so sad .. he makes some of the very very best food in town .. he restaurants just aren’t hip, he doesn’t have tattoos, he doesn’t kiss ass .. so sadly this probably doomed Bisato .. says much more about Seattle than it does about Chef Carsberg

this is one of our favorite date places! sad. we'll go once more before it goes.

I only eat at restaurants where the entire staff have full sleeves.

Good riddance. The chef was THE biggest chef/asshole that this city has ever known. Just ask anyone in the food service industry.

@4: I believe you, he always gave off a dickish vibe. That said, the food at Bisato was great, the staff was great, and I will miss both sorely.

Really sad. Too many places just can't stay open in an economy that's barely growing. Part of the reason I really wonder if the new club Q is going to survive past a year.

Scary, if you can't make enough money to pay bills and keep a roof over your head, putting money out for high end food and dancing doesn't happen much

If you don't actually know someone it is possible to believe absolutely anything at all about them. In truth, Carsberg is a funny, crazy, sweet guy. Really a prince of a man who loves his hometown intensely. That he's somewhat shy, very intense and incredibly focused about what he's doing often gets misread by less perceptive people. He cares a lot about what he's doing in an age in which mediocrity is rampant. To me he embodies an old school, authentic Seattle quality about being really exceptional about what you're doing, keeping your head down and not bragging about it. I'm sure he has pissed off a lot of people over the years – boorish customers with no taste, young chefs who weren't invested in their work, purveyors who tried to pass off sub-par food. But none of it was personal insomuch as I was about Carsberg upholding a very high standard. That guy is the real deal... a rockstar, honey badger of a chef who has been killing it for decades and who's determined to constantly find some way to improve on what he's doing. He's not out to massage anyone's ego and tell them they're great when they're not. There's no bullshit with that guy. He's a Seattle gem and his restaurant closing is a real loss to Seattle cuisine. Most restaurants close in the first year. Anyone who can thrive as long as he has – at the standard he has upheld – deserves respect.

@7: Perhaps he is personally a wonderful, sweet, sensitive, caring man. I haven't had the opportunity to get to know him that way. However, on the occasions when my spouse and I have interacted with him directly, I've found him a bit chilly, and even a little dickish. And, the last time we ate at Bisato, when we asked our server why the lamb chops (those wonderful, wonderful famous lamb chops) weren't on the menu, he very tersely responded with "chef doesn't discuss these decisions with the staff." Seriously? A standing menu item your restaurant is known for, something regulars ask for and reviewers tell people they MUST eat, is taken off the menu and you don't explain it at all to your staff? You don't give them something to tell customers? Never mind that the server seemed moderately annoyed that he didn't have an answer for us, why didn't the chef think that the customers would want to know? Would deserve to know?

@8 That sounds like a pretty legitimate gripe. The server should have found out. If you asked Carsberg I'm sure he would have answered you. But I guess a restaurant is only ever as good as its weakest link. Things go out of season. Or sometimes the chef just likes to change up the menu. Whenever I'm in there I see the chef going around chatting up people and asking them how they're enjoying their meals. I had actually forgotten about those lamb chops as they've been off the menu for a while. But they were damn good. I hope he brings them back in the final weeks.

Fuck Bisato.

Here's a repost of my review earlier this summer:
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Worst Culinary Ripoff Of My Life.

Wow. Seventeen bucks for ONE PIECE OF PASTA? Really? That's some seriously pretentious shit.

My Dad got the Braised Short Ribs for $15, except it was singular... one freaking 'rib' the size of your thumb. Gone in two bites. Poof.

Granted everything was absolutely delicious and Scott Carsberg is a freaking genius, but this is not Manhattan and I'm not a hedge fund manager.

A hundred bucks later, my Father and I were still starving and headed to Dick's to get something after our 'dinner.'

Five stars for taste and 1/4 star for value. I'll give 'em two stars.

http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/bisat…

I always considered Bisato to be a really great value for the money. I guess it is a matter of taste and understanding what you're there for. Dick's serves cheap fast food. But despite the proliferation of dollar menus, the prices of which are predicated on sourcing dirt cheap industrialized food, I don't think the value proposition of food has to be the largest portions at the cheapest prices. Going everywhere and expecting that is ridiculous, as it complaining about portion sizes for a place that is designed to be SMALL PLATES! It is the Venetian version of tapas. What you are getting at Bisato is everything made by scratch by the hands of a top chef who has spent 30 years behind a stove honing his craft. You're supposed to go in and order a lot of little plates. That's what we've always done and it has been great. And it is nowhere near the most expensive place in town. A lot of people will just never get it this. They're used to places like the Cheesecake Factory or the Claim Jumper where the portion size is as big as your head and the menu (of processed frozen restaurant food) is 50 pages long. If that is your idea of value then stay away from places like Bisato because you clearly don't belong there.