Restaurant recommendations in Seattle?
Apr 18th, 2001, 08:02 PM
#1
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Restaurant recommendations in Seattle?
Thanks for the hotel suggestions in answer to my earlier post. Now I am wondering where to eat. I will only be there for two nights, so if you have a couple of favourite restaurants, I'd love to hear about them, especially the non-touristy ones that are frequented by the locals.
Apr 19th, 2001, 07:45 AM
#3
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John, thanks for replying.
Our hotel choice at this point is a toss up between the Paramount Hotel on Pine St. at Third, which was offered to us at a really good discount, and the Pacific Plaza, which is possibly even better located and really cheap. However in Fodor's "rants and raves" section, the Pacific Plaza did not get good reviews (average rating 2.8), and the Paramount was unrated, although it was recommended to me by a Seattle travel agent. The Paramount is quite new (buit in 1996), and the Pacific Plaza is very old but just renovated this year. Do you know anything about either of these two? Are they decent choices? Do you have any other suggestions? With the Canadian dollar being so low we have to add approximately 56% to every US price, so I would like something centrally located, and as nice as possible for under USD$140.00.
As far as restaurants go, our preference is for Italian or international cuisine - we don't care for eastern or mid-eastern food. I'd like one upscale restaurant with nice ambience, good food, and nice presentation, but that isn't overly pretentious and over priced, and one which is more moderately priced and casual, but still with an emphasis on good food. Is this too tall an order?
By the way, what is the significance of the ugly clown statues?
Elaine
Our hotel choice at this point is a toss up between the Paramount Hotel on Pine St. at Third, which was offered to us at a really good discount, and the Pacific Plaza, which is possibly even better located and really cheap. However in Fodor's "rants and raves" section, the Pacific Plaza did not get good reviews (average rating 2.8), and the Paramount was unrated, although it was recommended to me by a Seattle travel agent. The Paramount is quite new (buit in 1996), and the Pacific Plaza is very old but just renovated this year. Do you know anything about either of these two? Are they decent choices? Do you have any other suggestions? With the Canadian dollar being so low we have to add approximately 56% to every US price, so I would like something centrally located, and as nice as possible for under USD$140.00.
As far as restaurants go, our preference is for Italian or international cuisine - we don't care for eastern or mid-eastern food. I'd like one upscale restaurant with nice ambience, good food, and nice presentation, but that isn't overly pretentious and over priced, and one which is more moderately priced and casual, but still with an emphasis on good food. Is this too tall an order?
By the way, what is the significance of the ugly clown statues?
Elaine
Apr 19th, 2001, 08:31 AM
#4
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Elaine, I can't speak for the Paramount, too new but pretty well located, in a part of downtown experiencing explosive growth (translated: lots of construction going on all around, new buildings including umpteen movie screens, a couple of major shopping/office complexes, etc.) The Pacific Plaza by comparison is located more in the office core and IMO frankly not as visitor-friendly an area as the Paramount's - steep hills, not many restaurants or shopping opportunities. The building has had several incarnations as hotels, going way back, and was definitely in the budget category back when.
There are plenty of restaurant choices in the area around the Pike Market and Belltown, the district just north of the market running along 1st and 2nd Avenues. In the market, look for the Pink Door (unmarked, just a pink door - duh) on Post Alley - good Italinish food and a GREAT terrace for sunny long lunches and bottles of Chianti; also in the market are Campagne ($$) and Cafe Campagne ($) for very good bistro French.
Also at the market one can stroll around and make meals out of Chinese humbows, pieces of fried chicken, various Filipino or Mexican offerings, coffee, German or Thai or Israeli or.... in essence treat it like tapas or dim sum - you do to the walking.
There are plenty of dress-up alternatives too, or waterfront dining at the foot of the Pike Place Hillclimb - try the Bell St. Diner, for example, for good seafood and views...
Check out Seattle Citysearch for zillions of references. http://seattle.citysearch.com/
The clowns I referred to all have the name Ronald.
There are plenty of restaurant choices in the area around the Pike Market and Belltown, the district just north of the market running along 1st and 2nd Avenues. In the market, look for the Pink Door (unmarked, just a pink door - duh) on Post Alley - good Italinish food and a GREAT terrace for sunny long lunches and bottles of Chianti; also in the market are Campagne ($$) and Cafe Campagne ($) for very good bistro French.
Also at the market one can stroll around and make meals out of Chinese humbows, pieces of fried chicken, various Filipino or Mexican offerings, coffee, German or Thai or Israeli or.... in essence treat it like tapas or dim sum - you do to the walking.
There are plenty of dress-up alternatives too, or waterfront dining at the foot of the Pike Place Hillclimb - try the Bell St. Diner, for example, for good seafood and views...
Check out Seattle Citysearch for zillions of references. http://seattle.citysearch.com/
The clowns I referred to all have the name Ronald.
Apr 19th, 2001, 09:26 AM
#5
Guest
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A nice view on Pier 70 ... view of Puget
Sound from tables and skyline from bar.
Nice piano player during dinner. Also,
Etta's down by the Market and Kell's
(an Irish menu) on Post Alley in same
area- music at 9 each nite. Dahlia Lounge 2001 4th avenue... found this for
lunch as I wandered city. Of course, the
top of the space needle (revolving) is
great if not raining! We had a good dinner there also.
Sound from tables and skyline from bar.
Nice piano player during dinner. Also,
Etta's down by the Market and Kell's
(an Irish menu) on Post Alley in same
area- music at 9 each nite. Dahlia Lounge 2001 4th avenue... found this for
lunch as I wandered city. Of course, the
top of the space needle (revolving) is
great if not raining! We had a good dinner there also.
Apr 20th, 2001, 05:14 AM
#6
Guest
Posts: n/a
Ray's Boathouse is a favorite place of ours for seafood. It's by the locks in Ballard. However, I suggest you not eat in the semi-formal main floor dining room but in the more casual upstairs cafe. Food is just as good and it's where the locals are more likely to be. Also a LOT less expensive than downstairs!!
In the main downtown Seattle area, we used to pop into Palomino from time to time. I like their pasta carbonara and also they make the BEST kamikaze I've ever had. Ask for one straight up (no ice).
Wild Ginger is of course *the* place for Asian food, but it's in all the guide books and also is on the expensive side. I suggest you take a bus up to the Queen Anne neighborhood and try some of the restaurants there.
In the main downtown Seattle area, we used to pop into Palomino from time to time. I like their pasta carbonara and also they make the BEST kamikaze I've ever had. Ask for one straight up (no ice).
Wild Ginger is of course *the* place for Asian food, but it's in all the guide books and also is on the expensive side. I suggest you take a bus up to the Queen Anne neighborhood and try some of the restaurants there.
