First Look: Qube

19-Apr-2007

R and I visited Qube Restaurant a few nights ago. Open since November it’s in a bit of an odd location – not necessarily somewhere I’d be looking for a place to find a cocktail or dinner. Not that it’s a bad (as in scary) location, it’s just not in the primary flow of normal restaurant traffic. It’s a little too far south if you are out and about in Belltown and not far enough south to be part of the normal financial district traffic. Located almost kitty-corner from Macy’s parking garage it will probably someday be in the thick of things but not quite yet.

We planned our meeting to coincide with Happy Hour which, the site said, features 1/2 off food and additional discounts on drinks. Thinking back I’m not sure we were charged properly. I know we didn’t get discounts on drinks – but I hadn’t asked what specifically was included so that wasn’t surprising – but I also remember thinking that if those were Happy Hour prices on the food then Qube was over-priced. Maybe we were charged full price? Hmmmm. Normally I’m better at checking the tab – bad me!

Well, the food was good, the drinks were good too. I "accidentally" ordered an Ultimate Martini and it was very good. My accident was in that I wasn’t paying attention to the price – at $15, it should have been good! Then again it’s made with Ultimat Vodka, which runs $50 – $60 for a fifth. So I should have been expecting that.

R’s Pearsuasion was yummy and smelled great. For appetizers we ordered Beef Keftah, lovely little meatballs, and Curry Pork Dumplings. Both were good.

I think that Qube has potential but I fear it will not survive. The night we were there it was pretty dead. And while the food and drinks were good, they weren’t so exceptional that I’d be drawn out of my way to go there again. If I was in the area? Sure, I’d stop in. But it’s not going to be top of mind for most occasions. And I actually think that’s too bad. It’s a nice space; the bar has a really cozy seating area as well as some small tables and the bar itself. And I like what they are trying to do. So I guess if you are looking for a quiet place to have a conversation you might want to check it out. But for Qube to make it? I think they will need to drop prices a tad and maybe think about how to attract the dining crowd.