A Review of Mariposa Restaurant at "The Bravern" in Bellevue, Washington

Nestled on the second floor of Niemen Marcus in Bellevue, WA is a quaint restaurant called Mariposa. I found it one day while perusing Niemen Marcus and decided to give it a try with a good friend. The atmosphere was calming and the service actually very good. Our waiter started off with a welcoming of hot chicken broth which was surprisingly good. I wouldn't want to have it on a hot day but with Seattle weather it's a good bet to offer. The next course was a popover with strawberry butter. That was really yummy and probably my favorite part of the meal. We both ordered sandwiches and mine was a grilled cheese, her's a ham. They came with chips and my grilled cheese was just "ok." I felt like for the price of the lunch (about $15) that it would be a little tastier. I often have the grilled cheese at John Howie (just a few doors away) and love their sandwich (for less money) but the quality at Mariposa just didn't match up. The price was so much more for so much less I was a bit disappointed. My friend who also dines regularly with me at John Howie was convinced of the same. We weren't impressed with the quality for the price whatsoever. It was also a twenty minute wait to get in since the restaurant is pretty short in square footage. After having to spend more money in Niemen Marcus (maybe this is a tactic of the department store?) because I needed to kill time waiting, this lunch ended up costing me an arm and a leg!

I felt like Mariposa with its relationship in close vicinity to Niemen Marcus should really be superb in quality and value. With a store that offers Juicy Couture for babies you better be packing some serious deliciousness in the restaurant department. The service might have been a bit more attentive at Mariposa but when the food is lacking it's hard to notice anything else as a plus. We both decided that we would not be spending our cash at Mariposa anytime in the future and stick with a sure winner, John Howie.

I have eaten the tender loin medallions at Mariposa before at a team lunch and found that a very tasty item but it's over $20 which isn't a usual amount I spend on lunch so if you want to splurge that would be a good choice when you visit. They had some interesting desserts as well but for lunch that's not the usual splurge. The Bravern overall is an overpriced shopping experience but when I choose a restaurant there it better be worth the hype.