They said Pacific octopus arrived frozen from Spain and Portugal; wild venison purportedly shot on the island was farm-raised in Idaho; roasted chicken drippings, part of a signature dish, were made in big batches from organic chickens bought at Costco. High up there with the best we have experienced. In terms of being both whimsical and delicious this restaurant ranks up there with the likes of Alinea, Pujol, Borago, and Gaggan. It is near the San Juan archipelago, not in it. The intimate dining room creates both a warm atmosphere and a noise problem. Willows Inn property goes on market - Cascadia Daily foraging? Not just a meal, but a life experience. Fun and friendly service - even better. Smoked on the property sockeye salmon to die for. If I spend $225+ to enjoy dinner with my friends I don't want to yell at them. Chefs Redzepi and Olvera would be very proud of the food being served here be their alumni/proteges. (On the innkeeping side, and in the dining room, some women have been promoted to managerial positions. The story paints a grim picture of what was allegedly going on behind the scenes for years at the Willows Inn, but a culture of deception also apparently extended to the plate. The Island Is Idyllic. As a Workplace, It's Toxic. - The New York Times The way in which people were abused and belittled there was horrifying, said Spencer Verkuilen, 28, who said Mr. Wetzel shoved, screamed at and sent him home in full view of customers when he served a course out of order to one table. For now I am glad I tried but will not return nor will I recommend to others. It was served with delicious crackers of nuts and grains.More. Lummi Island 16 meant that you were available for sex, and that any kind of creepy and predatory behavior was fine, said Sarah Letchworth, 21, who was 15 when she started working there. About two hours into the protest, a man and a woman came out of the restaurant and got into a heated exchange with protesters, with the man yelling an expletive at the crowd. The 2nd a novel beet ceviche and 3rd a smoked steelhead were standouts. On my first day, I was cutting frozen Alaskan scallops down to the shape and size of pink singing scallops, Julia Olmos, a line cook who worked at the restaurant from 2017 to 2019, told the Times. The Lummi Island bed-and-breakfast is a PNW mustread this primer first By Chelsea Lin June 28, 2018 If you follow the local food scene even remotely, you've likely heard aboutor, if you're lucky, experiencedthe Willows Inn on Lummi Island. @juliamoskin Facebook, A version of this article appears in print on, Island Residents Protest at the Willows Inn After Workplace Allegations, https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/29/dining/willows-inn-protests-lummi-island.html. The Willows Inn on Lummi Island Experience exquisite dining and lodging at The Willows Inn on Lummi Island. Some of the Willows protesters said that regardless of who is in charge, there is simply no place on the island for an expensive destination for the global elite. It is worth to stay there as well after dinner. Its a generous serving, flavored more like squash medley than pumpkin and the cream and crispy bits of chorizo provide a sweet and savory accent. We would have been much better off picking a good Chardonnay from the list (only one course came with a red wine pairing - a very underwhelming Lemberger). While protestors are hard for the staff to control, the food/wine certainly is controllable - and it let us down. 7 Unique Things to Do on Lummi Island, Washington Shortly thereafter, a New York Times expose painted a damning picture of a toxic workplace, with 35 former employees alleging sexism, sexual harassment, and racist bullying on the part of Wetzel and manager Reid Johnson. If you are a resident of another country or region, please select the appropriate version of Tripadvisor for your country or region in the drop-down menu. Oh, BTW, if you stay at the hotel you get one of the best breakfast spreads you'll ever get. Willows Inn Lummi Island - Misadventures with Andi The Willows Inn in Lummi Island - Restaurant menu and reviews As part of the settlement, he was not required to admit any wrongdoing. Seven more courses displaying the best of fresh local ingredients and the skills of the cooking staff. Chip with truffle oil - ehhhhhhhh WILLOWS INN RESTAURANT, Lummi Island - Tripadvisor The Willows Inn the Lummi Island fine dining destination helmed by chef and co-owner Blaine Wetzel that, in recent years, faced numerous allegations of racism, sexual harassment, and wage. Reservations Policy Group Reservations & Special Events Deposit & Cancellation Policy The Willows is the perfect casual dining spot for a quick business lunch or dinner, a hearty morning breakfast, or just for meeting up with friends. Just last month, the Willows Inn agreed to settle another class-action lawsuit related to the previous one alleging wage theft this time for more than $1.37 million, the Seattle Times reported. Oh, BTW, if you stay at the hotel you get one of the best breakfast spreads you'll ever get.More, A disappointing culinary experience, our first course was comprised of six unrelated bites - the small table covered with a myriad of plates with tepid and poorly seasoned food (very low flavor-did the sous chef taste the courses?) Hotels near (SEA) Seattle-Tacoma Intl Airport. Willows Inn Restaurant is rated accordingly in the following categories by Tripadvisor travelers: America's 100 Best Wine Restaurants of 2019, Why Bellingham is a Must on Your Next Road Trip, 2579 W Shore Dr, Lummi Island, WA 98262-8667. The 5th a clam garlic bread uneventful save for the sourdough bread. This is the version of our website addressed to speakers of English in the United States. If you can't appreciate an aged, roasted pumpkin crusted with dill, served with fermented pumpkin seed liquid, it might not be for you.More, It is expensive. Before coming to Lummi Island's the Willows, Blaine Wetzel cooked for two years at Noma in Copenhagen, Denmark. As a Workplace, Its Toxic. Wine paring, matched ok overall with the food, but white wine is not my favorite, and underwhelming - miss David Young, whose boat bore the sails at the protest, said the group refused to meet with Mr. Wetzel and Mr. Reid, but did sit down with Mr. McEvoy on Sunday. A settlement was agreed upon by both parties in October 2020. Many employees said Mr. Wetzel and Mr. Johnson were frequently present at events where underage employees drank with older staff members until they were unconscious. For years, they said, Mr. Wetzels culinary pedigree and the Willows idyllic image have hidden an ugly reality that includes routine faking of island ingredients; physical intimidation and verbal abuse by Mr. Wetzel, including racist, sexist and homophobic slurs; and sexual harassment of female employees by male kitchen staff members. Also of interest is the outdoor grill that smelled so good with roasting venison kebobs. We used to laugh it off, give Blaine the benefit of the doubt, said Larry Nguyen, who arrived at the Willows in 2018, having cooked at renowned restaurants like Noma, and Central in Lima, Peru. I won't describe every single course , but I will just say that my favorites were a dish of caramelized onions and shallots with a white mole that was both t simple and decadent; and a fresh albacore tuna that was grilled with a habanero pepper sauce and served with a cauliflower hummus and lettuce wraps. But far more said that Mr. Wetzels substitutions cross the line into deception, and that his behavior often crossed the line into abuse. Something went wrong. In an April 27 New York Times expose, former employees from Lummi Islands critically acclaimed Willows Inn accuse the restaurant of being, in short, a nightmare work environment. Lummi Island is quiet, intimate,and uniquely accessible near Bellingham, Washington. Sarah Letchworth, a former female employee who was 15 when she started working at Willows Inn, said that her male co-workers had a running joke about Lummi Island 16, which meant that you were available for sex, and that any kind of creepy and predatory behavior was fine. She also claimed Wetzel once offered to drive her home from a party when she was 18 but coerced her into doing shots at his house first, then drove her home drunk. Most of the information presented here is accurate and honest. The Willows opened for the 2021 season this month. Wetzel told Eater Seattle that the lawsuit allegations are in no way accurate and claimed it was a tool that this specialized law firm uses to greatly exacerbate a citation we received from 2016.. Cocktails interesting !! A collection of delicious wine, cider or beer is provided to guests. Our goal is for anyone who works at the Willows to think of us as the most kind, caring, generous, and talented people they have ever worked with and that the Willows was the best job they have ever had. News The Willows Inn Faces Allegations of Racism, Sexual Harassment, and Deception The New York Times's troubling expose paints the picture of a toxic workplace, not long after the acclaimed. Set aside your expectations of wonderful restaurants and just enjoy Willows for the unique thing that it is. The island is beautiful, the people are kind, the seafood is incredible, just like he says, said Mr. Nguyen, 32, the chef who resigned because of Mr. Wetzels denials. Hi Karen, All establishments have off nights possibly this was one for The Willows. These accommodations provide great views and extra privacy as well as a little additional space. The wine was enjoyable but very overpriced for a show of largely regional domestic offerings. Mr. Wetzel denied this. When I made my reservation on the website I didn't see anything that stated what time dinner started. Island Residents Protest at the Willows Inn After Workplace Allegations Willows Inn property on Lummi Island up for bid So, we get to beautiful Lummi Island, drive the winding roads to get to the hotel, check inn, cross the street for a relaxing walk on the beach, and get ready for dinner. Dinner starts with a cocktail hour in the terraces overlooking the Puget Sound. After almost a decade of ownership, the restaurant has become a true reflection of Wetzel and his environment. Many former employees said they put up with Mr. Wetzels offensive language, sexism and bullying, because a recommendation from him is a springboard to any cooking job in the world. Oops. Typically in the summer and weekends we fill with guests that Hello! One the other hand, the resulting experience to the diner looking for a great left-to-right island fusion experience suffers. Since the menu changes, it's hard to know what you'll get when you go. A five-minute ferry crossing reveals a vibrant artist community, legendary dining, and stunning vistas of the Salish Sea. ), Jen Curtis, 39, was a seasoned chef de cuisine when she left a job and went back to culinary school, just so she would be eligible to cook at the Willows as an intern. Crab and bread - HIT, could have a whole one per person, this sharing thing not a fan Apples and pears - Miss, mushy, and I've had better, like the idea for PNW but I knows apples and pears, crab apples are on the plate not great Explore a stay at The Willows Inn Lummi Island Something went wrong. Embattled, award-winning Willows Inn on Lummi Island closes | Tacoma Our main destination was to try the fine food at Willows Inn and a beach walk at Sunset beach afterwards. 01 of 08 Go Hiking in a Preserve Edmund Lowe Photography / Getty Images There are three preserves maintained by the Lummi Island Heritage Trust: the Curry Preserve, the Otto Preserve, and the Baker Preserve. Meredith OMalley, 29, was a dining room manager at Del Posto in Manhattan when she dined at the Willows in 2016, soon after Mr. Wetzel was named Best Chef in the Northwest by the James Beard Foundation. Finding yourself without reservations? Some of the best food we have eaten across 6 continents. Its too late for them to change their ways now, he said. The 5th a clam garlic bread uneventful save for the sourdough bread. Because of that, protesters said, and because many of the sexual harassment charges came from women who grew up on the island, local resentment has flared against the Willows management: Mr. Wetzel; Reid Johnson, the longtime manager, who also remains in place; and Tim McEvoy, the inns co-owner. Seven more courses displaying the best of fresh local ingredients and the skills of the cooking staff. An earlier version of this story misstated the location of Lummi Island. Michelin would not approve of the finger food in the main course, but it was delicious and fun. It was a fitting Pacific Northwest pretentious end to an otherwise great meal. Bagel Is Back in Business and Still Cant Make Bagels Fast Enough, T-Mobile Park Unveils New Food Items for All-Star Week, Where to Dine at Sea-Tac International Airport (SEA), Theo Chocolate Will Close Its Factory and Lay Off 60 Employees, Cherished Filipino Diner Ludis Quietly Reopened After a Four-Year Absence. Read our. When local produce ran out, cooks routinely bought supermarket ingredients, like beets and broccoli, that were then passed off as grown or gathered on Lummi. The New York Timess troubling expose paints the picture of a toxic workplace, not long after the acclaimed Lummi Island restaurant settled a class-action lawsuit over wage theft. Mr. Wetzel reopened the restaurant in June, and in the fall, at least one Covid-19 case on the island was traced to a guest at the inn. Starting off the dinner in the living room area with drinks is a cool idea because everyone who is going to dinner is on the island and your not going to send them through an entrance one at a time, so a good mood setter. Please enter a valid email and try again. Dinner starts with a cocktail hour in the terraces overlooking the Puget Sound. Lummi Island. David Young and other Lummi residents said the island has been exploited by the Willows, while receiving little benefit. Foursquare The Willows Inn 2579 West Shore Drive, Lummi Island,, WA 98262 (360) 758-2620 Our server was Sarah gave us some tips on things to see on the island and was very attentive with our meal and beverages. The main course our evening was some delicious meat that we hand wrapped in lettuce leaves. We rank these hotels, restaurants, and attractions by balancing reviews from our members with how close they are to this location. Worth every penny, to me. The Willows Inn. If a cook asked me now if they should go work there, Id say, Its not the place you think it is, said Julian Rane, a chef from 2017 to 2019. Beautiful experience! It was a memorable meal in a wonderful setting with the dining room overlooking the bay. Mr. Wetzels claim, said a longtime sous-chef, Scott Weymiller, was mathematically impossible: to serve 25 different plates to up to 40 people, six nights a week, from a nine-square-mile island. Aug 2014. It's not every day you get to eat at an establishment with this level of notoriety for its chef. Last week, the three men contacted the organizers of the protest and asked to meet in person. more, This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. But our faith was broken.. Uni - Hit, good flavor, mushroom compliment, yup We both ordered the roast pumpkin soup with chestnut cream and chorizo. At one point our server inquired about our previous favorites at Willows. He also has used racist language to describe Latino employees and Asian customers, they said. Much of that is lost in the noise. In March, the Willows Inn paid $600,000 to settle a class-action lawsuit by 99 employees, alleging unfair labor practices. The view at sunset is spectacular. Please sign up for the newsletter to be the first to know about booking future reservations. It looked so simple, but then you put it in your mouth and the flavors explode, making you aware that you are in for a special treat. Price - when you are looking to spend over $500 a person on food for one night, wine paring, mixed drinks 2 personal bottels, and mandatory service are part of that price point+ $400 on a room you get to be hyper critical - I really didn't get it - there was no Wow factor for the food, wine or service that would tell me to do this again, but I'm rooting for this place! Radish on the clams was a miss for me. It began with 3 protestors blowing whistles and a trombone from across the road (about 50 from the dining room) for almost the entire dinner. Uni - Hit, good flavor, mushroom compliment, yup The other 40% are Mexican-inspired. ABSOLUTELY! Bids on the property, two parcels valued at a total of $2.04 million, will be accepted by listing brokers at Saratoga Commercial Real Estate through May 18. Eagerly awaiting our next visit . Then throwing the game at the end. Dinner started with a course consisting of a single grilled oyster with tequila sauce. I'll leave it that and not compare to other places, but this should be better than it was. an incredible experience. Mr. Wetzel denied this. Willows Inn Protestors Gather At Dinner Service to Call For Chef Blaine When Ms. Letchworth was 18, she said, Mr. Wetzel offered her a ride home from a party but instead drove to his house, then refused to take her home unless she did rounds of shots with him. We have read that Blaines wife is a superb chef with a specialty in Mexican cuisine - which may explain the mix of styles we experienced. Went there twice and each time are impressed by the good and service there. One woman cooked hot dogs and baked beans in front of the restaurant for the protesters, with a sign that said, Who needs $500 plates. If you book a room with us you can book dinner simultaneously. And they stayed silent about it while we all were panicking.. Every dish was delicious and prepared in a way we'd never had before. The wild venison the restaurant advertised as from Lummi was actually farm-raised in Idaho, and roasted chicken drippings in one dish allegedly came from poultry bought at Costco. You cant have flavorful lamb followed by halibut with almost no seasoning and blacked served with bitter squash, tomatoes and bread. Very poor food value, dine at your culinary and financial risk. Are you sure you want to delete this answer? For our particular tasting: He didn't love the mushroom mixiote tacos - I did. Get regular updates from NYT Cooking, with recipe suggestions, cooking tips and shopping advice. We embraced that, though, and ordered several different dishesto share. The onion tart was balanced, memorable filled with umami flavor. With cozy rooms at our main location to spacious guest houses nearby, you'll find comfortable accommodations for one or many guests. But all these problems were swept under the rug.. Staff very friendly and informative But worth every penny and then some. At about the time I could no longer hear what my dinner partners or servers were saying the restaurant turned on music that wiped out any remaing hope of a conversation. Instead, hed answered an ad on Craigslist, posted by a chicken farmer who owned a century-old inn on Lummi Island, 100 miles north of Seattle and reachable only by ferry. Smoked salmon - 50/50, it was well done, but how was it different than other smoked salmon that you had before and one piece to share with your hands with others A while later he appeared with some freshly crafted crab donuts that were not on that nights menu but that the chef had made special for us. The 2nd a novel beet ceviche and 3rd a smoked steelhead were standouts. The Willows Inn on Lummi Island Lummi Island After this experience, we question whether we will go back.More, I dined at the Willows Inn Restaurant for my third time this September, 2021, and it was my favorite dinner there yet. The rest is prevaricated with discretion. An organizer, David Young, sailed his boat in sight of the Willows, bearing messages for Blaine Wetzel, the chef, and Reid Johnson, the manager. Too often I am offered regional foods which are delicately prepared but without thought as to elevating combined flavors to another level. If Michelin were to rate restaurants in the PNW Willows would definitely rank, but in many ways the decor and menu selections at Willows are rebellious and give Michelin and their likes middle fingers. Plagued with legal problems and harassment allegations, The Willows on And a special treat it was. It is magical. Pork -MISS a little dry and why do I care If you do not book a room then you can only make a dinner reservation two weeks in advance. By submitting your email, you agree to our, After a Series of Lawsuits, the Willows Inn Has Closed Permanently, Sign up for the A week after the Times report, the Willows sent a statement to its email list saying that the team was saddened that the workplace had caused undue stress; that no sexual harassment had ever been reported to managers; and that its hiring, training and human resources efforts had improved in recent years. Lummi Island (San Juan Islands) - What to Know BEFORE You Go - Tripadvisor No matter what brings you to us, The Willows Inn on Lummi Island has ideal lodging for your specific needs. Some of the best food we have eaten across 6 continents LUMMI ISLAND, Wash. Carrying hand-painted signs with slogans like Take Sexism Off the Menu! and Racism is NOT a Local Ingredient, about 50 protesters gathered Friday night outside the Willows Inn, a world-renowned restaurant on this tiny island near the Canadian border. Among them were a few locals who started working at Willows Inn when they were teenagers, and claim that certain male kitchen staffers touched them inappropriately and plied them with alcohol. My anger issues have affected my team and have been part of diminishing the culture of our industry., But, he said, a decade of conscious effort has now gone into making kitchens more equitable and supportive. Contact | The Willows Inn on Lummi Island I stayed in a room above the restaurant. Our server was Sarah gave us some tips on things to see on the island and was very attentive with our meal and beverages. The food experience is fun and the setting is charming. That kitchen, like many at the highest echelon of fine dining, was then a notoriously toxic workplace. The Willows Inn has turned the tiny island of Lummi, off the coast of Washington State, into a renowned culinary destination. The Willows Restaurant offers delicious options for lunch, dinner, and breakfast all-day long! It can be! Breathtaking. You will hardly forget great fresh juices, coffee or tea that you can try. The top two somethings are the ambience of the small island inn and the food. Too often I am offered regional foods which are delicately prepared but without thought as to elevating combined flavors to another level. We will update this piece if more information emerges. The only criticism, and this is getting picky here, is that they only had one dessert in the 8-course menu, and that dessert was the only underwhelming course. They were bringing people over on the ferry every night, said Rhaychell Davis, a former employee who lives on the island with her two daughters. Very poor food value, dine at your culinary and financial risk.More, Amazing ambience, sadly the service & cuisine failed the sunset. Rockfish - HIT odd dish, but was great with the wine I like producing local ingredients and local jobs, he said. He then drove her home while drunk, she said. The dinner is a preset tasting menu that is served at 6:30pm each night and is $175/person. fun. They treat the community with no respect, she said. Server knowledge was very poor especially on ingredients, preparation and how to eat the course, the evening suffered from long gaps in service and we struggled to get basic utensils and water. The New York Times was quick to declare the Willows one of "the ten restaurants worth a plane ride." It was served with delicious crackers of nuts and grains. The final protein a bbqd lamb skewers unremarkable. Service - professional, clean, organized Can a vegetarian person get a good meal at this restaurant? Noma was ranked No. The scallops were a hit. for a nature experience with good food. Under chef Blaine Wetzel, The Willows Inn has consistently been recognized as one of the best restaurants in the country, with restaurant critics from all over North America booking flights to. In recent years, the Lummi Island fine dining destination and its chef, Blaine Wetzel, have faced allegations of sexual harassment and racist bullying and paid millions of dollars in settlements for alleged wage theft. And then we learn that his equally talented wife, Chef Daniela Soto-Innes, of Cosme fame, was running the kitchen there. The Willows first gained its international reputation when 26-year-old Blaine Wetzel, who trained at Copenhagen's world-famous Noma, arrived as chef/co-owner and promised farm-to-table cuisine.