Matts' Oyster and Rotisserie Lounge
16551 NE 74th St
Redmond WA 98052
Ph:425-376-0909
Great Core Ingredients, But Falls Short on Details
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Matts' Rotisserie and Oyster Lounge is a fairly new addition to Redmond Town Center and can be found near the south side of the shopping mall. The space inside features plush leather booths and a vintage look which together creates a sophisticated atmosphere. Oddly named, Matts' (not a typo!) was founded by two people named Matt: Matt Fleck and Matt Stuckens. Originally from another local Washington restaurant (Arnie's Restaurant), they decided to branch out on their own and combine two most unlikely dishes under one roof: rotisserie and oysters.
Specializing in these two items, the menu seems a little schizophrenic. If you're a fan of oysters, Matts' offers a generous selection of local oysters from the Pacific Northwest. On the menu, they boast oysters from Whidbey Island, Discovery Bay, and Vancouver Island among other locales. Although we aren't oyster connoisseurs (oysterseurs?), we thought the oysters tasted very fresh and were quite enjoyable. Each order also comes with a small side of lemon juice and cocktail sauce to give the oysters an extra kick of taste, if you so desire.
Those with an appetite for something more meaty should turn their attention to the many meat items on the menu. The prime rib sandwich we ordered was tender and full of flavor, though the sandwich itself was the only appealing part of the meal. The side of coleslaw wasn't too impressive and the haystack fries were borderline bad. Cold and stale, the fries almost canceled out the tastiness of the prime rib. The Rotisserie Salt and Pepper Half Chicken was cooked at a high heat which sealed in all of the spices and flavors while keeping the skin crispy. While it was a decent entree, we thought it might have looked a little too pink on the inside which caused enough alarm to hamper the enjoyment of the meal. The garlicky, buttery potatoes were quite good while the green and yellow string beans made for decent accompaniments.
From the seafood side of the menu, we ordered the Argentinean Street Tacos. With this item, Matts' gives you the choice of either salmon or halibut, and an option of one or two tacos. We suggest two, as one will probably leave you feeling a little unsatisfied. The halibut was cooked very well -- slightly blackened but not dry or overdone -- and offered an interesting flavor when combined with the pineapple salsa. However, the tacos also included some rather runny coleslaw, which made the entire dish soggy and a challenge to eat.
Matts' service started out strong then quickly sputtered out. We were quickly seated and served, but after that initial service, we have no idea where the waiter went. Maybe he temporarily fell into the Bermuda Triangle or another dimension, because he disappeared from sight for quite a while and it took us a very long time to get drink refills and even to get our check. We were confused and frankly a little jealous of the other patrons since it seemed the rest of the staff was on the ball with their tables. Hopefully it was a rare abnormality, but in the end we had to give a thumbs down to the service given our poor experience.
