21 Central

Couple of days ago, I was caught off-guard when J said "When are we going to a restaurant, we haven't gone out to eat for a long time?" So I had to plan something quickly. (I know it sounds silly that we have to plan something as simple as going out to eat. We are not spontaneous, people!)

We were very lucky that it turned out to be a nice day. (The weather this year has been strange. It was really nice till early May, then all of a sudden, spring retreated and we are in winter.) We went to downtown Kirkland so the kids can play around after dinner. I've been meaning to try 21 Central Steakhouse, and today is as good as any.

We arrived early. There were only 2 parties. The place seemed small for a steakhouse with its big booth, and bar area. Though, it was nice and quiet.

Hubby and I don't really drink much. Normally we just share a glass of wine when dining out. A white one at that. (Usually not Chardonnay. Yes, we have not acquired the taste for red wine yet.) Today, we chose a glass of Jo Vina Pinot Gris. It was poured into probably a red Bordeaux glass. Some wine purist would probably say that this wouldn't complement the wine. However, we didn't care - we were just thrilled that it was THE biggest glass of wine we've ever had.

My fresh Chilean Seabass was stuffed with bay shrimp and fresh mozzarella, coated with herbed bread crumbs, then pan fried and served with Champagne butter sauce. The fish was very tender, the breading thin and crispy. The shrimp and mozzarella stuffing was a little bland, and not really necessary. The sauce didn't do much for the fish either. A simpler preparation would probably have been able to better emphasize the natural richness and sweetness of the fish. Nevertheless, the fish was still very delicious. The linguine was nicely done, but a little greasy, which is often the case at restaurants.

Hubby got Top Sirloin, a Prime 12 oz cut. The steak to cooked to the perfect pink. The baked potato was huge, accompanied by your choices of green onion, sour cream, etc. and REAL bacon pieces. We also got sauteed fresh vegetables and their "21" fries for everyone to share. The vegetables were just OK. The fries were great, and portion was so generous! (See that picture? That's only half of the fries!)

Overall, I think the food was pretty decent. We'll probably try it again even though the price was a little high.

21 Central Steakhouse
21 Central Way (Market Street), Kirkland, WA 98033
(425) 822-1515