Bin on the Lake Revisited

Everyone with kids would know that eating out with those little munchkins can be quite an ordeal. For us with kids with allergies, it's even worse. On top of that, I enjoy cooking so much these days, I don't even notice when we haven't gone out for a long time. So from time to time, J would ask when we'd go out to eat. Since we enjoyed Bin on the Lake so much last time, we decided to pay another visit over the weekend.

We arrived early so there wasn't any other table occupied, but a few people enjoying the happy hour at the bar. We sat at the same table as last time. The most surprising thing is our waitress still remembers us, and what we ordered, etc. Talk about a good memory! That was 5 months ago!

I'm not sure if they changed utensils or that I simply didn't pay much attention last time, but Bin on the Lake is using Wedgewood silverware now. I suppose that contributes to the price tag too. =)

The Macrina potato rolls are just as fluffy as I remembered. The kids shared chicken fingers with fries ($8) and beef brisket sliders ($10). The chicken fingers and fries were crispy. The barbecue beef brisket was tender and sweet with crispy shallots served on mini brioche, they were good but I'm not sure if they were worth 5 bucks a pop.

This being hubby's duck destination, it's no surprise that the duck breast ($30) is what he got. The menu said that today's duck confit was accompanied by leeks, watercress, and cherry and sweet onion relish. I didn't see any sweet onion or even the relish for that matter. From the picture, it looked like the duck was topped with some string fries. (I didn't have any.) The kids and hubby devoured the duck as expected. I thought it was only mediocre. Being a sauce lover, I found this one very disappointing. The cherries were delicious though.

I went with the halibut ($29). (Hmm, this might be a new tradition now, duck for hubby, fish for me. =) The halibut steak was cooked to perfection - juicy and tender interior with a golden crispy crust. It sat on a large ravioli filled with salty pancetta and sweet caramelized onion, topped with a sunny side up egg. Individual component wise, the fish was too bland, and the ravioli filling was on the salty side. But if you take a bite with some runny egg yolk, a little fish, and a bit of ravioli, the total is definitely greater than the sum. It was smooth, tender and meaty all at the same time. Combined with the fish and egg, the saltiness and spiciness (see all those red chili oil on the ravioli and the pea vines) all mellowed down. As tasty as this was, I prefer the sea bass last time. If I could replace the celery root ravioli with today's pancetta, it would be perfect.

Overall, I think Bin on the Lake has great potential. While it's a little over priced, if you take into consideration of the beautiful view of Lake Washington, it's all justifiable.

Bin on the Lake
1270 Carillon Pt, Kirkland, WA 98033
(425) 803-5595