Since we didn't have our car for the day, we ended up spending our time in and around Redmond Town Center. Why didn't we have our car you might be wondering... Well, we were to picked up by Goose the next day heading to Pier 66 for our cruise aboard the NCL Bliss. So I had dropped our car off at his place the night before (and also saved myself $25.00 in unnecessary valet fees since I didn't need the car anyways). Therefore, we picked Matt's Rotisserie & Oyster Bar for dinner as it was practically across the street from our hotel.
We got a couple of starters including the Hot Dungeness Crab & Artichoke Dip served with rosemary croccantini crackers. Yes, the crackers looked a look like saltines, but they were definitely not. They were much firmer and crunchier. As such, they held up just fine when used to pick up the dip. Thick, cheesy and full of fluffy crab, the dip was definitely one of the highlights of our meal. We thought the viscosity was just right as it wasn't watery, yet wasn't too rich at the same time. With a fairly decent portion size, the Flash Fried Calamari was quite good. The batter was crispy, light and well-seasoned. Tender with an appealing chewiness, the squid was cooked just enough. I thought the lemon-garlic aioli was a good balance of tanginess and aromatics.
Even though we had fries accompanying some of our dishes already, we went ahead and ordered the Garlic Truffle Fries anyways. Good decision as the kiddies gobbled it up. Almost like shoestring potatoes, the fries were crispy, light and not overly greasy. This is unusual as many versions of truffle fries are coated with far too much truffle oil. There was plenty of garlic, parm and truffle for the fries to be tasty on their own. However, the garlic aioli amped it up further. I only wished it wasn't so runny. Surprisingly, my daughter was okay with ordering the kid's Fish & Chips (she usually orders an adult meal) and they were hit and miss on the same plate. The fish was flaky and moist but the batter was far too thick and she decided to just eat the fish. Tartar was chunky and tangy while the fries were as good as the appie version.
My son decided on the Beef Short Rib Stroganoff sporting port-braised short rib, portabella & crimini mushrooms, egg noodles and a dollop of sour cream. This was a fairly large portion of tender noodles and an equal amount of meaty short rib. There was also no shortage of plump mushrooms either. Heavy on the wine flavor, but still balanced, the stroganoff was also full of meatiness. Of course the sour cream on top added body and tanginess. My parents weren't very hungry, so they shared the Rotisserie Salt & Pepper Half Chicken with Yukon Gold smashers and herb jus. This was a major disappointment as the chicken was dry and bland. Other than the well-rendered skin, there wasn't anything redeeming about the chicken. For a place that calls itself a rotisserie, the chicken was several levels below the one found at Costco.
For myself, I had the 9 oz Rotisserie Prime Rib with mashed potatoes and broccolini. I asked for medium-rare and it came out more like rare (which was fine by me). I thought the prime rib was super moist, yet wasn't as tender as I would've expected. With that being said, it was still completely fine. The mashed potatoes were firm and starchy while mildly seasoned. Perfectly crunchy and vibrant, the broccolini was seasoned just enough. Viv stayed on the same theme with the Rotisserie Prime Rib Dip with caramelized onions, Swiss cheese and horseradish mayo on a Macrina roll. Viv thought the sandwich was smaller than expected, but it was enough nonetheless. There was a considerable amount of cheese and combined with the onions, the au jus was not even needed. However, it did help soften up the bread and we liked how it wasn't too salty.
Goose had the Steak Frites where the fries were of course the same crispy shoestring ones found in the other dishes. As for the steak, it was nicely seared on the outside, but was overdone. Rather than medium-rare, it was closer to medium. Not sure if that affected the texture as the steak was not as tender as he would've hoped. Again, much like my prime rib, it was still fine as it was far from being chewy. Mother Goose went with the Scampi Prawns which was lacking in capelini pasta. Despite this, the prawns were perfectly prepared being meaty with a snap. Lots of flavor from the garlic, basil, tangy confit cherry tomatoes and olive oil. Unlike other versions out there, the pasta was moist from the oil, yet not greasy at the same time.
Goose's son went for the Rotisserie Prime Rib Tacos with chipotle slaw, guacamole and tomatillo pico de gallo on two wood-fired corn tortillas. These tacos were huge! Thin and crispy, the corn tortillas were able to hold everything in without completely falling apart. This was an achievement since there was a tonne of tender prime rib. Definitely filling and satisfying. Overall, we found the food at Matt's to be hit and miss with some real highs and some disappointing lows. They really need to work on that chicken as it doesn't do the name of the restaurant justice. I guess if one was to order the better dishes, Matt's does do the job with decent portion sizes.
The Good:
- Lots of choice
- Decent portion size
- Some good dishes
The Bad:
- Some really bad dishes too
- Not cheap
Matt's Rotisserie & Oyster Bar
Posted by
Sherman Chan
on Thursday, February 27, 2020
Labels:
American,
Bar,
Bellevue,
Kid Friendly,
Seafood
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