Canlis Restaurant
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Canlis is a famous, family-run fine dining restaurant in Seattle. Since its establishment in 1950, the restaurant has been run by the Canlis family, now in its fourth generation of ownership. Hallmarked for its innovation, hospitality, service style, cuisine, and community involvement, Canlis continues to set the standard in an industry rife with competition. Inside the hospitality industry, Canlis is best known for its "guest dining experience." Patrons often remember the restaurant's legendary service, and its atmosphere marked by stunning views of Seattle, Lake Union and the Cascade mountains, complemented with cutting edge cuisine and live, 1950's-swank piano.
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[edit] Awards
With over half a century of accolades, its recent accomplishments include procuring a rating as one of Gourmet Magazine's top 50 restaurants in America. Over fifty years after its debut on the Canlis menu, the Canlis Salad was selected for Saveur Magazine’s Top 100 list as one of the 100 best dishes in America, and the restaurant described as "the youngest 50 year old restaurant in America." Other awards have included the Wine Spectator's Grand Award for the tenth straight year, (one of 77 restaurants world wide) the highest Zagat rating of all Seattle restaurants for service, northwest cuisine, and decor. It is one of the few independently owned restaurants to have a Master Sommelier at the head of its wine program, and two Court of Master Sommelier Advanced sommeliers in its wine program.
Recently, Canlis was selected as one of the best restaurants in the country (17) according to Gourmet Magazine.
[edit] Cuisine
Since its establishment, Canlis has been a key contributor to the common understanding of Northwest cuisine and one of the first to successfully implement fusion cuisine. A key innovation was to focus on the freshest offerings of each season, and allow ingredients from the Northwest region to define each entree with influences from around the globe. Canlis continues to contribute to culinary understanding with new offerings such as Pacific King Salmon grilled with citrus-fennel relish, heirloom potatoes and market vegetables. By combining tradition with cutting-edge techniques and global influences, Canlis cuisine continues to evolve.
[edit] History
The roots of the restaurant go back to a Greek immigrant named Nick Canlis who came to the United States through Ellis Island in 1908, worked his way across the country, and then started a simple café in California in the 1920’s. His son Peter became his apprentice.
In the late 1930’s, Peter struck out on his own, heading to Hawaii to sell dry goods. During World War II, Peter’s knowledge of food and his shrewd purchasing skills led to an offer to manage the United Service Organizations’ Honolulu food service operation. After the war, Peter remained in Hawaii and opened the first Broiler—a ten-table sidewalk restaurant in Waikiki.
In 1950, Peter moved to Seattle, picked a location just two miles north of the downtown core, and hired up-and-coming architect Roland Terry, who was later to become the dean of Northwest architecture, to build the current restaurant. Peter offered fine dining and elegant service to attract movie stars and wealthy international travelers. Instead of stuffy waiters in tuxedos (the norm for fine dining at the time) he chose kimono-clad waitresses, for their gracious and welcoming hospitality. This convention was abandoned around 1990. Among many firsts, Peter Canlis is credited with creating team-styled service, being the first to design a restaurant with the kitchen exposed to the dining room, and pioneered much of what is today called "Northwest Cuisine."
