Bistro Shirlee ★★★☆☆
Bistro Shirlee is a new restaurant in the Laurelhurst, Seattle neighborhood. Driving just north of U-Village but before Children’s hospital, you’ll find a small cluster of restaurants. This is where you’ll find two of Renee Erickson’s newest babies: Great State Burger and Bistro Shirlee.
In 2018, Renee Erickson incorporated three brands from the Huxley Wallace Collective— Westward, Saint Helens, and the Great State Burger — to her Sea Creatures group: Bateau, the Walrus and the Carpenter, the Whale Wins, General Porpoise, Bar Melusine, Barnacle, Deep Dive, and Willmott’s Ghost. In April 2019, she decided to change Saint Helens into a French Bistro of her own creation, named after her mother—Bistro Shirlee.
In 2018, Renee Erickson incorporated three brands from the Huxley Wallace Collective— Westward, Saint Helens, and the Great State Burger — to her Sea Creatures group: Bateau, the Walrus and the Carpenter, the Whale Wins, General Porpoise, Bar Melusine, Barnacle, Deep Dive, and Willmott’s Ghost. In April 2019, she decided to change Saint Helens into a French Bistro of her own creation, named after her mother—Bistro Shirlee.
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Driving up to the redesigned restaurant, I was instantly struck by its giant outdoor patio and Edison lights. Being right off of the Burke-Gilman trail, bicyclists have quick access to the restaurant. They’ve put in some cool features for bicyclists to enjoy as well: a lit sign with a quintessential, old, French bicycle and bike grooves going down the stairs to your own bicycle parking. We parked our car on the lower level, as we came up the stairs we were instantly in-awe of the picturesque bar, the sea-themed-colors, and the overall calming atmosphere.
I got reservations the day before and they only had two timeslots available: 8:15 and 8:30. We reserved the 8:15 slot and even though we arrived 10 minutes early, they were plenty ready to seat us. They had a table for four ready in the midst of a packed restaurant, full outdoor patio, and half-full bar.
I was pretty impressed by how fast they were able to accommodate us despite having such a full capacity. I was very honored since we were in a corner table off from the rest of the side-by-side tables. We had plenty of space to spread out and talk as openly as we wanted. However, if we had been seated somewhere else, I would have been a little cramped and felt the need to keep my voice down so our neighboring table didn’t have to hear our incessant chatter about what we thought of the place. Even though the inside seemed a bit scrunched together, the outdoor patio (on a first-come-first-serve basis) was very well spaced with a firepit and separate spaces for groups of various sizes.
Sitting down, our waiter seemed a bit off for the night. He was friendly enough but seemed a bit distant. He answered our questions with precision and even seemed excited to surprise me with one of his favorite appetizers. He didn’t go much beyond that though. No fun back-and-forth, no extra frills. When he was done taking our order, he was off to the next thing. When asked about the restaurant’s change from Saint Helens, he was very to the point and ready to leave before we could ask any more questions.
I got reservations the day before and they only had two timeslots available: 8:15 and 8:30. We reserved the 8:15 slot and even though we arrived 10 minutes early, they were plenty ready to seat us. They had a table for four ready in the midst of a packed restaurant, full outdoor patio, and half-full bar.
I was pretty impressed by how fast they were able to accommodate us despite having such a full capacity. I was very honored since we were in a corner table off from the rest of the side-by-side tables. We had plenty of space to spread out and talk as openly as we wanted. However, if we had been seated somewhere else, I would have been a little cramped and felt the need to keep my voice down so our neighboring table didn’t have to hear our incessant chatter about what we thought of the place. Even though the inside seemed a bit scrunched together, the outdoor patio (on a first-come-first-serve basis) was very well spaced with a firepit and separate spaces for groups of various sizes.
Sitting down, our waiter seemed a bit off for the night. He was friendly enough but seemed a bit distant. He answered our questions with precision and even seemed excited to surprise me with one of his favorite appetizers. He didn’t go much beyond that though. No fun back-and-forth, no extra frills. When he was done taking our order, he was off to the next thing. When asked about the restaurant’s change from Saint Helens, he was very to the point and ready to leave before we could ask any more questions.
Cocktails–check!
They were absolutely amazing! They were a bit pricier and smaller than a run of the mill drink, but on-par with any craft cocktail. After my first round, I already started to feel the alcohol even though it didn’t have a distinctively spirituous taste to it. Because of this, I decided to order a wine instead of ordering another cocktail. I chose the only red Bourdieu on their menu. I was kind of surprised that a French-themed bistro would only have one red Bourdieu to choose from, but then decided to forgive them for this after the first sip—very delicious.
Appetizers—check!
“What’s your favorite appetizer?” I asked the waiter. It was between the Asparagus ($12) or the Chicken Liver Mousse ($12). So when he responded with the Asparagus, I asked, “So, you would recommend that above the Chicken Liver Mousse?”
“Oh! That’s really good too,” he reacted, “I’ve really been enjoying the Asparagus lately and haven’t departed from that, but you’re reminding me of how much I absolutely love the Chicken Mousse.”
I always like to test the waiter to see if they’ll recommend items and how they deal with making great decisions for their customers, so I asked him to surprise me between the two. He brought out the Chicken Liver Mousse, by saying, “It seemed like you were already sold on this and I do love it so much!” It came with the mousse, a pickled plum jam, spicy Dijon-mustard, cornichon, and crostini’s. The elements were delicious on their own, but the combined flavors significantly elevated the dish.
I tried to share my appetizer with my two guests. Even though there was enough spread for three, there were only three good sized crostini. Sometimes I have to remind myself that appetizers at restaurants like this aren’t meant to be shareables, but as individual starters. I think next time, I’ll just ask the waiter if he can bring some extra bread pieces.
To be fair, my friend ordered the smoked black cod, dill créme faiche, pickled baby beets, and horseradish ($15), which was certainly large enough to share between the three of us. The fish was very succulent. The elements of the dish all really came together in a unique way that undeniably I could not reproduce on my own. The only unfavorable thing to say about this appetizer was its lack of salt.
Entrees—check, minus!
While the price of the entrée’s was not cheap, I expected to pay the $40 price tag with my filet mignon, black peppercorn sauce, and frites. I wasn’t a fan of being served my steak a few minutes after my companions got their meals—it was a bit awkward to insist that they start without me since I wasn’t sure when my meal would arrive. I would like to say that the $40 price tag came with a dish worthy of the price, but it lacked anything special. While the steak was a perfectly cooked medium-rare, the flavor from the steak and the sauce were lacking. The star of the dish, hands-down, were the frites. Perfectly fried and seasoned. I just wished the main part of the plate was the star.
My friend had the pork chop and described his dish in similar ways. His porkchop was cooked nicely, but wasn’t served in any kind of sauce or with any special seasonings or marinades. It was good, but average.
Ernie Lou’s Burger Review:
Since Bistro Shirlee has a French theme, I wanted to make sure that I tasted their frites! In my option, French bistros always have the tastiest frites. So when I saw the Shirlee Burger with Frites on the menu I couldn’t resist. I was not disappointed. The Shirlee Burger was one of the most flavorful and moist burgers I have ever had! A perfectly cooked medium rare juicy burger was topped with a melted Swiss like emmenthal cheese, and dressed with aioli, onion jam on a poppy seed brioche bun. The combination was burger heaven. I savored every bite of this most flavorful French burger. And the frites were perfectly cooked. A hot, crispy accompaniment to a great burger with aioli and ketchup.
Overall, I really enjoyed the atmostphere of Bristro Shirlee—it was light, airy, and refreshing. The food was pretty good. Most of it was tasty, had good flavor, and was prepared expertly, yet lacked a bit of pizzaz and something special. I would have given Bistro Shirlee a 4 star review if there was more flare to the entrees. For now, I'm giving them a 3 star, but am hoping to try them out again after a few months to see if they’ll add any twists to their menu.
They were absolutely amazing! They were a bit pricier and smaller than a run of the mill drink, but on-par with any craft cocktail. After my first round, I already started to feel the alcohol even though it didn’t have a distinctively spirituous taste to it. Because of this, I decided to order a wine instead of ordering another cocktail. I chose the only red Bourdieu on their menu. I was kind of surprised that a French-themed bistro would only have one red Bourdieu to choose from, but then decided to forgive them for this after the first sip—very delicious.
Appetizers—check!
“What’s your favorite appetizer?” I asked the waiter. It was between the Asparagus ($12) or the Chicken Liver Mousse ($12). So when he responded with the Asparagus, I asked, “So, you would recommend that above the Chicken Liver Mousse?”
“Oh! That’s really good too,” he reacted, “I’ve really been enjoying the Asparagus lately and haven’t departed from that, but you’re reminding me of how much I absolutely love the Chicken Mousse.”
I always like to test the waiter to see if they’ll recommend items and how they deal with making great decisions for their customers, so I asked him to surprise me between the two. He brought out the Chicken Liver Mousse, by saying, “It seemed like you were already sold on this and I do love it so much!” It came with the mousse, a pickled plum jam, spicy Dijon-mustard, cornichon, and crostini’s. The elements were delicious on their own, but the combined flavors significantly elevated the dish.
I tried to share my appetizer with my two guests. Even though there was enough spread for three, there were only three good sized crostini. Sometimes I have to remind myself that appetizers at restaurants like this aren’t meant to be shareables, but as individual starters. I think next time, I’ll just ask the waiter if he can bring some extra bread pieces.
To be fair, my friend ordered the smoked black cod, dill créme faiche, pickled baby beets, and horseradish ($15), which was certainly large enough to share between the three of us. The fish was very succulent. The elements of the dish all really came together in a unique way that undeniably I could not reproduce on my own. The only unfavorable thing to say about this appetizer was its lack of salt.
Entrees—check, minus!
While the price of the entrée’s was not cheap, I expected to pay the $40 price tag with my filet mignon, black peppercorn sauce, and frites. I wasn’t a fan of being served my steak a few minutes after my companions got their meals—it was a bit awkward to insist that they start without me since I wasn’t sure when my meal would arrive. I would like to say that the $40 price tag came with a dish worthy of the price, but it lacked anything special. While the steak was a perfectly cooked medium-rare, the flavor from the steak and the sauce were lacking. The star of the dish, hands-down, were the frites. Perfectly fried and seasoned. I just wished the main part of the plate was the star.
My friend had the pork chop and described his dish in similar ways. His porkchop was cooked nicely, but wasn’t served in any kind of sauce or with any special seasonings or marinades. It was good, but average.
Ernie Lou’s Burger Review:
Since Bistro Shirlee has a French theme, I wanted to make sure that I tasted their frites! In my option, French bistros always have the tastiest frites. So when I saw the Shirlee Burger with Frites on the menu I couldn’t resist. I was not disappointed. The Shirlee Burger was one of the most flavorful and moist burgers I have ever had! A perfectly cooked medium rare juicy burger was topped with a melted Swiss like emmenthal cheese, and dressed with aioli, onion jam on a poppy seed brioche bun. The combination was burger heaven. I savored every bite of this most flavorful French burger. And the frites were perfectly cooked. A hot, crispy accompaniment to a great burger with aioli and ketchup.
Overall, I really enjoyed the atmostphere of Bristro Shirlee—it was light, airy, and refreshing. The food was pretty good. Most of it was tasty, had good flavor, and was prepared expertly, yet lacked a bit of pizzaz and something special. I would have given Bistro Shirlee a 4 star review if there was more flare to the entrees. For now, I'm giving them a 3 star, but am hoping to try them out again after a few months to see if they’ll add any twists to their menu.
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If you want to check it out, here is a bit of their info:
Bistro Shirlee 3600 NE 45thSt, Seattle, WA 98105 www.bistroshirlee.com (206) 420-8742 Hours: LUNCH Friday: 11am - 3pm DINNER Everyday: 4pm – close BRUNCH Sunday, Saturday: 10am - 3pm |
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