Hello,

My girlfriend and I are looking to go to the Best restaurants in Seattle. We are looking for best food, great decor (prefer modern) excellent service. What do you recommend? Expensive is fine but not over
$ 200 check.

My favorites - in no particular order:
Rover's, Campagne, Chez Shea, Georgian Room at the Four Seasons, and Canlis. All require reservations well in advance. If you really like seafood, include Flying Fish and Ray's Boathouse.
Enjoy!

Campagne remains a favorite of ours over the years. I wouldn't call the interior modern but the service is very good and the food delicious. You might ask for a window seating that looks down on Pike Market. Staying at the Inn at the Market is an extra treat when eating at Campagne. You are right there. We're heading back in September and plan to try Ray's Boathouse and Nell's in Greenlake.

I had both lunch and dinner at Ray Boathouse in the mid-80's. We met a couple on a cruise this past New Years from Seattle and asked about Ray's. They said it is still as great as ever.

While I agree Roy's is a great place, try Salt's on Alkali, great view back across the harbor and excellent food.

Salty's on Alki has a great view but is not in the same league with the others mentioned. Palisades and Waterfront will both give the water views but with better food.

I loved Campagne--great French/continental food...
Downstairs is the Cafe Campagne-which is bistro priced ( lower prices) food...and also good...

But Campagne is truly a dining experience with great service!

I'm not sure if Wild Ginger fits your bill, because the service is casual; friendly and attentive, earnestly so, but not formal. Still, the decor is hip Pacific rim, as is the food, which is also delicious. While we went for lunch, it looks like an excellent spot for cocktails and nibbles. It is not expensive. Enjoy!

Rovers, The Herb Farm, Waterfront, Palisades, Dahlia Lounge, The Metropolitan Steak House, Campagne, Chez Shea.

No particular order..........

I think El Gaucho would be best for you. It's a steak house in Belltown (very hip/trendy neighborhood with tons of bars, restaurants, etc), and the decor is very cool and non-Seattle. It almost feels like a New York City restaurant from the 50's -- big, dark, expansive, plush booths.

Metropolitan Grill is a fantastic steak house but is not at ALL modern, it's more of a traditional "boys' club" decor (brass rails). I love the Met, but you know what I mean.

You might also enjoy Deux Tamales in Columbia City, it's not downtown but the food, drinks, decor, and owners are all great. Fun spot, best margaritas and tequinis in town.

Just returned from Seattle. We had dinner at the Union Square Grill. Steaks were excellent,, Service was great, with wine(good shiraz), bill was about $200,, a bit more with good tip.
Stayed at the Inn at the Market,,,, just next to Campange,,did check the menu,,, seems nice and food looked and smelled excellent,,, if you go here be certain that you like fish,,,, my wife is not a big fish person,,, that is why we went for the steak... I have also heard that the Metropolitan is excellent. Avoid dining at the Space needle,,, nice view,,, bad food... we did not eat here,, we were warned by many before our trip.

Georgian Room at the Four Seasons is excellent as are Roys and Canlis. Salty's has a great view, but food was disappointing (IMO) and I think Wild Ginger is overrated (good, but not great.) Etta's by Pike Street Market is very good too.

Yes, the view from the top of the Space Needle is great, food not very great. (Maybe go for a drink.)

For great food, great decor, within your budget, consider Sazerac, on the ground floor of the Hotel Monaco. Cinnamon Profiteroles, oh yeah.

My husband and I ate a special dinner at Canlis on our one and only trip to Seattle.. if you can I would definetly recommend it.. service was the BEST, food wonderful, music great, and most of all the view to die for. We ate at 630 p.m. in the summer and sat in a banquet overlooking the sound and watched the sailboats and ferrys go back and forth as the sun set.. incredible. Would rate it a 10! and their wine list is wonderful too.

Canlis is a great choice and often overlooked, btw the view is of Lake Union not the sound though.

Considering you specified great decor (prefer modern) I strongly recommend The Waterfront, Fandango, and 727. Earth and Ocean, in the W Hotel, is supposed to be good, but I've never eaten there. The Georgian has the best decor, but it's not modern. Seastar, in Bellevue, meets your criteria. The food is great at all these places. Wild Ginger and Dahlia Lounge are big favorites that have charms which escape me.

The Manhattan is really good...also there is a small but nice italian joint in the bell town area I think. I cant remember the name but it is on a corner. (that helps a lot huh?)

Just returned from a wonderful trip in the Seattle area. We had a great meal at Etta's and enjoyed the view from Palasades. Palasades is about 15 minutes away from downtown, but it provides a limosine from downtown hotels. It was a fun evening with a beautiful view of Seattle's skyline.