Marie B.
Yelp
Stanford's is one of those indies that has been reliably there. I often drive past it in Seattle's Northgate neighborhood, as one of the few original businesses that remained after the transformation of Northgate Mall to the Seattle Kraken Community Iceplex. I remember visiting Stanford's once, but well before I was a Yelper.
Stanford's has been around since 1990, but was acquired by Ascend Hospitality Group in 2019. So Stanford's in Washington (Northgate and Tacoma), three sites in Oregon are now related to Famous Dave's locations and Ascend Prime Steak & Sushi in Bellevue.
A decent indie steakhouse is hard to come by, usually it's some chain like The Keg, Black Angus or higher end (= where sides are separate) like Jak's@, Flintcreek Cattle, Bateau, Metropolitan Grill, El Gaucho, just to name a few.
@edit made 3/13/22 for Jak's
With their steaks, they do include green salad, sauteed broccoli and carrots, and choice of potato (ie baked potato, garlic mashed potatoes, potato pancakes or fries). Served with sourdough bread upon request.
But after my long time North Seattle fave, Bick's Broadview Grill closed in early 2019 (now a Diva coffeehouse), I bookmarked Stanford's. But it wasn't until a Yelp Elite event in Jan 2021 (1/19/21 takeout), that I actually got reacquainted with this Northgate location.
There were also three additional onsite dinner visits where The Homie accompanied me on 9/24/21, 10/28/21, and 2/21/22. I have not experienced the lunch menu, the outdoor seating area, or the bar area for Happy Hour cocktails and bites.
Convenient location with up to three hours free parking. Consistently friendly and welcoming staff with on point service. Delicious menu items, an occasional splurge without totally blowing one's budget, and served in a comfortable, casual setting. I've observed Stanford's as an approachable dining choice for families, friends, groups, after work meetups, and also for date night.
An overview of the four visits for dinner, we've tried cabernet steak bites, prime rib dip, prime rib, and rib eye steaks, where the latter two were spot on medium rare as requested. The accompanying sides were also generous and tasty: green salad, brussel sprouts, garlic mashed potatoes, loaded baked potato, French fries, creamed spinach, asparagus, onion rings, and decadent mac & cheese. We also tried as a starter once, the cheese bread. Wrapping it up for one visit, we tried the creme brulee, oven baked chocolate chip cookie a la mode, and a doppio.
You'll definitely leave full and satisfied. Recommended!