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2008
On Dining: Get your feet wet with some novel seafood dishes
By LESLIE KELLY
SPECIAL TO THE P-I
Steps Wine Bar and Cafe's intensely local menu lists its farmers and purveyors. I absolutely loved the novel Nicoise salad, seared tuna taking on a supporting role while a sunny-side-up duck egg topped the peppery greens and snappy beans.
The charming spot (in Friday Harbor Center on First Street between Spring and East) projects a huge live-cam image of the nearby ferry landing on one wall (you don't want to miss the boat!).
It serves an eclectic selection of wines by the half-glass, too, offering the option to sample and compare. I was blown away by a 2005 Mount Baker Vineyards pinot noir, a dramatic departure from the fruit-forward Northwest pinot on the market; the grapes are grown in Bellingham. Full article here.
2007
On a recent visit to San Juan Island, in Washington's Puget Sound, I had the pleasure of having dinner at Steps, an incredible dinning experience at a beautiful location that I thought I'd share with you. This place is cozy but sophisticated and the food was fantastic and very unusual. All the veggies and meat are from local producers. I tried sweat-breads for the first time and loved them. I also tried a sheep's heart taco! Also delicious. I had fresh water eel and hanging beef tips. It was all quite wonderful including the wines. All in all a great dining experience at a wonderful location. I hope you spread the word that there is a great and unique restaurant, Steps in a little corner of the world, Friday Harbor on San Juan Island, Washington.
Happy Dining,
John Lujan
Palm Desert, Ca
From: DOUGLAS WILSON
Sent: Monday, May 07, 2007 3:59 PM
To: lesliekelly@seattlepi.com
Dear Ms. Kelly:
I just thought I would send you a note to let you know about a restaurant where my wife and I ate last weekend. The restaurant is called Steps and it is in Friday Harbor. I was not really expecting fine dining when we walked in but the food was simply amazing. I had the local oysters which were topped with an apple curry chutney. I told my wife that I wished that I had just ordered another serving rather than an entree. However, the main courses of Adobe Pork and seafood risotto were even better.
The Chef/Owner was busy in the kitchen and I did not want to bother him but I did ask the waiter what was in chutney. To my surprise the chef took a few moments to not only tell me what was in it but how to make it. The next night we pondered whether to return and made the biggest mistake of the weekend by choosing a different restaurant with a better view. My salmon was served with a red goo sauce and my wife's halibut was cold and dry. If I was a millionaire I would have paid my bill without eating and returned to Steps.
My wife and I jokingly discussed that it would be worth the long trip to Friday Harbor just to eat at Steps again. If you are ever in Friday Harbor I strongly suggest you check it out and draw your own conclusions.
Regards,
Doug Wilson
Frommers - Read our write up from Frommers.com
March 2007
Chef Surbaugh,
We've been coming to the Steps with each trip to Friday Harbor since we 'discovered' you last year. After each and every visit we come away saying "That was the best and most memorable (-fill in the blank-) EVER!" This time it was the killer Roasted scallops...again, perfectly prepared, artistically presented and unforgettably delicious. We especially love the creative and utterly original paring of locally acquired foods...truly inspired cuisine. Add fine wine, cozy-modern atmosphere and friendly, engaging staff.... you guys are the best!
We wish you every success!
Bob and Karin Kleven
Tacoma, WA
PS...I'm from Rhode Island originally... When are you going to make fritters again? It's worth a ferry trip!
Dear Madden and staff:
Bob and I are "regulars" in Friday Harbor with our sail boat in the harbor for the last 20 years. We hope to be "islanders" soon. Discovering "Steps" has been a fantastic find. We have dined with you several times, the last time being last Saturday night. Your dishes are always inspiring. We love to cook ourselves and always come away with a new way of combining ingredients, sauces, and local produce. My scallops and squash with celeriac on top was exquisite and the fruit fritters for dessert were to die for. Being able to talk with you brings a personal touch that makes the experience that much more memorable.
Thanks for enriching Friday Harbor! We will be back soon!
Karin and Bob Kleven
Tacoma, WA
"We stumbled onto Steps one a cold, winter afternoon while planning our wedding at Roche. What a find! The passion that Madden and his staff have for locally sourced products, coupled with Madden's classic European culinary sensibility, make for a delicious meal, and a warm island ambience. Definitely on a par with anything Seattle has to offer. It's worth the trip. Count us as regulars!"
Denise and Peter Philips, Seattle, WA!
> The Seattle PI - Friday, June 30, 2006
This Week's Best Bite: Steps Wine Bar and Cafe
Visitors from New England will especially appreciate the seafood fritters at Steps, 140A First St., Friday Harbor.
Splendidly reminiscent of Rhode Island-style clam cakes, the fritters are warm and chewy and perfectly sized.
Chef Madden Surbaugh provides a crunchy counterpoint by placing the fritters in a dressing of cabbage-and-scallion slaw.
From The SeattlePI.com
Steps Wine Bar and Cafe: FRESH Ingredients/ Great Wine by Glass List
Written by vtanonymoustips on Sep 27, 2005
Restaurant Name: Steps Wine Bar and Cafe
Chef Madden Surbaugh has created a restaurant unique to the Friday Harbor Restaurant Scene. Offering fresh and local ingrediants where one can order a wonderful dinner or simply stop in for a wonderful desert and a glass of wine after work, or a day of touring the Island. The wine list lists over 50 wines by the glass or half glass. There are changes made to the wine list weekly and there's always something for every wine enthusiasts taste. The menu itself changes daily and uses the freshest and mostly local (beef from Lopez Island, Vegies from local farms and of course local fish.) ingredients. Aside from the wonderful food and wine served it is fun to watch yourself suddenly appear on the wall in subdued pictures taken by the ever roving camera. The Kitchen is visable from the downstairs seating area and appears on the camera so the upstairs seating area can also enjoy the fun of watching the kitchen at work.
The servers are very friendly and helpful with the foods and wines and what they aren't sure of they ask the kitchen plus there are also Chef Maddens suggestions for wine and food pairings on the menu.
Favorite Dish: It's hard to just pick one favorite dish but one of my favorites was the silver salmon with tomatoes and basil. The tomatoes and basil accented the freshness of the fish. Another of my favorites was the risotto with fresh chantrelles and truffle oil, which alas will not be showing itself again until the fresh Chantrelle Mushrooms return. As for the appetizer/snack items one should not miss the fresh edamame beans with fleur de sel - it is simplicity at its best. The smoked salmon dip w/fennel crackers that was on the menu one of the nights I was there was to die for.
The chance to sample so many different wines because of being able to order half glasses really enhanced the dining experience. from VirtualTourist.com
I wanted to drop a note and tell you how much we enjoyed our recent visit to your restaurant, last Friday, 6/16. You may remember us as a group of 8, sitting near the front window, late in the evening. You gave us a complimentary glass of 1971 sherry at the end (by the way - what was that sherry? It was amazing).
The dining experience was amazing - we had a truly excellent time, the food was outstanding across the board, from the unusual ingredients and flavors, the appetizers, entrees and desserts - all of us were talking about it the next day.
I hope you continue to do well and be successful - it was a real treat to find such great dining in the town, especially when you come to expect no better than ale house food in a summer harbor location.
All the best,
Wynn and Teresa A.
New York
The Steps (Friday Harbor, San Juan Island, WA)
In one word: Wow. Our 13 year old son found this gem while trying to find a good place to eat. This is a fairly spendy place, but you get what you pay for. Needless to say, we will be back next time we are in Friday Harbor. Very highly Recommended. (Aug 2006)
from: http://www.kenneke.com/travelreviews.html
Hi Madden and Gang!
We would like to thank you all for the spectacular dinner you prepared for the Father's Day feasting!!! As business owners ourselves, we know how important it is to provide a quality product. You have hit the mark soundly not just with the quality of your edible art, but your cast and crew make the feast all the more enjoyable!
Thank you for making Father's Day (and every other time we've dined with you!) an absolute hit.
Mike & Dawn H.
Island Dive & Water Sports
I liked Steps a lot, but I tend to like both wine bars and small plate places. They had a much bigger wine list than I anticipated (bigger than currently on their website), and most are available by the half-glass, glass, or bottle. With the half-glasses, you can create your own tasting flight or simply choose one of their currently highlighted flights. I was actually pretty beat when I was there and did not peruse the list as thoroughly as I might, so I had them make one up for me to fit whatever I ordered as long as they did not give me a sauvignon or chenin blanc (yuk! although I like them fine as dessert wines). As for their menu, it was divided up into "snacks", "small plates", something-larger-than-small-plates, and "desserts." Although the menu items items are already kinda sorted by size and price, they still could vary quite a bit in size, so one should verify plate sizes with the waitperson (true in most places though). Service was very good. It was not very crowded, but then I was there in the middle of the week. The chef came up to the second floor where we were sitting to talk to us for a while. He was pretty cool. It was not as pricey as I was anticipating, since we were on an Island where most things are shipped in or out. Oh, yes, the food. It was good. We got two fried snack items: onion rings in some sort of tasty batter with some sort of bbq sauce and tempura tofu. The tofu was more on the conventional side, but well done, as were the onion rings. It's amazing how many places can't pull off fried items well. We also got some sort of salad thing that was fine but unremarkable. The next batch of plates consisted of a gnocchi dish with two types of gnocchi with vegetables in a brown butter sauce (yowsa! freaking awesome!) I the fishytarian also got two fishy dishes: a miso cod thing. tasty, but more conventional again and a pan-seared rockfish with seaweed salad, sesame seeds, and some sort of wasabi sauce (also pretty awesome). We also got dessert. the spouse got a chocolaty thing and I got an odd interpretation of strawberry shortcake. I also got a half glass of some dessert wine whose name escapes me. It was good though. All in all, an enjoyable experience. I wish they were located in Seattle. I will have to go back to see if it is a good as I remember.
from: 43places.com
"My wife and I had dinner at your restaurant this past Saturday (7/16) and I just wanted to write a quick note to convey how much we enjoyed the experience. My wife and I have both worked in the hospitality/restaurant industry for many years and the dining experience we had at your establishment ranked right up there with some of the best we've had.
The food was fantastic in its freshness, presentation and balance of flavors and the ambiance at the restaurant was a real treat. To top it off Corinne made our experience truly memorable. Her professionalism, enthusiasm and overall menu/wine knowledge made for a wonderful dinning experience as she walked us through the menu and made suggestions on both food and wine. She's a real asset to your restaurant and future success.
We wish you all the best in the future and we will certainly be dinning with you again on our next trip up there as well as enthusiastically recommend your restaurant to anyone we know going up to Friday Harbor."
- Cullen
"I was on a recent visit to Friday Harbor and was able to snag an upstairs table. I just wanted to let you know that I can't stop talking about your fabulous food! What a joy it was to eat those sweet potato gnocchi! that amazing squash blossom! the clams! the sashimi! You really out-did yourself. The wine was fantastic. The service was top notch. I know you have only been open for less than 8 weeks, but you prove to be a serious chef with a serious talent.
Thanks for being a huge highlight on the trip. We WILL be back.
Well done."
- Sarah Rosenberg
A review from Extended Phenotype
Open Wednesday thru Saturday
Dinner starts @ 4:30
Closed Sunday, Monday & Tuesday
We do NOT accept email reservations. Please call for reservations.
360.370.5959 | dine@stepswinebarandcafe.com
Friday Harbor, San Juan Island, Washington