I heard great things about the Corson Building and was charmed by the ambience when I arrived. Food is very good; rustic and served family style. The setting is also unique: a converted old building under a freeway exit in the historically industrial Georgetown neighborhood of Seattle. The service is friendly as well. \r
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Had I paid the $90 (dinner) + $30 (wine) = $120 (total), it would have met my expectations, although at those prices I would expect nothing short of French Laundry, Le Bec Fin or Gramercy Tavern, a pier of which this restaurant is decidedly not. Nonetheless I was prepared to be delighted by this place and ready to pay $120 (plus tip) for the experience.\r
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Two things really disappointed me: 1) the wine pairing really meant a 1oz pour with every course, and 2) the price per person at my table turned out to be over $250. Of course (1) is related to (2) because we asked for some bottles of house wine to compensate for the skimpy pours and were – we later discovered – charged extra for that. Food aside, I just saw a more fundamental business problem here, namely a large discrepancy between results and expectations. \r
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Corson is a wonderful and creative restaurant but I guess I just expected a lot more from a $120 per head dinner. And what I got actually cost me over twice that amount. I’m sure the result was unintended, and perhaps we caught them on an off night, but all told the experience felt like a gouge. \r
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Pros: Food is great, setting is unique
Cons: Paid 120% of prix fixe, wine pairing means 1 oz pours
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