Seattle has several great steakhouses, of course. Ruth’s Chris. The Metropolitan Grill. Daniel’s Broiler. John Howie’s menu, though, is really in a class of it’s own; I haven’t visited another steakhouse in the state that offers such excellence and variety to the true vodinophile ((I admit it: I just made this word up. Vodinó is Greek for beef.)).

Appetizers & Sides

What is even more impressive, perhaps, is the fact that everything else on the menu is so remarkably good, too. If you don’t have heart problems, you should try the tempura fried Kurobuta bacon from the appetizer menu! Several long bacon slices deep-fried in a light tempura batter are usually served vertically in a cup, but they don’t last long on our table. The spicy Habanero Butter Shrimp are also a favorite; they manage to be mildly spicy and creamy at the same time.

The side dishes are equally good, if not better. I’m not a big fan of Brussels sprouts as a general rule, but John Howie’s fried Brussels sprouts are good enough to convert any sprout-skeptic. Sliced in half and charred around the edges, the sprouts are infused with a lemony vinaigrette and topped with real Parmigiana Reggiano, fresh from the micro-plane. The sprouts’ anticipated bitterness is (almost) completely absent, leaving you with a mouthful of salty, savory green goodness with a bit of citrusy brightness. The twice-baked potatoes (with bacon), Maine lobster mashed potatoes, and Beecher’s Flagship Reserve Cheddar mac & cheese are all not to be missed.

Steaks

[GattMore] On my most recent visit, I ordered an 8 oz. American Wagyu zabuton steak. A zabuton is a Japanese sitting cushion, but as I was unfamiliar with the cut of beef, I asked our server for some information. It turns out that the steak is a square cut (thus, the name) from the short-rib between a ribeye and a strip steak. The cut is only popular with Wagyu beef, as the meat is well marbled with fat. This, he said, produces a steak with the buttery, smooth flavor of a ribeye with the fuller flavor and even texture of a strip steak.

And that is exactly what I received. I ordered my steak medium-rare, and it arrived red in the middle, which was perfect ((If you’re used to home-cooked steaks, or steaks ordered from most other restaurants, this would probably be considered “rare”. John Howie’s menu describes each level, rare through very well, so make sure that you know what you’re ordering before it comes to the table!)). I added a pinch of black Hawaiian salt from the tower and enjoyed the mildness of the flavor; it was tender enough that chewing seemed like more of a joy than a necessity, though in truth, the cut did maintain a definite beef-grained texture.

[Smack] Eye of the ribeye.

Desserts

There’s something especially fun about having dessert made table-side, and even more so when it involves open flames leaping from a pan of melted sugar and butter. And luckily, John Howie’s bananas foster tastes as good as it looks, but if you’re not a fan of bananas, you can also get table-side cherries jubilee. I also felt obligated to try the Boston Cream Pie, which is always one of my favorites, and John Howie’s was as good as any I’ve ever had.

Service

Even ignoring the expert table-side dessert preparation, the service at John Howie Steak is among the best I’ve experienced, and we’re no strangers to high-end establishments. Our waiters have always been knowledgeable, friendly and attentive. Perhaps even more impressive are their the black-clad helpers who appear and vanish from the table side almost unnoticed, like a team of hospitality ninjas… clearing plates, filling drinks, replacing napkins. One of the children at our table was provided with a small packet of crayons to decorate her place-mat; her discarded wrapper didn’t rest for five seconds before I noticed a ninja hand deftly snatch it from the table and disappear in the background. As with any restaurant, some hosts are better than others, but even the worst ones are great.

Price

There’s no getting around it… this level of dining comes at a cost. Choosing among the most expensive items on the menu, a single appetizer, salad, steak (6 oz. filet), vegetable, potato, dessert, and cup of coffee could cost $288 dollars. Granted, this is based on the most expensive steak, a Japanese Wagyu Filet Mignon ($160) and a cup of kopi luwak coffee ($45), but it also leaves out wine and cocktails. Most of their steaks fall within the $60-100 price range, with no sides. If dealing with prices in that range are going to keep you from completely enjoying your meal, you might try their happy-hour menu at the bar instead.

Conclusion

Truly excellent, but not a bargain.

Disagree? Let us know in the comments section below!

I discovered the Double DD by mistake; I had sold an item on Craigslist to a man from Bellevue, and he suggested that we meet at a butcher’s shop in Mountlake Terrace to make the exchange. I was intrigued. He claimed that he made the trip up from Bellevue to this shop at least once a month, and that it was always worth it. He said that my first visit would be “awe inspiring!”

I’m not sure that it was that, exactly, but it was wonderful. The decor is a style I like to think of as red-neck whimsy. There are flying pigs dangling from the ceiling, a sign proclaiming that “Bacon Makes Everything Better”, the obligatory placard warning of a $10 fee for dealing with grouchy customers, and a tip jar marked “Boob Job Fund”.  High on the walls you’ll find the kinds of T-shirts that are popular with weird uncles that spend a lot of time in basements (eg, “The Party Doesn’t Start Until Somebody’s Naked!”).

More importantly, though, their steaks are beautiful, and the prices are lower than those at my local grocery stores. I picked up a couple of ribeyes during my last visit and they were some of the best I’ve ever had anywhere. You’ll find a good selection of common cuts (T-bone, strip steaks, etc) and also some less common offerings, like ox-tail. Their snack-sized pepperoni sticks are excellent, if you like that sort of thing, and they also have a full selection of lunch-meats and cured meats.

And let’s not forget the sausages… they make around 60 different varieties, and that doesn’t even include the cured sausages! These range from the expected standards like andouille, chorizo, bratwurst, Polska, and Italian sausages to Greek, Portuguese, Norwegian, and Old Kentucky. They have artisan style sausages such as “Artichoke Parmesan” and “Spinach Mushroom Garlic”. There are a few German style sausages in addition to the bratwurst, including knackwurst, bockwurst, and dried sausages like Landjaeger. I also discovered a collection of chicken sausages, including chicken andouille, rosemary, heavy garlic, tomato-basil, and Italian. I’d visit this shop for the sausages alone.

The thing that catches your eye when you walk in the door, though, is the first aisle of hot sauces… thousands of them! I didn’t take count, but they claim to have over  2,000 different ones, and I don’t doubt it. Many of them are obviously just novelty items (“This Sauce Tastes Like Sh*t”, for example), but there are also hundreds of interesting regional and international hot sauces. The following aisles keep it up, with thousands of varieties of barbeque sauces and spice rubs, hot-wing sauces, and the like. There are also Double DD branded items like bleu cheese stuffed olives and spicy pickled garlic cloves, among many others.

They also have a great assortment of craft and independent sodas and root beers along the back wall, from old-time favorites like Dad’s Root Beer and Bubble-Up to imported Australian ginger beer. Finally, in the back corner of the store, there’s a big cheese case, which I haven’t even had a chance to explore yet.

If I have one complaint about the place, it’s that some of the employees got strangely paranoid when I pulled out my cameras. OK… that probably won’t be an issue for you. In any case, the owner has been unfailingly friendly and helpful throughout my visits, and that’s all that really matters.

Double DD Meats is located in Mountlake Terrace, WA and on the web at http://www.doubleDDmeats.com. You can get Google map directions by following this link, or you can use the address below:

5602 232nd St SW #104, Mountlake Terrace, WA 98043