Top 5: Seattle Eats

While I am probably short of being a “regular” at these restaurants, any opportunity to grab a table at one of them is always welcome. These are the places I crave the food and the atmosphere. On evenings when I simply do not want to cook or those times when a nice meal out with friends is in order, I can always count on my Top 5 Go-Tos for Seattle Dining. The following restaurants are great for dates, small groups or even a meal by one’s self-Txori in particular is that kind of relaxed establishment where it’s never awkward eating alone. I included the number one dish or combination that gets me in the door. The next time you find yourself in Seattle, give these a try.

Café Presse
12th & Madison
Just minutes walk from my apartment, Café Presse is the sister restaurant to a downtown favorite, Le Pichet. Authentic French food in a modern yet comfortable neighborhood setting. I love seeing the sign as I round the corner on 12th—the logo is taken directly from a chain of newspaper stores in France called Maison de la Presse. Reminds me of home.

Top Dish:
Steak-Frites 16.00
Pan roasted Oregon Natural Beef hanger steak, piperade, and fried potatoes

Steelhead Diner
1st & Pine
My introduction to Steelhead Diner came through an invitation to dine with the owner and head PR agent. My friend and I partook of a filling spread of contemporary Pacific Northwest cuisine. My extended review here.

Top Dish:
A Slice of Caviar Pie with Traditional Garniture 12.95
Jumbo Lump Dungeness Crab Cake with Crispy Parsley & Sauce Louis 14.95

Quinn's Pub
10th & E Pike
Sister restaurant to the Belltown must, Restaurant Zoë. Best fries in Seattle, hands down. The drinks are excellent as well and the concept of the restaurant, a “gastro-pub,” is a welcome addition to the trendy Capitol Hill area. Try the oxtail too. Warm, nostalgic, and rustic atmosphere.

Top Dish:
Fries with demi glacé sauce 8.00

Txori
2nd & Blanchard
An authentic Spanish and Basque tapas restaurant with small plates called pinxtos ranging from $2-$6. High tables in an elongated, intimate space. Everything I have tried on this menu is heaven-in-your-mouth-good.

Top Dish:
tortilla española 1.75
potato onion omelet, alioli
albondigas 6.00
pork and veal meatballs

Thai Tom
45th & University
Another cozy establishment, this one in the University District. This is the best Thai food in Seattle and the most inexpensive. Watch Tom himself prepare your meal in a cast iron skillet just a few feet away from you with flames licking the stainless steel range above. Shoulder to shoulder, line out the door, you can’t beat it and Seattle knows.

Top Dish:
Swimming Rama 7.00
Chicken simmered in coconut milk, surrounded by blanched spinach,covered in a citrus spiked peanut sauce

Next Top 5: Drinks