Good news! It’s your favorite time of year! Now’s your chance to try some of the best dining in the Seattle area. Twenty-five top restaurants have come together to offer you a month of divine dining for an unbelievable price. Lunch and dinner include three courses (beverage, tax and gratuity are additional). Offer is valid Sundays (dinner only) through Thursdays, Nov. 1-30, excluding Thanksgiving, Nov. 23. [Link]

I like 25 for 25 – I think I’m getting a great deal, I get to try some place new, and for a few years now, when 25 for 25 comes up, it means it’s time for the semi-annual dinner with the “Ladies of Documentation.” The company is always excellent and the food, an adventure.

Last night we ate at Campagne, just above Pike Place Market. Campagne is pretty and candle lit and though it’s not a secret at all, there’s an insider feeling to dining right near the market.

We all had the soup to start with – a creamy two squash puree with a dollop of cream. Yum. The entrees that followed met with mediocre reviews. K. said the duck was dry; my trout was plain. The desserts were small but very elegant, though the sorbet was served up in a very generous portion.

Our waiter was very helpful and recommended delicious wines, but the hostess service left a lot to be desired. First, she badgered us into ordering – one of our party was running late – and then, while we were wrapping up, she told us that the next party had been waiting for 1/2 an hour and could we please get going? Campagne, which I’d thought was supposed to be French influenced, certainly doesn’t embrace the ambience of dining in France, where you are welcome to dawdle as long as you like and you certainly don’t have to rush your choices. I can’t remember being asked to leave my table anywhere, France or elsewhere, ever.

An off night at Campagne, Perhaps. All in all, I was not impressed.