Restaurant Christine
Address: 2227 N 56th St, Seattle, WA 98103
NW Comfort food/ Seasonal Menu/ Seafood $$$
For: Celebrations, Corporate Dinner, and Couples
Overall Rating: 4.2/5

Restaurant Christine is owned by Adam Furler, and a newer addition to the Wallingford neighborhood. I went on a Friday afternoon with my mom to celebrate my college acceptances. My mom wanted to treat me and we were looking for a fancier place.

Upon entering, we were enthusiastically greeted by the hostess. Immediately, I was impressed with the ambiance, as the dining room was intimate and the tables evenly spaced with a nice white tablecloth. We were seated by the window, which I appreciated because there was a lot of natural lighting. Unfortunately, the music did not fit the vibe. Gwen Stefani does not scream fancy dinner.

Looking at the menu, I noticed it was more expensive with a starter costing around $15 and an entrée $25. The restaurant caters toward celebrations, dinners with your boss, or couples.

To start, we got the Tempura Baby Carrots, which were served with a coriander yogurt and mint sauce. Unfortunately, there was not a strong mint flavor and I wished there had been more sauce. I enjoyed how the carrots were deep fried. This was 9 dollars, which I do feel was overpriced and I believe the dish should have been closer to 6-7 dollars.

For our second dish, we got the Truffle Fries. I am a huge lover of fries and believe that they are the perfect side. It was a good portion size and easily shared. I do feel the fries were overcooked, but the truffle aioli was truly tasty.

For our main, we got the Alaskan Halibut with turmeric rice, baby carrots, saffron broth, and a nettle pesto. Honestly, I loved this and it was the highlight of the dinner. Halibut can be a bland fish, but it was seasoned and fresh. I enjoyed the saffron and nettle pesto pairing as they helped enhance the flavor of the dish without overwhelming it. The presentation was amazing and the halibut was cooked to perfection. I am a stickler and do not like undercooked or overcooked fish, so let me tell you I was impressed.

Note: my mom and I love sharing dishes because we like to try multiple things, so we shared these three plates and we both left full.

Near the end of our dinner, the restaurant began to get busier. They were understaffed and our server was doing all three jobs (hosting, bussing, and serving). I felt bad for her because as the restaurant got more crowded, the other customers were treating her poorly with the table next to us being outright rude. If they continue to be this busy, they should hire more staff because that would probably lead to happier customers. However, we enjoyed her service as we had arrived before the dinner rush which meant that we were able to get in and out efficiently. The server even offered to take a photo of my mom and I without us asking.

Overall, at Restaurant Christine the menu is rotational and changes “seasonally” which added to my excitement because the dishes were 100% made from scratch and fresh ingredients. I rate it a 4.2/5 as I would probably return in the fall to try the seasonal dishes, but this will not be a restaurant I visit regularly.