Bitter/Raw

Had a wonderful time at Bitter/​Raw with friends last night. After having a beer at Optimism, walked over to the restaurant. White tablecloths is Lark I guess and they were filling up. Without reservations we were offered a seat upstairs at what is Bitter/​Raw. What a beautiful setting! The menu was great and offered everything we were craving. Definitely going back. Cozy.

So we ate at the Lark restaurant downstairs when they first opened and found the service and food to be GREAT. Expect to pay NYC prices for a mouthful of food but it is good. So we decided to swing into Bitter Raw this winter eve because we all love oysters, etc.
Not a good experience. The staff was more than «cold» to us 3 gay men. I could feel it. The appetizers and food were so average. The Oysters were fishy and I’m a scuba diver so I know what fresh is. the pâté was frankly horrible for $ 22. never ate more grease in my life. ad well the the drinks are not a good drink either so. there u have it. But
when you’re with good friends you make it all work. But spare yourselves, don’t go and if you have any of the characteristics above, I’d say don’t go.
Jack

We were looking around and we got here! Delicious! Totally recommended. Despite that my plate was very small (everything is small in here) I really really love the potato gnocchis.

I guess I had higher expectations from the reviews. The server didn’t seem happy to serve us from the very beginning so that set the tone for the evening.
The food was amazing. The portions are very small. I would come here for drinks and order the food as snacks but not as actual dinner. We went somewhere else afterwards and had more food.
The foie gras was actually the worst I’ve had compared to other restaurants I’ve been to and it only came with 2 pieces of chicken skin. I would have paid more for more pieces. It didn’t make sense to only have 2 pieces.
I have to say again the food was amazing but I just can’t get over how small the portions are.

We accidentally ended up here after mistakenly booking reservations at Lark on the wrong night, and I am so glad we did. Honestly, the ambiance was even nicer than downstairs and they serve the same menu… SOLD!
Our server’s name was Joe. He was exceptionally kind, attentive, and knowledgeable. He was the perfect waiter. The service was impeccable.
For dinner we shared everything.
First, burrata. Second, orecchiette. Next, ribeye. Finally, fig tarte tatin. To drink, a bottle of the Beckham Pinot Noir.
Each dish was perfect. We LOVED every aspect of our meal. I cannot say enough nice things about Bitter/​Raw, and for that matter, Lark.

Quick HH drink on a Friday at 5pm. The place was empty, which I sort of loved. My old-​fashioned was stiff and well-​balanced. The HH oysters were delicious and a bargain. The pretzel bite was ok.
The name «Bitter/​Raw» is a bit misleading. The pretzel was cooked, obviously, so I wouldn’t call it raw. But it was cold, and would have been better warm. And while the menu had a lot of options, none of them were substantial. (I didn’t know we could order from the Lark menu.)
I’ll return, but I’ll likely eat before I go.

Expensive but delicious, and you can order everything Lark has downstairs. They were really flexible with menu changes and dealing with our baby. Good drinks as well, and lovely ambiance! Once they grow their service and reduced prices just a little bit this could easily become a five star places. It’s still nice and quiet for now so it’s a great place to have a chat with someone! There’s an elevator as well!

Bitter/​Raw is the upstairs raw bar at the newly relocated Lark restaurant. It’s a handsome bar with simple, direct lines and sparse décor. It acts as a contrast to the more plush and opulent main restaurant downstairs. That’s not to say that it’s not beautiful, because it is. It’s just more straight up about the food. And what great food!
I started with the Chef’s Choice Crudo which was a lovely plate composed of thin slices of Serrrano ham, topped with a thin slices of seared Ahi and an arrangement of piquillo relish, capers, arugula and pine nuts. As I watched the chef compose this plate with such care and attention, I felt a pang of guilt because I knew that I was going to destroy it in about 20 seconds flat. Somehow I stretched that 20 seconds into about two minutes, but it was hard. The crudo was excellent the Serrano ham and the Ahi tuna worked well with each other. It was a wonderful dish.
I also ordered two examples of their charcuterie, the sobrasada and a pork rillettes. Although both of these were made from pork, they were on opposing ends of the spectrum for flavor. The sobrasada is a traditional Spanish raw, cured sausage that is heavily seasoned with garlic and paprika. It has a very robust and assertive flavor and goes very well with beer, although, I was drinking wine and it was still pretty awesome. Rillette, on the other hand, is much milder with little to no seasoning other than just salt. It’s smooth and lush. They served it with some preserved quince, a few sorrel leaves and a slight drizzle of oil. I enjoyed both of them immensely. Portion sizes are ample and, at $ 5, pretty much a steal! I finished my feast with a half dozen oysters, half Penn Cove Select and half Stellar Bay, and some Prosecco. What else can I say? It was excellent!
So, will I now make Bitter/​Raw a weekly stop? I’m thinking yes. Especially since the bartender informed me that you can order from the main dining room menu at the bar!

Beautifully-​designed space overlooking the recently relocated and expanded Lark, Bitter/​Raw is seat-​yourself prime real estate for spying on diners below while enjoying a treasure trove of treats from the sea, cured meats and digestif-​based cocktails.
We came in rather late on a Wednesday and posted up at the bar. Ended up ordering food from the Lark menu (available upstairs) as the raw counter chef seemed to be wrapping up, which wasn’t an issue. I had the mussels, which came in a cast-​iron pot and were delectable; my dining companion had the burger, which I didn’t taste (gluten-​free, boo) but looked delicious and came with the most delicate root vegetable chips. It’s a great spot for a date and I’d love to come back and actually order off the raw bar menu. (Psst — charcuterie is the way to my heart.)
What really pushed the experience into five-​star territory for me was the bartender. If you know me, you know I’m not picky about service. As long as no one’s pouring water on me or insulting me, I’m fine. I don’t need waitstaff to bend over backwards for me or treat me like a princess. However, the bartender truly went above and beyond. I’d asked about a cocktail ingredient and he pulled out the bottle, poured me a taste and explained the liqueur’s origin and similarity. He did this several more times throughout the night when we inquired about ingredients we weren’t familiar with; he gave us sips and recommended alternate options and told us about histories and processes. It was clear that he not only knew his work, but wanted us to know it too, since we’d expressed an interest. We ended up ordering cocktails off-​menu and he was able to whip up delightful concoctions based on only a few suggestions. The care and enthusiasm he put into his craft and service took the experience from a good to a great one. Five-​star solid.

Balancing out the reviews since Joe B’s review was so worthless.
Space looks very cool and worth checking out.

BEAUTIFUL space above the Lark dining room. Bitters based cocktails, oysters, charcuterie, and all kinds of other delectable treats. The criollo octopus is to die for, and their Lorelei cocktail might just be my new favorite. You really can’t go wrong with anything on their menu – though if you aren’t an adventurous drinker, ask one of the bartenders for a cocktail recommendation.

«Bitter Raw» was the name of a vegan I met at burning man and thusly I expected more vegetarian fare. The raw food concept is well played out with shellfish and charcuturie so why not take the concept all the way and have some health nut raw food sides and deserts? Give people a real raw meal that will leave them feeling refreshed and amped about the experience. Seattle needs a premier raw food night spot. This could be the place.
As a vegetarian I had to ask for help because I couldn’t put a real meal together from the Bitter Raw menu. When the server brought up a Lark Menu for the 2 vegetarians at the table everyone else wanted to order from that menu as well. We were hungry and wanted to order something more filling than little bits of raw meat.
I am worried about this venue. I can tell that the Lark team put a lot of work into it. The dual entry/​identity of Lark and Bitter raw end up making both places feel intruded upon. Getting to the restroom is a debacle. Overall I left feeling hungry and underwhelmed.