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AAA Destination Guide: Official AAA maps,
travel information and top picks
AAA Destination Guide: Seattle includes trip-planning information
covering AAA recommended attractions and restaurants, exclusive
member discounts, maps and more.
Seattle is so scenically blessed it’s almost laughable. Just try to picture it:
The snowcapped Olympic Mountains frame the western sky, while
14,410-foot Mount Rainier, although some 90
miles from the city, is a majestic presence on
the southern horizon. Puget Sound is sculpted
with an intricate network of bays and inlets
and speckled with islands large and small,
resembling nothing so much as polished
emeralds flung onto the surface of an intense
blue soup. The shore of long, skinny Lake
Washington is beautified by an almost continuous series of sylvan parks
and greenbelts. And Seattle sits right in the middle of it all. The vistas are,
in a word, awesome.
If you don’t spend all day gawking at nature’s splendor, myriad activities
await. This is a city chock full of distinctive neighborhoods—from hip,
socially diverse Capitol Hill to the elegant homes of Queen Anne to salty,
Scandinavian-flavored Ballard, a reminder of Seattle’s maritime heritage.
So come on. Explore the Pioneer Square Historic District. Visit the
attractions at Seattle Center. Watch fish being flung at Pike Place Market.
Zip to the top of the Space Needle. Above all, drink plenty of coffee—
you’re going to be busy.


Essentials
Every Seattle sojourn should begin with a stop at Pike Place Market.
Take an invigorating morning walk on the paved path around Green
Lake, which is popular with legions of strolling, jogging and cycling
Seattleites.
The
fishmongers’ salmon-tossing antics alone are worth a visit, which makes
the gorgeous array of produce, delectable baked goods and myriad craft
stalls simply icing on the cake.
For a crash course in local history, go on the Underground Tour
Admire the view from Kerry Park on Queen Anne Hill, which unveils a
quintessential Seattle panorama: bristling downtown skyline, Elliott Bay
waterfront and Mount Rainier as a backdrop.
of the
Pioneer Square Historic District. It’s fun and educational, and yes—parts
of it are subterranean.
Despite its rainy reputation, Seattle does enjoy plenty of summer
sunshine. Seafair,
While away some time in Fremont, the self-styled “center of the universe.”
This eclectic neighborhood of shops and eateries is graced with such
delightful examples of public art as “Waiting for the Interurban” and the
“Fremont Troll.”
held from early July to early August, is the city’s big,
exuberant warm-weather festival, complete with hydroplane races, a Blue
Angels air show, visiting naval ships, the Miss Seafair pageant and a
downtown Torchlight Parade.
Hop aboard the Bremerton Ferry and marvel as the boat navigates a
spectacular passage through the channel approaching Bremerton.
Destination Guide: Seattle

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Visit the Lake Washington Ship Canal,
Essentials Map
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used by all types and sizes of
vessels to negotiate a chain of freshwater lakes en route to saltwater
Puget Sound, and watch salmon and trout swimming upstream to their
Cascade Mountains spawning grounds via a fish ladder.
Curl up with a good tome at the Elliott Bay Book Company, Seattle’s
premier independent bookstore and a local institution.
Although it now has a worldwide presence, Starbucks began in Seattle.
Indulge in your favorite coffee concoction at Pike Place Market—where
the chain’s very first outlet opened in 1971—or downtown at 4th Avenue
and Pine Street, a great people-watching spot in the heart of the
shopping district.


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- GEM Attraction offers a Great Experience for Members
1.Pike Place Market
85 Pike St
Seattle, WA 98101
Phone: (206) 682-7453


2. Underground Tour
608 1st Ave
Seattle, WA 98104
Phone: (206) 682-4646


3. Seafair
911 Pine St
Seattle, WA 98101
Phone: (206) 728-0123

4. Bremerton
Chamber of Commerce
286 4th St
Bremerton, WA 98337
Phone: (360) 479-3579

5.Lake Washington Ship Canal
3015 NW 54th St
Seattle, WA 98107
Phone: (206) 783-7059


Seattle in 3 Days
Three days is barely enough time to get to know any major destination.
But AAA travel editors suggest these activities to make the most of your
time in Seattle.
Day 1: Morning
Spend the morning at Pike Place Market
Have breakfast at the Sound View Café (south end of the Main Arcade).
Snag a window table, because the view over Elliott Bay to the distant
(trust us; you’ll want to spend
the day). This venerable market celebrated its centennial in 2007, and it’s
quite likely to be around another 100 years from now. It’s the best place
in Seattle to meet a friend (the traditional spot is under the market’s neon
sign where Rachel the bronze piggybank stands) and then wander
around looking, smelling, tasting and buying. Arrive early (before 8 a.m.)
so you can banter with the vendors as they set up; if you’re lucky you
may get some inside information on hot purchases, not to mention first
pick at the flower stalls and produce stands.
Destination Guide: Seattle

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Olympic Mountains is wonderful. The menu is standard—omelets,
pancakes, sandwiches, soups, chowders—but you can watch seagulls
wheel and ferries cruise the water while you eat.
Now you’re ready to explore. Fruits, vegetables and flowers are market
mainstays, and the artful arrangements and jewel-like colors of farm-
grown Northwest products are a joy to behold. Pike Place vendors are
no-nonsense, and their displays are likely to include hand-lettered signs
with friendly reminders like “pleeza no squeeza.” The whole fish, spidery-
looking crabs and jumbo shrimp at the seafood stands are all glisteningly
fresh, and the boisterous antics of the fishmongers—flinging critters while
cracking wise—always draw a crowd.
Follow your nose to the bakeries and unsuccessfully resist the urge to
pick up some gooey-good cinnamon buns, sugar-glazed apple fritters,
nutty almond cookies or rich cheesecake brownies to go. Pike Place
Bakery (1501 Pike Place) and Three Girls Bakery (1514 Pike Place) are
particularly mouthwatering. This market is just chock-full of specialty food
vendors. Beecher’s Handmade Cheese (1600 Pike Place) makes a
yummy grilled cheese panini with tomato and basil; Uli’s Famous
Sausage (1511 Pike Place), a classic bratwurst slathered with mustard.
Non-culinary vendors offer aromatic homemade soaps, handcrafted belt
buckles, souvenir trinkets and just about everything else.
One important tip: Restrooms are down the stairs at the south end of the
Main Arcade (look for the sign). Many of the surrounding businesses
don’t permit you to use the restroom unless you’re a paying customer.
Afternoon
If you still can’t tear yourself away from the market (and it’s hard), have
lunch here, too. Cafe Campagne
From the main market entrance at the corner of Pike Street and 1st
Avenue, turn right and walk down 1st Avenue two blocks to the
(1600 Post Alley) is the casual
downstairs counterpart of the more formal restaurant upstairs. Indulge in
a bacon and onion tart or bucherondin de chèvre, the baked cheese and
croutons served atop arugula and frisée (free-ZEY) greens dressed in a
scallion vinaigrette. Afterward, pick up your favorite beverage to go at
Starbucks (1912 Pike Place); this is the global coffee purveyor’s original
location.
Seattle
Art Museum Downtown.
TASTE Restaurant (it’s in the museum but also has a separate entrance
on 1st Avenue) is a dimly lit, intimate place at night, but in the afternoon
it’s a bustling and bright. Stop for carrot cake or a bowl of house-made
ice cream and discuss Albert Bierstadt’s 1870 landscape masterpiece
“Puget Sound on the Pacific Coast” or the very cool installation
“Inopportune: Stage One,” automobiles suspended from the ceiling amid
a profusion of multi-channeled light tubes.
The 48-foot-tall “Hammering Man,” a black steel
sculpture, stands guard outside the entrance, his arm raising and
lowering four times a minute. SAM’s galleries exhibit art from every
corner of the world, often mixing media, concepts, centuries and artists in
the same room. If you don’t feel like walking through the entire collection,
the main staircase in the museum’s free visitor area, called the Art
Ladder, features three public installations incorporating optical illusions
into their design.
Continue down 1st Avenue to Madison Street and then walk up three
blocks to the Seattle Central Library. The utilitarian name certainly
doesn’t allude to its strikingly futuristic look, which gives off the
impression of glass wrapped in a very large net. The design by Dutch
architect Rem Koolhass is anything but stuffy, from illuminated escalators
to fourth-floor hallways painted an exceedingly bright shade of red. Even
if you don’t take one of the guided public architectural tours it’s a
fascinating place to walk around. There are views of neighboring
skyscrapers and Elliott Bay from the reading room on level 10.
Walk down Madison back to 1st Avenue, turn left and head toward
Pioneer Square. The Pioneer Square Historic District covers a 30-block
area. This was Seattle’s first downtown, before an 1889 fire demolished
the mostly wooden buildings. Rich with history, for a time decrepit but for
the most part charmingly refurbished, it’s a prime tourist destination.
Relax on one of the benches in small, tree-shaded Pioneer Park. The
Destination Guide: Seattle

4
park’s totem is a replica of one carved by Tlingit Indians in the late 19th
century.
If it’s a clear day, take the elevator to the top of the Smith Tower
Evening
Regulars swear by
for a
view of the city below. This was Seattle’s first skyscraper, although it’s
now relatively dwarfed by a number of taller structures.

Seattle in 3 Days – Day 1 Map
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Il Terrazzo Carmine
Day 1 Details - Get additional information on
. This Pioneer Square favorite is
old-school Italian all the way, from the background music to the decadent
dessert tray. The food is reliably delicious and also reliably pricey; if you
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- GEM Attraction offers a Great Experience for Members

- Exclusive AAA member discounts available
1.Pike Place Market
85 Pike St
Seattle, WA 98101
Phone: (206) 682-7453


2. Cafe Campagne

1600 Post Alley at Pine St
Seattle, WA 98101
Phone: (206) 728-2233

3. Seattle Art Museum Downtown
1300 1st Ave
Seattle, WA 98101
Phone: (206) 654-3137




4. Pioneer Square Historic District
118 S. Main St
Seattle, WA 98104


5. Smith Tower
506 2nd Ave
Seattle, WA 98104
Phone: (206) 622-4004


6. Il Terrazzo Carmine

411 1st Ave S
Seattle, WA 98104
Phone: (206) 467-7797



don’t feel like stuffing yourself—or emptying your wallet—order the risotto
of the day or caesar salad, which tastes as lovely as it looks.
Reservations are advised.
If it’s not too late, enjoy a stroll along Pioneer Square’s brick building-
lined streets. The nighttime entertainment choices are many, from cozy
taverns to comedy to raucous live music joints. Local rock bands play
most nights at The Central Saloon (207 1st Ave.), while at the New
Orleans Creole Restaurant (114 1st Ave.) the music is blues, jazz and
Dixieland. These two venues participate in Joint Cover, which provides
entry to several different clubs for one cover charge ($5 Sun.-Thurs., $10
Fri.-Sat.).
Destination Guide: Seattle

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Note: The Pioneer Square area can get pretty rowdy at night, and it also
attracts loiterers and the homeless. Enjoy yourself, but stay alert and
keep common sense safety precautions in mind
Day 2: Morning
Grab breakfast at the Pioneer Square branch of the Grand Central
Baking Company (214 1st Ave. in the Grand Central Arcade). In warm
weather sit on the cobblestone patio and enjoy a freshly made pastry with
your espresso; if it’s chilly sit inside by the fireplace. Then take the
Underground Tour
Browse to your heart’s content at the Elliott Bay Book Co. (101 S. Main
St. at 1st Avenue). The books are stocked on cedar shelves in a
meandering series of nook-and-cranny rooms. Then take your treasures
downstairs to The Elliott Bay Café and have a cup of organic java. The
brick walls of yore are cream colored now, and blond wood tables and
chairs give the cafe a sunny feel. Sandwiches are terrific; try the
Moroccan steak sandwich, stuffed into a pita with mint-flavored yogurt
and feta, or a pan bagne—garlicky mashed chickpeas, grilled veggies
and goat cheese on semolina bread.
and bone up on Pioneer Square history. You’ll learn
all kinds of fascinating stuff about opium dens, bootleg operations and
Seattle’s once-primitive sewer system on this above- and below-ground
jaunt.
Schedule some time to explore the International District
Fast Metro Transit and Sound Transit bus service takes advantage of the
1.3-mile Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel, which connects the
International District with four downtown stations. Sound Transit’s Central
Link light-rail service also uses the tunnel. Metro Transit buses and
trolleys (electric buses) operate on surface streets; those serving the
International District converge at the intersection of 5th Avenue S. and S.
Jackson Street. The fare is $1.75 ($2 during peak hours—Mon.-Fri. 6-9
a.m. and 3-6 p.m.). Exact cash fare is required. Bus service is free daily
from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. within the Ride Free Area, bounded by Battery
Street on the north, 6th Avenue on the east, Jackson Street on the south
and the waterfront on the west.
(also called
Chinatown and known locally as “the ID”), which lies east of the Pioneer
Square Historic District. A true melting pot of Asian cultures, this area is
home to Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, Filipino, Korean and
Cambodian residents, so even though it continues to gentrify the ID
maintains a distinctive identity.
Cultural and historical roots were honored with the grand opening of the
Historic Chinatown Gate in February 2008. Painted vibrant shades of red
and gold, with an orb perched atop the roofline (to keep away bad luck),
the 45-foot archway straddles S. King Street at 5th Avenue S. The
structure, a symbolic welcoming, is similar to those marking Chinese
communities in San Francisco, Portland, Vancouver and Washington,
D.C.
Uwajimaya, 600 5th Ave. S., is a big Asian grocery store that anchors
Uwajimaya Village, a complex of shops and restaurants. The Uwajimaya
food court is a great place to have lunch. Golden-brown ducks hang by
their necks in roasting ovens and the aroma of curry fills the air. Try banh
mi, a Vietnamese sandwich with beef, onions, pickled peppers and
cilantro on a crusty baguette. Dip salad rolls—translucent rice paper
wrapped around shrimp, veggies and thin noodles—in peanut sauce.
Slurp up pho, the traditional Vietnamese noodle soup. Dessert should be
a piece of light, sweet strawberry cake from the Yummy House, a local
bakery. It’s fast food, but filling, good and inexpensive fast food.
Afternoon
From the International District head to Capitol Hill, an ethnically and
socially diverse neighborhood that lies astride a ridge between
downtown’s skyscrapers and Lake Washington. While away some time at
Volunteer Park,

Seattle’s most elegant greensward. It’s a lovely expanse
of old cedars and spruces, manicured lawns, formal gardens and glass-
surfaced ponds, surrounded by the mansions of old-money Seattle
families. Walk through the park’s Victorian-style, steel and cast-iron
Conservatory, filled with a riot of orchids, tropical plants and huge
cactuses.
Destination Guide: Seattle

6
Seattle in 3 Days – Day 2 Map
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The park also contains the Seattle Asian Art Museum,
Day 2 Details - Get additional information on
downtown SAM’s
sister gallery. The exhibits at SAAM focus on Chinese, South Asian and
Southeast Asian art. Gaze upon urns, exquisite porcelain bowls, a bronze
depiction of Guanyin—a multi-armed, multi-headed female figure
considered by followers of Buddhism to be the personification of
compassion and kindness—and of course, statues of Buddah himself.
Then have a soothing cup of jasmine tea at the museum’s TASTE Café.
AAA.com

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1. Underground Tour
608 1st Ave
Seattle, WA 98104
Phone: (206) 682-4646


2. International District
700 5th Ave
Seattle, WA 98104

3. Volunteer Park
1400 E. Galer St
Seattle, WA 98112
Phone: (206) 684-4743

4. Seattle Asian Art Museum
1400 E. Prospect St
Seattle, WA 98112
Phone: (206) 654-3100




Evening
The 10 or so blocks of north-south Broadway between E. Pine and E.
Roy streets are the heart of Capitol Hill, a haven for alternative culture,
the center of Seattle’s gay community and a hangout for punk rock kids.
Neon hair, outré clothing, multiple piercings and full-body tattoos are par
for the course, but that doesn’t mean you’ll be ostracized for looking, well,
boring—anything goes here.
Broadway shops cater to youth culture, so if you’re looking for vintage
clothing, funky jewelry, unusual art or totally cool stuff like Ethiopian
wands or little Mexican calaveras (skeletons) decked out in wacky
costumes, you’ve come to the right place. Window shop until you find a
place that strikes your fancy. Broadway Market (401 E. Broadway at E.
Harrison Street) is the neighborhood “mall”—a big QFC food store, Hot
Topic, Urban Outfitters, Blooms on Broadway and a handful of local
businesses under one roof.
Destination Guide: Seattle

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Broadway also is lined with restaurants, so you have plenty of choices for
dinner. Siam on Broadway (616 E. Broadway) serves solid renditions of
Thai standards, from pad Thai with fried tofu squares to curry beef. You
can watch the chefs whip everything together while you wait. Pizza
Pagliacci (426 E. Broadway) is casual and lively; you order cafeteria style
from the delivery stations (good, freshly made pizza by the slice or by the
pie, calzones, pasta and green salads), pay and take your little feast to a
table and enjoy.
If you just want to chill at a movie afterward the Harvard Exit Theatre, 807
E. Roy St. at Harvard Avenue (north end of Broadway), shows current
independent and foreign films. Originally a women’s clubhouse, this was
one of Seattle’s first art-house theaters, and it still has a large and
elegant lobby complete with grand piano and chandelier.
Note: A parking space is usually easier to find on one of the residential
side streets a block or so off than along Broadway, but check signs to
make sure you’re not parked in a restricted area before leaving your car
for the evening.
Day 3: Morning
Seattle Center, with its museums, park-like grounds and year-round
special events, is the best place in the city to take kids. If time is short,
just go to the top of the Space Needle; you don’t need a timed ticket and
lines usually aren’t that long. The glass-enclosed, walk-around
observation deck provides a panoramic view in every direction. The only
caveat is the weather; don’t bother if it’s overcast or foggy. Instead,
explore the exhibits at the Pacific Science Center. Devoted fans of
visionary guitar hero Jimi Hendrix won’t want to miss the exhibit devoted
to the Seattle native at the Experience Music Project (EMP). The Science
Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame
From the Space Needle, walk down Broad Street to Pier 70 on the
waterfront and check out
is a must for sci-fi buffs with its
collections of movie spaceships, weapons and space wear. A single
admission gets you into both museums.
Olympic Sculpture Park.
Afternoon
Seattle and seafood go together like yin and yang, so walk south along
the waterfront to Pier 54 and have lunch at
The outdoor art
installations are interspersed among plantings of trees, shrubs and
flowers native to the Pacific Northwest. This is a prime downtown
location; the view overlooking Elliott Bay west to the Olympics is inspiring.
After tracing the zigzagging pathways and stopping to admire the bold
“Father and Son” fountain that stands at the head of Pier 70, pick up an
espresso from the cafe inside the PACCAR Pavilion and relax on the
veranda.
Ivar’s Acres of Clams.
Grab your pith helmet and take Aurora Avenue (SR 99) north across the
Lake Washington Ship Canal to Woodland Park and the
Consult
the daily fresh sheet to see what looks good, but you sure can’t go wrong
with the Dungeness crab salad, fish and chips or the deservedly popular
Puget Sound clam chowder, brimming with clams, potatoes and bits of
bacon. If it’s nice outside, order from the Fish Bar walk-up window and sit
at one of the picnic tables. Then pop into Ye Olde Curiosity Shop, a
waterfront institution also at Pier 54. It’s a quintessential souvenir stop
and quasi museum with lots of antiquities, including the requisite
shrunken heads.
Woodland Park
Zoo. The animals live in a variety of themed habitats like the Tropical
Rain Forest, home to gorillas, colobus monkeys, jaguars and other jungle
denizens. Then spend a relaxing half hour breathing in the fragrance at
the gorgeous Woodland Park Rose Garden.
An alternate agenda is a jaunt to the Ballard neighborhood (get there by
accessing east-west Market Street) and the
The roses are at their
splendiferous peak from June through August, but due to Seattle’s mild
climate they’re still in bloom well into October.
Hiram M. Chittenden Locks.
Watching vessels of all sizes pass through the navigation locks is
fascinating. The Fish Ladder helps salmon swim at a gradual incline to
their upstream spawning grounds; you can observe them go by through
porthole windows. There’s another garden here, the Carl S. English Jr.
Botanical Garden. The trees and shrubs are a mix of exotic and
indigenous species, and plantings vary according to the season. On a
warm summer day it’s a lovely stroll.
Destination Guide: Seattle

8
Seattle in 3 Days – Day 3 Map
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Day 3 Details - Get additional information on AAA.com
- GEM Attraction offers a Great Experience for Members

- Exclusive AAA member discounts available
1. Seattle Center
305 Harrison St
Seattle, WA 98109
Phone: (206) 684-7200


2. Space Needle
219 4th Ave N
Seattle, WA 98109
Phone: (206) 905-2100


3. Pacific Science Center
200 2nd Ave N
Seattle, WA 98109
Phone: (206) 443-2001


4. Experience Music Project (EMP)
325 5th Ave. N.
Seattle, WA 98121
Phone: (877) 454-7836



5. Science Fiction Museum
and Hall of Fame
325 5th Ave. N.
Seattle, WA 98109
Phone: (206) 770-2702



6.Olympic Sculpture Park
2901 Western Ave.
Seattle, WA 98101
Phone: (206) 654-3100


7. Ivar's Acres of Clams

1001 Alaskan Way
Seattle, WA 98104
Phone: (206) 624-6852

8. Woodland Park Zoo
5500 Phinney Ave N
Seattle, WA 98103
Phone: (206) 548-2599


9. Woodland Park Rose Garden
5500 Phinney Ave N
Seattle, WA 98103
Phone: (206) 684-4863

10. Hiram M. Chittenden Locks
4 mi. w. of I-5 exit 169
Seattle, WA 98107
Phone: (206) 783-7059


11. Fish Ladder
4 mi. w. of I-5 exit 169
Seattle, WA 98107

12. Carl S. English Jr.
Botanical Garden
3015 NW 54th St
Seattle, WA 98107
Phone: (206) 783-7059

13. Ponti Seafood Grill

3014 3rd Ave N
Seattle, WA 98109
Phone: (206) 284-3000

Destination Guide: Seattle

9
Evening
Fremont is a delightfully idiosyncratic neighborhood that bills itself—with
tongue only slightly in cheek—as “the center of the universe.” Locals will
tell you that the only correct way to enter Fremont is across the Fremont
drawbridge, but if you do you’ll miss the Fremont Troll, a crouching 18-
foot-tall statue hiding under the north end of the Aurora Bridge (at N. 36th
Street), a block east. Fremont, in fact, is known for its quirky sidewalk art:
the six people that constitute “Waiting for the Interurban” and a 16-foot
bronze sculpture of communist revolutionary Vladimir Lenin are two well-
known examples.
Fuel up at Peet’s Coffee & Tea (3401 Fremont Ave. N.) before browsing
Fremont’s variety of offbeat shops. Frank and Dunya (3418 Fremont Ave.
N.) supports Northwest artists by selling their arts, crafts and jewelry. The
Dusty Strings Acoustic Music Shop (3406 Fremont Ave. N.) has an array
of dulcimers, mandolins, banjos and other stringed instruments.
Collectors favor Sonic Boom Records (3414 Fremont Ave. N.) for really
obscure stuff on vinyl, but they also have new releases and used CDs. A
Sonic Boom T-shirt makes an in-the-know souvenir.
Have dinner at Costas Opa Restaurant (3400 Fremont Ave. N.). Start
with a classic Greek salad and then go for a specialty like chicken
souvlaki or keftethes (Greek-style meatballs with rice and vegetables). Or
if you still have a hankering for seafood, try Ponti Seafood Grill;
Restaurants
the
waterside patios overlook the Fremont Bridge and the ship canal. Grilled
marinated calamari is a superb appetizer; follow it up with Washington
king salmon or Thai curry penne with scallops and crab. Finish with a
ginger peach tart and vanilla ice cream and you’ll feel like you are at the
center of the universe.
Our favorites include some of this destination’s best restaurants—from
fine dining to simple fare.
Seattle is a city that definitely has hip foodie credentials, with a number of
downtown restaurants that attract loyal regulars as well as visitors up for
a good meal in stylish surroundings. A discriminating clientele frequents
the Wild Ginger Asian Restaurant & Satay Bar,
Carnivores can’t go wrong at the
but the good news is that
aside from the dress-to-be-seen element, Wild Ginger’s food, an eclectic
potpourri of ethnic influences, is excellent. Start with one of the grilled
satays—say chicken skewers or lightly grilled sea scallops—served with
pickled cucumbers and an aromatic dipping sauce. Duck spiced with
cinnamon and star anise is a house specialty, and the kitchen’s skill
shows in dishes like wok-fried prawns in a barbecue sauce spiked with
garlic, hoisin, peanuts, scallions and dried chilies. The Triple Door lounge
beneath the restaurant has a nightly menu of live music.
Metropolitan Grill.
As good as the Metropolitan for steaks is
The dining room’s
high ceilings, mahogany tables and dark green, brass-accented booths
exude Old World charm, making it a popular after-work destination for
downtown suits as well as the theater crowd on big event nights. The
“Met” focuses on classic cuts like filet mignon, delmonico and
porterhouse, carved tableside. California ranch-raised, Kobe-style Wagyu
beef will up the tab considerably, but you can order the less expensive
Wagyu burger, a hefty 20 ounces that comes with Gruyère cheese,
caramelized onions and a trio of condiments. Accompany your choice
with a robust pile of onion rings and one of the wine cellar’s many fine
reds. Local “best steakhouse” articles usually have this one on their list.
The Brooklyn Seafood, Steak &
Oyster House, across from the Seattle Art Museum Downtown. Go all out
with steak Oscar—filet mignon, Dungeness crab and asparagus with rich
béarnaise sauce, accompanied by a tower of cheddar potatoes and
celeraic-fennel gratineé. Oysters are the seafood specialty, with as many
as a dozen different varieties to entice adventurous palates. The servers
even give you background information about the harvesting of these cold-
water mollusks, as well as tips on how to consume them. The king
salmon, cooked on an alder plank, is a classic Northwest dish. The
Brooklyn also offers crab cakes, Penn Cove mussels, seafood cannelloni
and other items as reasonably priced small plates.
Destination Guide: Seattle

10
The museum also joins the downtown culinary crowd with its TASTE
Restaurant. At lunchtime this is a bustling place full of art lovers, families
and business types, with floor-to-ceiling windows bathing the room in light
(as well as providing outstanding people-watching). Although it somewhat
resembles a high-tech cafeteria, the food here is seriously good. Chef
Christopher Conville relies on local, organically grown ingredients
whenever possible and the freshness shows, whether it’s a salad niçoise
with grilled salmon or spring pea soup flavored with sorrel purée. For
dessert have a plate of warm cookies—snickerdoodles and oatmeal
chocolate cherry chunk are two of the delightful varieties—that come with
a little milk for dunking. If the weather’s nice and you’d rather eat outside,
the restaurant makes yummy sandwiches to go, like turkey and havarti
with butter lettuce and herbed, oven-dried tomatoes on eight-grain bread.
It’s a given that Seattle is a seafood kind of city, and a couple of
restaurants on the downtown waterfront fill the maritime bill nicely.
Another given? The oyster bar is a big draw at Elliott’s Oyster House,
Not far away is another landmark,
a
noisy, energetic place that sits right on Elliott Bay at Pier 56. But
Northwest Dungeness crab is a tradition here, and you can get it steamed
with butter, chilled with three dipping sauces or marinated in spices and
grilled. Dungeness crab cakes, smoked Alaskan king salmon and
sesame-seared ahi tuna can be ordered as small plates. For lunch try
grilled Yukon River salmon basted with a bourbon barbecue sauce and
topped with fresh tomatillo salsa. The pastry chef whips up delights like
Granny Smith apple fritters and white chocolate coconut cake with
raspberry sauce. Take advantage of the outside deck in summer.
Ivar’s Acres of Clams,
Pick a sunny day for lunch or dinner and then snag an outdoor table at
which has
served the waterfront area since 1938. If you’re having dinner, go for the
“acres of clams”—two pounds of Manila clams simmered with red
potatoes in a garlic and white wine butter sauce. It’s truly finger lickin’
good. But all of Ivar’s seafood satisfies, from grilled salmon with sauteed
mustard greens, smoked bacon and cannellini beans to classic fried fish
and chips. Their outdoor walk-up service counter does a brisk business in
chowders (New England-style clam and Dungeness crab and sweet
corn), and there are picnic tables where you can enjoy your soothing cup
or bowl with a view.
Ray’s Cafe, the casual, convivial upstairs sibling to Ray’s Boathouse in
Ballard. Manila clams steamed in beer and dill butter or oysters on the
half shell are worthy appetizers. For a main dish you can’t go wrong with
grilled Alaskan king salmon or Ray’s bountiful seafood cioppino in a
saffron-tomato broth. An open-face roasted vegetable sandwich on grilled
hominy bread is savory vegetarian fare. The seafood goes well with one
of the 20 microbrews on tap. Share a dessert—perhaps apple crisp with
sour cherries and a brown sugar cinnamon oat topping—and linger over
the vista of Shilshoe Bay and the distant Olympic Mountains. Now this is
good food with a great view.
Pioneer Square Historic District is a fun gathering place, and locals in
search of classic Italian fare have been coming to Il Terrazzo Carmine
As terrific as
(at
the district’s southern end in the Merrill Place Building) for more than two
decades. There’s a reason owner Carmine Smeraldo has such a loyal
clientele—dishes like pork tenderloin medallions with prosciutto and
glazed parmigiano cheese or fettuccine tossed with pesto and prawns are
prepared the old-fashioned way and are full of flavor. You won’t dine
cheaply, but you will dine well. In balmy weather the courtyard at the back
of the restaurant is a delightful place to linger.
Pike Place Market is to shop for your own food, it also has
some good restaurants. Cafe Campagne
Located literally under the market,
(yes, it’s spelled correctly), just
above the market in Post Alley, is a little sister to the same-named but
more formal dining room upstairs. What with the alley cobblestones
outside and the draperied windows inside, this quaint little hideaway does
a respectable job of replicating a Parisian cafe. Settle in for a simple
bistro-style lunch—say a ham and Gruyère cheese sandwich or quiche
and a green salad—and any cares you have will melt away, at least for
the afternoon.
Il Bistro is considered by Seattleites to
be something of a local secret since it’s rather hard to find, at least the