Dinner for my wife's birthday. A wonderful experience. FOOD: 4.0. We had the Saturday night fixed menu dinner, with wine. Several courses; all pleased. Good volume - enough for everyone around the 8 seat table. Seafood and chicken this night. The cooked endives in sauce were tasty with a nice texture. Accompanying wine was very good, especially the final 2: a deep red followed by madeira. SERVICE: 5.0. AMBIANCE: 4.0. Cozy old stone building. Community tables. As during our first dinner here, meeting and having conversation with the strangers around the table was excellent. The loudness dropped a star, as the hard surfaces amplify sounds and can make it hard to hear tablemates. TIP: the seats along the wall are on a long bench. The wall acts as a backrest for most such seats, but there are one or two spots where one cannot lean back due to windows. read more

O.M.G. Magnificently-executed brunch menu. Mostly good-for-you foods (4 different salads) but sinful enough to be Officially Decadent (pate, pork belly ...). Locally-sourced, just plain delicious, creative. Plus it's only 6 minutes away from home. I can tell you what we had but it doesn't *really* matter since that stuff will not necessarily be there on another day. read more

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Had a Sunday supper here. The family style course included a salad toast, beet salad, black cod, braised pork and a shortbread with peach. Although they had endless wine, the food was mediocre. I couldn't pinpoint what was so special about the food. On the good side, there was a cute little garden. Perfect for pictures and a nice walk. read more

I came here on a Saturday night as a surprise for my birthday. They open promptly at 6:30 pm and you can walk around the garden or the building while you wait for the doors to be open. As you walk in, a person greets you at the door and offers you a glass of wine/champagne and let you know where you will be seating. It is a communal rectangle table so you don't know who you will be sitting with other than your party. It is part of the dinner experience so if you are more of an introvert or hate conversating with strangers, I don't know I would recommend this place for you. The place is dimly lit with candles everywhere and I would describe it as a very rustic, warm, and romantic setting. You walk around sipping on your drink while a server walks out with the first course out of 9. That night, it was deep fried fennel bulbs with harissa aioli. It was so good! You can't go wrong with anything fried, but this was really light and super addicting like eating from a bag of chips. Later, the host asks you to sit down at your table while they give you what all the courses are going to be and the history of the house. That went on for about 20 to 30 mins. The menu is pre-fix and they change it up daily. There is also an optional wine pairing if you would want to do it. My date did the wine pairing and he really enjoyed what he tried. The protein of the night was rabbit and seafood. They also do special requests if you are allergic to something or prefer not to eat it. The group next to me got prosciutto as a substitute when there was a seafood ingredient in the dish. Majority of the dishes that they brought out is done family style with a few individual dishes. A lot of their ingredients are local and very fresh. Come hungry, because there is plenty of food to go around and they give you so much. I enjoyed every single seafood dish they brought out. I discovered I am not entirely a huge fan of rabbit so I wasn't loving the rabbit dishes that much. My absolute favorite dish was the living cod and spot prawn tail with tomatoes and taramasalata. The fish melt in my mouth and the prawn was so flavorful. Everything in that dish worked so well. I believe it was my date's favorite too. I wish I could eat it again! Other notables were grilled squid/albacore with peppers cauliflower and almonds plate along with the smoke black cod, cress beets, apples and tahini sauce plate. I really enjoyed those dishes, everything worked great in terms of texture, flavor and the quality of the ingredients. Overall, the service was great, they kept my water filled and checked up on the guests often to make sure everything was going well. We were there for more than 2 hours and it went by fast. I would give this place a try for a special occasion and a unique experience. read more

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Lots of people come to Seattle for a lovely dining experience. Known as a culinary forced to be reckoned with, Seattle (for such a small city) has some of the best food in the country. You know why? Because of The Corson Building! And some other spots too, of course. For a lovely dinner, a romantic date or just an occasion where you want to be impressed or impress someone else, this is a must-see/eat spot. The food is fantastic, the location is adorable and for everything you get, the prices are really reasonable. My boyfriend and I had a lovely time here last weekend and I'll be asking him to take me back here again. Soon! Date night here I come! read more

The Corson Building basically confirms something I've long suspected: The less choice I have when picking my meal, the better that meal is. If presented with an overstuffed menu and left to my own devices, I inevitably gravitate towards dishes that contain words like "lime," "spicy" or "chipotle." Which is fine, I suppose, but the dishes I pick are generally unexceptional and easily forgettable. BUT, at those rare restaurants, like that Corson Building, where you just show up and are presented with whatever it is that the chef feels like serving you, the meals are generally amazing. Singular. Amazing. And unforgettable. In fact, I would argue that the dinner that the wife and I experienced at the Corson Building was one of the Top 5 dinning experiences I've had in Seattle. (The others, if you want to know, would be the following: My 30th Birthday dinner at Marjorie, the second time I ate at Elemental, a five course sit-down lunch at Salumi's, and my 2nd Anniversary dinner at Crush). If you are reading this review, you probably know a little about what this place is. It is Seattle chef, Matt Dillon's, new pet restaurant. They just do one seating a night (three family style tables of ten people each), and are actually only open just a couple nights a week. You generally need to make reservations a couple weeks in advance, and the pre fix menu is created by Matt that day. But, what a menu it is! Counting the appetizer served in the Corson building garden with bubbly, and the dessert four hours later, the meal we had was nine courses deep with paired wines along the way. Dishes ranged from sauteed vegetables to salt dried fish to braised meats and it was all excellent. The ingredients skew towards local and seasonal, but its not just a localvore restaurant. The flavors had a distinctive Middle Eastern flair at times, but it's not a Middle Eastern restaurant. Instead it is a one of a kind experience that I can't recommend more. read more

Have been meaning to try this place forever and am so glad we finally did. We called and made a reservation (a must) for a Sunday night dinner, which they have starting at 6pm periodically (not every Sunday). This was our "Valentine's Dinner" which we celebrated not on the 14th because that's when every place doubles-up on the number of folks they can serve and rips you off (pro tip). Sunday is a more toned-down version of their traditional 1000 course meal, but it felt no less special to me. From getting to mingle and even go into the kitchen before dinner (with bubbly apertifs) to passing around the mouth-watering dishes and being able to share that experience with all the cool new people you've met at your family-style farm table. At our table we met a ballerina, an NFL player and an ex Coast-Guardian. Pretty fun conversations there. You get served some table wine included in the prix fixe menu, but you can also order more (at a cost). There's really nothing else like this - the food is excellent, but it was really the atmosphere is what really sold me. I'll definitely want to go back. read more

The Corson Building isn't a restaurant and it isn't supposed to be. It's a dining experience. Obviously the negative reviewers didn't get this. Pretty much everyone who gave it a bad review could have avoided going and having the experience by just reading a simple description of the place from any local magazine. You WILL have to mingle with others here. That is the point. It's about communal experiences, and creating community over food. You WILL have to sit with strangers at one of the three large tables. Get over it by actually having a conversation with those around you. You WILL have to pass your food around -- the food is served family style for the whole table. The website says this, so you should already know about it. If that's not your style, don't go so you don't have to complain. The food will most likely be something you haven't tried, which is the point. You don't decide the menu, therefore giving the chef his right to expose you to new things. If you're a picky eater, this place isn't for you. If you appreciate amazing flavors and don't mind trying new things, you'll be blown away by the quality of these 5-6 course meals. It's expensive. Less so if you go on a Sunday (the food is just as good, there just aren't wine pairings for every course). The building has an amazing history, be sure to ask about it and hear its story. And please, please, don't go if this doesn't sound up your alley, because this place deserves only the best reviews and from what I can see the negative reviews are only coming from uninformed people with pretentious expectations. read more

If I won the Lotto I would eat here every evening they serve food and probably try to buy my way in to the private parties as well. The Corson Building is not just food and wine, it is a total sensory experience. From the moment you walk on to the grounds through the wrought iron gate past the gurgling fountain you know that you are in for something truly special and unique. It is believed to have been the Master Brewer's residence for the Seattle Malting and Brewing Company prior to being purchased by Bernardo Germani in 1923 to establish his ornamental cast stone business. You can read more about the history of the building itself here: http://www.georgetownhistory.com/History/Homes/Germani/ As to its current incarnation as 2012 James Beard Foundation Best Chef Northwest award winner, Matt Dillon's culinary retreat, it is a truly phenomenal experience. From the rough hewn pair of communal dining tables and fire place in the main dining room, to the open kitchen that diners are welcomed in to once they are let in to the building you feel more like an invited house guest than a customer. The menu is different every night and served family style. From ala carte offerings on some Thursdays and most Fridays, to the bountiful Saturday evening feasts and the more scaled down Sunday evening family supper. They have also done Sunday brunch in the past which, according to their web site, should be starting up again in July. Everything they serve is fresh and menu selection is determined by what is available that day. For my latest experience, a Sunday evening supper, we were delighted with seasonal morrels, salmon, lamb, delicious greens, a rice and chick pea dish, and a very unique cardamom cake with rhubarb and creme freche for desert. As well as a selection of one red and one white wine. You never know who you will end up seated next to , so the entire evening becomes an adventure of sights, sounds, aromas, flavors, and conversations. read more

I knew I was going to like this place, I didn't realize I was going to LOVE this place! It's like going to a fancy dinner party at someone's house who you don't know but has awesome taste and is a great chef. We decided to get the wine pairings with our meal - which I totally recommend. Last night they were all french wines, 2 whites, 3 reds, a wine-brandy apertif. Each one was incredible in its own way and paired impeccibly with the food courses they came with. The sommelier there clearly loves his job and one of our wines he had decanted twice and had been opening it up for almost 5 hours before we even arrived for dinner. Dinner was really good. All the food was good, and I found myself eating things that I wouldn't normally order in restaurants which was great. We had oysters on the half shell with pickled watermelon rind, sardines on a bed of yogurt sauce, raw fluke with radishes, pork rillette with pickled peppers, mussels with a mind-blowing reduced cider molases sauce (and crusty bread to sop it up), striped sea bass on a bed of half creamed spinach and roasted baby artichoke hearts on top, braised duck leg with beets (soooooo good), leg of lamb that was layered with grilled raddichio and heirloom oranges which was then drizzled with balsamic vinegar, a watercress salad and for dessert we had hazelnut cookies (AMAZING), chocolate, creamy cow's milk cheese from Vashon and warm dates. What I really appreciated about this restaurant was the use of some of local food. They grow a lot of the stuff in their garden, and many of the preserved things were made by the restaurant staff over the summer. The staff are incredibly nice and they let us wander around the kitchen after our dinner and meet the people who cooked our meal. Bottom line: It's expensive but totally worth it! read more

Attended an afternoon wedding and luncheon here last weekend and everything was exquisite. Each course just got more and more delicious. I was so very impressed with the staff and service. A truly special place!! read more

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Well, meh. I was all set to love this restaurant. I like the neighborhood, the building is charming, and the idea is right for seattle right now... but as we left after dinner this past Saturday, I coudln't help but feel I paid a lot more ($200+/person with wine pairing) for a dinner that was substantially less, than, say, Art of the Table or similar (we made it out of Art of the Table at the tune of $100/person.) I totally get the concept. I like the idea of the communal table, multi-courses, small portions, or family style to be shared amongst ten. I also really liked the commitment to the local food scene. And, though the food was solidly above average (7/10), for the price, I was expecting really good to exceptional. First course was a halibut crudo with anchovies. They kept it simple, with lemon, olive oil and some greens and it was really ... simple. As in, too simple (or, that there was something missing). I kept thinking of the tuna crudo at Licorous (in the $5-10 range), and I could taste the small fresh bites of tuna, olive oil, crumpled sage and rough-hewn sea salt on the top of my tongue, and realized I wished I was eating that, instead. As another example, dessert was a tray of biscuits with jam, which, again, were simple and good, but just ... simple. Maybe my expectations were just too high? The servers were gracious and down to earth, as were the co-owners, and quick to your elbow for another wine pour, and the courses were without substantial delay, but I was just so underwhelmed by the actual food itself. Maybe I just hit this spot on a bad night--but given the price, won't be headed back. I've experienced similar food themes at Sitka & Spruce, and the bill was a lot more ... early 2009-oriented. read more

Brunch Review: Look, the food was good: no question: but the 'situation' i.e., no humans answer the phone on Sundays although they are open for business and reservations are suggested (?) and the communal table/buffet portion of the meal with just 2 entree choices just didn't work for me. When I went, we could choose a Lobster Mushroom w/ Poached egg or Pork Belly, Beans and Collard Greens. Um, not so much for me for brunch. I believe it was somewhere in the $25 pp range.... coffee, juice and such are extra. The shared food was alright but really again, not so hearty. This is a foodie place, so if you consider yourself one, go there, if you don't, I think you should pass. Me, I liked it enough to say I had a good time with my party and the food was high quality, but not enough to go back. read more

First of all, I really enjoyed the quaint and rustic decor. Sometimes it's a difficult thing to come by in modern Seattle, and I really wasn't expecting it in georgetown of all places. My husband and I nestled down at the end of one of the communal tables for a nice romantic a la carte Friday dinner. Cue the jackhammer...now the loud motorcycles...now the trains, planes, and automobiles. It was almost impossible to keep a conversation yet alone think. However, I was still optimistic that the food could make up for all of this. Unfortunately, it didn't. It wasn't bad, but it definitely did not "wow" us as I was expecting. We tried several courses. The duck confit was overcooked and chewy. The oil poached albacore was bland. The rabbit was ok, but really the best part of the meal was some of the accompaniments--pickled cherries and sauteed chantrelles. I know the menu changes frequently so maybe we just visited on an off night. Whatever the case, I'm not sure the noise and price really constitute another visit. read more

Delicious! We had a feast of a dinner here last night and it was amazing. The greatest thing is that even though you can eat a ton here, you don't leave feeling like you need to roll down the street and take a nap in your car. You can feel really good about what you're fed here. Some of the food was out of my comfort zone (seafood dishes), but they were all delicious and I'm glad I tried everything! I especially loved the kale salad and the pork shoulder entree. Super delicious! You can tell that the chef really takes time to craft these dishes with great care. Everything about this place is unique and fabulous. From the building and setting (I even quite liked that the train rolls right next to it), to the wait staff and (especially) the food are great! read more

An outstanding dining experience! This is a delightful restaurant that really defines the 'chef-as-artist' experience. Whereas some Northwest 'destination restaurants' like The Salish Lodge over-promise and under-deliver, The Corson Building says little, and does a lot! WHO SHOULD GO: Intermediate to advanced foodies, and anyone who appreciates local/organic sourcing, and is OK with paying a premium for that sort of thing. WHO SHOULDN'T GO: Anyone who has ever given a 5-star Yelp review to Olive Garden/Claim Jumper/Cheesecake Factory/Red Lobster, etc. You're not going to 'get' The Corson Building, so don't try, OK? Also not great for kids; do yourself - and me - a favor, and leave the little bastards with a sitter, OK? They won't 'get' this place either. I have put off going here for a long time. For one thing, I'm not keen on the 'community table' dining experience. It seems a bit precious in this day and age, and I always fear being seated next to people who want to sell me their political view/religion/Amway. Or like the winemaker's dinner I was at recently with communal seating where a sexagenarian tablemate who wanted me to set her up with any male friends I can think of (I'm not kidding, this really happened!). Lady, I'm here for the food, not to be your match.com. Fortunately, since TCB tends to appeal to a sophisticated and fairly young, albeit affluent foodie demographic, this doesn't seem to be a problem. On the weekends, they serve a prix fixe dinner family style, but on Fridays at least, it's ala carte, and that's what we did. The service is a delight; don't let the casual boho appearance fool you; the staff are serious professionals who provide low-key, elegant service, and they know their stuff. Don't be afraid to ask for a wine pairing recommendation. The dining room is remarkably small, but still light and airy. Let's face it, when you're situating your restaurant in a century-old building in Seattle's grittiest neighborhood, right under the approach path to Boeing Field airport, you better have some serious cuisine to compensate. And the food is more than up to the task. There is no point in citing specific dishes, because since the chef goes with whatever is fresh and available, what is on the menu today may not be there tomorrow. Just believe me when I tell you that the vegetables are astonishingly fresh, the meats and seafood are 'nailed' perfectly, and the composition and flavor profiles are nothing less than brilliant. You honestly feel you're on the set of a "Top Chef" challenge. It is easy to lampoon the whole 'locavore' movement (think 'Colin the chicken' from the first season of "Portlandia"), but these guys manage to pull it off without becoming a yuppie cliche. Okay, so if these guys are so great, why only 4 stars? Two niggling items, which may not be a legit critique point, given the unique nature of the restaurant: 1) There were some significant pacing issues. TCB deliberately sets a very leisurely dining pace. They don't worry too much about seat turnover here. Nevertheless, there were some serious gaps between courses. Given that the kitchen is trying to cook dishes in batches, this can affect when you get yours, if someone who came in 15 minutes after you orders the same thing; they may let you slide so that they can make that guy's entree at the same time. Since they usually do the prix fixe 'family-style' dining event, this could be why they sometimes seem a little challenged on the 'ala carte' nights. This would not be a concern, but since we were told in advance when we called for a table that we needed to be done by 8:30 (not seemingly a problem, since we were to be seated at 6:30), things still ran so long that we had to ask our server if we had time for coffee and dessert. Note to TCB: if a patron orders dessert & coffee, it goes without saying they want the latter WITH the former. We didn't get ours until we were done with the dessert. A small point, but given the level TCB is playing at, little details like this become big deals. Sorry, I'm just being honest. 2) The sole dessert offering, a rhubarb crisp, was downright underwhelming, when compared to the brilliance of the rest of the meal. Granted, the rhubarb was grown on premises, the dish was no different from what I could make at home. This may be an unfair critique, but after several mind-blowing dishes, this dessert was an anticlimax. having some hard chewy rhubarb ends in it didn't help matters either. Normally, I would've given TCB 3 stars, but when I saw the bill, I was really surprised how reasonable the price was for what I was getting. TCB offers great value for money for a really memorable dining experience. Don't let my 4-star review put you off. If you are a serious foodie, you MUST pay a visit to The Corson Building. You won't be disappointed! read more

Prepare to be impressed. The Corson Building (preserved since 1910) is nestled deep in Georgetown, smack in the bustling traffic grid right next to a (frequently used) train tracks. Throw in a busy flight path overhead and you've found the noisiest spot in Seattle. Yet while silence is typically associated with fine cuisine, the Corson Building celebrates noise. Communal seating, amidst picturesque tableaus, encourages shared conversation and the staff are available to comment on the food, from where it originated to who picked/captured/prepared it, at leisure. The menu varies day to day, though they offer special events. My first visit was a Cassoulet Dinner, a prix-fixe menu that promised the regional french specialty along with salad and dessert. I discovered that several diners eat the cassoulet dinner annually, same day every year, without fail. The cassoulet filled up all four of us -- with house made sausage, a leg duck confit, and beans aplenty for each. It was divine, though it clashed a bit with the bitter fronds for the salad. All local, all fresh but a touch overwhelming for my taste. The tarte tatin was impeccably baked, apples caramelized until golden and pastry base springy enough to absorb the juices. read more

Like everyone else here says, the location is wonderful. The overpass, trains passing by and the glowing lights of the adjacent ballparks at night all add to create an eclectic surrounding (typical to this part of town) and the tuscan farmhouse like feel of the building, both inside and out just makes it even nicer. The food was all very nicely done, as anyone who's been to sitka and spruce would expect from the chef. For me, the dissapointment came from some of the wine choice and overall price for value. Two of .. I think 5 different wines served the night I was there [11/14/2008] were odd. Some of us at the table joked around saying it felt like drinking black olives (what ever that means). Later we found out that it went okay with half of the fish dish, but the other half was a complete mismatch with the wine. The digestif was medicinal and had the desired effect I think. No hangovers or bloated effects despite the mildly excessive uqantity of food consumed in the course of 4hrs! Overall, at this price, I would expect to not have to pass the dishes around either. I suppose the idea is that it would get you to interact more with your fellow team mates, but it doesn't always work that way because some of your table companions might actually be a bit obnoxious and loud :-) p.s. Note that the wine flight is not included in the $90 price advertised. It doesn't clearly state this and is likely to confuse things if you aren't aware. read more

We did the New Year's Eve dinner. A+ for being greeted at the door with a nice little aperitif. B+ for passed h'dourves which included a tasty cheese puff and tuna with pickled peppers on crostini. About 30 guests for the evening stood around for about half an hour making uncomfortable small talk while waiting for everyone to arrive and for the kitchen to get ready--C+ I had read in earlier Yelp reviews that guests are allowed to poke around in the kitchen to watch the action, but I definitely got the impression that we were not welcome in the kitchen that night. We received a barely audible "hello" from Matt when we saw him from the kitchen entrance, and other staff hardly made eye contact. Perhaps Matt Dillon and Co were too hungover from the Sitka & Spruce closing party the night before. Ambience: Nice long tables that seat about 10 people each. Our table guests were perfectly cordial and the shared dining experience was fine. We didn't meet any new lifelong friends, but it could have been much worse. Nice lighting and remodel work done to the inside of the building. Great old fireplace and some exposed brick in the walls. I love the bathroom wallpaper. I hate that there is only a single bathroom. When your dinner experiences last 3-4 hours, it's a nice idea to have more than one bathroom. Food: We definitely had enough food. The evening was seafood heavy. Started with raw oysters (well, one raw oyster apiece), scallops (not as flavorful as I had hoped, kind of a gooey mess) and another raw fish dish with lemon zest and well-balanced flavor. Olives and housemade chips were also thrown in the mix somewhere, along with a soup and a nice frisee salad. Dungeness crab legs were average. I mean, it's crab...crab is awesome but when you live in Seattle it's pretty commonplace and anyone can steam a crab. A warm mussle, clam and garlic/butter/cream dish was also passed around which was nice but would have been better over homemade pasta or gnocchi. It was more like an appetizer since you were supposed to put it on crostini and felt misplaced and lost amongst the rest of the food. Speaking of misplaced....the tempo of the food arrival was really hit or miss. You were either flooded with food and couldn't find room on your plate for yet another dish showing up, or there were stretches of 10-15 minutes of...nothing. After seafood came lamb and couscous in a terrine. It was good, but kind of heavy after everything else. And there was no appropriate segue or building up. It was just like "Hey, did you like the seafood? Here's a bunch of couscous and lamb". My biggest gripe is that nothing really went with anything. Everything could be appreciated on its own, but my preference is that a meal such as this, which should be in the "experience" category due to hype and cost, should also manage to make some progressive sense. This felt more like an all-you-can-eat buffet in Vegas. And frankly, I could have cooked just about every course at home; nothing really stood out in my mind as excellent, unique or prepared by the hands of great talent. Wine: Sommelier did a nice job with wine pairings. Sure, they "free pour" the wine. But they only give you like 1.5 oz at a time, thus creating the illusion of serving a lot of wine. After a grand total of 8 or 9 pours, I wasn't even buzzed at the end of the night although to be fair the meal took over 4 hours to complete. They do deserve an A+ for the great little crate of goodies they sent home with us for the next day. The smoked trout was amazing. The yogurt was perfectly fresh and light. I loved the butter although the biscuits were hard and not all that flavorful. Boiled eggs were a delight. The little glass containers of salt, pickled peppers and pumpkin preserves were adorable and added a really nice touch. And the half bottle of champagne was the perfect complement to all of it. Conclusion: I am glad we finally tried Corson Building. I don't, however, feel the need to return, nor would I recommend it to friends. After tax and gratuity, dinner with wine pairings for two was a tad over $500 and I could not justify doing it again. read more

I have a confession, I had never eaten at Corson before my husband and I decided to have our wedding reception here. We loved the building and the gardens and the chickens, but we had never had the food. We found out quickly on the day of our wedding what a huge mistake that had been. The food was incredible! We had a huge spread that started with cheeses and pates and some sort of fish in a jar that I couldn't stop eating. Then came the main courses of lamb and quail and beautiful beet salad and salmon with cucumbers (and more). Oh, and I couldn't forget the BEST melon I have ever eaten, topped with Parmesan and balsamic. It's almost impossible to choose the one best thing about the meal there, but I think most of our guests would have to say the giant bowl of huckleberries that they brought out at the end of the meal. Most people had never had huckleberries, and everyone loved them. they looked gorgeous, tasted amazing, and paired perfectly with fresh biscuits and whipped cream. It was the perfect ending to a huge feast. Not only does the food leave me at a loss for words, but the staff does too. Dave helped us plan the event, made sure everything was taken care of and did it all with a smile. Everyone else that works there could not be sweeter or have better attitudes. My hearts goes all a-flutter when I think about it. This is one of the best restaurants in Seattle, certainly the most genuine and beautiful, and someplace I'll be coming back to with great frequency. read more

The Corson Building is a beautiful building tucked away in a remote part of Georgetown. The kind of place that you would never know it was there if someone didn't tell you. When I arrived, I was pleasantly greeted with a glass of wine in the quaint dining room where we would spend the rest of the night. My friends and I proceeded to mingle for a while until dinner was started about half an hour after the seating time. Dinner was a nine course affair, family style except for the soup and dessert. The early highlight was a candied hedgehog mushroom and a roaster pear dish. The second highlight was an amazing soup highlighted by fresh crab and fried celery root leaves. Once again great flavor and the texture from the fried celery root leaves was a great combo. The other fantastic dish was the black cod. Perhaps I'm impartial because I just love black cod, but yes the fish was great and so was the garlic brown butter sauce. Sweet and paired well with the buttery nature of the fish. The other dishes were solid as well and dinner finished up with a refreshing pumpkin pot de creme and along with various chocolates. What can make or break a restaurant for me is the service. Even if the food is great if the service is bad, I have a hard tie going back. That is definitely not the case here. The staff is perfect. Attentive, knowledgeable and friendly. I couldn't ask for any more. One of the reviewers did mention the noise and perhaps I was there on a quiet night, but I found no issues. We had six people at your table, all friends, and we could comfortably talk from corner to corner and did not hear the other tables almost at all. Overall, I really enjoyed my dinner. Everything came together quite well. Would I go back? Of course, I just need to pick my times judiciously, not exactly cheap, but definitely worth the price. read more

I'd been wanting to try this place for years, and finally did when a friend took me for my birthday dinner. The location is a bit strange, being under a freeway off-ramp, but you quickly forget where you are once you step inside their Secret Garden-esque property. Behind lush greenery is a villa style building that you can tell is old, but has been well maintained. Inside it was dimly lit, in a romantic way, with mostly large communal tables. Behind the dinning area is the kitchen, which you can see into. If you get a chance to take a peek, it's fun to watch your food being created. We were promptly seated at a table across from another couple. Some people might not enjoy the communal seating arrangement, but it was just the right amount of interaction. A few times people sitting nearby would ask what it was we'd ordered, or we'd ask people what they'd had to get an idea of what people liked on the day's menu. While communal dining isn't something we are very used to, it was actually a nice refreshing change. Service was stellar throughout the evening. The dishes came out one by one, which gave us time to really appreciate the uniqueness of each dish. We never felt rushed and enjoyed a lovely 3 hour dinner - not something you feel like you can do at many restaurants that are simply trying to turn tables. Now for the food. To start, we ordered the grilled sourdough with ricotta, capers, pine nuts, green garlic and chili. Basically toasted (some bits were almost charred, but in a good way) bread with fancy spread. It was a good starter. Next up was the deep fried smelt with fiddlehead gribiette. I would say out of all 5 things we ordered this was my least favorite. I've had fried smelt done better elsewhere, and found this to be just ok. The fiddlehead gribiette, on the other hand, was deliciously complex and a good combination with the fried fish. Next up was a small plate of marinated squid with beet thinnings, grilled onions, pistachios and mint. This one was also not one of my favorite dishes, but the beet thinnings were perfectly cooked. I wasn't a big fan of the texture of the squid, but that was probably my error in not understanding how it was prepared. My friend really enjoyed this dish. Again, the flavors were all great, it was just more of a texture thing for me. Our second small plate was a dish of morels, watercress, peas and a poached egg. This was probably my favorite dish of the night. Morels are always a treat, and these were so perfectly flavored, and came atop a sauce that was so good I wanted to lick the plate clean :-) Our final and main dish was braised lamb shoulder and meatballs with artichokes and fava beans. Super delicious. The lamb shoulder was so tender and the meatballs so flavorful. Overall, a lovely dinning experience. Great ambiance, complex flavored dishes with unique ingredients, and excellent service. This is a great place for a nice meal with a date or a celebratory meal with friends. It would also make a great venue to host a rehearsal dinner or something similar. read more

We went to The Corson Building on a Saturday. On Saturdays, they serve a prix fixe meal family-style -- each dish is served on a single large serving platter that's shared between the eight people at your communal table. The food was a bit variable. Our meal had some delicious elements, most notably a duck entrée served in a rich sauce made from its giblets, and a side dish of poached carrots. There were also some pretty significant misses, though: we started with paté served with rock hard crostinis, and ended with a brown butter fruit tart with a similarly impenetrable crust. (Maybe they were having issues with either their oven or their baker on the day we visited.) The service felt rushed. The courses were brought out in very quick succession -- the first three came essentially simultaneously. As a result, the experience was a bit like eating at a buffet; I found myself constantly pushing my half-eaten previous courses around my plate to make room for the newly-arrived next course. A bit more time to deliberately savor the courses would have been appreciated. Last but not least, the communal table. Communal tables are nothing new, but we haven't experienced them very often. We happened to be seated across from an entertaining couple, but that was just the luck of the draw; one of the other couples at our table took such grave offense at their dining companions that they left in a huff before the meal finished. It's an individual thing, but when I go to nice restaurants, I personally prefer to eat with a small group of people that I know well so that I can spend time focusing on the food. Overall, our experience was positive and we'd go back. Having said that, the highlights of our evening mostly came from our conversation with our randomly-assigned dining partners, and not so much from the food. read more

Long long overdue for posting this one --- we'd looked forward to Corson Building for a long time (and absolutely *adore* Sitka & Spruce), and back in March finally went for the Saturday evening tasting menu. Our party of 4 (2 couples) of course sat at one of the community tables, and before the meal started we were loving the atmosphere, it was living up to all the hype -- the grounds and building are delightful, the window onto the tiny but bustling kitchen is like out of a foodie fairy tale, and the sommelier's welcoming cocktail of a house-made grappa-like infusion of last summer's peaches and other bits I loved but can't quite remember was just wonderful. After seating, that's where it went enough downhill relative to how awesome it could have been and what other choices we have in Seattle make me reluctantly have to go for 3-stars. The bottom line problems: - It's so loud, and they don't compensate. It's part of the ambience that it's a loud, boisterous atmosphere in a small space that that's totally cool. But the problem is that you combine that with (1) no written menu of any kind, (2) only one short intro at the beginning of the meal from Matthew, and (3) servers who speak super quietly and not in detail about the dishes as they come out family-style to the community tables and it adds up to just not feeling connected to or informed about what you're eating, when that's exactly what you want most in this kind of evening. Asking the servers to repeat themselves resulted in brief restatements of still hard-to-hear bits. The sommelier continued to be significantly better and really enjoyable to talk to, but the food piece was just very annoying. - The food was very good, but honestly not remarkable. Yes it's been a couple of months now, but even a week later none of the dishes stood out as super memorable. All delicious, all would have been "excellent" at a normal restaurant, but at an evening, price point, and reputation as strong as this, it was "just fine". By contrast, Sitka & Spruce is spot-on and bursting with distinctive flavors and textures. I in no way would say we regret going --- it's a fabulous concept in a wonderful space. But we don't need to go back, and I'd recommend working through some of the other great Seattle spots (including Sitka) before Corson. read more

This review is in regards to their Bastille Day & the ensuing activity: Let me start off by saying that my visit started off with complete misunderstanding of how the event would go down. I was under the impression that the $30 pre-sale or $35 at the door would also include dinner. That was just the entry fee to get in the gate, to be able to hang out in the garden. Granted, you also received 5 tickets, which had the value of a paltry glass of wine (in a plastic cup) or a side of couscous (on a paper plate with plastic utensils). If I had wanted a full meal, it would have cost me at least double that. And for that money, I would have appreciated at least a table to sit down to eat at. The bathrooms were HoneyBuckets, and it was very crowded. Overall, I really felt that the expectations of the evening where completely mis-communicated. I heard repeatedly people voicing my own concerns and they had been told that the steep entry fee was for the entertainment. Why highlight the band when it was supposed to be about the food? I only write this review after so long, because the event left a sour taste in my mouth even after all this time. What food I did sample was very tasty, and maybe that's why I'm upset: I very much wanted more but couldn't bring myself to give in the to money machine in place. Sorry Corson Building, but I really would advice clearer communication on your site about your event. So that people don't walk away disgruntled. Plus, in reading what other people have posted, I just don't know if all the sass is the proper response. read more

I just recently celebrated my birthday here and what can I say except that I LOVED it! On Friday evenings there is always an A la Carte menu that is generally never the same. You can always expect something new, for sure. You must eat here, go! make a reservation now! It is family style seating so you will share an 8 seat table with strangers so it's great for a group of friends that want a low light intimate setting for good food and shared enjoyment. However, there were several two person dates happening at our table, including us, and we were perfectly comfortable! (warning, this is not a cheap date place, you gotta be ready to drop some moola to eat here) Parking is a bit tough, but the nice thing is b/c it's in Georgetown, there isn't much to compete with in regards to parking space, just know, there aren't a whole lot of well lit streets around the building. But nothing to fear, it's on a major street corner... About the food! (mind you this all from memory b/c I don't own a fancy phone to take pictures of the menu! -ha!) Appetizer #1: a delicious homemade sourdough bread served with toasted dates with hers and a butter herb dip Appetizer #2: an extraordinary beet salad served with cilantro, feta, fennel, watercress, toasted pistachios and other yummy ingredients that were delightfully unexpected (this was my favorite one and I really really dislike beets) Appetizer #3: lox served with a yummy, non-make-you-feel-like-you're-about-to-have-a-heart-attack-type of mayonnaise sauce small plate #1: deliciously seared buttery scallops served over leeks entree #1: blackened cod entree #2: roasted chicken served with a slightly spicy tomatillo sauce that included quartered tomatillos that were cooked to perfection! dessert: pumpkin cake with hazelnut cream read more

Best takeout around! Seriously delicious, nicely presented (even in a box) and a generous serving size of gourmet northwest food. Not cheap, but highest quality, and special enough for date night! read more

I have so many good things to say about this place... where to start? First of all, everyone who works there is absolutely dear. The staff is very natural, calm, good at what they do, and seems to care a lot about the food they serve. This place is not a pretentious sir or ma'am establishment. They meet and greet you at the front door and actually remember your name. The food is EXCELLENT! I would have never known that I would like octopus! The dishes were creative... everything delicious. The decorations were charming- I even happened to notice that the back of my fork was dated to mark the anniversary of a wedding sometime in November of 1914. Everything down to the light bulbs has been carefully chosen (except for maybe the candle holders on the table- but that is a different subject altogether). This is THE place to go in Seattle if you are into good food and service. Special occasions only though, it is expensive (but worth it!!). Brace yourself- you will have to sit with st-st-strangers. At least you will have one thing in common- good taste for food :) Tonight was a little chilly- it actually snowed, so I was glad I dressed warmly. read more

Went there on a Friday night for my birthday. It was a small setting with 3 communal style dining tables, a bit noisy for the two of us since the other party sharing the table was big and we were more on the quiet side (we had trouble hearing each other so talked even less). The service was good. Had homemade huckleberry soda, which was great. We ordered 4 dishes, and while the dishes turned out OK, they were really just OK, nothing really wowed us. The last dish was a $29 sole and that dish in particular underwhelmed us, very normal with no special flavor that I could have whipped it up myself in my own kitchen. Maybe it was just a bad night, but we would not return. read more

Love this restaurant! I have only been on a Sunday night because of the reasonable price tag. I went last night for the second time and had a fantastic meal. There is no menu, they just bring out 6-7 courses on Sunday night. They have a few bottles of wine open on the table and that is all part of the $60 price tag. If you want more than what is on the table, you can buy it separately. Everyone is seated "european style", so expect some neighborly conversation. The dishes are served at one end and passed around. This can cause some stress because you want to make sure you get "your share" without taking too much:) Luckily there is plenty of food, so there is no way to leave hungry. Our first course was a brie-like cheese, a homemade preserve and emmer and rye crackers. They then served grilled bread and an amazing salad with fresh thinly sliced local porcinis. The next course was steamed halibut with an amazing sauce of aioli, pine nuts, golden raisins and mussels over leeks. It was our favorite course. They then served roasted chicken with a cucumber feta "sauce". At the same time, they served asparagus and chickpeas with a hazelnut sauce. Our dessert (served individually) was an amazing homemade Lemon Balm ice cream with rhubarb. The couple next to us had been to the Saturday night version which is $90 PLUS wine, so about $120 per person. They said that there are a few differences - 1) more food - at least 5 more courses 2) more wine - they kept it flowing all night long and you never had an empty glass 3) more "presentation" - the chef would come out and present each course with the paired wine. Overall, I love what this restaurant serves, I love what it stands for and the experience is always memorable. read more

We came here for brunch the weekend after Xmas. The food and the service was fantastic- only two complaints. One, because it was a brunch, a menu was not provided so I couldn't identify everything I ate (and in turn, brag about the delicious dish I ate) and two, IT WAS FREEZING. i was going to run errand afterwards but instead went home and huddled under some blankets until I got warm. All in all- the freeze was worth the food and the lovely service. From what I do know, there was delicious cheese, crusty bread, fresh pears with honey and yogurt, lemony and shallot-y garbanzo beans, barley salad, a cabbage and rabbit stew, poached egg on endive and pancetta- YUM. My mouth is watering just writing about it. read more

We brought friends here for dinner to celebrate an important milestone. We made reservations for the Prix Fixe Saturday dinner. They called in advance to politely ask if we had any in-tolerances or allergies. Our favorite part of this adventure was not knowing what the meal was to be and not having to choose when we got there. This was post Thanksgiving and was a twelve course seafood feast. It was incredible. Every dish was a culinary delight. The communal dining atmosphere is lovely. The several courses take hours to prepare and consume, this gives you a chance to wander around, check out the kitchen, and converse with people you've likely never met before. The food was perfect, the ambiance was perfect, it was a lovely evening and ended up being the perfect way to celebrate. read more

Nestled in the industrial district of Georgetown in Seattle, the Corson Building is definitely worth a try! The restaurant itself is very cozy and charming. It also has a great history- initially a single level house that was converted into a two-story law office and now a restaurant! The Corson Building prides itself in serving American fare with produce picked fresh from their own garden. I went on a Wednesday night back in December with a couple of friends without making a reservation- any other night would require a reservation and I believe would include a prix-fixe menu. Upon entering, we were greeted by our server for the night and promptly seated. Seating is communal with room for only about 20-25 people in the entire restaurant. The menu consisted of a small selection of appetizers and entrees. We decided to order a few dishes and eat family-style. We enjoyed a duck leg confit, smoked black cod, skate wing, beef meatballs, and a homemade sorbet with ginger cookies. All of the dishes were extremely tasty and well-balanced. The best dish of the night for me was the skate wing, which was tender and buttery. The beef meatballs; however, were nothing extraordinary...actually reminded me a bit of the meatballs you can get at dim-sum, but tastier. Overall, we greatly enjoyed our experience and we each spent roughly $35 each. Any other night, and dinner would be at least $50 per person. The atmosphere was great, the service was friendly, and the food was worth every penny. The only downside would be the parking. There is a small lot in front of the building, but there is only space for about 5 cars and nearby street parking is limited, so I would strongly encourage carpooling. read more

this is a review for their Bastille Day Fete on July 14, 2011: Worst Bastille Day party ever at the The Corson Building! The red wine was Austrian (can't even think of a justification for serving an Austrian wine to celebrate the day when French peeps decided to cut the head of our Austrian queen Marie-Antoinette ) and quite bad, the rose mediocre at best ( a Gaillac !), the savory crepe was not even buckwheat, the music lugubrious and not French at all, 90 bucks for 5 oysters, 2 bad crepes, and 2 glasses of bad wine was a definite rip-off. A bas le Corson Building! Vous n'etes pas digne de celebrer la France. Edit: after posting on their FB page, I was contacted by the owner who offered a refund. Bumping to 2 stars. read more

First off I LOVE THIS PLACE. I came here with a group of 5 cowokers/friends. I was a little nervous when I saw the price of the dinner but decided hey why not you only love once right, secretly I was hoping the food is worth the price. So when we walked in they greeting us by taking our coats and handing us a cup of rainier cherry brandy (homemade) who wouldn't LOVE that! It's a small place with 3 tables that seat 10ppl, they have a nice fire place (it was off), a great kitchen you can walk into and watch the chefs work their magic and you can also walk out to the patio that's just off the kitchen. Of course we took pictures of EVERYTHING! Okay now the dinner! Well, once we all sat down we introduced ourselves to the other folks sitting at our table and the waiter and chef came into the room and discussed the menu in detail and also spoke about the wine pairing. The Menu: -Warm Brandade on toast with Pickled Peppers - Raw Black-mouth Salmon with Pinenuts, Stinging Nettles & Capers - Salad with Raw Brussel Sprouts, Beets, Oranges, Pistachios & Ricotta (I hate beets but this salad was AMAZING) -Scrambled Eggs with Dungeness Crab, Yellow Foot Chantrells & Watercress -Marinated Mussels, carrots, Pickled Sultan, Walnuts & Dill -Seared Sea Scallop with Roasted Endives, Braised Celery & Crispy Black Trumpets -Roasted & Braised Lamb Leg with Kale, Parsnips & Beet Tzatziki Desert -Braeburn Apple Brown Butter Tart with Cardamon Ice Cream I just have to say that it was one of the Best Meals I've Had! It was well with the money that I/we spent! My friends and I are already discussing our next visit! Oh yeah I have food allergies and they were happy to accommodate. read more

Rustic. Family-style courses. Communal dining. There were so many things going right for our evening at The Corson Building. The general manager Matt was lovely. The stroll through the property felt like a special oasis in the midst of Georgetown. The chef's description of the menu had my mouth watering. They had set themselves up well for success. It just didn't come through for us. The the execution on some of the items just wasn't there. The food was a bit hit and miss. Some items were drowning in dill or mayonnaise. The beef, while cooked well, was served with veggies I could have cooked better at home - sweet peppers and potatoes. (As a side note, the roasted potatoes were served with eggplant. I think this was a significant misstep on the part of the restaurant. We strolled past the kitchen before the dessert, and at least half of the platters had returned uneaten. The eggplant had no significant flavor and only added a mushy texture to the potatoes.) The ice cream on the peach crostata was great, but the crostata itself was difficult to cut into and the flavor of the fruit obliterated by the ice cream. Feels like I'm being particularly picky, but at $100 per person (plus an additional $40 for wine), I ought to be fussy. This meal just didn't quite add up to the price point. On our way home we both noted, though, that a couple of changes and we could have easily felt that it was magical. read more

Overall it was meh. The experience wasn't awful, nor was it a delight. The menu selection I knew would be ad hoc for a Friday evening; my date and I managed to find something not overly hipster that we thought we'd like. I was told the menu was ala cart, but in fact it's not, just predefined menu for the evening. The food wasn't bad, the portions are a bit small for the price. The menu isn't clear on what's an appetizer, light portion or dinner plate. There's no salad or bread served which would have helped offset the smaller portions. The place is tiny, which some might consider charming, I found it obnoxious. The waiter kept hitting my chair every time he walked by. This seems more of a wine place than a place to order a cocktail. They can make them, but I don't recommend them. All in all you really need to go in knowing what to expect going in. It's a very causal, very very small, group dining place where wine should be ordered instead of cocktails. Expect to pay more than what you'd expect experience, or quantity-wise. All in all, not bad, but not great. We won't be going again. read more

As a self-proclaimed foodie, the only complaint I have for this restaurant is that you cannot FULLY savor the food as you are always yapping with other diners (yes, strangers! yikes!) sitting next to you or in front of you, as this is a family style course dinner (oxymoron?) served at a communal table. My boyfriend took me there last night for our 4th year anniversary (I am not bragging. Am I? Well, maybe.) and we sat next to a couple who flew on a float plane from one of the beautiful islands near Seattle for a weekend getaway. We got lucky as they were funny and entertaining as hell. We had a very lively conversation while dining. The food? Yes, the food! Let me see, what did we have? Salty beef carpaccio, chicken liver and fried parsley on a crusty baguette slice, and headcheese on the bed of colorful beets to start. Then, delicious salads; one with shrimp and radicchio and orange, and the other with citrusy squid! MMMM. Then it was the monk fish in carrot soup and then the tender flavorful chicken accompanied with nice mix of flat parsley and red onion. Then, to finish off with 4 kinds of cheese, coffee and chocolate pieces. Excellent. read more

We celebrated my sister's birthday here and had the most thoughtful service and a multitude of delicious plates..Was the very best meal for the very best sister! read more

Unique Ambience: 5 Food: 5 Value: 3 Tucked away underneath an overpass in Georgetown, an otherwise ordinary house contains the unique dining experience that is the Corson Building. The eclectic decorated interior is a mix of rustic (exposed brick) and renaissance (artic iron windows). The dinning is on several communal long tables that you share with other groups (people were respectful and kept to themselves, though we had a pleasant conversation with one other pair). The food was fantastic! The plate was meaningfully constructed, with multiple vegetables cooked in various ways (e.g. blanched carrots with grilled greens) to complement the protein (a slow roasted pork belly). The fusion of flavors was delicious. The menu changes constantly (it was written on paper) and is always fresh. It's all good and the wait staff is very helpful (though I sneak to the back and asked the chef what she recommended). We paired our dinner with a wonderful wine (their wine list is eclectic, mostly European, selected to compliment the food). Though very expensive, it was a great experience. read more