klsalas

For casual and close-ish to downtown you could zip up to Capitol Hill and hit Via Tribunali. Great atmosphere ... great neopolitan pizza ... or you could go to Serious Pie, the new-ish Tom Douglas pizza place on 4th (and lenora or thereabouts). It is right around the corner from Dahlia lounge. It is more like an Otto style crust ... cracker-like. I liked the creativity of the pizzas though and the space is also a lot of fun. Also on Capitol Hill, at 12th and Madison, is the new sibling of Le Pichet, Cafe Presse. It is open late ... til 2am and focuses on a short menu of well executed French bar/cafe staples. I loved it. Downtown on 4th Ave. is Cafe Purple ... a wine bar in a dramatic space. They aim high enough with the food but the execution has been inconsistent. Nonetheless I would recommend it for a party trip. There are many small plate options and again a great selection of wine. If you happen to get to Fremont, definitely check out Brouwer's, a Belgian beer bar. They have about 60 beers on tap including a very impressive variety of Belgian and NW beers, about 200 bottles and about 40 scotches. They also have a few really decent plates. It is comfort food and it is not expensive. However the beer can add up. Gotta go for now. I will give your question more thought. I am thinking of a few places in Ballard as well. Maybe you will get out for some more nightlife. King's Hardware and Divino are two standouts and for bakeries you definitely don't want to miss Cafe Besalu. The croissants and other pastries are made by the owner who is there working every day they are open (not Monday though). I would rank the pain au chocolate the best I have ever had ... anywhere. -K

I am interested in what you all think of other gelato in Seattle. I have been to Bottega Italiano and Gelatiamo. I felt both were comparable to gelato I have had in Italy. Going slightly off topic, what Seattle does not seem to have much of, that is prevalent in Philly, where I also lived for some time is water ice. Rita's locations were ubiquitous (but good) though I really enjoyed Rocco's in S.Philly. BTW Divino in Ballard, though a wine bar by initial design, has ramped up their food and now serves a bona fide Italian menu marked by some excellent pastas. Re: sweets, I was surprised that they are now selling housemade gelato at the Ballard Sunday farmer's market. I also had one of the finest cannolis there since having access to Termini Bro in Philly. In other sweets news I need to make a trip to West Seattle. I have been under the strongly held conviction that Cafe Besalu has the best pain au chocolate in the city (if not the world as I have had none better). However I was reading in the last Seattle Met. Magazine that William Leaman of Bakery Nouveau in West Seattle won the CHAMPION DU MONDE de la BOULANGERIE. It looks like that was in 2005 and may have been for bread. -K

I was eating dinner at El Celler Can Roca in early May with my wife. After the meal, one of the best in my life incidentally, I was visiting the kitchen on invitation from our waiter. He mentioned that they had an American chef from Chicago now working there who could show us around. The chef came out and I told him I love Chicago and in fact had wonderful meal at Butter. His face brightened and said "I opened Butter." I looked at him again more carefully and asked "what is your name". He said "Ryan Poli." I was so shocked it didn't even occur to pry into HOW he ended up there. I live in Seattle but have been to Butter twice and met Ryan once on my first visit. I am embarrassed to say I did not recognize him right off the bat. I guess I was just not expecting him there of all places. Anyway, that is where he is: working at Celler Can Roca. -K