ONLY in Seattle - specialties and restaurants

[OC Mutt]

Seattle hounds, what would you recommend as restaurants and dishes served, that are local favorites and only available in Seattle? The closer to downtown the better.

[mrnelso]

While not available only in Seattle, Puget Sound Mussels (Penn Cove, et al) deserve a mention. The view and the mussels in the upstairs bar at Maximilien are an experience you will not find elsewhere. Salumi is another uniquely Seattle experience - do sit in the back, with the locals, and have the kitchen specials.
OK, so it's just another fish house in town known for fish, but dinner al fresco on the veranda at Ponti, overlooking the Lake Washington ship-canal canal, on a warm Seattle evening, is a memory-maker, to be sure. Even happy-hour on the barge at Ivar's Salmon House can't really be duplicated elsewhere.

[kaleokahu]

El Camino's ancho-chile-sauced mussels are gastro LSD. You will be drinking the leftover sauce, shamelessly and in public.

[paulj]

Here's an blog debating whether teriyaki is to Seattle as the hot dog is to Chicago (as claimed in a NYT article)
http://blog.seattlepi.com/capitolhill...

[pusherman]

There's definitely a Northwestern cuisine. I think of it as sort of upscale comfort food, generally simple preparations with extremely high quality local / seasonal ingredients. I know, not so different from other local cuisines, but they do it well here, and the highly local ingredients may be rare elsewhere.

Sitka & Spruce and Tilth are two high profile examples; also makes its way onto other menus, I like Palace Kitchen, Quinn's, or at the high end you could try some place like Elemental, Corson, Herb Farm...

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Palace Kitchen
2030 5th Ave, Seattle, WA 98121

Sitka & Spruce
2238 Eastlake Ave E, Seattle, WA 98102

Herb Farm
14590 NE 145th St, Woodinville, WA 98072

[Billy Bob]

I made my first trip to Sitka and Spruce last Friday for lunch and loved every bite. I can't wait to go back and also to try the Corson Building, owned by the same people. For pics and a brief write up on my journey check out Tao of Chow.

Billy Bob
www.taoofchow.wordpress.com

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Sitka & Spruce
2238 Eastlake Ave E, Seattle, WA 98102

[bergeo]

The ultimate local favorite only available in Seattle: Dick's burger, fries, and a shake.
On a similar note: a Seattle Dog (hot dog with cream cheese).

Otherwise, I'm not sure there are many items unique to Seattle, but I would definitely try:
- A grilled pork sandwich from Paseo.
- Anything from Salumi.
- Pike Place Chowder (multiple award winning).
- Many of the local breweries.
- A meal at one of the many fabulous NW restaurants: Sitka & Spruce, Spring Hill, Spinasse, Tilth, Crush, etc.

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Sitka & Spruce
2238 Eastlake Ave E, Seattle, WA 98102

Spring Hill Restaurant & Bar
4437 California Ave SW, Seattle, WA 98116

Spinasse
Seattle, WA, Seattle, WA

Pike Place Chowder
600 Pine St Ste 404, Seattle, WA 98101

Salumi
309 3rd Ave S, Seattle, WA 98104

[Leper]

OCM, While not exclusively Seattle, the Szechuan Crab at Seven Stars is a Seattle classic. Also, the mussels at Maximillien's at the Market come fresh daily from nearby Whidbey Island and are offered multiple ways. (The upstairs bar is the venue of choice.) Salumi, located in Pioneer Square, offers some unique and amazing dishes. (Open for lunch only, weekdays only.) Harvest Vine for exceptionally creative and well executed tapas. The omikasa menu at Shiro's; offerings at Long's Provincial are a unique blend of French & Vietnamese. Finally the frog's legs at Quinns are kick a--. Enjoy!

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Harvest Vine
2701 E Madison St, Seattle, WA 98112

Shiro's
2401 2nd Ave, Seattle, WA

Salumi
309 3rd Ave S, Seattle, WA 98104