Filibertos Italian Restaurant,653 SW 152nd St, Burien, Wa

During an evening stroll my better half and I decided to try Filibertos on 152nd in Downtown Burien.  There was a sandwich board on the sidewalk that advertised a four course prix fixe dinner for $25.95 with a choice of entrée that consisted of Veal Piccata and Shrimp Scampi.  We had discussed giving it a try on previous occasions, and we are big fans of great Veal Picatta, so we made a right turn into the restaurant.  Even though it was a Saturday evening and the weather was great, there were only two other parties inside. The décor is charming and up to date and it has a nice romantic atmosphere.  I had high hopes of some great Italian food having been brought up in my families Italian Restaurants.  Since the hubs and I are both watching our weight and carb intake, pasta is a real treat that is rare in our diet.  There is a small bar area and a lovely dining room.  A very inviting atmosphere although empty.

 

 

We both ordered a glass of wine. Me a house white and hubs a chianti.  House wines run about $9.00 a glass and were fine if unremarkable.  We both were going to have the Veal special. I ordered mine with the house salad while he substituted a cup of Minestrone for his salad.  I have always believed that you can tell  a good Italian restaurant by the Minestrone and he is a connoisseur of the perfect fresh bowl of soup.  We settled in for our dinner and enjoyed our wine and conversation. The service was a bit slow, but we were in a relaxed mood and it wasn't an issue. If you are looking for a quick bite, then this is not the place.  We received our soup and salad and while the soup was fresh and hubs enjoyed it, my salad was completely unremarkable. Just some iceberg with Italian dressing and some feta and a piece of salami on top. It did take awhile to see the next course and the waitress came over to ask if we would like the pasta course served with the main. We said ok and about 20 minutes later we received our Veal and a small side of Penne with meat sauce.  The veal was cut into bite sized pieces, almost like they were left over from other plates and completely overcooked.   They also had an off putting flavor that was definitely not fresh. Frozen would be my guess. Although they advertise all homemade pastas I don't believe for a minute that the Penne did not come from a box of dry pasta. It tasted like any home cooked box pasta with sauce from a jar.  If we were at a $9.99 pizza house buffet, then dinner would have been ok. With a dinner tab of $111.00 before tip it was not good at all.

 

With other options for fine dining in the area such as Bistro Baffi about a mile up the street, I would suggest you drive by Filibertos.  I can see it being a good place to take a family group for pizza, but not for date night and fine dining.

 

 

Mark Restaurant and Bar, Olde Burien

Mark Restaurant and Bar Website

A new Sunday morning tradition in my household is our stroll over to Olde Burien and a stop in to have breakfast and a Bloody Mary at Mark restaurant and Bar on 152nd St.  Mark is what I would classify as an upper class dive bar.  They serve breakfast, lunch and dinner with a small bar area that we enjoy, or seated in the dining room. There is also a dining patio for those sunny days that allow you to bring your dog along to dine. They are very pet friendly here. The bar area has large windows that look out onto the main street and are open when weather allows, creating a nice fresh air dining experience as well as sidewalk tables if you really want to be in the center of the streetside action. The happy hour here is excellent and exceeds your basic offering of buffalo wings and nachos. Well, they have that too but they also offer other things like lavender fries and a prime rib quesadilla. Lots of choices and a decent selection of cocktails and drafts.

The breakfasts are quite good. I have either the Mark Potatoes and Eggs with Bacon, or when I am feeling like something more decadent the Crab Eggs Benedict.  Toasted English muffin halves layered with fresh crisp spinach, sliced tomatoes, Dungeness Crab, poached eggs and a velvety Hollandaise  sauce make this a delicious mouthful of pleasure. The freshness of the veggies and the richness of the eggs and sauce make for a perfect textural bite. The bloody marys are delicious with just the right amount of kick.  I certainly recommend Mark Restaurant and Bar for a great leisurely breakfast. They are open from 8am every day.