Ember & Iron

I had a wonderful experience sitting at the bar eating dinner at Ember & Iron. Melissa was my bartender and her knowledge of the menu and our lite conversation really added a lot to my dining experience. Everybody there works hard and is very pleasant. One bar back looks just like a young James Dean! The ambiance of the place is excellent. Just as good as the fun atmosphere at E&I, the food is quite good. Chef Michael does a fantastically skilled job pulling everything together. I like his strong inclination for interesting and foreign spices that add the right flavor. We started with a great Washington State Merlot. The wine service is very good although most people seemed to be drinking classic cocktails of the "smoked" variety. Our order of cornbread was a perfect start. Skillet made, it came with an interesting spiced jelly that I loved! The grilled shrimp came next and they were exquisite with the unique Japanese spice he uses called togarashi. This was new to me and it was a nice flavor and not too spicy. The grilled salmon was amazing and cooked perfectly with a delicious pesto sauce. The hangar steak was exceptionally good with a flavorful chimichurri sauce. I love the vegetables he pairs with his dishes. The potatoes have a crunchy skin and a sweet cheese flavor and the root vegetables were crisp and worth every bite. This is a very good place with a casual fun atmosphere. My only complaint was the noise level but this was a minor consideration for me. Overall Ember & Iron earns 5 stars.

The scollops were perfectly cooked, nice char along with a lime taste. the wedge salad was good, the bacon was delicious didn't really like dill.The serving made no eye contact the entire time actually stood behind me while communicate with me kind of strange. We would definitely come back here to try other menu items. We ate on the patio which was nice for us as the restaurant was pretty loud.

Dinner with girlfriends- Seated promptly for our res.Server came right over & said she'd be right back with waters. She did. Mine tasted like fish had been swimming in my glass. My friends didn't taste it. I mentioned it to the server & she said she tastes it too & 1 out of 4 customers say the same. To me it was undrinkable - yuck! My suggestion to the restaurant is get a water filtration system or get a new one, and ice too. Onto the meal- shared some lovely bubbly rose to start with some cornbread. It was just the right size ( small skillet) but a little over done. My main course was an appetizer order of crab cakes. Two medium size cakes were enough for me for dinner. They were good but not outstanding. I also had a wedge salad with blue cheese. It was good, pretty basic. One friend had a salad with beets & added shrimp as her protein. It was a large salad & she enjoyed it. Next my 3 rd friend went with the special which was elk. I'm not sure how much they charged for it but either way it was 2 tiny slices of meat. It looked beautiful. She said it was delicious. It reminded me of the old days of nouvelle cuisine when you left the restaurant starving after eating a tiny but lovely looking dish. We opted to skip dessert. Overall, our experience was good but a little underwhelming for this restaurant. I've been here before a few times & it was always outstanding.

Enjoyed a leisurely Sunday brunch of crab cakes and shrimp and grits. The cakes were decent and full of crab, but the flavor didn't shine through. The shrimp n grits stile the show...the crispy Okra and chorizo are a nice finishing touch to give this famous dish a good twist. Even though I had reservations and the place wasn't crowded, service was lackluster.

I have been to Ember & Iron several times over the years and have always enjoyed dining there. I do remember it can get quite loud when they are busy (understandably so). So to avoid that, we typically go during off peak time so it's a nice quiet ambiance. The service has always been prompt and friendly. As for the food, I really enjoy their cornbread in a skillet (everything is better in a skillet) and their pork chop dish. In fact, I like them so much that it prevents me from trying their other dishes. Husband tried various other dishes but always commented that next time it's his turn to order the pork chop. This is a restaurant that I may not be going every week, but when I want a nice chill place (again off peak hours), great service and good food, it pop's up in my mind.

Exactly what my expectations of what an anniversary/Valentines dinner should be. Ember & Iron went above and beyond with meeting those expectations. There is a for sure hipster vibe with the establishment, but don't let the millennial flare full you- this place has the flavors, staff and drinks to prove to you the 2000's were the best with a modern twist. We had the dozen oysters (I could eat a dozen for myself, they were excellent), the scallops entree and chimichurri and loved it. Such an amazing establishment and tasty to the hubs as well. If you're looking for a romantic dinner, this is it. We get the same waiter each time that talks and looks like Christian Bale and he's amazing too!

We came here being new to the area looking for our new *steak* place. We ordered 2 old fashioned as this seems to be their signature drink. My husband was smoked and mine was not. This was one of the best old fashions I had had in a long time. The tables were set up as a long bench on one side then tables next to each other, so not the best ambiance. I can not remember if the tables were a better option.Our waitress was quick and nice. She asked if we had ever been there and I told her no and asked about their appetizers. She recommended the corn bread. I was a bit taken back by that as I never ordered corn bread as an app, nor did I find corn bread something you would opt for but we tried it and I am glad we did. It was service in its own cast iron pan with (honey?) butter and a pepper jelly. Honestly, I never knew corn bread could be so good. Now to our dinner. I ordered Filet Mignon (MR) which came with a potato patty, my husband ordered a Ribeye (R) and it came with French fries (frites) Our food came out and my filet mignon was super rare. I cut it open and it was rarer than my husbands. I sent it back for more fire, but kept the potatoes patty and asparagus. There was a gruyere cheese sauce on the plate which was a little smokey tasting. The asparagus ends should have been trimmed as I had to spit it out due to it being woody / stalky, but after that I only ate the middles to tip of asparagus. The Potato patty was a bit overdone as well. Finally they bring out my filet mignon and I had to send it back yet again as it was still raw in the middle. The manager came over and discounted my steak, and I just took it home.

The place is super cute and comfortable. The staff is amazing. Our waiter was Zach and he was super nice and gave great recommendations. The food and deserts were delicious.

The server was great. He was very knowledgeable on the dishes and took time to explain them. My seafood diavolo dish was fresh and head excellent flavor. The space was very open, lively and a little on the classy side.

Food, drinks and service were perfect today. Couldn't ask for a better brunch anywhere