Loved it here and am still waiting for a chance to go back! Being the ultimate downtown gal, I am very guilty of not trekking out northwest for dinner very often, but Emerson was worth the trip. I was surprised that for it's high-level-hip-ness, there was not a wait (lots of seating!) and that not many have reviewed this place. It's hard to find on the world-wide-webz as well.
As the other reviews have accurately described, the decor and ambience of the place was just to my liking (come and tell me you don't love bicycles on walls - I'll hipster kick you) and the food was yum and fairly priced. The thing about the menu was, it made me want to order everything. The option to do all the sides for $20 was tempting, but I would have exploded from all the food. We did try the brussel sprouts and the gratin - loved them. I had the Emerson burger which was giant and filling. The first few bites were awesome. As I am not the world's biggest burger eater, I felt slightly defeated but make sure you try it if burgers are your thang.
We tried the cocktails as well which were good, but can't remember which now - I'll update when I go back and check out the menu again (one with ginger beer maybe?). As I think back, service was definitely not memorable but everything else was. So, I'm definitely a fan.
Atmosphere - 5/5
Service - 3/5
Food - 4/5
Price - 4/5