of 6 — as we perused the menu all of us decided there wasn’t one thing we would not eat, so we decided to ask the chef to cook/​choose for us to make it easy!
We started with the chips and dips and 5 kinds of the cheese. The chips were amazing!
Second course was the Tuna, Carrots (UNREAL!), and Ravioli. Seriously, everything was so delicious and I’ve never had a better carrot in my life.
Third was the Elk, Beets and Brussels Sprouts. The Elk was delicious (not gamey at all) and the beets with the sauce were phenomenal.
For Dessert we ordered the ice cream and olive oil cake, with a few after drink cocktails and coffee — but unfortunately we had to run to our show so they told us to head back after and they’d seat us for dessert, which they did!
The décor is fantastic, Tom Douglas is an inspired restaurateur and Dezi is a fantastic chef. We will be back!

Going right down the middle with this one.
Came here for a holiday/​work lunch… so yeah, we had five fashion designers saying very little about the décor except to question how the felt window treatments were made. I kinda didn’t get it myself.
After having perused the website menu, I feel like we were robbed with what was on the lunch menu, one third or more of which was dedicated to the once-​considered national bird, the turkey. Why turkey?
Well, I did end up ordering the turkey and butternut squash stew. I instantly second guessed my order though. It’ll be too sweet. Experimentation will lead to disappointment. But the alternatives didn’t seem filling enough. The salad options seemed too light and I thought a burger would be be too much. Well, I picked a winner and it turned out to be bordering on too much anyway. The stew was very delicious and I would not describe the stew as sweet at all. Whatever was used to neutralize the sweet turned out perfect. Highly recommended.
I had ordered their very aromatic coconut tea, something I enjoyed a lot.
I will definitely give this place another shot again after having looked at the on-​line menu. I’d prefer to come here for dinner next time. Our server didn’t seem very knowledgable about the menu, mostly making recommendations based on the frequency of serving rather than first-​hand knowledge.

Wow. I could just write «wow» over and over again. This is one of the most memorable spendy dining experiences I’ve had in this here city and I will be back and also highly recommend this place to anyone.
I came here with my GF and two friends; we got in before the dinner rush and were lucky to get a table with no reservation. Hostess was super cool about that. Décor and ambience is super cool and quirky; not sure how to describe it but there were felt hangings over the windows and heavy old wood sound baffles suspended from thick ropes and videos of 1960s sports projected on small spots on the wall.
Drinks were great and innovative. GF and I each got a «Mrs. Potts,» a special cocktail apparently in honor of a character in the «Beauty and the Beast» musical playing over at the Paramount. It was gin with a bit of orange marmalade, and it was superb.
The four of us split 3 dishes off the «Plants» part of the menu and one seafood dish from the «Carne Diem» section. The Plants were the handmade spaghetti, the ricotta dumplings and the chickpea-​fava fritters; all were great but the fritters were over-​the-​top, jaw-​dropping awesome. The seafood dish was the Pepper Pot, also really wonderful.
We considered dessert but opted against it… next time, perhaps, and there will most certainly be many next times. Sakes alive… mmm, mmm, mmmmm.

Just like the namesake of this restaurant, Brandi Carlile’s music, The Carlile Room is a mix of 60’s and 70’s and plays a tribute to a mix of things that all come together beautifully.
We came for dinner on a busy Thursday night. We were warmly greeted by the hostess and brought to a booth that was interesting given it was open on each end and faced the back bar. Our server, James, was amazing! Quick with suggestions, this is a server who knows his craft and clearly loves it which is always my favorite kind of server!
And because he knew his stuff, we went with all his recommendations from the starters to the entrees. So what did we have? Well, first up was the «bloody Mary» beef tartar which was very interesting and was served with skewer of what you just might find in a Bloody Mary. I loved this dish! Along with this we had the duck fat fois gras hush puppies. I also loved the range of flavors and textures in this dish. Clearly we were on a roll!
For our entrees, we went with the Pepper Pot which was a spicy little number with a range of seafood served with some toast in a saucy tomato broth. We also had the pork belly with glazed apples which was great since you can order it as a «side» portion or entrée size.
And if there could even have been room after all of this, the desserts were calling to us so a gingerbread crème brûlée and an apple cobbler cake made their way to our table. The cobbler needed a little more ice cream but they both were definitely worth the trip to the gym the next morning!
Loved the décor as there are tributes to other great musicians located throughout the space be it the large Bob Dylan graphic that the restrooms are tucked behind, the signed guitar by Brandi Carlile herself or any of the other touches that make this a really lovely restaurant to have dinner in. And don’t miss the «Book of Booze» that takes you on a journey of drinks from Joan Baez to June Cleaver!
Like the namesake of the restaurant, I’m pretty sure this local star will continue it’s rising journey! Loved it!

Finally had a chance to check this place out!
We tried two of the desserts: the apple cobbler and the banana split sundae. Cobbler could use an extra scoop of ice cream, but otherwise it was perfect. Great standard for the menu.
The star was the banana split sundae (called My Friends Never Diet). Complex and creative! Many textures and favors. There was something different in each bite.
Skip the drinks. The menu was so well put together we ordered some. Rather underwhelming. But this is a restaurant after all. Go for the wine.

Well, Tom Douglas appears to have struck again… Right now, the only thing I could take a star away on, and I won’t, is the fact that everywhere you look they say they are open at 11… when in fact it is 11:30… no problem though, the young lady behind the counter setting up let me sit at a table, and even brought me some water and a menu while I waited for my friend…
This is an extra special review for two reasons, first, its my 50^th (go me) and second, its my first review of a restaurant eating as a Vegan (this is a challenge, and not a permanent thing)… the server (Steph), while not having full knowledge of what is and isn’t vegan on the menu gave some options… then came back with the bad news that the soup did in fact use a cream base… BUT, then she gave the awesome news about the house made noodles that were vegan… the cooks kindly sauteed those with some veggies and bang, we were in business… the starter salad, minus cheese, was pretty good. The pan friend padron popper app, minus the cheese, were very flavorful as well… service was great, my water never got below half and there was a good sense of team work going on…
Overall, I would say this place is great and would recommend it for a lunch spot, and I imagine its probably pretty credible as a dinner spot as well…

As much as I loved the way the restaurant looked from the outdoor sign to the restroom and the service was okay, the food was the most disappointing for me. The food came out lukewarm and was either not salted or over salted. There was no consistency in the meal and it was not wanting to waste food that made me finish my food for the evening.
Porportion wise, it was good. The filet mignon was cooked to medium rare, but it was warm. Perhaps they took it out of the pan too early and left it to sit to the point where it became medium rare, but also not hot. No one likes their steak almost lukewarm.
The ricotta dumplings were okay, but my fiancé and I agreed they tasted just like the gnocchi we can buy from the store. Restaurants do sometimes buy items from the store because it’s just easier, but I truly hope these weren’t. We also feel our food had been sitting out for some time.
The best tasting dish, which I feel bad about, is the rotisserie chicken. It tasted like a Thanksgiving turkey. I could eat a giant plate of that if served during Thanksgiving. I feel bad because it’s a simple dish to make and it came out good, but it was the only savory dish that was good.
All these reviews and the menu was what caught my attention in the first place. Unfortunately, when we arrived, we were given a menu that was different than what was online. It happens for every restaurant that creates seasonal dishes, but that was also a disappointment.
If anything, I would come back to try some wine and check out the bar area.

I have to say… I really, really wanted to LOVE this place.
I have put many things in my mouth created by the Tom Douglas empire and most of the time it’s great — from the sake slushies of Tanaka-​san to the famed coconut cream pies of Dahlia Lounge.
I liked the décor and the service was great, but my ratings are almost always just based on the FOOD. And everything was just A-​OK.
Roasted Cauliflower Head $ 15: It was more like a roasted cauliflower branch. Good flavors but the texture of broth + couscous + roasted cauliflower was a little strange. Not quite sold on lobster + cauliflower flavor combo.
Chickpea-​Fava-​Fritter $ 13: You can call it whatever but this was an excellent falafal. Delicious! Good balance of flavors. Favorite thing on the menu by far.
Grass-​fed Fetite Filet Mignon $ 33: The mushrooms were sauteed nicely. Steak was overcooked and dry. It shouldn’t be at this price point.
Grape Sorbet $ 8: Good flavor. Gritty texture.
Apple Cobbler $ 10: Nothing exceptional. Don’t even remember it.
All in all it was an underwhelming experience. But maybe it was just unique to this night… I’d maybe try it again but hesitant at this price point.

Our last night in Seattle, we were kind of burnt out so decided to look for something near the hotel. The Carlile Room came up on Unilocal with a really good rating and it was just a half a block away, nice!
It was Saturday night, prime time dinner hour so we were pretty lucky that we got a table as walk ins. First impression, the place has a fun, energetic atmosphere, it sorta has a hipster, sorta high end, but sorta kitch vibe. We sat at one of the high tables across from the bar and took a look around at our neighboring diners and all the lively activity going on. We sat next to a young gay guy with his young attractive female friend and he was just dishing to her about his exes. He was totally blasting them and showing her pictures of them to boot. On the other side of us was another attractive young couple that were definitely on a first date. They were each asking each other A LOT of questions and both seemed like they were having a good time… a 2^nd date looked promising. Scoping out the patrons at the bar, there was an older couple that looked like they live in the area and hit this place up once a week, they knew all of the bar staff. Then at the end of the bar, there was an older guy with scruffy white hair in a big black beret. He was writing notes down and scribbling in a thick journal while having what looked like an old fashioned. He sat there the entire time we were there and would occasionally take a sip of his drink and would peek over his book, taking a look at the other patrons. Could he be some famous artist or poet spending time in downtown Seattle? Who knows… he never said a word to anyone.
Anyway, on to the food.
We had a pretty big lunch so weren’t that hungry.
We started with the Duck fat hushpuppies with duck liver mousse. It came with peach jam and pickled tomatillos. This was delicious. The bright, acidy pickled tomatillos balanced out the super rich duck liver mousse perfectly. The peach jam added just the right amount of sweetness and those hushpuppies… OMG those were good.
For entrees my friend got the Venison and I got the Roasted berkshire pork shoulder with chorizo. Both were very good. The venison was nicely gamey but not overpowering, and VERY tender. The pork was nicely fatty, just as I’d hoped, although the dish was a bit on the bland side as a whole. Of the two, I think the venison was better.
The one thing I liked was you could order three different sizes of each entrée. An appetizer size, a normal entrée size, and a «slab» size, I guess which is for family style dining or those with King Kong appetites. I thought we weren’t that hungry but as usual, we both got the regular sized portion and even though we were stuffed by then, opted to look at the dessert menu.
We figured it was our last night here and who knows when we’ll be back in Seattle so decided on getting something sweet to end the night. My friend got the Crabapple crisp which was also good. It had just the right amount of spice and came with a scoop of ginger ice cream. I opted for something a bit different than the standard dessert, I got some chevre spread inside of some toasted baguette and drizzled with aged balsamic, wow that was incredible and a good way to end the meal.
We loved Seattle and hope to be back this upcoming year. This will be one of the spots we’ll hit up again. The food was superb, the atmosphere was lively, and the service was great.
4 ½ stars

Stopped in for happy hour and tried two of the cocktail specials and the HH salad and pulled pork sandwich. The drinks were ok, nothing stellar. The salad was fresh and had a variety of crunchy, sweet, and sour elements. Pulled pork sandwich was more of a dry pork carnitas style with purple cabbage slaw and pickles; good and messy, but not great. The best part was the house-​made pickles.
This one deserves more exploration as the dinner menu looked stellar. There was a DJ schedule posted by the door — different and interesting choices. :)

I have to admit I rolled my eyes a bit when I found out Tom Douglas opened another restaurant in Seattle, but I’m so glad I awoke out of my snobby trance long enough to give this restaurant a shot. Spoiler alert: It totally delivered! Glitz, glamour, and bloody delicious food make this Tom Douglas establishment a winner in my book.
I love the creativity and presentation of the menu, which is divided into three sections: openers, plants, and carne diem. Best of all is the «Book of Booze.» Seriously, I’m not making this up.
We started with a couple of cheeses (water buffalo, and sheep’s milk) and a glass of gamay. Alongside that, we had hush puppies with duck liver mousse. The mousse on it’s own was phenomenal, but the hush puppies definitely needed the extra help. On its own, it would have been a little lackluster. It almost felt sacrilegious to pair the duck liver mousse with the hush puppies, but it was a tasty combo.
We moved onto our main courses. My husband at the lamb chops, which had an amazing cilantro yogurt sauce accompanying it. He paired it with a «plant,» the muskmelon. Not our favorite. I ordered the pepper pot. If you don’t try anything else, try the pepper pot! It had clams, prawns, squid, salmon collar, and rockfish in this spicy tomato sauce. The salmon collar lended a smoky flavor to the dish, but it had a lot of bones in it, which I could have done without. Fish bone make me gag.
For dessert, my husband had the crème brûlée which he kept ooh-​ing and aah-​ing over (after he removed the yogurt chips on top of it). I had an old-​fashioned, which I was disappointed with because it was SO sweet it probably gave me a cavity. If you’re going to have a Book of Booze, those cocktails have got to be the best damned cocktails ever. Unfortunately, I didn’t care for my old-​fashioned, which was kind of a bummer to end a near perfect meal on.

Champagne & French fries??? I shall name this as one of my new fav hangouts!
This beautiful, big, glass/​art/​dark wood covered space has just the right amount of everything. Tasty small plates, cured meat, cheeses? Yes. How about really intricate looking desserts? Sure! And beautiful cocktails that name after the place? Or that one singer? Yes. Cool staffs? Done! What else do you need! Ahhhh!
Food
They have openers which include everything in the appetizers. And plants and carne which have a ton of veggies and meat stuff.
Buffalo mozzarella is as tasty as a dessert.
Roasted acorn squash in fish broth is rather light.
Fillet mignon came with Chantelle mushroom on the side. Medium rare melts in your mouth!
Oh and champagne and French fries combo can be found here? yes please x 100! I often skip the fries though. Usually end up doing the champagne! But fries are pretty amazing, I never had to worry about leaving them behind. My friends are always all over it. I also love their cocktails. All so refreshing and tasty! Oh and definitely check out the art installation in the bathroom! its pretty cool!

Excellent stop post-​Wicked! Stopped in for drinks and food after a matinée performance and thoroughly enjoyed the dining experience. The Carlile Room opened with the opening of «Wicked» right across the street at the Paramount, things seemed to be moving pretty well. We enjoyed some happy hour cocktails and snacks before we ordered our entrées. the mozzarella bites were yummy and the dips were tasty as well, our favourite being the crab dip! I ordered the pepper pot which was full of seafood and zingy tomato sauce. Topped with garlic toast and salmon collar, this dish was a winner! My side «plant», as the menu states, was the cucumber steeped in hibiscus with barley, cashew, lime, avocado, mint, crawford blueberries, and borage.
Once «Wicked» closes, it will be interesting to see how the demographic changes (if at all) as many patrons right now have been theatre-​goers. GREAT JOB, y’all!

You had me at cheese and cocktails…
Apparently, Tom Douglas loves Brandi Carlile so much, he named his newest restaurant after her. Weird, or awesome?
I’ve been eagerly waiting for this place to open, since it’s around the corner from my office and I’ve been watching it’s progress. The décor is eclectic to say the least, but definitely a cool spot for appetizers and drinks! Will probably avoid like the plague on Paramount show nights, but definitely looking forward to many a post-​work drink here.