Seattle, WA and Surrounding Areas Restaurants

Restaurants that we have tried and highly recommend in Seattle are (alphabetical):

1. Altura 617 Broadway E. Seattle, WA 98102 206-402-6749

Food: 10/10 Ambiance 8/10

Sat at the Chef's counter and loved the 4 course dinner menu. They offer 3, 4, 5, or 6 course dinner menus, so there are tons of options. We enjoyed the chicory salad, oyster soup, risotto, veal ravioli, and pacific cod, but our favorites were the scrumptious potato crusted petrale sole and for dessert, the chocolate pistachio crostata. The lemon canoli was also delicious. Fresh ingredients, lovely presentation, wonderful flavors. Service was also excellent.

2. Buddha Ruska 3520 SW Genesee St. Seattle, WA 98126 206-937-7676 http://buddharuksa.com

FOOD: 10/10 AMBIENCE 8/10

Wished we could try everything on the menu, all sounded delicious. But, since it was just the two of us, we had two dishes, both excellent: crispy garlic chicken and the shrimp curry in coconut milk. Be sure to get rice to soak up the wonderful sauces. Parking was easy in residential. Service was great.

3. Crow 823 - 5th Ave N. Seattle, WA 98109 206-283-8800 www.eatatcrow.com/

Food 9/10 Ambience 7/10

We sat at the Chefs Counter and it was fun to watch the meal preparation. It was Happy Hour, so tried a variety of $5 plates for appetizers: cheese with fruit; cured meats, olives and almonds; and our favorite $5 plate: the smoked salmon carpaccio with raita (but all three plates were great). We also had the parmesan pudding with crostini for an appetizer (not on the Happy Hour menu), so yummy. All our entrees were fabulous.

The perfectly cooked and seasoned seared scallops with Brussels sprouts, bacon, and chestnuts was my favorite. I don't even like Brussels sprouts, but this dish was amazing, and now I love Brussels sprouts. Husband had the roasted chicken wrapped with prosciutto which was crispy and delicious, with a tasty light sauce and vegetables. Our son had the lasagne, which he said was very good. The two desserts we had were wonderful: sticky toffee pudding and pear tart with mascarpone ice cream. The toffee pudding was the best we've ever tasted. Parking was easy, got a space on the street right out front. Service was excellent.

4. Harbor City Restaurant 707 S King St. Seattle, WA 98104

Dim Sum Food 10/10 Ambience 5/10

The best dim sum in Seattle. You go here for the excellent dim sum, not the atmosphere. It's small, so go early to avoid the crowds. The prices are reasonable and portions are plentiful. Our favorite dishes are (note - spellings vary by dialect) har gow (shrimp dumpling), siu mai (pork dumpling), lo mai gai (sticky rice wrapped in lotus leaves), baked BBQ pork buns, pork chum fun (wide flat noodles), stuffed bean curd skin filled with pork & shrimp, roast duck, and fried sesame seed balls. Although not normally a dim sum item, Harbor City had honey walnut prawns on their dim sum cart, and they were yummy.

5. Mashiko Japanese Restaurant 4725 California Ave SW, Seattle, WA 98116 (206) 935-4339 http://www.sushiwhore.com

Food 10/10; Ambience 7/10

Mashiko is Seattle's first fully sustainable sushi bar. We love going to Happy Hour at Mashiko's. As long as you get a beverage, you can order off the Happy Menu, so we get green tea. There are about 8 food items on the Happy Hour menu, and it‘s fun to try the variety of dishes and flavors. All the sushi has been wonderful. One of our favorite dishes is the Agedashi Dofu (fried organic tofu in a light sauce).

Food is excellent and reasonably priced. Easy parking in back. Call for reservations in order to get a table for Happy Hour (5-6pm) as they get full quickly.

6. PALISADE RESTAURANT 2601 West Marina Place Seattle, WA 98199 206-285-1000 www.palisaderestaurant.com

Food 10/10; Ambience 10/10

Excellent food, wonderful view of the Marina, nice decor, great waitstaff.

We have frequented Palisade pretty much yearly for over 20 years, since it first opened, and it has been our favorite for the overall dining experience: food, ambience, view, and service.

The Early Seating (before 6pm) is a great bargain for a fantastic meal where you get a three-course prix fixe for $29. The Dungeness crab & lobster bisque is excellent, and any entrée or dessert fabulous. The entrée selections may change, but if prime rib or salmon are on the prix fixe menu, they are 'must gets.' Or just order them off the regular menu. For appetizers, the Pupu Tower is wonderful with a variety of delicious tidbits.

7. PEGASUS PIZZA 2758 Alki Ave SW, Seattle, WA 98116 206-932-4849 http://pegasusonalki.com/

Food 10/10 Best Pizza; Ambience 7/10 Small place, but across from the beach area, so nice view.

Any pizza is great, but we especially enjoy Tom's Special and the cheese pizza. Salads are excellent, too.

8. PEPPERDOCK RESTAURANT 2618 Alki Avenue Southwest, Seattle, WA 98116 206-935-1000

Food 10/10 Best Burger; Ambience 7/10 small hole-in-the wall, but across the street from the beach, so nice view.

Best fresh made delicious grilled cheeseburgers and onion rings.

9. PUERTA VALLARTA 4727 California Avenue Southwest, Seattle, WA 98116 206-937-7335 www.puertovallartarestaurantes.com

Food 8/10; Ambience 7/10

Delicious Mexican food, resonable prices. Complimentary homemade chips and salsa. We split the Super Burrito Manadero, but we also like the spinach enchiladas in cream sauce.

10. SALTY'S ON ALKI for weekend brunch 1936 Harbor Avenue. S.W. Seattle, WA 98126 206-937-1600 http://www.saltys.com/seattle/

Food 10/10 Weekend Brunch Buffet Ambience 10/10

Excellent food and views of Elliott Bay, attentive waitstaff. Weekend brunch is very special with a large selection of fruit, salads, seafood (salmon, crab, shrimp, clams, etc.) breads (bagels, muffins, etc.), Belgian waffles, pancakes, French toast, meats (sausage, bacon, prime rib, ham, etc.), omelets made to order, pastas made to order, crepes made to order) huge selection of desserts.

11. SeaStar (both locations in Bellevue or Seattle) SEATTLE: 2121 Terry Ave, Suite 108, Seattle, WA 98121 206-462-4364

BELLEVUE: 205 108th Ave NE. Suite 100, Bellevue, WA 98004 425.456.0010 http://seastarrestaurant.com

Food 10/10 Ambience 9/10

Both restaurants in Seattle and Bellevue are wonderful. The chef was the original chef for Palisade and took his secret recipe for the best Dungeness crab cakes in the world to his restaurants, Seastar. Must gets at Seastar are the fabulous Seastar Tower, which has Dungeness crab cakes, prawns, and scallops. Our favorite entrees are the salmon and scallops, so perfectly prepared. Save room for the fantastic dessert: chocolate turtle cake (warm chocolate caramel pecan cake with caramel sauce and dulce d' leche ice cream. Service at both places has also been excellent.

12. Sutra 1605 N 45th ST, Seattle, WA 98103 206-547-1348 www.sutraseattle.com/

Food: 10/10 Ambience 7/10

Sutra is an incredible vegetarian dining experience. We both had wine pairings with our delicious and creative 5 course meal. The folks next to us had non-alcoholic pairings, which looked very interesting, so we might try that next time. All seats in the restaurant were filled when we were there on a Sunday evening, and it appears that you won't get your own table unless you are in a group of 4. But, it's not uncomfortable to be seated next to strangers, and you can be friendly and make new acquaintances. It is wonderful to have healthy, organic, excellently prepared dishes. Service was also efficient and nice. We will go back.

13. TULIO RISTORANTE 1100 Fifth Ave Seattle, WA 98101 (206) 624-5500 www.tulio.com/

Food 10/10 Ambience 8/10

Tulio is the best place to dine before going to a show at the 5th Avenue Theater downtown. The restaurant is only about a block away. Park across the street in the parking garage, just be sure to punch in AFTER 5pm to get evening parking rate of $10 for the night.

Our favorite dish is the smoked salmon ravioli with asparagus in lemon cream sauce (just heavenly). Wonderful desserts are the tiramisu and the pistachio semi-freddo. Service is excellent as well.

14. Toulouse Petit 601 Queen Anne Ave N Seattle, WA 98109 206-432-9069 http://toulousepetit.com/

Food: 10/10 Ambience 8/10

Toulouse Petit has an extensive menu from which to choose. So, we tried the three course Prix Fixe Menu, which was superb from beginning to end.

For the First Course, we had the hearts of romaine salad and cauliflower & white truffle soup with Dungeness crab.

Second Course: Dungeness crab over fried green tomatoes and the boar-garlic sausage with tomato-basil.

Third Course: Alaskan King salmon with wild mushrooms, carmelized leeks and sweet corn and the pan seared diver scallops with sweet onion-corn.

For dessert we had the Toulouse bananas foster: spice cake, orange rum flambe, pecans, with vanilla bean ice cream

Service was excellent as well. Just be sure to double-check that the wait staff charges you for the prix fixe price and not individually selected three dishes.