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I love Place Pigalle. But every time I tell that to someone else, they look at me with a blank stare. Although it's been around for years, most Seattle-ites don't really know about it.
Place...
I love Place Pigalle. But every time I tell that to someone else, they look at me with a blank stare. Although it's been around for years, most Seattle-ites don't really know about it.
Place Pigalle is tucked away in the Pike Place Market well back of the tourist hubbub. It's a spare bistro-style room, and it's usually not very crowded. But it's one of the very few downtown Seattle restaurants with a view of the sound.
And, most important, it consistently offers one of the more inventive and adventuresome menus in town. The chef's creations, which often juxtapose traditional northwest eclectic fare (like salmon, duck and various veggie dishes) with unusual and surprising citrus-based sauces and demi-glaces, don't always work out as planned, but they're always interesting and they're often out of this world.
I think it's one of the top 10 restaurants in Seattle, and it's been so for a long time.
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While not my favorite Tom Douglas restarurant (that would be the quirkier Palace Kitchen), Dahlia Lounge is dependable and consistently good, particularly since it moved into its beautiful and more...
While not my favorite Tom Douglas restarurant (that would be the quirkier Palace Kitchen), Dahlia Lounge is dependable and consistently good, particularly since it moved into its beautiful and more luxurious space a couple years ago. One of Seattle's 10 best every year, it's creative enough and the food is high-quality enough for a celebration dinner or a special occasion. Great for out of town guests, too.
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When I moved to Seattle in 1994, Wild Ginger was a local favorite, hidden away underneath and south of Pike Place Market, with an unusually eclectic Asian menu. Over the years, it seemed to become...
When I moved to Seattle in 1994, Wild Ginger was a local favorite, hidden away underneath and south of Pike Place Market, with an unusually eclectic Asian menu. Over the years, it seemed to become more popular, he quality of the food seemed to decline, and I stopped going. I once went there after work on a weekday night and the place was so crowded with singles that we could barely hear ourselves eat.
But then Wild Ginger moved to a cavernous new space (actually, a renovated old theater) on Third Avenue across the street from Benaroya Hall, and it miraculously changed. The bar (now quite separate from the main room) still hops, but the feeling of space is overwhelming and luxurious. Best of all, the food is better than ever, and it keeps getting better. I'm particularly partial to the curries and the marinated lamb, if they're offering it. But you really can't go wrong. They also have a pretty good kids menu (though you'd never expect it), so it's an excellent way to take an extended family out. It's one of my favorites in Seattle.
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Pete's is a family favorite for us. I think they have one of the best pizzas in the northwest, particularly the garlic and pepperoni. Their calzones are pretty good too. (At least, I don't know...
Pete's is a family favorite for us. I think they have one of the best pizzas in the northwest, particularly the garlic and pepperoni. Their calzones are pretty good too. (At least, I don't know where else in Seattle you can find them this good, and I'm from NY.) It's a smallish restaurant, nonsmoking, with a bar, good beers, and yet very family friendly. (They have Pictionary cards and drawing pads at the tables, which kids 7 and older will love.) Highly recommended for a casual meal in Queen Anne.
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We live in Magnolia, and it's a treat to have one of the best restaurants in the city right in our neighborhood. Szmania's has a consistently interesting menu -- an intriguing cross between...
We live in Magnolia, and it's a treat to have one of the best restaurants in the city right in our neighborhood. Szmania's has a consistently interesting menu -- an intriguing cross between Northwest Continental and Eastern European fare. The food is nearly always flawlessly prepared. The service is personal and friendly (without at all being too personal or overbearing). And the room is delightful. Szmania's recently expanded and renovated its space, and they've succeeded in creating a warm, quiet room with a friendly feel. Members of of the Szamania family can usually be seen either out front or behind the food bar. (Chef Ludger is unmistakable.) And they are great with kids, with a solid (and healthy) kids menu. If you go, the two desserts that stand above all others are the creme brulee trio and the apple tart.
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Volterra
Category:
Restaurants
5411 Ballard Ave NW
Seattle, Washington 98107
(425) 336-1679
Normally, I tend to be extremely skeptical of Italian restaurants in Seattle. And this was no exception, especially since we tried Volterra for the first time about a month after returning from two...
Normally, I tend to be extremely skeptical of Italian restaurants in Seattle. And this was no exception, especially since we tried Volterra for the first time about a month after returning from two weeks in Tuscany. In this case, however, we were pleasantly surprised. In fact, we were blown away. The menu contains more authentic and inventive Tuscan creations than we could try in one sitting. The wine list was large, but in many cases off the beaten track (with a nice selection of by-the-glass options as well as bottles). The staff was friendly and extremely knowledgeable, especially about the wines, but not in an unpleasant or overbearing way. They were welcoming and friendly to the children in the room. And the food itself was outstanding, fresh, inventive, and excellently prepared. The room was also surprisingly large and elegant, much more than one would expect from looking at the restaurant's humble storefront in Ballard. Highly recommended.
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In the old days, it seems like the Met's claim to steakhouse superiority in Seattle was unchallenged and unquestioned. In the last several years, though, a number of other contenders have raised...
In the old days, it seems like the Met's claim to steakhouse superiority in Seattle was unchallenged and unquestioned. In the last several years, though, a number of other contenders have raised the bar, in some cases surpassing the Met's high standard. The quality of the steaks themselves remains very good, largely free from embellishment or excessive creativity. But on the occasions when I've ventured off the steak menu to try other offerings (i.e., lamb), I haven't been particularly impressed. The atmosphere is old-school stylish, but it can get very noisy, and the bar and waiting area seem cramped if there's a crowd. Likewise, the service is old fashioned -- generally attentive but sometimes appears overworked. Overall, the dining experience just doesn't feel as luxurious and filled with attention to detail as some of the Met's competitors. It's no longer my first choice in Seattle.
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