Restaurant Scene - Seattle - Any Ideas?

BrianSac · #1 Posted **Jul 6, 2008, 5:09 PM**

I have not been to Seattle for several yrs, and I'd appreciate some recommendations on good eats.

1. Good Quality Restaurants, but wont break the bank, Seattle style:

2. Any type of French Cuisine, Haute cuisine, country French, family run:

3. Family owned (or like a good family run) Italian Restaurant:

4. Asian options, prefer Japanese, & Korean, but not not limited to those:

5. Late night or 24 hr options, good grub cafe:

Thanks!!

Black Box · #2 Posted **Jul 10, 2008, 5:30 AM**

Tilth and Sitka and Spruce are great Seattle style places that won't break your bank. Also, the owner of Sitka and Spruce opened up a new place in Georgetown called the Corson Building. It's not really a restaurant type of restaurant, but a place for food. They have classes, a banquet room for parties, a come and pay for whatever the chef decides to make operation. Sounds interesting, but you should do some investigating. Serious Pie in Belltown has great pizza. It's a tad more expensive than the usual pizza place, but it's still within reason and delicious. The crust never goes soggy. For Italian, I would try out Salumi for lunch. There's also a cute family run joint in Seward Park that is straight up Italian American (Pizzuto's). It's decked out in red gingham tablecloths and all. Their tiramisu is the best I've ever had. For French, Cremant and Coupage in Madrona are favorites. If you want something thriftier and tasty, try out Cafe Presse or Le Pichet. I personally prefer Cafe Presse. They're open late. Uh, let's see, for Japanese, there are many choices, but my favorite is Maneki. It's been open for 80 years. It's very reasonably priced. There are so many great things I can say about this place. Make reservations or arrive when they open (5:30 PM). I think they're closed on Mondays. Many restaurants are open late. 24 hour options are more limited. 13 Coins is a standard. There's also the Hurricane and Beth's. Memo's in the U-District has pretty good Mexican food, notably their fish tacos. There are some others, but I tend not to eat out that late. There are so many great options for food in Seattle. I'd check out Seattle Magazine's food blog, The Stranger's Chow section on their website. I'll post more stuff later, but for now, I hope this will do. When will you be out? Hope you have a great time.

BrianSac · #3 Posted **Jul 10, 2008, 2:30 PM**

Blackbox,
Thank you so much for all those suggestions. I'll google these places to find out where they are located. We will be there the last week in July. Every other time I've been there it rained the entire time, but July and August should be good weather months for Seattle. We will have bikes so it should be a fun way to get around, too.

mhays · #4 Posted **Jul 10, 2008, 4:32 PM**

For 24-hour places, try Beth's at 78th(?) & Aurora (get the 12-egg half-size omelet and draw on the walls), whatever the new place is at 1st & Denny (replaces Minnie's), or the ancient stalwort 13 Coins at John & Boren, or the Hurricane at 7th & Bell. We don't have a ton of them, but these are some of the most well-known.

alexjon · #5 Posted **Jul 10, 2008, 4:50 PM**

Seconded Blackbox's suggestions 100%

Black Box · #6 Posted **Jul 10, 2008, 6:01 PM**

^Thanks for the vote of confidence. If you're in the Junction neighborhood of West Seattle, check out Bakery Noveau (the best croissants). Also, Easy Street Records has a cafe at their West Seattle location. It's cheap and pretty good. Wallingford has a new ice cream parlor by the name of Molly Moon. Inventive and solid flavors made in small batches on site. I've had the Fran's salted caramel, honey lavender, balsamic strawberry, lemon, Vivace coffee, chocolate and vanilla bean. Everything I've had is delicious. If you're up for cake with your ice cream, head to Trophy cupcakes at Wallingford Center. They're the best I've had in Seattle. I know you won't be able to make it to all of these places, but you never know where you'll be and what you'll be in the mood for. Fried chicken? Ezelle's in the Central District. Greek? Vios on Capitol Hill. Vietnamese? Green Leaf in the Intl District. Also, take a walk down Ballard Avenue, there are plenty of options for dining, drinking and shopping. Glad I could be of some help.

BrianSac · #7 Posted **Jul 11, 2008, 12:22 AM**

Wow, I like all those types of places. Fried Chicken, ice cream, cup cakes, really good real french croissants (not the american plain kind you usually find). Thanks again.

We will have a car. But if we wanted to ride our bikes to West Seattle. How do we get there? Can we ride our bikes on that bridge? We will be staying at the top of Capitol Hill.

Black Box · #8 Posted **Jul 11, 2008, 5:14 AM**

^You could ride your bicycle, but I would drive or take the bus. You could bring your bicycles on the bus and just tool around. Bakery Noveau has great croissants, you should not be disappointed. The only other place that I frequent regularly for croissants is a little known cafe in Mt. Baker called Sweet and Savory. Their selection is small, I'd get there before 10 AM. Bakery Noveau has a larger selection and their baked goods are available at Metropolitan Market stores. There's one in West Seattle, one on Lower Queen Anne and another one in View Ridge. Another recommendation for Ballard, the farmer's market there is great and they have a variety of food vendors that offer worthy fare. The Ballard Market is held on Sundays.

mhays · #9 Posted **Jul 11, 2008, 6:00 AM**

The low bridge has a bike lane. Bit of a hill though.

BrianSac · #10 Posted **Jul 11, 2008, 9:25 PM**

Great information!
Also, I'll think twice about crossing that bridge with a bike.
We are looking forward to Cremant, Coupage, et Le Pichet.
C'est necessaire faire une reservation au restaurant Cremant?
Merci

Black Box · #11 Posted **Jul 12, 2008, 2:29 AM**

^Oui. Oh yeah, the Water Taxi might be a nice way to get to West Seattle. You'd still have to get up the hill, but it could be worth a try.