tighe

Imperial Garden for dim sum.

Definitely hit a Vietnamese place. I prefer Green Leaf, but many like Tamarind Tree best and it has a more extensive menu. Both are in the International District. Mistral is excellent, but I'm not sure how distinctive it is compared to high-end restaurants in other cities. Although I prefer Mistral, Lampreia is more likely to give you something unique. My favorite time to go to Pike Place is early. Vendors open at 9 and I like walking through before then to see the displays being arranged, etc. Getting into one of the dinners at Salumi is almost impossible, but one of the sit-down lunches might be an option.

Seattle seems to have a peculiar affinity for tooth-ache inducing noise levels in restaurants. I can't stand it, but apparently many, many people find it to be a good proxy for a place having "energy."

You could do a lot worse than brunch at the Georgian room in your hotel.

No, I sat downstairs in the front room, there were two loud tables, but I don't believe you were at either.

I thought Crush was deafeningly loud when I was there recently. What about Steelhead?

Yes, much bigger, quite hip. Food is still great, but I haven't reconciled myself to the loss of intimacy and warmth compared to the original location.

tighe, I have had good and mediocre meals at Mistral in Vancouver. The last time was at a private dinner and everything went well until the mains which were very poor. Other times everything was very nice. ← Interestingly, I would characterize my experiences with Campagne and, to a lesser extent, Pichet in almost exactly the same way. I'm beginning to think there's some phenomena where restaurants not in one's hometown just seem better.

Can I be an ass and ask why you would want to eat at Pichet and/or Campagne when you have Mistral (among others) in your hometown? The meal I had there last weekend was in an entirely different class than any French restaurant I've been to in Seattle. If you're staying in Hotel 1000, it might be worth giving BOKA a whirl, they're breaking in a new chef and the reviews have been somewhat mixed, but you'd only have to worry about finding your way back to your room. I would definitely take Tavolata (Ethan's place) over Volterra, though both are good. I've heard consistently good things about Beato, but haven't gotten there yet.

After our visit last week, the sub-title for the thread should be changed to 'the food sucks again, is heinously overpriced, and the service is a joke'. Very dissapointing.

You won't go wrong with either Mistral or Lampreia (or Union for that matter). The quality/consistency of the cooking is better at Mistral and Lampreia offers a more cutting-edge approach. FWIW, the volume at Lark (and Crush and Harvest Vine) preclude any notion of being 'romantic' for me.

← Cemitas Poblanas is really close to my house. I've been a couple time and I think their sandwiches are very good, not sure they rise to AWESOME for me however. Buxx Teriyaki next door is some of the best I've had, FWIW.

Just like the first one on Capitol Hill. Great pizza, good people. What more do you need to know? ← I just read that they're opening yet another location in Georgetown soon. Still think their pizza is overrated, but good by Seattle standards.

All the places mentioned are good, just depends what you're interested in eating. I also like Two Tartes Bakery (they serve lunch as well as pastries), Daimonji for Japanese food. I haven't been yet, but the Georgetown Liquor Company is supposed to have very good vegetarian food.

Matt's would be a good choice. Another place that would fit the plain seafood bill is Waterfront, it's a little more up-scale and more expensive than Matt's. Waterfront dinner menu

From some things I read it sounds like its not a question of inadequate business, more about co-owners who could no longer coexist. I'm betting one or both of them will pop up with a new place soon.

Now that we've bravely ventured outside the Seattle city limits... Hans' Sausage & Deli in Burien is a great German deli, offering a mix of stuff made in-house and imported from the Vaterland.

Behold the power of Google:

hadn't heard this but I do know that one of the owners has MS or a similarly disabilitating disease. I hope this doesn't mean things have turned worse for her. ← From yesterday's Taste of the Town in the Times: Sad.

Pancake Chef in Tukwila has them.

Filiberto's (just northwest of SeaTac airport) does a great ham calzone. Actually, their pizzas are as good or better than any of the new wave of 'certified' Neapolitan places.

Given the West Valley Hwy location, Renton probably makes the most sense.... - Naan n'Curry for good Indian/Pakistani food - Red House for small plates plus great wine/beer selection - Imperial Garden for Chinese - Melrose Grill for steaks - Bai Tong for Thai (near Southcenter)

Spencer's in the SeaTac Hilton is much better than 13 Coins, though not necessarily cheaper. Filiberto's on Des Moines Memorial Dr is great for red-sauce Italian. Burien has some good options including Elliot Bay Brewpub.

Our next-door neighbor just tore out his entire front lawn to put in raised beds for veggies. Not sure I would make the same choice, but whatever...

I did a tour and tasting at Theo recently and came away very impressed. The Bread & Chocolate was one of my favs as well. According to our guide, they toast baguettes, pulverized them, then toss the crumbs with melted butter. Once the mixture is cooled, they blend it into the chocolate. I particularly enjoyed tasting the different single-source bars side-by-side. Madagascar rocks!