Excellent food, professional service
Thursday, January 12, 2006
I have only been here once, and you can never know for sure what a place is really like based on only one experience, but Ponti's was great! The food was outstanding. I had seared Ahi tuna. The fish was sushi grade and beautifully presented on a bed of sesame coleslaw and a sesame coconut rice patty, with delicious pickled ginger and wasabi sauce. The Ahi was grilled/seared to perfection and was unbelievable. Everything on my plate was absolutely delicious. My fiancé ordered paella and it was very good. I think my dish was better, but I did try his and the saffron flavoring was excellent. We also ordered grilled scallops for an appetizer. They came on a bed of thinly sliced sweet potato "chips". The scallops were very good but the sweet potatoes were incredible! Not the very best scallops I have ever had, but WAY better than most. We also ordered a bowl of the soup of the day, which was New England clam chowder. Being from Massachusetts, I have to say it wasn't very New England-y, but it was delicious nonetheless. Even the bread that accompanied the meal was excellent and high quality.
The prices were pretty expensive, but not more so than I had expected. The Ahi was $27 and the paella was $21. The scallops were $11. Wines by the glass started at about $7, and they had beer both by the bottle and on tap. We easily spent $100 without dessert or wine.
The atmosphere in the restaurant was very fancy and I noticed that many of the men had on ties (it always surprises me to see this in Seattle!). There seemed to be quite a few business people there, although there was also a table with a toddler, and lots of other couples and groups. The view over the canal was beautiful.
The wait staff, and especially the busser, were very available and professional. I was impressed.
Overall, I will definitely go back there.