Maggie Bluffs Marina Grill, Seattle, WA

9/11/2011

The First Official French Dip Review. I have been really excited to do my first official French dip review. I asked my Facebook friends if they had any recommendations of where to start my quest and Spencer Chan suggested that I try the dip at Maggie Bluff's in the Magnolia area of Seattle. I'd been to Maggie's one time before and remember having enjoyed the experience. Here's my review of the dip there. Setting the scene Jessica and I showed up at dinnertime on a sunny summer Saturday night. It was a beautiful, warm evening and Maggie Bluff's (MB's from now on) was pretty busy..but the wait wasn’t long at all. We were seated immediately. Many people were out on the patio enjoying food, drinks, and conversation in the sun, looking out onto Elliott Bay Marina and beyond it, Elliott Bay, Mt. Rainier, and the Seattle skyline. Menu The menu. Here it is as a menu item. How the sides work. The menu was well laid out. There were a lot of other things that looked good as well. Jessica got the chipotle steak tacos. I got the French dip of course, which included by default Swiss cheese and grilled onions. In general, I don’t prefer getting the cheese and onions, as I find them superfluous, but I got them for the purposes of consistency. (See the rating system page.) The bread was from local bakery, Macrina Bakery. French Dip Plate The food was quick to arrive and looked very good on presentation. I was stoked to get the tots but torn having to choose between those and garlic fries. Sandwich Skewer method They used a quite and nice bamboo twisty on each roll. Bread Real good. From a local bakery. The bread was very good and pillowy in texture but not too soft. It soaked up the juice nicely and was delicious in general. Meat Good. Nothing wrong here. The meat was good. Standard roast beef it appeared that was tasty enough. Non-Meat Toppings The swiss cheese was good and added some flavor. The grilled onions were not too many. I did not notice the onions much except for one bite when it crunched a bit…I kind of liked that. Size The portion was very good. There was enough of everything. Overall I would say it was a rather large portion. Jus Delicious and authentic. Served in a nice white ramekin. An insufficient amount arrived initially but it was the right temperature and very tasty so I dove in. When I had depleted my first helping, I asked for more, which promptly arrived and was equally good. Overall dip Overall, the dip was great. The tots were hot and crunchy. The dip, great. The au jus, as you can see, had a little bit of fat in it (but not too much), which makes for tastiness! Other fun stuff while there I decided that I want to buy a standard poodle. This doggie was roaming around with its owners and it was so cute. Jessica, who’s a vet, also thought I may be interested in a Labradoodle or Goldendoodle. They serve “Grown Up Milkshakes”, which we didn’t order but we will next time for sure! Summary Great dining experience, setting, dip and options. We had a very good dining experience here and the French dip was quite good. The jus was very good, the bread very good, the meat, nothing to write home about, and the toppings were fine. The options of sides was a real winner. Reason to go back: the location, view, tots, and good, fresh-tasting french dip.

4/21/2022

Went back with Anne. We'd been here a month prior with her parents and sat in a booth. This time we were outside. Anne got fish and chips. Seating Sat on the patio outside. Was nice views but cold. Definitely prefer outside to inside if the weather is nice. Inside a bit dingy. Service Was good. Food Side salad Really nice toppings. Lettuce could have been a touch fancier. French dip Great. Bread Not huge size but high quality. Non-meat toppings Cheese and caramelized onions were additive. Meat Good quantity of really delicious, crispy prime rib. So crunchy (in a good way) that it was reminiscent of bacon. Key lime pie Quite tasty. Lime zest. Good graham cracker crust. Beverages Cabernet Sauvignon White wine Link