Tukwilly's Grill: Silly Name, Serious Dining

Tukwilly's Grill, in the Embassy Suites Hotel, 15920 W. Valley Highway, Tukwila. Lunch 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., dinner 5 to 10 p.m. 227-9406. ---------------------------------------------------------------

Hotel restaurants, good hotel restaurants, always have to be a step up. After all, they are representing themselves to clients from around the world, not to mention locals.

So the food is usually at least a little better than that at the restaurant next store, the presentation more appealing, the service more proficient - and the prices correspondingly higher. Tukwilly's Grill, despite the slightly silly name (though the only alternative we could come up with - Tukwila G-rill-a - isn't any better), is no exception. This is an efficient, satisfying, quality operation: good food and nice surroundings. And if the prices are a little high, they're not outrageous.

The nice surroundings, it should be noted, are all inside. The view from Tukwilly's, which is on the ground floor of the hotel, is of the parking lot. But the restaurant interior is nicely appointed, with sturdy furniture, clean lines, subdued colors and enough foliage to re-oxygenate the room without making it feel like a nursery. The wait staff doesn't introduce itself by name, brings you a drink and some bread and butter almost immediately, then leaves you alone to peruse the menu.

Even the humblest of offerings, the All-American Burger ($5.95), is well-executed: a massive hunk of chuck steak cooked to order - in this case a lovely medium rare - covered with a thick slab of real cheddar, smothered in freshly grilled onions and served on a soft onion roll. It comes with a respectable amount of regular French fries - not steak fries, crinkly fries or twisty fries. It's a good meal.

Other lunch favorites are the Smoked Chicken Salad - greens and fowl in a basalmic vinegar for $8.95 - and a sizable order of freshly made fish and chips, also $8.95.

The fresh-market portion of the menu tends to run the same items for lunch and dinner, with the portion amount and prices increased come evening. A recent menu included Scallops Provencale, Veal Marsala and Blackened Salmon, all beautifully done and all $11.95 and $17.95. After 5 p.m., the restaurant also offers prime rib for $14.50 regular cut and $19.95 full cut.

If you'd rather have pasta, the Fettuccine Alfredo, $12.95 on the dinner menu, is highly recommended. Fresh pasta and smoked chicken breast done in a very rich sauce of cream, garlic and Parmesan cheese. And that's heavy on the garlic, so be warned.

Tukwilly's has plenty of appetizers for either the light or hungry eater, a sizable wine list and a full array of freshly made desserts and espresso drinks. Considering Tukwila's many warehouses and industrial parks, this is an enjoyable oasis.

In fact, with nearby Longacres a thing of the past, Tukwilly's could be the next-best reason to get off I-405.

Restaurant reviews are a regular Thursday feature of the South County Life section. Reviewers visit restaurants unannounced and pay in full for all their meals. When they interview members of the restaurant management and staff, they do so only after the meals and services have been appraised.