Miller’s Guild

My first experience with Miller’s Guild restaurant was at the “Taste of Seattle & Gourmet Fair” at the 2014 International Food Bloggers Conference. They were a sponsor of the event and served braised short ribs at their display booth at the fair. These short ribs were great; in my opinion the best food served at the event.

Having made it a priority on this trip to try as many Seattle restaurants as we could, Miller’s Guild was added to the list after the gourmet fair. But we had run out of time in our schedule to squeeze in another dinner. When we learned that their restaurant was a few blocks from our hotel and that they served early brunch, we stopped in for breakfast before heading to the airport for our flight home.

Miller’s Guild is located in the historic Max Hotel in downtown Seattle. According to the restaurant website, the hotel was built in 1926 by the Vance Lumber Company to house craftsmen and workers coming from all over the world to work in the forests and mills of Washington. The history of the building inspired Chef Wilson’s focus on wood-fired cooking. The menu features “75-day dry-aged beef, nose-to-tail butchery, and rustic baked goods.”

I loved the rugged, almost industrial look of the decor and especially liked the open kitchen and grill concept where we could see food being prepped and cooked. We arrived in time for the early brunch and ordered the Buttermilk Fried Chicken and Biscuits with Bacon Cheddar Gravy and Fried Egg, served with sautéed kale on the side and the Eggs Cooked How You Like ‘em served with bacon & homemade sausage with sautéed kale and crisp potatoes.

The hostess and server were exceptionally friendly and attentive, but something seemed out of synch when we noticed that we had been waiting over 35 minutes for our order. The restaurant was barely one-third full at that point, so we finally asked what was going on. Our server shared with us that the morning cook had not shown up for work which, understandably, caused all kinds of problems. That news kind of put us on edge and left us thinking there was nothing to write about here.

Great restaurants will overcome these kinds of issues and still deliver an exceptional product. That is exactly what happened at Miller’s. Our order finally arrived and it was awesome. The breading on the chicken was really nice and crispy. The meat was tender and juicy. The biscuits tasted fresh out of the oven. I have never had fried chicken for breakfast, but now I would have it again, especially at Miller’s Guild. I couldn’t stop eating it. I usually go for a lighter meal at breakfast, but I finished the entire plate.

The fried egg combo was also outstanding. The house-made sausage and Applewood bacon were both popping with flavor, the roasted fingerling potatoes were crispy and delicious, and the sautéed kale was a nice side with the eggs.

I really enjoyed Miller’s Guild food, both at the conference event and at breakfast. The next time I’m in Seattle I will definitely be back to try some other menu items, such as the dry aged Boneless New York Steak and the Smoked Ribeye steak, as well as some of the really interesting side dishes, like Gruyere Mashed Potatoes and Curry Roasted Cauliflower with pistachios and olives.

Yum!