Cedar and Elm has a wonderful formula for making money on afternoon tea: Pay in advance, with tax and tip just short of $200 for two people; Don't arrive early if your reservation is at 2:30 pm. The hostess didn't arrive until 2:28 pm. We were told to wait in the lobby in the meantime. For your money, you are ushered to your table where the tea snacks are already waiting for you, hard to say how long they have been waiting but nothing was cooler than room temperature; The waiter asks what tea you want, then brings it to you in a little tea strainer that you position on top of your cup, then you and your partner share a teapot of hot water. You have the privilege of pouring it yourself. Be sure to pour enough water to reach the bottom of the strainer...no half cups for you! Time the tea yourself with your watch. Plan ahead for more hot water. You won't get it unless you flag the waiter down. After all, there is one waiter for all of the tables and he can only spread himself so far. Bigger tables get more attention. The food was sparse, uninspiring and underwhelming. This tea is an afterthought at Cedar and Elm, for sure. How do they get away with it? No real competition I guess. Oh well, this just gives us an excuse to spend a night in Vancouver and enjoy a real tea. Good grief! read more

Interesting meal, for sure. The starters were good, though the truffle flatbread was a burned on the bottom and edges. The odd part was the main courses; they were undeniably "okay." I had the prime rib special, which came out rare, like 110 degrees pink-pink. Ordered medium rare and it wasn't close. Ate around it and grilled up the rest the next day. My wife had the duck and said "well it was duck, for sure." Drinks were late to the table. Not a lot of people in the dining room for a Sunday evening. Overall a very "okay" experience, on the expensive side. So, we tried it. Next time just a stop to the downstairs lounge and call it good. read more

Absolutely beautiful place, complimentary valet parking. So much potential for the place, would love to see a place for parties, music along with good food. Speaking of food, that was super disappointing, not up to the environment standards, nothing special about it, felt like I had better food at home. read more

To be honest, most of the stars making up this review is from the ambience and aesthetics. It's a beautifully designed, well lit, airy dining room with tons of natural light. We stopped for an impromptu breakfast and were able to grab a table without reservations. There was a lovely harpist playing that morning which added to the experience. Service was good, but food was about average and nothing mind blowing, but I don't know if you can expect much from breakfast fare. I was a bit disappointed that they were serving Starbucks brewed coffee and not something more independent or special for a place that boasts its roots in local, authentic PNW history (I know Starbucks is technically local, but still..). Anyway, come here if you want the wow factor and a feast for the eyes. Would probably return if I was bringing an out of town guest. read more

Last night my husband and I ate at Cedar + Elm, the restaurant at the Lodge at St. Edward. They've done a great job with the indoor and outdoor decor and ambiance. We ordered the celery salad, asparagus soup, and short rib which were all good but not necessarily anything to write home about. You can tell they're still working out kinks here and there which explains the slow service (and is totally understandable after just opening,) but overall I didn't feel totally sold on the whole experience. I hope in the end this establishment does well, but I personally think it's a little too yuppie for Kenmore. read more

Fancy restaurant in an refurbished and restored seminary building in the middle of the state park forest. The setting is extraordinary. Valet parking and a gaslit entranceway make for a grand introduction. There are three establishments in this resort hotel, Cedar and Elm being the formal dining establishment. We went for Sunday Brunch but have been to one of the bars in the evening and I prefer that vibe to the daytime one here. However, in the nice months, there is a patio, which would be a nice setting for brunch or lunch. We tried quite a bit of the menu. It's limited but has something for everyone. The drinks here are excellent as they are in both bars at the hotel. We had a Bloody Mary which was appropriately spicy and a good balance. The food was all good to great but all very expensive for what you were served. A 2x4 slice of bread pudding, for example, was $17 and a bowl of chia pudding $14. The breakfast burrito and the pork hash was well loved and more plentiful. We also ate the chicken and waffles. I found the waffle bland which was unfortunate but forgivable next to the juicy chicken. All in all though, nearly 2 Hamilton's for a small family brunch with one drink. Yet, we don't regret it though because service was spot on and all of the food well prepared. read more

We enjoyed several meals at Cedar and Elm during a weekend stay. The food was delicious and the wait staff was very attentive. I throughly enjoyed the French Toast, but everything on the breakfast menu that we tried was amazing. For dinner we loved the halibut and salmon entrees, and the salads and desserts made the meals even more special. Definitely will be coming back when we return to Seattle! read more

Overall, delicious food and kind staff. I can't wait to return! I would recommend trying the brioche French toast for breakfast, along with the delicious green superfood smoothie! We had the chicken maple sausage which was also superb. For dinner, start with the everything spiced flatbread or the shrimp and grits. The halibut was a fantastic entrée. Do not skip ordering the beets and carrots as sides! You can't go wrong with any of the deserts - we shared each of them and all were delicious. read more

So bummed out! I was really looking forward to an amazing meal and experience, unfortunately it was mediocre at best. We waited about 10 minutes after being seated for our server to bring water. (It wasn't that busy). Food came out quickly but was really under seasoned. We had the mushroom scramble and avocado toast. Scramble was luke warm and very under seasoned, the baby potatoes were under cooked. The avocados were brown and the poached eggs were hard boiled. The side of sausage was delicious, side of bacon was undercooked. The espresso martini was wonderful and the Bloody Mary was ok if you like a Smokey flavor. Super bummed. Super expensive for what we got. Wouldn't recommend it, there are way better restaurants to spend $100+ for brunch. read more

Like the place, went there twice for brunch. The cocktail is good. Highly recommend, will come more often. read more

Cedar + Elm - New American Near Me - Kenmore, Washington

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The place is beautiful and we thought the service was great, but the food was just not good. I see other reviewers feel the same. It's so surprising - things are plated well and the pairings sound good, but not executed well at all. We started with the bread which was good- wood fired with some salty butter and a good olive oil. Can't complain about that. Then we had the everything flat bread. It wasn't the worst thing, but just had a bit of a cafeteria vibe - just some raw cucumbers, tomato and red onion on top of smoked salmon with a little sauce. It needed more to feel special enough for this place. We followed that with the celery salad which was good, and a corn soup that wasn't terrible but was, again, under seasoned. Why? Just use some salt and pepper! This isn't a hospital cafeteria. They should at least have salt and pepper on the table if they don't season the food. The entrees were the biggest disappointment. I got the halibut and it was just okay - also under seasoned. It was seared and sitting on top of a eggplant purée that was not very good with fish. It wasn't bad on its own, but the combination didn't work. I'm an adventurous eater, but the fish would have been so much better with some mashed potatoes or risotto and at least a little salt. My husband got the gnocchi. It was under seasoned and way too lemony. It was also filled with raw vegetables. There were carrots and maybe turnips in there that were completely uncooked. I couldn't even stab the carrot with my fork to try it. I don't think we were alone in our experience. The people next to us had already sent two dishes back by the time we left. We had a fun time, but definitely not worth the $177 we dropped for our anniversary dinner. I could make better food at home. What a bummer! It should be so much better. I hope it was just an off night. read more

Food quality is really good, so I hate to give a review below three stars. More like a 3.5. Review is dinged because A) brioche French toast comes with ONE piece of bread. Seriously? Never seen that before. At least give me two. B) pasta came out with sauce extremely watery. Waitress was great and made a new one for us, but still a notable error. read more

Food and service were excellent. They have a harpist play during brunch every Sunday. The place is kind of hard to find if it's your first time. Outdoor signage isn't great. The lodge has valet, or you can park in the state park lots if you have a discover pass. read more

Cedar + Elm - Everything Spiced Farm Egg Fritata - New American Near Me - Kenmore, Washington

We had a lovely Sunday morning brunch. They got us seated quickly and our server was there with a smile. We enjoyed mimosas and coffee with our meal, which showed up surprisingly fast. We'll certainly be back. read more

I have high hopes for this place in the future but our experience was unfortunately close to terrible to the point where we almost walked out. I'll start by saying the food was great. The atmosphere is also lovely. The servers are extremely overwhelmed and untrained. After being seated and having our orders taken immediately it took 30 minutes to have water brought out. Another 15 minutes for us to get water cups. Our food came out after an hour. Our order was messed up twice. It took another 10 minute for us to receive silverware. Part of my order never came out at all. We were handed the wrong bill and then handed the correct bill with items that were never brought out to us that we were charged for. The manager apologized to us for the experience. It was evident every other table was having similar frustrations. We'll come back again and give it a try later but if you want a good experience, wait for them to work the kinks out. read more

Interesting menu too bad they make everything so bland and boring with not a spice on the plate. Halibut is begging for some flavor and they manage to skip it entirely. This chef should not go into competition with a Bobby Flay. The view out the window is kids and dogs nothing pretty Go for your own Boredom. read more

Food and the atmosphere is fabulous! I had the halibut which was phenomenal. The salads were fantastic also. Service was slow but I'm sure they will work out the kinks since they opened only few weeks ago. I would highly recommend trying the restaurant! read more

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Great civilized place to check out. Strongly recommend. The building itself worths a visit. We only got the happy hour as the brunch was already full. Will definitely come back for both brunch and dinner. Very nice place for relaxing, almost feel like vacationing in Europe read more

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Cedar + Elm has become my go to restaurant. I've already been there three times since it opened! The food is delicious, the staff is super attentive, and the cocktails, delicious! It is located in the lovingly restored Lodge at St. Edwards Park so after eating, it's wonderful to walk on the trails through the woods and down to the water. Perfect for romantic getaways, business meetings or important occasions like weddings. I eat at restaurants all over the world, and it's right up there with the best. read more

Cedar + Elm - The Lodge was the perfect place for a retreat with colleagues. - New American Near Me - Kenmore, Washington

So I will say my stars are solely based on the service. The hostess was absolutely lovely and gave me a history lesson. I wish I remembered her name she was lovely. The service was impeccable! The food was meh. Almost like they are trying tooooo hard simplifying would help like a traditional eggs Benedict, or corn beef hash, or regular breakfast. Everything felt forced elevating! But nice try. read more

What a hidden treasure! There's a place for happy hours with GREAT cocktails and in a cozy setting. The restaurant has a diverse menu from breakfast to dinner. We loved our egg white breakfast and smoothies. And dinner was delicious -- we had the gnocchi one night and the halibut the other. We heard the chef is a James Beard award winner. Yum. All in all, it was a lovely couple of days. Highly recommend. read more

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Was excited to meet a friend for lunch at 11:30 on a weekday... both of our first time at Cedar & Elm. The facility was stunning. Love, love, love the history, the architecture, the beautiful surroundings. The valet was *an allstar* friendly, informative, inviting. I wanted more than anything to love the meal... Our server was lovely and kind. Both my friend and I ordered from the special "3 courses for $35.00 for lunch" menu. (six items between us that we shared). We were disappointed in the items we chose except for the croissant beignets. One item too salty, two no flavor, one item that should have been hot and soft came out cold and hard... we won't be going back to dine. On a positive note, the staff and the facility are breathtaking. It's beautifully and tastefully decorated for the holidays. read more

Fantastic service! High quality food! Loved the entire experience. Additionally, the venue (restaurant and the rest of the building) is gorgeous! Obsessed with the decor and renovation. read more

This is my second time at Cedar + Elm, and I have yet to find a restaurant in the area with this kind of ambiance. The food is delicious and service is great! Our service tonight was Jillian. She is so kind and made sure we were taken care of. Overall, a great experience. Will definitely be back. read more

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can u be more wonderful i love the atmosphere soooo much the server is super friendly i love the person who is playing piano so chill and calm this environment is unbeatable and you could not leave this place ciz it is sooo beautiful read more

High tea was fun and worth the value. But breakfast, lunch and dinner was ok. Some dishes were above average while others below. Seems to lack passion and soul behind the original creation of the menu. Service spotty. Some servers exceptionally attentive, warm and genuine, others were inexperienced and aloof. Stayed at the hotel for a week and ate the entire menu. read more

Yum! Brunch was excellent. I had French toast, latte, and sausages. It was delicious will definitely go back. Service was satisfactory, ambiance was beautiful to enjoy sat morning brunch. read more

I recently visited Cedar + Elm with a friend and it was decent. The location is gorgeous, the building is beautiful, the restaurant itself has so many large windows that let a lot of natural light in. The ambiance of the restaurant wasn't very warm -- it felt a little empty and quiet, and it was also a bit chilly. The service was decent, but slow. Our waitress was sweet. The restaurant wasn't busy but we waited a long time to get our check at the end. We ordered some sort of omelet with goat cheese and the banana pancake and split each dish. The omelet dish was alright -- it didn't come out super hot or flavorful. It definitely needed more seasoning. The banana pancake was delicious, however, I wish it would've come out a little hotter as well. It was a good meal overall. An aspect of the experience that was a bit unnecessary was the valet parking. The valet worker took our car just a few feet away -- right in the parking lot attached to the building. When we were done with our meal, we had to wait awhile to get our car because they had the keys, but the car was right in front of us!!! I'd never used valet parking before so I'm no expert, but this didn't feel like a very effective use of valet parking. The thing is, although I wasn't blown away, I still think it's worth a visit. It really is in a beautiful area and it's a beautiful building. read more

I've been here a couple of times and the food has always been great. The last time I had a burger it was delicious but this time around it was extremely salty. Very inedible. I don't like to send things back but we had to send it back, no question. Someone in the kitchen I was having a terrible day or the measurement was wrong and I thought they should know about it. We got two new burgers but mine was still salty! We're talking spam salty. My lunch companions burger was much better and so she said she would share with me and we gave up and sent the other one back. The dining room was closed, lunch was over, I couldn't switch to a salad and then eat it peacefully. My dining companion did not finish her half of the burger because after a few bites she realized they were pockets of the overly salted meat. I did too but I had to eat. I regretted it. I think that upon seeing the second burger barely eaten by my companion the waitress should have taken both burgers off. We even told her that once again the burgers were pretty inedible. They were also overcooked and we told her that.Clearly we were not trying to scam them. But she took the plates away and brought back a check and said that she charged us for only one burger. How about we took a chance on celebrating something at your restaurant and you ducked us over by giving us crappy food and shamed service? The drinks and appetizers were good. read more

Had lunch today, last day of restaurant week. Had the parsnip cauliflower soup with olive tapenade, the olive saved it, otherwise bland. Main was mushroom pasta, really bland, tasteless. We also had the prawns and grits, again just OK, shrimp were small, grits were creamy. No real consideration for gluten-free eaters. Room is nice, comfortable. Staff was great, friendly, attentive. Overall, disappointing read more

Beautiful location, with a scenic and memorable drive up and a nice valet. But overall, the experience was disappointing and not memorable, especially given the steep price tag. After we ordered our drinks, the waiter disappeared for about 20 minutes (there were 2 more long disappearances throughout the evening). The drinks were good and the bread was nice as well. The night went progressively downhill after that. The appetizers were OK, but if you're going to charge $23 for a "gulf prawns" appetizer, I expect a bit more than 5 medium-sized shrimp on a bed of torched cabbage drenched in curry. The parsnip soup was OK as well. The entrees were both pretty disappointing. We ordered duck and "short rib" (actually this is a steak, which isn't what anyone expects when ordering short rib, though maybe I should have clarified when he asked how I wanted it cooked). The duck was dry and a bit overcooked, with forgettable lentils. There is supposed to be some kind of green curry sauce but we didn't notice. The steak was underseasoned and chewy without much flavor. The "confit yam" was a single wedge of yam burnt to a crisp on one side. The "kale chermoula" was just some lightly salted braised kale. In addition, nothing we received was particularly hot and I'm wondering if some of the food we got sat under heat lamps for a bit. To his credit, the waiter realized we weren't really enjoying our meals and comped us a dessert. It was a passable chocolate cake, served room temperature and with different accompaniments than the menu promised. However, proactively comping it was nice and that along with the wonderful scenery (walk around the place before or after dinner) bumps up a 1* experience to 2*. read more

About as underwhelming as a restaurant could be. The space is pretty but the restaurant was virtually empty, lunch menu was super limited and the food was flavorless and boring (we all had something different and everyone cam to the same conclusion) So so disappointed! We wanted to love it!!! read more

We've been to this restaurant a number of times and we really want to like it. In the past, we've enjoyed dining at this restaurant. However, we went there for our anniversary a couple of weeks ago and it was a disappointing experience. It was a Sunday and the bar upstairs was closed. The Tonsorium was understaffed and customer service suffered. The menu options at Cedar + Elm were pretty slim. For our anniversary next year, we'll probably be going somewhere else. read more

The location of this restaurant and the decor in this restaurant are beyond beautiful. I loved the whole atmosphere! The menu though on the smaller side had a lot of different options, whether you are a savory or sweet brunch person you will find something here. I got the egg white omelette (subbed the potatoes for toast) and I loved it! My mom got the frittata and my sister got the French toast, all of our dishes were yummy. I will definitely be coming back here to try their lunch and dinner. read more

Cedar + Elm - Egg white omelette (sub potatoes for toast), fruit bowl, frittata. - New American Near Me - Kenmore, Washington

Chef Jason Wilson knocks it out of the park again. Great experience. Recommend heading over early for a walk around the park. Easy trails or more moderate trails down to the Lake Washington edge. Can do more casual bar experience or the more formal dining room. Local, seasonal - all Chef's trademarks that make him such a Seattle gem. The hotel has great artwork worthy or pre or post-dinner stroll. Very romantic date spot or great to impress out of town visitors with the food and nature that makes Seattle such a great city. read more

5 stars to the decor, table service. 4 stars for food. Why the 1 star? Walked into entry hall as 2 couples with drinks in hand are walking by talking and laughing without masks on. They walk by the front desk and wait at the restaurant entry. My party stands more than 6 ft away. The host arrives a few minutes later, asks to see their vaccination cards. Seats them. He returned to seat us. I ask what's your mask policy? " Everyone needs to be wearing a mask." I say " Those 4 people were'n't " Host bobs head and says yeah well... Please adhere to safety protocol. Train your staff on how and what to say when pee are not complying. Please keep everyone safe. read more

Do not recommend at all. Awful service, meh food quality. I went with a group of girlfriends and we were completely disappointed in the entire experience, especially as we had been looking forward to checking this place out for quite some time. Our beverages were the first things we ordered and we had to keep asking if they were ready throughout the meal. They did not arrive until AFTER we were done with our food, and that was only after asking several waiters and even the manager. Even for basic water refills, we had to ask several waiters. One of our dishes had a hair in it and they were kind enough to bring a replacement, though by then, it just did not seem as appetizing (thankfully, they did not charge for this item). The service was incredibly slow and though the staff was friendly, it does not seem they were appropriately trained. The poor service is a reflection of management and ownership, and that is truly disappointing. My girlfriends and I certainly will not be returning and will not be recommending this restaurant to anyone. read more

The lodge is lovely. There is a small tour of historic objects that is interesting. the brunch menu looked fantastic. But, everything arrived cold to lukewarm. Our waitress was super busy with too many tables, so we couldn't catch her eye. We brought out of town guest, so it was super disappointing. It could be a special occasion place. But --such pretty plates served cold was a shame. read more

Beautiful, quiet, bright with excellent service. Been here three times ( pre fix lunch) since spring to introduce friends and family to new place. Tasty carrot soup but not warm enough. The Steak Salad was my favorite lunch here. The dessert needs a work, bland and not great . Still great and glad to have a new place in my neighborhood. read more

This place aspires to be Foodie heaven but manages to be a Foodie nightmare. 1) The over-complicated, "fancy" French Dip had less beef than a Subway sandwich, which was ok because the beef was just tasteless and the au jus tasted like weak beef broth. Even after desperately trying to revive this dish by adding copious salt and pepper to the beef and the au jus, it was bland. The worse offense was the inclusion of stalks of broccolini (which I love and cook with) which were tough and unchewable. Broccolini stalks do NOT belong in a French Dip sandwich! The fries, which were crispy and creamy, were the best things on the plate. 2) My wife's steak salad was way overdressed and the slices of beef tough and chewy. 3) The creme brulee had absolutely no taste of eggs. If my eyes were closed, I might have guessed it was a weakly flavored vanilla pudding. 4) The 3 flavored hard seltzer came in a can! With so many bars in the building, not what one would expect. Yes, come here to tour the spectacular, historic building. Yes, come to view the impressive art collection. Just don't eat in the restaurant! read more