My partner and I like to eat out a lot, and this was one of the nicest places we've been to in quite some time. The service, food, and atmosphere were excellent. We weren't kept waiting at any point in the meal. They didn't make a show of themselves when they came to the table, but they weren't impersonal either. I prefer a waitperson who fills your water or brings you a napkin, and you never noticed it happened. First I had the amberjack ceviche,...wow. It was mouthwatering. The textures were nice too. Second was the Kobe Style Beef Tartar. It's the best I've ever had, and was surprised at the sensual nature of such a dish! A lot of restaurants in Seattle serve something they call a beef tartar, that's basically unseasoned raw ground beef. There is little or no effort put into the dish. Don't miss the tartar at Chez Shea! For the entree I felt like I didn't have enough beef yet, so I ordered the Kobe Beef Tenderloin with Hedge Hog & Black Trumpet Mushrooms, White Truffle Mashed Potatoes & Demi Glace. If they'd thrown a wedding dress on the tenderloin I would have fallen in love it was so perfect. When the waitress asked me how I like my steak done I was shy about asking for it to be between rare, and medium rare, which she noticed and said she also liked hers to be cooked to that in between place too. My partner loved her blacked cod. For dessert I had the Meyer Lemon Pavlova. I find many lemon desserts too sour and make my cheeks hurt like I'd been blowing up balloons. Not so in this case. My partner would describe the decor as 'french dive bar meets seattle'. I noticed that they were able to achive romantic lighting without it being too dark. You could see your meal and the other patrons. I can't wait to go back!
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