IF ANYTHING BAD HAPPENS, VISIT GRACE MERCY WEST HOSPITAL: Next week, Frequent Commenter Jenn will be visiting Seattle for the first time ever, and would like to know where to dine and visit.
The Underground Tour! The Underground Tour! Yeah, go to Pike St. Market and the Space Needle but definitely do the Underground Tour. It's a great history of Seattle. My brother lives in Ballard so I'm a fan of the Ballard Locks and, as you can imagine in a city like that, there are any number of good seafood places. I'm sure there are others who will be more helpful than I, with my suggestion of the crab shack near my brother's place.
I came in all ready to recommend the Ballard Locks, thinking that they'd be a little off the beaten, but here's Meghan to handle it. Thanks, Meghan! Salmon ladder forevah!
My favorites when I visited a couple of years ago were Cafe Lago (the Pomodori al Forno are a must!) and Mario Battali's dad's place, Salumi. If I were going now, I'd add Delancy to the list as well - it's owned and operated by the husband of the woman behind the great foodblog Orangette and is supposed to have incredible pizza. Check out Orangette, Tea & Cookies and Glutenfree Girl - all Seattle foodbloggers - for additional recommendations.
Loved the Ballard Locks and Olympic Sculpture Park!
jenn -- i'll throw out a few of my favorites, but feel free to let us know any parameters (do you have a car? are you staying downtown? what food do you like? would you rather go for a hike or go to a museum? kids? budget parameters for dining?)
restaurants -- if you're a foodie and want a nice meal, than my top choices are sitka and spruce, spinasse, and staple & fancy. if you love oysters, walrus & carpenter in ballard. seafood by pike's market: steelhead diner or matt's in the market. asian -- green leaf in the ID (more of a hole in the wall) or head to din tai fung in bellevue for soup dumplings. i would choose palace kitchen for my tom douglas choice, but it has more of a bar-like atmosphere. salumi for lunch if you're willing to wait in line for a bit.
activity-wise -- the ballard locks, as mentioned above, are on our must-do visitors list. we also like to take the ferry over to bainbridge if it's nice out for a quick day trip. museum of flight is great if you're a history buff and good for all ages. snoqualmie falls for a quick hike and beautiful view. pike's market. gasworks park or discovery park if it's really nice out, which is unlikely this time of year.
They do one seating a night, it's a themed tasting menu with wine, and everything is locally sourced and absolutely delicious. Our dinner included a time-out to go feed the truffle-hunting pigs, which live on the premises. I really can't recommend it highly enough.
I had a fantastic meal at http://www.lepichetseattle.com/">Le Pichet last time I was in Seattle. Delicious food, and not too expensive. And wine in "pichets". Not too expensive either.
Also second the Underground Tour. It was really fun and informative.
I'd recommend the foodtruck Marination Mobile, best food truck I've ever had--Korean Hawaiian fusion. Also, check out some local farmer's markets--fun even at this time of year. Try the one in Ballard or the U District.
After walking through Pike Place Market (which you should definitely give yourself at least an hour to do), my boyfriend and I were left with an intense craving for raw fish. There was an amazing sushi place near there, about halfway between Pike Place and Pioneer Square, called Nijo.
Here are some thoughts from a current Seattle resident: if you're staying downtown, several of the restaurants recommended will require a cab ride, the Herbfarm in particular (it's about 40 minutes by car from downtown Seattle).* From downtown, the three neighborhoods that are most easily accessible (either by foot, cab, or SLUT**), are Belltown, Capitol Hill, and South Lake Union. Lots of good eating in that neck of the woods. I'll second some of the recs above - Spinasse, Steelhead Diner, Matt's in the Market - and add a few others: Spur in Belltown and Quinn's in Capitol Hill are both gastropubs with high quality, reasonably priced food; Crush in Capitol Hill (chef is a 2010 Beard winner); Poppy in Capitol Hill (modern take on Indian thali dining, chef used to be at the Herbfarm and was a Top Chef Masters contestant); Purple downtown (great wine bar with good food, particularly the lamb burger, but gets crowded); art at the Four Seasons downtown (fantastic view from the bar - better to have a drink and snacks in the bar/lounge than do the full dinner).
If you're the museum type, the Seattle Art Museum is definitely worth your time. No big exhibitions right now, but the standard installation is both high quality and relatively unique, and the building itself is an attractive place to walk around. Not sure if this is up your alley, but the Symphony is doing a Sci-Fi themed performance (music from Star Wars, Star Trek, and Avatar) at Benaroya Hall (a beautiful facility to hear the symphony). Weather permitting, the ferry ride to Bainbridge is pretty and will offer you the best views of downtown and the Mountain (if it's out).
*That being said, my wife took me there for our first anniversary, and it was amazing. Fantastic meal from soup to nuts, and a super comfortable and welcoming atmosphere. Totally worth it as a splurge dinner. They can also assist you with arranging transportation to/from.
**The Seattle Streetcar, briefly (and hilariously) introduced as the South Lake Union Trolley before everybody realized how it abbreviated. From an espresso stand near one of the stops, you can get your "I rode the SLUT" t-shirts. Not surprisingly, no one calls it the Seattle Streetcar.
One thing I'd add about the Herb Farm. It's a fixed menu, so it helps if you're an adventurous eater. The menu I had was The Hunter's Table, and it was incredibly good. It's really an experience, and totally worth it if you can figure out the transportation part of it.
Welcome to the Emerald City! - I went to Revel (urban Korean, in Fremont, an easy Metro ride from downtown) last month and it was the best meal I've had in ages. Strongly recommend. I'll second the Steelhead Diner as well. - If the dates work, come to a Sounders game! We've got one on the 8th and the 15th. Even if you're not a soccer buff, they're a whole lot of fun. Seattle is definitely the city to partake if you're at all interested in the MLS. - If you want Seattle skyline, take it in from the Bank of America Building/Columbia Tower - prettiest views in Seattle. - The Wing Luke museum is fantastic, and a great jumping off point for our International District. - Capitol Hill is a great for an afternoon of exploring.
Seriously the Strawberry Balsamic is amazing, so is Earl Grey, and they have a brand new beer ice cream and pear sorbet (those are two separate flavors).
If you're a foodie, try this tour company - you can nosh your way through various areas of Seattle or the Pike Place Market and get a lot of interesting background at the same time.
http://seattlebitesfoodtours.com/?gclid=CPbh4eO_0qsCFacaQgodaSkXVg I've noticed that sometimes Goldstar https://www.goldstar.com/ has reduced price tickets for these tours.
My favorite special restaurant right now is http://www.boatstreetcafe.com/ and if you're there on a Saturday night, my best friend might wait on you (he's friends with the chef/owner so works there once a week for fun). The hanger steak is wondeful as is any fish dish.
My favorite thing about Poppy, mentioned above, is the dessert platter for two, for $15. You can order dessert only if you sit in the bar area - really worth it; be sure to pick out one of the frozen yogurt items with it.
If you're in the International district during lunch time, try Thai Curry Simple and you'll be transported to Thailand - all lunch items are $5! Save room for a roti for dessert. http://www.thaicurrysimple.com/Menu_61C4.html
cool. lots of choices then restaurant-wise that have already been mentioned and are not too far away. baguette box is great for a lunch sandwich, as is homegrown -- both on capitol hill. the museum of flight, however, is probably a no-go then, unless you're into it enough to make the transportation worth it.
the capitol hill neighborhood not only has some great restaurants, but is also a great place to go vintage shopping and do some people watching. also some lovely independent coffee shops -- vivace, victrola, and cafe ladro to name a few. elliott bay bookstore is great...and oddfellows and molly moon ice cream are right nearby.
another activity that you might consider is seeing a live music show at a smaller club, such as the crocodile or showbox market downtown or up at neumos on capital hill. tickets are usually around $15 or less and there are some great up-and-coming rock bands. the paramount and the moore theater are downtown and have larger acts.
Thanks, Adam! And I thought the rule of thumb was "if anything bad happens, *don't* visit Grace Mercy Hospital?"
ReplyDeleteThe Underground Tour! The Underground Tour! Yeah, go to Pike St. Market and the Space Needle but definitely do the Underground Tour. It's a great history of Seattle. My brother lives in Ballard so I'm a fan of the Ballard Locks and, as you can imagine in a city like that, there are any number of good seafood places. I'm sure there are others who will be more helpful than I, with my suggestion of the crab shack near my brother's place.
ReplyDeleteI came in all ready to recommend the Ballard Locks, thinking that they'd be a little off the beaten, but here's Meghan to handle it. Thanks, Meghan! Salmon ladder forevah!
ReplyDeleteCan't go wrong eating at a Tom Douglas restaurant. Lola's my favorite, but also Dahlia, or Serious Pie, or... http://tomdouglas.com/
ReplyDeleteMy favorites when I visited a couple of years ago were Cafe Lago (the Pomodori al Forno are a must!) and Mario Battali's dad's place, Salumi. If I were going now, I'd add Delancy to the list as well - it's owned and operated by the husband of the woman behind the great foodblog Orangette and is supposed to have incredible pizza. Check out Orangette, Tea & Cookies and Glutenfree Girl - all Seattle foodbloggers - for additional recommendations.
ReplyDeleteLoved the Ballard Locks and Olympic Sculpture Park!
jenn -- i'll throw out a few of my favorites, but feel free to let us know any parameters (do you have a car? are you staying downtown? what food do you like? would you rather go for a hike or go to a museum? kids? budget parameters for dining?)
ReplyDeleterestaurants -- if you're a foodie and want a nice meal, than my top choices are sitka and spruce, spinasse, and staple & fancy. if you love oysters, walrus & carpenter in ballard. seafood by pike's market: steelhead diner or matt's in the market. asian -- green leaf in the ID (more of a hole in the wall) or head to din tai fung in bellevue for soup dumplings. i would choose palace kitchen for my tom douglas choice, but it has more of a bar-like atmosphere. salumi for lunch if you're willing to wait in line for a bit.
activity-wise --
the ballard locks, as mentioned above, are on our must-do visitors list. we also like to take the ferry over to bainbridge if it's nice out for a quick day trip. museum of flight is great if you're a history buff and good for all ages. snoqualmie falls for a quick hike and beautiful view. pike's market. gasworks park or discovery park if it's really nice out, which is unlikely this time of year.
I had a phenomenal dining experience at Herbfarm last December:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.theherbfarm.com/?gclid=CMaVgIazz6sCFWYbQgodJzP2VA
They do one seating a night, it's a themed tasting menu with wine, and everything is locally sourced and absolutely delicious. Our dinner included a time-out to go feed the truffle-hunting pigs, which live on the premises. I really can't recommend it highly enough.
I had a fantastic meal at http://www.lepichetseattle.com/">Le Pichet last time I was in Seattle. Delicious food, and not too expensive. And wine in "pichets". Not too expensive either.
ReplyDeleteAlso second the Underground Tour. It was really fun and informative.
Oh, there's this great little coffee place out there, Starbucks. Very unique to Seattle, enjoy it.
ReplyDeleteI recommend taking a ferry to the islands- Bainbridge or Orcas.
I'd recommend the foodtruck Marination Mobile, best food truck I've ever had--Korean Hawaiian fusion. Also, check out some local farmer's markets--fun even at this time of year. Try the one in Ballard or the U District.
ReplyDeleteEverything I know about Underground Seattle I learned from Scooby Doo.
ReplyDeleteYes, definitely do the Underground Tour! It's a very unique, and hilarious, peek into Seattle's (infamous) history.
ReplyDeleteAfter walking through Pike Place Market (which you should definitely give yourself at least an hour to do), my boyfriend and I were left with an intense craving for raw fish. There was an amazing sushi place near there, about halfway between Pike Place and Pioneer Square, called Nijo.
ReplyDeleteSeveral of these restaurants look amazing. I'm trying to decide if I can justify The Herb Farm....
ReplyDeleteStaying downtown. No car. Just me, flying solo. And I'm not hike-adverse, but museums are more of my go-to when visiting a new city.
ReplyDeleteHere are some thoughts from a current Seattle resident: if you're staying downtown, several of the restaurants recommended will require a cab ride, the Herbfarm in particular (it's about 40 minutes by car from downtown Seattle).* From downtown, the three neighborhoods that are most easily accessible (either by foot, cab, or SLUT**), are Belltown, Capitol Hill, and South Lake Union. Lots of good eating in that neck of the woods. I'll second some of the recs above - Spinasse, Steelhead Diner, Matt's in the Market - and add a few others: Spur in Belltown and Quinn's in Capitol Hill are both gastropubs with high quality, reasonably priced food; Crush in Capitol Hill (chef is a 2010 Beard winner); Poppy in Capitol Hill (modern take on Indian thali dining, chef used to be at the Herbfarm and was a Top Chef Masters contestant); Purple downtown (great wine bar with good food, particularly the lamb burger, but gets crowded); art at the Four Seasons downtown (fantastic view from the bar - better to have a drink and snacks in the bar/lounge than do the full dinner).
ReplyDeleteIf you're the museum type, the Seattle Art Museum is definitely worth your time. No big exhibitions right now, but the standard installation is both high quality and relatively unique, and the building itself is an attractive place to walk around. Not sure if this is up your alley, but the Symphony is doing a Sci-Fi themed performance (music from Star Wars, Star Trek, and Avatar) at Benaroya Hall (a beautiful facility to hear the symphony). Weather permitting, the ferry ride to Bainbridge is pretty and will offer you the best views of downtown and the Mountain (if it's out).
*That being said, my wife took me there for our first anniversary, and it was amazing. Fantastic meal from soup to nuts, and a super comfortable and welcoming atmosphere. Totally worth it as a splurge dinner. They can also assist you with arranging transportation to/from.
**The Seattle Streetcar, briefly (and hilariously) introduced as the South Lake Union Trolley before everybody realized how it abbreviated. From an espresso stand near one of the stops, you can get your "I rode the SLUT" t-shirts. Not surprisingly, no one calls it the Seattle Streetcar.
The public library is pretty cool too, architecturally speaking.
ReplyDeleteOne thing I'd add about the Herb Farm. It's a fixed menu, so it helps if you're an adventurous eater. The menu I had was The Hunter's Table, and it was incredibly good. It's really an experience, and totally worth it if you can figure out the transportation part of it.
ReplyDeleteWelcome to the Emerald City!
ReplyDelete- I went to Revel (urban Korean, in Fremont, an easy Metro ride from downtown) last month and it was the best meal I've had in ages. Strongly recommend. I'll second the Steelhead Diner as well.
- If the dates work, come to a Sounders game! We've got one on the 8th and the 15th. Even if you're not a soccer buff, they're a whole lot of fun. Seattle is definitely the city to partake if you're at all interested in the MLS.
- If you want Seattle skyline, take it in from the Bank of America Building/Columbia Tower - prettiest views in Seattle.
- The Wing Luke museum is fantastic, and a great jumping off point for our International District.
- Capitol Hill is a great for an afternoon of exploring.
Molly Moon's for kick ass ice cream!
ReplyDeleteSeriously the Strawberry Balsamic is amazing, so is Earl Grey, and they have a brand new beer ice cream and pear sorbet (those are two separate flavors).
ReplyDeleteIf you're a foodie, try this tour company - you can nosh your way through various areas of Seattle or the Pike Place Market and get a lot of interesting background at the same time.
ReplyDeletehttp://seattlebitesfoodtours.com/?gclid=CPbh4eO_0qsCFacaQgodaSkXVg
I've noticed that sometimes Goldstar https://www.goldstar.com/ has reduced price tickets for these tours.
My favorite special restaurant right now is http://www.boatstreetcafe.com/ and if you're there on a Saturday night, my best friend might wait on you (he's friends with the chef/owner so works there once a week for fun). The hanger steak is wondeful as is any fish dish.
My favorite thing about Poppy, mentioned above, is the dessert platter for two, for $15. You can order dessert only if you sit in the bar area - really worth it; be sure to pick out one of the frozen yogurt items with it.
If you're in the International district during lunch time, try Thai Curry Simple and you'll be transported to Thailand - all lunch items are $5! Save room for a roti for dessert. http://www.thaicurrysimple.com/Menu_61C4.html
cool. lots of choices then restaurant-wise that have already been mentioned and are not too far away. baguette box is great for a lunch sandwich, as is homegrown -- both on capitol hill. the museum of flight, however, is probably a no-go then, unless you're into it enough to make the transportation worth it.
ReplyDeletethe capitol hill neighborhood not only has some great restaurants, but is also a great place to go vintage shopping and do some people watching. also some lovely independent coffee shops -- vivace, victrola, and cafe ladro to name a few. elliott bay bookstore is great...and oddfellows and molly moon ice cream are right nearby.
another activity that you might consider is seeing a live music show at a smaller club, such as the crocodile or showbox market downtown or up at neumos on capital hill. tickets are usually around $15 or less and there are some great up-and-coming rock bands. the paramount and the moore theater are downtown and have larger acts.
have a great trip!