Coming to Seattle Thursday, Leaving Sunday - Please Supply Recommendations

[gwong]

I'm coming to Seattle this Thursday for a long weekend and I'm in search of some dining recommendations. Lest you think I've been lazy, I've done some legwork but I'd like some help filling in some holes in my schedule.

I'm staying downtown, arriving early afternoon Thursday, leaving late afternoon Sunday. I've already resolved that Friday lunch will be at Salumi and that I'll probably be stopping by Serious Pie at some point unless there's a better pizza recommendation (hint: I'm soliciting recs!). Ideally, these are the things I'm looking for:

1. I'd like a nice dinner suggestion - doesn't have to be fancy dress (I'm likely wearing sneakers the entire time but will have button down shirts) but something where I'd spend somewhere between $40-$70 all by my lonesome. Maybe a very nice prix fixe or a somewhat inexpensive tasting?

2. Sushi

3. Seafood

4. A good burger place. I always look for one when I travel.

5. Neapolitan pizza - doesn't have to be VPN certified.

6. Dim Sum

7. Anything uniquely Seattle, whether it be the restaurant or the cuisine.

8. Coffee, I guess?

9. Potpourri - not actual potpourri but whatever suggestions you may have that doesn't fit into the other 8 categories.

Thanks for any help coming my way!

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Serious Pie
316 Virginia St, Seattle, WA 98101

Salumi
309 3rd Ave S, Seattle, WA 98104

[MonaNomura]

I'm surprised Zoe's isn't mentioned -- one of my favorites in Seattle. Also, if you like cheese pop by Beecher's for three or five year reserve! Yum.

[gwong]

Wow, I'm thankful for all the responses and suggestions you all threw my way. I'm sorry I haven't had a chance to say that until now but, to be honest, I just totally forgot to do so.

I've been blogging about all the places I've been during my trip but I'll do a quick list of it here:
Salumi
Book Bindery
Serious Pie
Chez Shea
Jade Garden Restaurant

That's all I have off the top of my head. If you don't mind my blatant plug for my site's Seattle-related posts...

http://www.foodie-call.com/tag/seattle/
http://www.foodie-call.com/?snaptags=...

Thanks again!

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Chez Shea
94 Pike St. Suite 34, Seattle, WA 98101

Serious Pie
316 Virginia St, Seattle, WA 98101

Jade Garden Restaurant
7th S King S, Seattle, WA 98101

Salumi
309 3rd Ave S, Seattle, WA 98104

[SeattleSam]

If you can get away from downtown, I highly recommend Joule in the Wallingford neighborhood. First, the food (French/Korean fusion) is fabulous. The Chef there was featured on Iron Chef not too long ago (lost, but just barely). Second, it's a VERY comfortable place to dine alone. They have a "bar" area, where you can watch them cook. They'll take VERY good care of you and did I mention the food is FABULOUS!!

[gwong]

I was only in Seattle for a long weekend three weeks ago (wow, can't believe it's been that long already) but I'll keep this in mind for my next trip out there. I'll definitely be heading back out to the Pacific Northwest in the next year or so.

[Scott O]

I don't know where you're coming from, but there are some very good Ethiopian restaurants in town. I can recommend Ras Dashen, Saba, and Altaye.

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Ras Dashen Restaurant
2801 E Cherry St, Seattle, WA

[B Bele]

I am surprised that no one has mentioned Lunchbox Laboratory for burgers. It's a hole in the wall kind of experience (minus the hole in the wall price).

Vivace Coffee and Stella Coffee (both downtown) are very good.

For great oysters, try The Carpenter and the Whale.

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Lunchbox Laboratory
1253 Thomas Street, Seattle, WA 98109

[bluedog67]

that would be walrus, not whale

[B Bele]

Yes, the Walrus. I was typing too quickly, obviously!

[bluedog67]

....didn't mean to be snoody about it, just wanted the OP to be able to find the place!

[mrnelso]

Not to be snooty about it (please forgive me), but a snood is a European hair covering.
It's a grand word and I support its resurrection, entirely.

[Scott O]

We first found Lunchbox Laboratory a great experience in how far you could push flavor, but the execution is sloppy, sloppy, sloppy. And even for Seattle, the place feels just a little too dirty for my tastes.

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Lunchbox Laboratory
1253 Thomas Street, Seattle, WA 98109

[klsalas]

A few suggestions. For a quintessential Seattle experience hit Zig Zag on the Hillclimb below Western Avenue essentially behind Pike Place Market. Murray Stenson is one of America's best bartenders and his knowledge of cocktails is superior. Great atmosphere; great cocktails. On dim sum my go to pick is Jade Garden. A friend born in Hong Kong first took me there and swears by its authenticity. Yeah it is crowded and seating can be a bit chaotic but I think you will find it well worth it. It's also v. inexpensive. You could have 5 plates, tea and tip for less than a $20. Dowtown there are many coffee places. Fonte, on First Ave, @ the Four Seasons, is the standout in my view. Their coffees are top notch and their food is excellent. They offer different brewing options and some interesting coffee testing options

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Pike Place Market
1501 Pike Pl, Seattle, WA 98101

Zig Zag Cafe
1501 Western Ave Ste 202, Seattle, WA 98101

Four Seasons
820 Griffin Ave, Enumclaw, WA 98022

Hong Kong Restaurant
302 N Olympic Ave, Arlington, WA 98223

Jade Garden Restaurant
7th S King S, Seattle, WA 98101

[gwong]

Thanks for the suggestions - you rock!

[cocktailhour]

Almost nothing is fancy dress in Seattle. You can go anywhere, except perhaps Canlis or Rovers, that's mentioned on this board. In general for dinner, try Mistral Kitchen, Spur, Staple & Fancy, Tilth, Corson, Crush. Each of these is a Seattle highlight so I guess nos. 1 and 7. I would also go to Palace Kitchen or Etta's for a meal--Palace has a great burger, Etta's is seafood--because I think a Ton Douglas joint is a must for a good Seattle survey. (Serious Pie is also Tom Douglas, but I put it in a separate category).

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Canlis Restaurant
2576 Aurora Ave N, Seattle, WA 98109

Palace Kitchen
2030 5th Ave, Seattle, WA 98121

Mistral Kitchen
2020 Westlake Avenue, Seattle, WA 98121

[gwong]

Would you say that Palace Kitchen for the burger is more representative of a Tom Douglas restaurant or experience compared to Serious Pie? I'm thinking I might get a burger there now that I've seen some of the reviews for it.

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Palace Kitchen
2030 5th Ave, Seattle, WA 98121

Serious Pie
316 Virginia St, Seattle, WA 98101

[cocktailhour]

yes, the burger at Palace is a great choice and very good Seattle scene. have fun!

[Tom Armitage]

I know you said that you’ve done some legwork, but your list covers an awful lot of ground across many topics that have already been extensively discussed on the Greater Seattle Board, such as sushi, seafood, pizza, burgers, etc. I think you will get a greater response from local Chowhounds if you refine and narrow your request, reflecting your reading of the existing posts on the Seattle Board. For example, “For sushi, I am trying to decide between Kisaku, Mashiko, and Hiroshi. Which of these has the broadest array of the less common types of fish and the highest quality fish?” Or maybe you aren’t particularly interested in unusual types of fish, and are interested primarily in getting reasonable quality of common types of fish (tuna, yellowtail, etc.) at an inexpensive cost. Giving us more of clue about the criteria for your choices would help a lot. Just use the search function for the Seattle Board and type in your categories, like "burgers," "dim sum," etc.

[gwong]

Yeah, I should have been more specific about some of the places I had considered for the categories but I wrote the post in haste and just got lazy with my listage.

I guess for something like burgers, I've seen posts mention Two Bells, Red Mill, and Skillet - I'd lean toward Skillet but I don't think they'll be around when I'm there.

I threw out seafood and sushi without thinking at all - I apologize and take the hit for that. I don't believe I ever really had my heart in those two. Scattershot thinking on my thought really.

Dim Sum, I have Harbor City and Jade Garden - I'm leaning toward Harbor City.

I've made a resy for Chez Shea after a search through the boards and I think I'll also stop in at Olivar. Before my flight out late Sunday afternoon, I thought a late lunch at Long Provincial would be nice.

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Chez Shea
94 Pike St. Suite 34, Seattle, WA 98101

Olivar
806 E Roy St, Seattle, WA 98102

Jade Garden Restaurant
7th S King S, Seattle, WA 98101

[Tom Armitage]

All good choices, gwong. I’ll take a pass on the burger recommendations since I almost always prepare my burgers at home (grind my own meat, get brioche buns from Macrina Bakery, cook the burgers “black and blue” on an extremely hot charcoal grill, etc.), and save my restaurant budget for things that require more labor and skill to prepare. I prefer Jade Garden to Harbor City for dim sum, but some folks don’t think the long line at J.G. is worth it, and the individual dishes at J.G. aren’t always consistently excellent. The Seattle dim sum isn’t as good as you can get in Los Angeles (Monterey Park and the San Gabriel Valley) and Vancouver, BC. I recently had a very nice experience at Chez Shea, so thumbs up there. Ditto on Olivar and Long Provincial. Have fun, and report back on your experiences.

[firecracker]

Serious Pie. Oh my. Try the Chandrelle and truffle cheese pie. Yummmmm. A little expensive for an indivual pie - $16. Worth it.

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Serious Pie
316 Virginia St, Seattle, WA 98101

[Jazzaloha]

FYI, Food Network's Tyler Florence called that particular pizza the best he's ever eaten. Last year, I made it a point to try it. It's good, but I don't know if it warrants that designation, although my Seattle foodie friend called it "magical" (and he tends to think Tom Douglas is overrated). Also, I got a slice during happy for around $6 (if I remember correctly).

[gwong]

Thanks to both of you for helping me feel good about my selection of Serious Pie on my itinerary. I think I'll make sure to get there now. Thanks again!

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Serious Pie
316 Virginia St, Seattle, WA 98101