Reviews

“Seven years and several recent visits later, I'm impressed with Nell's anew. The setting is gracious. The staff is fluent in their roles. Chef/owner Philip Mihalski offers a tantalizing contemporary American menu; it's food cooked with nuance and verve... Nell's is like antique silver that gets constant use: its luster has increased over the years.”

"Entrées are as pretty on the plate as they are pleasing to the palate…Preparation is artful and never overwrought; meats are tender and succulent; fish moist and flaky…flavors perfectly play off each other."

"Under the inspired direction of chef-owner Philip Mihalski, Nell's (so named in honor of his wife) has become a major force on the Seattle dining scene. The ever-changing menu focuses on coaxing maximum performance from the freshest of in-season Northwest ingredients."

"…[W]hether it's an 'old favorite' (beef tenderloin) or a new (black cod), 'each dish is a masterpiece'…'Chef-owner' Philip Mihalski is clearly a rising star…"

"Classic and unconventional, colorful and soul pleasing without any bravado, this is the essence of Nell's."

"The cardiac stimulant one night at Nell's might be a special entrée of the silkiest tenderloin of rabbit wrapped in the most luscious bacon, lolling in subtly smoky ease on a bed of salsify."

"Nell's menu reads like a poem: Ahi tuna with almond couscous and onion-cumin broth; wild salmon with lentils, pearl onions and yogurt-cucumber cream; Dungeness crab salad with red radish and Braeburn apple. It's not just carefully chosen words that make these dishes stand out, Nell's plays flavors just as artfully.…One of Seattle's best…"

"Mihalski's starter menu is unusually sophisticated and clearly where he wants to display the range of his pretensions. He succeeds. One appetizer, black truffle and leek risotto ($12), was a creamy masterpiece, fully redolent of the piquant root and a thoroughly worthy resting place for four truffle slices. …[C]onsider this a recommendation."

"Among the marvelous seafood specials sampled was tuna tartare (a dish that could hold its own at any of the city's finest sushi bars), and a sturgeon fillet whose matsutake mushrooms offered subtle smokiness shining through a lovely lemon-butter sauce."

"With his wide and deep knowledge of local ingredients of the Pacific Northwest, Philip Mihalski introduces unique dishes perfect for a night out."