Xmas Eve in Portland, Xmas Day in Seattle

[StrawbrryF]

This is slightly related to another topic on this board but my question is different.

I'm going to be in Portland and Seattle over Christmas.

I would love to find some good places to have dinner on Christmas Eve in Portland and Christmas Day dinner in Seattle (we're taking the train down on Christmas Day because we figure nothing will be open and the train will be empty).

Any suggestions?
Thanks!

[mariannas]

We frequently get food from the International District in Seattle on Christmas Day. However, if you want to eat in the restaurant, get there EARLY. We went last year and there was a two hour wait so I grabbed a take out menu and called our order in and we took it home.

[StrawbrryF]

Wow, thanks, everyone!

Christy, by "good" I mean good food. It doesn't matter if it's upscale or a shack, as long as it's tasty and interesting.

I'm going to try to make some reservations at Asian restaurants in Seattle and explore Heathman and Carlyle menus.

You guys rock! :)

[christy319]

The only good Asian place I can think of that takes reservations is Tamarind Tree (Vietnamese), and that would be a good pick. They have cocktails, which a lot of Asian places don't have. Going for a dungeness crab feast at 7 Stars Pepper (Szechuan) would also be a good, festive sounding holiday dinner.

[StrawbrryF]

Christy,

Thanks for the suggestions! I think we'll go with Vietnamese since good Chinese is plentiful on the East Coast but I haven't had good Vietnamese since my days in Washington, DC.

[Leonardo]

You could consider Heathman for xmas eve.

[christy319]

What do you mean by "good places"? If you're looking for fine or upscale dining, you'll be eating in a hotel, but Asian restaurants are open and they are packed on Christmas. It's actually a pretty fun, festive thing to do. You can read the many threads here about Chinese, Vietnamese, etc if you're interested in that.

[Kim D]

We had lovely Christmas eve dinner at Carlyle last year. They had a special prix fixe menu and ala carte choices. It wasnt too crowded as I recall. Christmas day in Seattle may prove to be more of a challenge. I'd say hunt down the best Chinese you can find!

[skisvalley]

Christmas day I think will be a challeng. You are going to probably going to need to look at hotel restaurants. Hunt Club at the Sorento maybe?

[barleywino]

i tried the Hunt Club for xmas dinner and was extremely disappointed (plus it was way overpriced as expected)