It was nice to have Andrew remember my last visit and bring that up. He is a wonderful server! Everyone was so friendly and the octopus and filet were amazing!

Visited Ascend for a birthday dinner last night and had a very near perfect experience. Great service, amazing flavors, views were outstanding. I would highly recommend to anyone looking to splurge for a night out. The Miso Cod was delicious. My only minor gripes are: - Holy crap it's hard to find this place! You need some kind of divine intervention not to get lost on your first attempt. - Portions for the price are pretty small. - Upcharge for alcohol is very very high Otherwise, no complaints!

tl;dr - great views, great service, brunch was hit or miss This is my second visit and this time it's for brunch. The restaurant was really quiet with not many people dining. They won't seat unless the whole party is present. We were seated next to the window and the view of Seattle and Lake Washington was lovely. The brunch menu is completely different from the dinner menu. It's counted by person and has a minimum of about $70. Each person can select 2 items from the core brunch menu. You can select 3 for an additional charge. There's also a section of add-ons for dishes that are ala carte. Fruit, pastries, juice, coffee, and tea are included in the price. Other drinks such as smoothies and cocktails are extra. The servers were very nice and attentive. And the meal was well paced. I didn't feel like it was too slow or rushed. After we placed our orders, the bread and fruit came out. The fruit was fresh and sweet and there was some yogurt panna cotta. The pastries were interesting and I found myself oddly drawn to the small cheese rolls. I tried a few dishes and found them to be hit or miss with what I enjoyed. The steak fried rice looked pretty with an egg draped over beet colored rice. I found the overall dish to be not very well seasoned and an unpleasant crunchy texture almost like undercooked rice. The pancakes came rolled in a way that I almost mistook them for crêpes. They tasted fine, but I didn't feel like they were special. Something that I did notice was that the blueberries were meticulously cut in half. The chicken and waffle was well made with moist chicken coated in a crunchy batter on a tasty waffle. It came with a small pipette of au jus that you squeeze to inject into the chicken. The bite I had was good but I didn't get a chance to sample more because my wife gobbled the rest up. The lardon, hash, and egg was easily my favorite dish. Because the pork belly was cubed and nicely crisped. The potatoes were also cubed and provided a nice smooth contrast to the salty and crunchy meat. The poached egg gave the dish a nice velvety texture along with the delicious sauce. One random odd comment I have is that the restroom is outside the restaurant and past the elevators. It seems like a silly complaint but this time we were seated at the far end of the restaurant and it felt like a trek to use the restroom.

Ascend Prime is definitely a place for those special splurge moments. I recently celebrated my anniversary here, and we were fortunate enough to snag a window seat with a stunning view. I highly recommend timing your visit around sunset for an unforgettable experience. The service was top-tier; the staff was incredibly knowledgeable about the menu and drink options. To kick things off, you're treated to a complimentary bread service--an excellent start to the meal. As for the food, it did not disappoint. The steak was tender and flavorful, though I'd suggest ordering one level lower than your usual preference, as their steaks tend to be on the rarer side. The crab mac and cheese was delicious, and I also recommend the Hamachi roll if you're into sushi. We finished off with complimentary dessert (Skyfall), which came with a cool smoky presentation. Other dessert I would recommend is the Halo.

We had another phenomenal meal to celebrate a high school graduation. Everything was perfect and service remained phenomenal. Our table also had a beautiful view. We tried their sushi for the first time, a few different roles. That was outstanding. Then the grad really loved her dessert. Another wonderful evening

Ascend is a premium dining experience at the top of Lincoln Square South. Everyone knows that by now. A slightly less known aspect of Ascend is their premium happy hour experience. The quality of food and presentation for HH is no less than other meal times. HH hours are on their website and includes weekends - a big bonus in my view. HH is offered in the bar area; sit on one of the comfy looking chairs or sit by their fireplace. The ambiance is terrific during cool early evenings or late hours. Service is smooth and elevated even in the bar area. If possible, sit with a wider view of the bar area; the people watching is entertaining. Use the bathroom where a giant salt rub awaits your handwashing. Parking is plentiful in the garage. The Food: Wagyu Beef Cheek Bao Sliders, $21 - 4 Stars These are smaller slider bites but expertly prepared with wagyu beef cheek, pickled daikon, and sunomono. Rating would be higher if it's a wee bigger. For the bigger appetite meat eaters, get the burger instead. Nori Vinegar Dusted Fries with truffle aioli, $8 - 5 Stars A person can inhale these. So good! Sushi Tacos - King Salmon & Ikura, $16 - 5 Stars Sushi Tacos - Tuna & Tobiko, $16 - 5 Stars These crazy concoctions with crispy wonton, ginger carrot slaw, wafu daikon oroshi, and fresh mango, topped with seafood options are the bomb! Salmon Ceviche Hand Roll x2, $16 - 4.5 Stars Cilantro, onion, Aisan pear, tomato, avocado, ume vinaigrette accompany the salmon ceviche. Also a winner. Also sold as a single. Ascend Steakhouse Wagyu Burger, $26 - 4.5 Stars This is definitely an elevated burger - dry aged & wagyu blend, white cheddar, egg, crispy shallot, arugula, frisee between brioche buns. Hubby was satisfied with this burger. We ordered oodles of HH food and had a great experience. Know that you're paying more for the overall vibe. Especially for HH, I think you'll find the food enjoyable and the ambiance to be worth the extra.

We went to Ascend to celebrate a family event. What a treat! We had a series of appetizers and nigiri that everyone enjoyed (and hat tip to the humble and yet amazing Caesar salad!) and steaks, tuna takaki, and scallops. My son said his nigiri was the best he'd ever had. Where this place shined in the food category in my opinion was the desserts. Wow! The pastry chef is a genius. The mushroom chocolate experience was phenomenal. The Skyfall dessert was clever and creative. The other category where Ascend really excels is the service. Our head server was extremely knowledgeable and helpful, the sommelier was terrific, and all the staff made the experience great. I wish our table hadn't been shifted on the side. It was a quiet night and our out of town party could have had more opportunities for views. It's a pricey experience, but I'm happy to say it was a treat worth having!

Make sure make a reservation because it would be a headache trying to get in (and it's obviously for good reasons). The views are spectacular, but the food is where it's at. Kirsten was our server and she was amazing, informative and really friendly. Hamachi: 5/5, must try Beef tartar: 4/5 Dry aged porterhouse: 3/5, too dry and salty Kuroge filet: 5/5 Miyazaki filet: 4.5/5 American wagyu filet: 3.5/5 foie grass butter: 1/5, terrible and too aged for our liking Truffle Mac and cheese: 5/5 There is an automatic 20% tip and random 2.5% surchage (-1 star) Only drawback is that being a high end steakhouse, they don't take us to the back to pick and weigh our meat. And for that reason, I would not put them in the top tier steakhouse but a tier right below.