Best Restaurants for People Watching in Redmond

Another wonderful Christmas Eve at Paradiso. I had the Osso Buco special and it was delicious. Hubby had the swordfish special and was pleased. Our dear friend had the lasagna and loved it. Mom had the pasta in pink sauce with artichokes and was thrilled with her choice.

The food, service and ambience were fine. Being a John Howie restaurant, we weren’t surprised by the high prices. Two cocktails, two starters, two steaks with no sides, and two glasses of wine were almost $300. We were surprised, however, at the 20% service charge on the bill that goes entirely to John Howie. Their explanation was that they pay their staff well and give them benefits. There was a typical place for a tip on the check. Had we added a typical 20% tip, we would have paid over $100 in add-ons plus $35 tax which included tax on the service charge. This certainly put a damper on our enthusiasm for this restaurant. $400+ for the above listed food is certainly not worth it.

The new menu at Hearth is amazing. The pepperoni pizza was so flavorful. Also be sure to try a mixed drink at the bar. The entire staff, Victor, Jason and Fructoso were there to add to the fun experience. Thank you Hearth for a memorable evening.

Good experience. The Servers who were serving the meat, made sure to come regularly and any requests we had they would cover. The Main Server (Blue Shirt) hardly did come.

Friendly as we walked through the door. Service was decent and friendly. The dinning area is somewhat small and adds to sound within the room.