back again. even though i can see i was the last one to write a review a few months ago, i had to come back here again to alert folks in the northend about what a hidden "treasure chef" they have in russell's right in their own "backyard" here in bothell-woodinville. my girlfriend and i last week ordered the first-of-the-season freshly flown in alaska halibut prepared with a light, sutble vinagrette that brought out such a mild, sweet flavor and texture, it seemed to melt in the mouth. as he's prone to due everytime we've dined there, he came out to talk to diners at their tables, stopped by ours, asking how we liked the fish and then to our surprise, invited us to come back into the kitchen to witness his filleting out a whole halibut.
what a maestro with a knife! he told me he had a professionally produced video posted recently on youtube called "how to fillet a salmon by russell dean lowell", and after watching it, i think it's so well demonstrated, i could try it myself. you can just tell, he's obsessive about fish and meat freshness, handling and preparation by watching him in the kitchen and hearing that he conducts cooking classes all around the seattle metro, has appeared several times on pbs (kcts) and his catering firm prepares 1000+ person dinners for huge corporate functions and private meals for international heads of state and celebrities. and yet he's humble enough to come out to our table and ask how we liked the dinner. when's the last time a chef cared that much about your meal?
-----02 sep, 2009-----
command performance. after eating recently at purple's and preservation kitchen and being ultra disappointed with the rather boring food, some of which is deep-fried, my girlfriend and i have finally found a reason to stay inside the bothell-woodinville area, and not drive all the way to seattle to have a great dining experience. we revisited russell's in bothell last weekend and the service and food was totally impeccible. she had the seared chilean sea bass and i had the lamb ravioli. it was sogoodwe almost didn't want to exchange bites! looks like they've added a new sports bar area w/large screen tv and a few more bronze wildlife sculptures. chef russell circulated around the tables, came over to ours and and gave us some entertaining small talk . . . don't see that everyday at a restaurant! must say, that made us feel very welcome and appreciated.
-----12 jul, 2008-----
blown away. guess russell's depends on word-of-mouth because it's set back in an office park complex, in an old restored dairy barn. on a tip from a business associate, my girlfriend and i tried russell's last weekend. guess it depends on word-of-mouth because it's set back in an office park complex, in an old restored dairy barn with wooden floors and overhead beams. has a very quiet, subdued, refined, elegant ,upscale white tablecloth home atmosphere, with one wall of glass facing a forest and bronze wildlife sculptures scattered throughout. she had sea scallops and i the new york strip with brandied cherry demi-glace and of course we shared portions . . . there are no words to describe the subtle yet powerful taste sensations the chefs here create yet we couldn't stop talking about it. simply incredible food . . . at surprisingly reasonable prices . . . i've probably paid 30-50% more at pretenious downtown bistros which didn't have as friendly or knowledgeable a wait staff . .. and finally, being a very critical (virgo) type, it shocked me not to have anything negative to say about the place.