Seattle Has Great Restaurants

My Seattle Souvenir:  a James Beard winner cookbook by Tom Douglas

We just got back from a vacation in Seattle with two other couples where we sampled some fabulous food, so I thought I'd mention some of our faves. 

Steelhead Diner  -- a great location near Pike Place; they use local, seasonal produce and the freshest seafood; crabcakes, black cod, and the seafood chowder were all raved about --- and I loved my sardines inspite of the grief I got for ordering them. 

Any of Tom Douglas' restaurants are excellent:

Serious Pie  --- for the fantastic thin pizza with gourmet toppings  --  you sit almost in the kitchen  --- expect a line when you go and they don't take reservations.
Dahlia Lounge  -- for the great service, atmosphere and food. It has hearty Northwestern cuisine and very good desserts.  So good that we went back just for dessert, the night we had dinner at Serious Pie. 
Dahlia bakery -- for their donuts with vanilla marscapone and strawberry rhubarb jam.
Etta's - we went there for brunch and liked it so much that we went back again the next day. 
Seatown Snacks -- only 5 weeks old, this restaurant's name is deceiving.  The food was what I would call "inventive tapas."   We also had a delicious breakfast there.
Lola - for drinks while you wait for your table at Serious Pie or Dahlia's; if you choose to eat, the menu is Greek/Mediterranean and it smelled great in there.  I am sure the food is good.

Our last meal, and one of the best of the trip, was at Assaggio -- excellent Italian, and friendly, attentive service.  This is a place where the owner and staff pay attention to the little details that make a meal enjoyable. 

We also went to Canlis for our special occasion meal on Saturday night  --- they say you can't be overdressed to go to Canlis and it was true --- It is an elegant restaurant and somewhat of a throwback to the 80's.  The wine we had at Canlis was the best of the trip. 

For kitchen gear, we visited Sur La Table, near Pike Place, but thought City Kitchens, on 4th Ave., was a better find.  Their selection and pricing and customer service was excellent.