Seattle restaurant Canlis gets creative
Where in Seattle can you have the experience of eating dinner in a Yurt?
This restaurant faced the pandemic with a creative glamping approach.
They established a yurt village in their parking lot, with each individual yurt decorated with a camping theme. The staff dressed as park rangers.
It’s such an unusual way to eat a formal dinner that customers were impressed. Many of them expressed the hope that this creative dining experience will continue.
Glamping at Canlis.
Glamping usually refers to camping with all the benefits of home and it turned out to be a great idea for an outdoor fine dining experience.
This creative dining experience came from a restaurant you wouldn’t normally associate with a non-traditional option.
Treehouse at Canlis
Another unique dining experience has been created during the pandemic.
The Treehouse is a covered outdoor dining experience on the roof. This location enjoys great views of Lake Union and an elevated tasting menu at a fixed price. A bottle of Canlit x Moncuit Cuvée de Frères begins your experience.
The Canteen at Camp Canlis
This casual canteen offers counter service for outdoor, smokehouse fare. It’s a BBQ feeling, with cold drinks and servings of alcohol. Bring along what you might need for shade or warmth, hats and puffy coats are welcome.
Now, the pandemic isn’t forever, so while Canlis has been enjoying the change of pace, they are looking forward to the future.
July 1, 2021 Re-opening
They’re planning to re-open on July 1st for indoor dining and we hope they will consider keeping the Yurts open after that.
Canlis is one of the most well-known fine dining restaurants in Seattle.
From the moment you drive onto their grounds, it feels like you’ve arrived at an exclusive country club.
There’s a valet to welcome you and whisk your car away while you enter the restaurant.
A friendly hostess welcomes you with a smile and if you’re early for your reservation she will settle you into the piano lounge.
It’s all a bit pretentious, but that’s why you came to Canlis. For the experience of being treated like royalty. It’s a great place to bring older members of your family as they’ll appreciate the formality.
The dining room is filled with well-dressed guests, making you feel like you’ve arrived at the first-class section on a cruise ship.
The service is impeccable, and you settle in to enjoy the gorgeous waterfront view as the sunset changes the colors of the water.
Canlis is in the Queen Anne neighborhood of Seattle, the restaurant has views of Gas Works Park and the Cascade Mountains.
The quality of the food here is about as high as it gets, and your experience will be memorable. It’s not trendy, but it hits the exact spot for a fancy date or a night out with the in-laws.
Here are few a menu delights to entice you.
Lamb With Cauliflower, Pearl Onion, and Mint
This perfectly cooked piece of lamb comes with generous portions of spiced cauliflower puree, a few cooked pearl onions, and mint. Lovely.
Peter Canlis Prawns
Incredible Alaskan spot prawns with vermouth, butter, and lime have a melt-in-your-mouth consistency of braised pork. The Chef performs magic.
Canlis Salad
Created from a Canlis family recipe, this wonderful salad is romaine-based and loaded with herbs, cherry tomatoes, cheese, croutons, and bacon with a lemony egg yolk dressing. It’s simple but delicious.
I love dessert, so here are two options:
Japanese-Style Cheesecake
Two little rectangles of Japanese white cake, buckwheat crust, rhubarb jelly, and cheesecake filling, are presented as an art exhibit and taste even better.
Macarons
These delightful macrons are presented in a ceremonial box and live up to their expectations.
Peter Canlis built and opened Canlis in 1950 and it’s been a family-run restaurant since then.
Sources: Wikipedia, SeattleEater, TheInfatuation,