The first impression I had of Mabel’s when I drove by was, oh noooo, white tablecloths…not good for kids and it’s gonna be expensive. Since that day last week, I have only heard bad stories about the place…
1) A family I know went to Mabel’s last Sunday morning just before 8 am, looked at the hours on the door, which said they opened at 8 am, and then walked around the block to kill a few minutes. At 8 am, the owner opened the door and said “you know we don’t open until 9? See you in an hour.” And shut the door in their face.
2) Another family I know went for dinner last week on a weeknight and waited so long for their food that they missed all of their evening activities. When the food came 40 minutes after they ordered, it was cold.
So those 2 stories are enough to keep us away, but please comment if you have had a different experience.
I had lunch there with a friend who had eaten there before and loved it. I loved it too – great pulled pork sandwich and delicious dressing on the fresh green salad. Our waitress was very professional and pleasant. The blue wall colors, and furnishing are very nicely done. Loved the crayons and paper on the table tops for drawing.
We love Mabels on the Ridge! Really yummy food and great service. On our way there tonight so I’ll let you know if we exerience something different.
I wanted to add a quick note. Hadn’t been out on this blog in a while and thought I would see what the general opinion was since my last visit online. I love that people are giving it a chance! I want to add a little note about the staff.
My husband, daughter and I went there for dinner again last week. We hadn’t been there since early April. A wonderful visit, perfect week night dinner, not over the top, not cheep and tasteless. I was caught off guard when our server (Angela) recognized us after 2 months! It took me longer to remember her and honestly I wouldn’t have made the connection if she hadn’t made a point of letting us know she remembered serving us. Later, Oscar came by the table and inquired about our trip to Mexico, confirming that we were the family he had talked with that first evening we visited.
I was genuinely surprised that they recognized us and remembered conversations.
What a wonderful surprise! Great staff isn’t easy to come by. I very much appreciate Angela and Oscar and look forward to future dining adventures with them.
Nate-
give some specific complains. Josh will fix them!! The guy has a tireless work ethic and the best customer service I’ve ever seen as an owner. Most just sit back and hope to collect money. Not josh’s style he is hands on. Give it another shot you won’t be dissapointed. If you are just ask for him he will be there to bend over backwards to make your experince a good one.
I’m glad all these responders had a good experience, but honestly my wife and I were not all that impressed with the place. OK food and OK prices, but nothing to write home about or to be excited about going back for. Sorry.
I do not agree with the negative comments from the Snoqualmie Valley Blog. The food and service was excellent.Everything was cooked to perfection and tasted great. My compliments to the chef. My wife and I will definately be back and have told others to come and try it out. We recently ate at the Salish and the food at Mabels is better and a lot cheaper. They also cater to the kids. Our mixed drinks were excellent, you have to try the margarita in the chilled glass!!!I have heard the breakfast is the the best around and will be trying it soon.Thank you Mabels for a great night out, we will be back!!!
Dinner at Mabel’s!
I wanted to share our experience at Mabel’s this evening. As most of you know, as you enter a place that was under a previous name, it’s always a little unusual to go back and re-think your expectations of EVERYTHING.
Of course the first thing we noticed was a slight change in decor with color and art. Otherwise it was very familiar. The white table cloths were a wonderful addition and I chose specifically to go ultra casual in a nice pair of sweat pants to see if the “white table cloth” ambiance would make me feel like I didn’t belong. On the contrary! The tables were full of a mix of families with children, and adults enjoying a nice quiet dinner together. We were immediately greeted by Josh who had no trouble telling we were newcomers to his restaurant. The addition of the front desk is a nice improvement as well for greeting guests and grounding the entrance. He chose a table for us close to the kitchen door and verified that we would be happy there before proceeding. As we were getting settled one of the servers passed us by on the way to deliver an entree to another guest and took the time to show us one of the evenings specialties. Upon return to our table she detailed the selection and told us about the other specials for the day. Our server for the evening was Angela. Thank you Angela for such a wonderful first visit! She catered to our teenage daughter and her appetite for bread, she answered any and all questions we had as well as making recommendations. You could tell that she loved many of the items herself by the way that she described some of them, such as the grilled Caesar salad. Whether is was Oscar in his supporting role as bus person or Josh en route to the kitchen, all of the staff made sure as they passed our table to refresh drinks or make sure that we were not waiting for anything.
To the food…
I ordered a salad to start, the house salad with balsamic vinaigrette. Even creative salads can become nothing more than a salad. However, I must compliment the chef on the house salad. It was so well balanced! Mixed greens with green apple, almonds and cranberries. Pretty simple I admit, but…they actually SEASONED the salad! I am not a huge fan of salt and generally very pleased that most places leave it off, however, this salad without the well balanced seasoning of salt and pepper would have been something totally different. Well done! I chose the crab cakes for my entree…(love crab cakes!) They were very nice. Tall to preserve the moistness of the crab and smaller in diameter. Hand done, and really a wonderful bite. The red pepper aioli with the crab cakes on arugula was the perfect portion and just what I had in mind.
My daughter ordered the fish and chips. We sampled each others’ food, it’s tradition! The fish was fresh in a dark fried breading. I was surprised at how moist it was. Very good and the “slaw” was not the traditional everyday slaw that people throw together with fish. It was light and crisp with tomatoes and cucumbers.
My husband tried the steamer clams, something he had wanted to do, but just hadn’t, and was very happy with his selection.
I would talk about dessert, but well, it’s just embarrassing that all of us had some after such a great meal!
All in all a very nice first visit. The restaurant is about a month old now, and you can tell the staff is still trying to find their groove. Not from a competency perspective, but rather a sense of being able to relax into their roles. We had wonderful and genuine conversations with Angela, Josh and Oscar who treated us all as guests and new acquaintances rather than customers.
As we loaded into our car we spied Angela coming our way…soon we realized that she was tracking us down to deliver our forgotten left-overs, and with a smile!
Go there, give it a chance! They are great people trying to do something wonderful and memorable for their friends, neighbors and community. I hope they become the neighborhood restaurant that we will all enjoy for many years.
Josh…kudos for taking the leap!
I have to agree with all the other comments. We chose Mabel’s for my 35th birthday dinner and we were so pleased that we did! We had to wait for only a few minutes even though the restaurant was very busy. We have a 2 and a half year old and found the restaurant to be very kid-friendly. They gave us a large sheet of butcher paper and crayons and a small snack before dinner to keep her occupied. The food was delicious and though it was a little bit of wait (again, the place was packed and it had only been open one week), it was nice and hot. Did I mention the food was delicious? And I was pleased to see the prices were lower than I expected. I am anxious to try out their breakfast! We will certainly go back again and again.
I thought that the service at Mabels was outstanding, as was the food. Restaurants, especially when they first open, have some glitches to workout. I have been there three times since they opened and have not had a single issue. Good food, good drinks, and a family atmosphere.
We went to Mabels and had a great dinner and experience! Mabels afforded my husband and I, as a couple, a place to go with friends and neighbors. The gourmet food and time together is what we are looking for, at every day price’s!! Don’t let the white table cloth fool you. I thought the experience was positive and relaxing. The 40 minute wait was spent making memories with our family, friends and neighbors. I will return time and time again. I think of Mabel’s as a place to go for a dinner “food experience” at every day prices. I am anxious to experience the breakfast they offer. Thank you for bringing Mabel’s to my neighborhood.
Lou
I second the first comment. We’ve already been there several times, and the experience was great. As a former restaurant employee, I can appreciate the growing pains they are going through and already we are seeing improvements between visits. They do a great job catering to the kids, and I hope for all our sakes they do well.
I would suggest you actually go to the restaurant before passing judgement. After meeting Josh, the owner, I would highly doubt he would have slammed the door in your friends’ faces that morning. He seemed genuinely concerned that everyone was having a good time. I’m all for a locally owned family restaurant on the ridge and I will support them through the trials of the first couple weeks.
Go in the bar, have a beer and give them a chance. You might just like it.
I must say I had a very different experience dining at Mabel’s On the Ridge.
The first thing I noticed when we walked in was the welcoming feeling my family and I received. We were seated right away (even though the restaurant was packed,) and our server came over within 2 minutes to take our drink order.
I also noticed that the owner was walking around to every table asking how their experience was going. The food did take a little longer then expected to come to the table but it was their first opening week and those types of things ARE expected, and no matter where the restaurant is
loacted, you cannot avoid those types of things. The food was excellent, service just as well and I found the staff to be very friendly. We will most definitely be visitng Mabel’s on the Ridge again!