How to Find a 'Restaurant as Happy and Handsome as Its Surroundings'

Welcome back to Week in Reviews. Seattle's food critics recently visited Tavern on the Square, Grappa, and Meet the Moon. Here's what they had to say:

BOTHELL—In a one-star review, The Seattle Times' Providence Cicero picks apart hospitality group McMenamins' Tavern on the Square, concluding that the restaurant "aims for luxury and lands on mediocrity":

"Chicken, steak, salmon and pasta are the mainstays, but the cooking is uneven, the preparations uninspired, and a logjam can ensue when all 148 seats unexpectedly fill at peak dinner hour, delaying the meal's progress."

QUEEN ANNE—For Seattle Weekly, Nicole Sprinkle dismisses Mediterranean newcomer Grappa as "underwhelming and overpriced":

"The Greek Chicken is, according to my server, very similar to the chicken piccata, pounded chicken breast with lemon but minus the capers—more a creamy dish with feta cheese. What it is, in fact, is three small pieces of overcooked, slightly lemony breast for $19. The creaminess is the addition of a few pieces of feta scattered on top. It comes with a side of bland pasta (did I get transported back to the '80s?!) that even my daughter, who will tolerate almost any form of noodle, declared terrible. It made me suspect that there is likely some serious bean-counting going on at this place."

LESCHI—Also for Seattle Weekly, Sprinkle finds a positive experience hardly marred by minor hiccups at Meet the Moon, "a restaurant as happy and handsome as its surroundings":

"The trout frites renewed my faith in chefs who can prepare a whole fish simply but perfectly. From the light gold crust to a flaky white skin that respected the integrity of the fish's delicate flavor, it was so good on its own that I left the heaping side of fries (rather soggy, unfortunately) alone."

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