Photo: Facebook/Circadia
It’s as if Seattle grew up and became a sophisticated city overnight with the recent opening of Circadia. Circadia is located downtown on the corner of 7th and Olive. This restaurant has changed the Seattle restaurant landscape in a number of ways: service, sophistication and creativity.
The team behind this extraordinary creation is top notch. Proprietors Jake Kosseff and Jeanie Inglis have been in the restaurant and wine industries for well over a decade and their vision was to deliver a place where people could be culinarily surprised and pampered. Their head chef, Chef Garrett Melkonian, a James Beard Award Semifinalist, is focused on delivering a global mix of flavours to their menus. This team trio brings a world of experience, talent and passion and it is evident throughout the entire Circadia experience from the array of splendid dishes, to the handcrafted cocktails, to the elaborate wine list and the classy decor.
A controversial topic in Seattle today is the minimum wage hike and its impact on service. Many restaurants are passing along a “service charge” to the customer to offset the minimum wage requirement. Circadia is doing things very differently. They do not add a service charge to your bill and will not accept tips. Instead, they offer a profit sharing model that benefits all employees of the restaurant.
“With the minimum wage going up, it magnifies the inequity in pay between our tipped employees and our non-tipped employees (the cooks, dishwashers and support staff). In looking for a way to even the playing field, we also thought that philosophically, tipping and service charges are not very customer friendly – what other business requires their customers to pay their employees in addition to the price of the goods they offer? We felt that going to a profit sharing model eliminated both of these problems: helping us to pay all of our team well and eliminating the uncomfortable step of asking our guests to pay our staff in addition to the price of their food and drink.” - Jake Kosseff, proprietor.
Now the food! Circadia offers a Chef’s Tasting experience as well as an A la Carte menu for dinner. They also have a separate lounge menu with bites. You must get your hands on the King Crab Waldorf salad with endive, pear, champagne grapes, and walnut butter. It is an outstanding creation with a satisfying portion of crab and an abundance of flavours. If you are looking for something a bit more familiar, you can’t go wrong with the juicy and flavorful house-made Wagyu beef burger with taleggio cheese and maitake mushrooms. But, let's get real and dangerous people. Hands down, you must try the six-course Chef’s tasting menu. It is extraordinary! Nestle yourself down in one of their luxurious velvet booths, embrace the elegant ambience and enjoy the Chef's culinary adventure with your special someone or a group of friends.
It is exciting and refreshing to see a change in the Seattle restaurant landscape. The team at Circadia prides themselves on taking care of their employees and delivering an exceptional experience that will leave their visitors wondering why they have not been blessed with Circadia sooner.
