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Review content:
I had very high hopes for Pair - a new restaurant in the Bryant neighborood north of U Village - and perhaps too high. Several friends had recently given it high marks, and I'm generally a sucker for cute neighborhood restaurants with a "labor of love" vibe about them.
Having just returned from a dinner for 5 - with comprehensive sharing of the tapas-style plates around the table - I have to admit that the experience fell slightly short of my hopes. I'm sure I'll be bombarded with disapproving mail for this, but it's always frustrating to see a place come so close to delivering on the promise of a good (not great, but good) local restaurant, yet fall short in a sufficient number of small ways so as to undermine the overall experience.
First off, it may be that we arrived before the evening was really underway (a little after 6 pm), but the host cannot be said to have radiated friendly neighborhood bonhomie. With a no-reservations policy, this job is a tough one - managing customer expectations in an inherently unpredictable situation - but the greatest asset in this case is a strong dose of empathy. Even allowing for the challenging position, our party's reception could more accurately be described as polite indifference.
Things improved dramatically upon being seated. Our server was engaging, the menu offered a nice range of options, our drinks arrived speedily, and our questions were fielded with intelligence and good humor. We ordered the breadth of the menu, including lamb, chicken and beef mains, several sides (including cauliflower, beets, and a salad), plus a range of desserts.
After considerable plate-passing and related commentary, the overall assessment of the table was: no standouts (with the possible exception of the chocolate pot de creme), mostly solid executions (the pan roated chicken and green salad being particularly strong), and a few disappointments (most notably the hanger steak - tough and overdone, and the beets - somwhat undercooked and not terribly flavorful). The coffee was good, the wine & beer options limited but well-chosen.
In summary, Pair delivers a good dining experience on most fronts - a creditable showing for any restaurant, and particulary for a neighborhood location with very fair prices. I'll certainly visit Pair again, and I encourage other Seattleites to do the same, if only to tell me where I went wrong. We need every thoughtful neighborhood restaurant we have, and Pair absolutely deserves a spot on that list.
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