Hi--my mom and I are flying to Seattle next Monday for a week, and will take the ferry and spend Saturday night in Victoria (Vancouver Island). Any suggestions for a good Sunday breakfast in Victoria? We will be staying at the Laurel Point Inn and having dinner Sat night at the Brasserie L'ecole (upon your suggestions). By the way--I have fond memories of the huge, light scones at the Empress and am taking my mom there for a 3:30 pm tea on Sunday before our ferry return to Seattle.

Also, suggestions for budget-moderate places to eat near the Sheraton and Westin hotels in downtown Seattle? Not sushi please. Matt's at the market sounded interesting but need additional suggestions.

Finally--any culinary walking tours or foodie "must do's" for our one free day on Wednesday (conference rest of the week)?

We won't have a car in Seattle or Victoria.

Thanks!

Have a great trip. No car needed either in Seattle or Victoria. I loved tea at the Empress. You and your mom have a marvelous tea!

I don't know of a foodie tour - but the underground/ sewer tour in Seattle is amazing. It's not like it sounds!

BTW, the next time I'm in Seattle I want to take a houseboat tour. Don't have one to recommend. Google for ideas.

Like starrsville, we enjoyed out tea at the Empress.

Not knowing what your idea of budget-moderate is, the Icon Grill is right across the street from the Westin. Good variety of food, and a fun atmosphere. It is an easy walk from there down to Pike Place Market. We like to get coffee and a pastry for breakfast at La Panier down there and watch the vendors set up for the day. Very inexpensive.

Here are some downtown Seattle places you can eat without breaking the bank:

Bambuza 219-5555
Bell Street Diner 448-6688
Cheesecake Factory 652-5400
Il Fornaio 264-0994
P.F. Chang 393-0070
Wild Ginger 623-4450 (at lunch)

Willies Bakery and Cafe in Victoria is a great place for breakfast. they have an outdoor courtyard with a fireplace
and they even give you a blanket to keep your legs warm if its chilly.
Dont know exactly how to tell you to get there but I know we walked from the harbor

Check out Beecher's Handmade Cheese, just across the street from the Pike Place Market. They make the cheese in front of big windows; you can watch from inside or from the sidewalk. They also sell a nice selection of local artisan cheeses, and serve lunch items (soup and sandwiches).

Well, "not breaking the bank" is a little subjective, but since you didn't say cheap, I'll list the places I consider great, mid-range bets downtown (unfortunately, there are way more high end places downtown).

Matt's, as you already know
Le Pichet-French bistro
Restaurant Zoe-sort of PNW-French
McCormick and Schmicks on 1st-I sort of hate to recommend a chain that you can eat at in dozens of other cities, but they do a nice job and have a huge menu (mostly seafood but other choices too)
A short cab ride up to Capitol Hill will take you to Osteria La Spiga, a terrific Italian place that specializes in the cuisine of Emilia-Romagna.

I'm assuming you mean dinner-if you're looking for lunch, too, there are tons of great, inexpensive places in the Pike Place Market.

For your free day, food wise, consider heading to the International District (longish walk or short bus/cab ride from downtown) and eating at Seven Stars Pepper (szechuan) or Green Leaf or Tamarind Tree (Vietnamese). Uwajimaya, the huge Asian grocery, is fun to check out.
Salumi-the famous cured meat and lunch place that's been written up everywhere (most recently in the NY TImes) is usually a foodie stop-they're only open 11-4 and are located SE of Pioneer Square.
You could also head to Capitol Hill and check out the best place in Seattle for espresso-Vivace Roasteria.
If you haven't had time to check out the Pike Place Market, you could do that wednesday. We have fabulous neighbhorhood farmer's markets here too, but the one on wednesday is way down in south Seattle (Columbia City)-kind of a long bus ride, but if you had a car that free day, it would be a good foodie thing to do.

BTW, all of these places should have websites where you can check out menus, hours, etc.

Thanks so much for the great advice. Flying out tomorrow and promise to report back when I return.

Happy (and safe) travels!

MAKE SURE YOU GO to Butchart Gardens when you are in Victoria. Absolutely incredible!

If you have time, but doubtful w/dinner in town, Butchart is esp.
fun to visit Sat eve's as they have the most unique fireworks out there!
(ground fireworks, etc)
They stand out in my memory as some of the best, or at least most creative we'd seen 'til then. (a decade ago but STILL are strong in our memories)