Seattle for one

I'm heading to Seattle this week for a couple days on vacation and I'm going alone. My mom is a little freaked out, this is my first vacation by myself and I've never been to Seattle. I've searched the board and have read some great recommendations but I wanted to know if anyone could definitely recommend somewhere great to eat alone, more specifically for dinner. No budget amount, I'm staying downtown so I'm sure I can take a taxi anywhere. Thanks in advance and please don't point me to any threads I have read them all on this board.

Serious Pie has excellent pizza and desserts, and thanks to communal seating, it works well for solo diners. It's at the northern end of downtown.

Serious Pie
316 Virginia Street
Seattle, WA 98121
(206) 838-7388

You'll have a great time; there should be no worries about traveling alone in Seattle. Do you like seafood, coffee and beer? If so, take full advantage as Seattle really shines in these areas. I used to live there but my last visit was over a year ago so my info isn't too fresh.

For a nice dinner downtown I wouldn't overlook Dahlia Lounge, Tom Douglas' first restaurant (his Serious Pie was recommended above). The menu is fairly seafood-oriented but diverse. I don't care for the atmosphere at Etta's, his fish house, as much. Flying Fish is another well-regarded seafood specialist that seems to be chugging along.

Be sure to take advantage of the various happy hours. All over downtown (and elsewhere) you can get good deals on oysters, booze etc. For oyster happy hours, Elliott's and The Brooklyn are the old standbys. Each day a single variety is featured (at $1 or less), so depending on your taste in oysters you may be happy or not. Best to arrive early as these places get crowded. For cocktails downtown, I would highly recommend Zig Zag. They have discounted cocktails weekdays from 5 to 7. Nice place with very good drinks.

For transportation, I wouldn't bother much with taxis. Public transportation is free downtown during the day. There will be plenty to do downtown but don't overlook the neighborhoods. Consider taking a ferry from downtown to either Bremerton or Bainbridge. You'll need to do some research on what to do at either location but the ride itself is a lot of fun.

I have enjoyed and can recommend Flying Fish in the Belltown neighborhood (north and west of downtown, or maybe it's still considered downtown) for happy hour and dinner. Happy Hour is 4p- 6p daily and I've had excellent oysters every time. It is not a lunch place.

http://flyingfishrestaurant.com/

Enjoy!

Davooda

I have eaten at both Elliot's and Matt's at the Market alone, at the bar (I am also a woman)

Thank you all for the ideas. I'm leaving tomorrow, so I'll post when I return about the places I went and if they were single friendly.

Hi Shaggywillis-

I have also had a great experience dining alone at the bar at Matt's in the Market. Easily the best meal I had in Seattle -- and I think I ate pretty well out there.

I'll also second the recommendation for Flying Fish. Lots of good bars in Belltown, too.

I really really enjoyed the donuts at Top Pot. I visted the downtown(ish) location.

And if you do make it to Bainbridge, go see Matt at Eleven Winery. (Different Matt - this one is a friend from college days). Hours are restricted - check the website.

Hope you get some sunshine!!
-jim

Matt's in the Market
94 Pike Street
Seattle, WA 98101
(206) 467-7909

Top Pot Doughnuts
2124 5th Ave
Seattle, WA 98121
(206) 728-1966
(other locations too)

Eleven Winery
287 Winslow Way E
Bainbridge Island, WA 98110
(206) 780-0905

Second and third votes for Top Pot and Matt's in the Market (it may take a couple of extra minutes to locate Matt's, but it's worth it). If you're staying downtown you will be able to walk to both of these easily.

I'll throw How to Cook a Wolf in the mix too, in Upper Queen Anne. They don't take reservations, so it might be a crapshoot as you'll have to cab it up there. But the dinner I had there about a year ago was exquisite, rivaling many of the dishes I've had at Avec and Mado since.

How to Cook a Wolf
2208 Queen Anne Ave N.
Seattle, Wa 98109
http://www.howtocookawolf.com

definitely a lot of touristy recs here... if you'd just like some good food without having to trail behind some family from sheboygan gawking at food stalls and getting salmon chucked in their faces, check out these three places:

1. cafe presse: great, simple, cheap french food. amazing baked eggs in the morning. soccer on the tv at night. http://www.cafepresseseattle.com/pages/home.php

2. tilth: enough said... http://www.tilthrestaurant.com/Tilth/Home.html

3. lunchbox laboratory: great burgers and shakes... http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/1/335763/re ... ry-Seattle

enhoy

Okay I'm a little late, but wanted to report back my findings for future reference.

Day 1:

Breakfast - Portage Bay, it was close to my hotel and I was limited on time, so this place was recommended. It was good, the food is organic and they had a lot of great egg dishes that looked good. I ordered the french toast which of course was done well and they had a toppings bar area which included macerated blackberries, raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, fresh whipped creams, butters, etc. This wasn't too appealing to me as I'm a purist when it comes to french toast, but I'm sure it's exciting to others. Cheap and good.

Lunch - Pike's Place Chowder and ordered the standard New England Clam Chowder which was pretty damn good. Very thick, creamy and had a nice touch of dill in it. Their chowder is "Award Winning". Not sure which one and by whom, but they say they have won best chowder several years. They had about 8 different chowders, all made there with fresh ingredients from Pike's Fish Market and even one vegan chowder using Arrow Root to thicken. I would recommend stopping by for a cup.

Snacks - Went to Fran's chocolate place because it looked really pretty and I love truffles, and purchased two, One Dark chocolate and another which was infused with Chamomile tea. I asked if there truffles were handmade and the girl said yes, but they were not. I know this because I used to make truffles by hand and the outside texture and thickness reminded me of truffles I had in the past that were made with a shell. Not the best to say.

Appetizer - Went to Elliot's for the oyster happy hour and had 1/2 a dozen of a random selection of oysters. I cannot remember the types I had but they were all local and they were all really good. Not too big, but nice and buttery and creamy, not slimy and gross. They serve their oysters with a spicy type ice for garnish, it was pretty good but I was missing the crackers and Louisiana hot sauce that I am used to. I also drank a Red Hook that went down well with the oysters and it was a great place to go as a single person and sit at the bar. I went a little later, around 5pm, and there were open seats.

Dinner - Matt's on the Market. To be honest, I was a little nervous knowing Rachel Ray went here and recommended it but the food is really good. I sat at the back bar and was totally comfortable eating dinner by myself. I spoke to the bartender most of the time about him living in Chicago and the food scene there now. I ordered a nice Pisco Sour as a drink appetizer which was made with egg white (I'm a sucker for drinks with egg white) and for dinner I ordered the Short ribs which were nice and tender. For dessert I couldn't pass up the Apple/Caramel Bread pudding. I love bread pudding and eat it every chance I can get when I'm out. This was really nice and gooey and warm and the Apple and Caramel ice cream matched well.

Day 2:

Lunch - Too full to from the previous night to eat breakfast, so I slept in a little and headed straight to Salumi and I'm glad I did. I got there about 11:15 on a Thursday and the line was not very long at this point. I ordered the Mole Sausage with house made mozzerella which was served with onions and peppers packed in olive oil on ciabbata bread. Wow, this sandwich is perfect. Do yourself a favor and go when you are there or you will regret it and you will miss out. I also ordered a Peroni (It was 5 pm somewhere) to accompany my sandwich. The seating there is communal so I just grabbed a chair while I could and enjoyed the lunch.

Snack - Went to Top Shop Doughnuts as donuts are one of my top 5 foods and to be honest, this place wasn't as good as people have noted. I ordered the cinnamon crueler with a small drip coffee and the crueler was more of a cake donut. Not at all a crueler. I was so sure they gave me the wrong donut that I went up there to ask to which the girl replied, no this is crueller. It was in the shape of a crueller but it was a cake donut. I mean, come on, seriously. How can you sell donuts and tell people that what I ate was a crueller? Very dissapointed. Then I learned that these donuts were the donuts that Starbucks sold, so just a warning to others. If you really want to try one, go to Starbucks, if you love it then maybe they are for you.

Dinner - Shiro's sushi. Best sushi meal of my life. I sat at the bar and asked the sushi chef to give me what was fresh and local and this seemed to be the way to go. He started off by giving me two fried shrimp heads with lemon, nice and crispy. Then we went, one peice of salmon nigiri served with fresh lemon juice on top and sea salt. Best salmon/nigiri piece I've ever had in my life. I typically do not order salmon as it comes off fishy to me. This was buttery and just so fresh. I was told not to eat it with Soy, so I obeyed his orders and asked to bring me more. Next was a piece of local tuna nigigi seared very lightly on top, no soy. Oh yeah, this was great, bring me more. Then he gave me a nigiri piece with local dungenese crab with fresh lemon juice on top as well. Then he brought me once of the sushi cones (that is what I call it) made with soy paper and spicy fresh dungenese crab and cucumber. I was starting to get a little full from all the food I ate that day and the past day, so I asked him to bring me more salmon. I had another three pieces, then I was out. One word, go, again you will miss out by not going.

Bumping this to see if there's anything new I should know. I'm biking the Pacific Northwest next month and stopping in Seattle for 36 hours before meeting my riding buddy. This will be my first visit, and I'm staying downtown (but am happy to travel). Any new recommendations, any price range, for a solo diner?

Sandwiches at Paseo.

MarlaCollins'Husband wrote:Sandwiches at Paseo.

I second the Paseo recommendation. A sandwich at Paseo was the first thing I ate after getting off the plane for a two week Pacific NW trip last fall. The bar was set high and only a few bites over the following weeks were as satisfying. I recommend their Cuban and grilled pork sandwiches. In my opinion, it's worth a detour. We went to the Fremont location.

My favorite sit-down restaurant in Seattle was Sitka and Spruce. It reminded me of a smaller Mado, with a great by-the-glass wine list and some communal tables. It may not be the most solo friendly spot, but I'd happily go back by myself if I was in a chatty mood - - especially knowing how great a meal I was about to enjoy. The servers were extremely friendly and enthusiastic about the food.

ReneG suggested Sun Liquor as a drinking establishment, a solid recommendation. There were solo drinkers there and the customers were friendly. I'd feel comfortable there solo. We were there early in the evening, though.

Ronna

Victrola
http://www.victrolacoffee.com
I've been to the roastery location on Pike, where they also offer free cuppings Wednesdays at 11 a.m.

Skillet
http://skilletstreetfood.com/
I've ordered the entire menu and every single thing is worth tracking them down.

Theo Chocolate
http://www.theochocolate.com
The Bread and Chocolate bar one of my favorites in the entire chocolate world. They also offer factory tours but even if you can't get in on one go to the factory store.

Spur
http://spurseattle.com/
Great experimental bar food and cocktails. Same young chefs also have the cocktail bar Tavern Law. http://tavernlaw.blogspot.com/

Any true LTHer should sit down at Maneki. A century old Japanese restaurant (shuttered for a few years in WWII due to internment) that maintains very high standards at a very low price point. Good place to dine solo at the bar.

I really enjoyed a recent visit where I chatted with a server on break about the merits of the house made natto and the dizzying variety of mackerels. Not mackerel preps, but types of fishy fish - many directly from Japan. There's a huge menu of cooked homestyle Japanese too. If you have any interest at all in historic restaurants or even slightly enjoy places like Sunshine or Ginza, go there. A very cool place that seems to get surprisingly little ink in Seattle. Though it is loved and has a Beard Regional Classic.

The place is run by a bunch of little old Nisei ladies. Very cool.

Thank you, all, for the recommendations. I'll be in Seattle tomorrow, and it's looking like I'll have even less time there--closer to 30 hours. But thanks to your suggestions, I'm all mapped and ready to go. I can't wait! I'll share a report when I return.

I'm back from my whirlwind visit to the Pacific Northwest and my 30 hours in Seattle. Literally, the first thing that caught my eye when I got off the train downtown was a department store window display. In retrospect, it rather poetically sums up my vacation.



Not yet distended when I arrived in Seattle, I promptly deposited my bags at the hotel and made the short walk to Dahlia Lounge. I had planned to have only an appetizer here for pacing purposes, but the menu was too enticing, and I was ravenous from travel.

Washington peaches with country ham, pickled peppers and arugula were happy food--sweet, salty, spicy and sour--and made me wish I had the ordering power to try Dahlia Lounge’s two other savory peach offerings. The ham dish also made me wonder if all of the peaches I usually eat in summer are actually overripe. Before this lunch in Seattle, I had never had a really firm peach that tasted precisely at the peak of ripeness.



Wood-grilled salmon over farro with chanterelles and red wine pickled huckleberries were wild and delicious. When I told my server that I didn’t want to get too full but was interested in the salmon, she warned me that this dish was pure, local comfort food. And that it was--rich, creamy and wholesome without being muddled.



From Dahlia Lounge, I walked and ended up at Pike Place Market.



It was crowded, loud and not pleasant for browsing. Somehow hungry again, I purchased an absurdly large bag of apple chips from the dried fruit vendor at the market entrance and headed for the piers.



I hadn’t yet spent any time near the water in Seattle, so Elliott’s seemed like a good choice for happy hour. Unfortunately, I only had room for a half dozen oysters because of the foolish amount of dried applies I ate on the short walk down to the restaurant. The Hama Hama oysters from Mid Hood Canal, WA that were the chef’s happy hour selection were just OK. Smallish with a medium saltiness, they’re not the type of oyster I prefer.



After a nap, I headed to Spur. I was pleasantly surprised by how intimate and inviting the interior was. The well-stocked bar was one of the most cozy at which I’ve ever sat. With more time to spare in Seattle, I could have tippled there for hours. Not yet having the hang of happy hour culture, I didn’t plan to get to Spur by a specific time, but I lucked out and arrived just before the end of their happy hour specials and had an excellent, inexpensive first drink. I didn’t see the bartender measure or taste anything while I was there, but my cocktail turned out well, a Broken Spur #2 made of bourbon, cointreau, lemon and amaretto.

To eat, I ordered the lamb tartare with heirloom tomatoes, shiso and sous vide egg. The clean flavors and beautiful plating startled me.



After Spur, I walked almost to Capitol Hill to visit Sitka and Spruce at Melrose Market. This was another comfortable, romantic space, set up like an open country kitchen. I took a seat at the window counter and requested that my dinner be a surprise. The server brought me the local albacore with New Mexico chiles tossed with black rice and aioli, which was outstanding. I usually don’t care for rice salads and am not typically a fan of the texture of fish against rice or pasta, but here it seemed the most natural of combinations. This dish packed some serious heat without overpowering the delicious, fresh fish.



I don’t drink coffee, but I hiked back up Pike St. to Victrola the next morning to buy several pounds of beans to gift.



Then, I had a civilized breakfast of macarons and tea at Belle Epicurean.



I almost changed my mind about breakfast upon taking a closer look at the pastry case but was too hungry to move on. Belle Epicurean is known for its brioche buns, traditional varieties and a bun of the month (pineapple-rum for September). The brioche, croissants, macarons and most everything looked very flat, like they had all been deflated or sat on. My pistachio macaron wasn’t bad, but the meringues could have used more air, and the cream was concentrated in the very center, like a whoopie pie.



After breakfast, I took a walk and came across this peculiar building.





The name made me think prep school; the architecture made me think Art Deco factory; and the rubber chickens hanging in the windows and bright red booths made me think Chinese fast food. I got excited for a moment by the possibility that I might be able to supplement my sad, sugary breakfast with some egg foo young or the like. Unfortunately, it turns out that Wexley doesn’t serve food; it’s an eccentric advertising firm.

Next, I planned to visit the Theo Chocolate factory but waited 30 minutes, and no bus came. I decided I can wait plenty for buses in Chicago--no need to do it while on vacation. Aware I was risking getting to Salumi at peak lunch hour, I headed there anyway after a stint in Olympic Sculpture Park.

I didn’t think I’d need to memorize the exact address; walking down 3rd Avenue, I figured Salumi would be obvious with a line out the door. There was practically no one there at just past noon!



I had a heaping of oxtail and peppers, which was deeply satisfying if a smidgen oily. Further, I succumbed to the table wine and celebrated my good fortune of no wait.



Note the change in Salumi’s chalkboard during my meal. More luck.





After lunch, I explored the galleries of Pioneer Square. I saw some very impressive work, but perhaps my favorite were the fluorescent paintings of Seattle-based Tim Siciliano being shown at Catherine Person Gallery, just a few doors down from Salumi. Siciliano seems to draw inspiration from China, Bosch and Matt Groening, and skewered swine recur in his work. In this detail, kangaroo preside at a pig roast.



With about an hour left in Seattle, I decided to roam Chinatown. I picked up some longan milk tea at Ambrosia to fuel me on my walk.



I chose Ambrosia from the multitude of milk tea places because its menus seemed the most extensive.







Though I wish I had had the time to explore outside of downtown--just glimpsing the Vietnamese restaurants and markets located between the Othello and Columbia City stops of the Link made me excited--I think I did well with the time I had and by myself. The food culture seems quite rich in Seattle, and I look forward to returning.





Dahlia Lounge
2001 4th Ave.
Seattle, WA 98121-2505
206-682-4142

Elliott’s
Pier 56, 1200 Alaskan Way
Seattle, WA 98101
206-623-4340

Spur
113 Blanchard St.
Seattle, WA 98121
206-728-6706

Sitka & Spruce
1531 Melrose Ave. (inside Melrose Market)
Seattle, WA 98122
206-324-0662

Victrola
310 E. Pike St.
Seattle, WA 98122
206-462-6259

Belle Epicurean
1206 4th Ave.
Seattle WA 98101
206-262-9404

Salumi
309 3rd Ave. S.
Seattle, WA 98104
206-621-8772

Ambrosia
619 S. King St.
Seattle, WA 98104
206-623-9028

Thanks - brought back many memories of my years in Seattle.

Jyoti

I've been working quite a bit in Seattle for the past few months, having eaten maybe two dozen meals, many at places mentioned above and in the other long-running thread. I hate to be a pill, but I've been depressed by what seems to be a static scene, a rut, or maybe just a comfortable groove. Things don't seem to have changed much in the past decade. Also, Seattle offers less truly local, truly fresh (as opposed to frozen below decks in AK weeks before) seafood compared to East Coast counterparts known for seafood (e.g., Boston or New Orleans). Different types of fisheries and industries, I know. But give me the snapper or grouper brought to dock on a 25 ft boat any day. Discussions with informed locals makes me think Seattle has fallen behind Portland and, certainly, Vancouver as a food-focused town. (I don't have recent experience with either.) Not sure why. Maybe Seattle is too prosperous: youngsters don't need to work in kitchens or attend culinary school. Perhaps most puzzling is the relatve mediocrity, in my opinion, of the "authenic" Japanese and other Asian stuff -- with one giant exception, below. I'm not comparing it to Chicago, rather NY, LA, SF, HI, the more relevant comparisons. I found the "best" izakayas, for example, to be either marginal dumps with horrid food (Maekawa) or "concept" places with saketinis (Wann). Nothing even close to the terrific strip mall izakayas all over the LA basin or even the salaryman lunch places in Manhattan. In fact, as Seattle's local papers bemoan, this city with a very large, very old Japanese population does not have a proper ramen shop to speak of. (Lacking a Mitsuwa supemarket, they don't even have a Santouka branch.) While I love the city and the stunning surrounding wilderness, I'm down on the food in Seattle.

That's the bad news. The good news is I could eat at Maneki, the 100-year-old homestyle Japanese place in the International District with 6 kinds of mackerel and house-made natto, then stop by Sun Liquors, the low-key, high-quality cocktail bar meets corner tavern on Capitol Hill, every day. These places are real GNR material.

Shaggywillis wrote:Shiro's sushi. Best sushi meal of my life. I sat at the bar and asked the sushi chef to give me what was fresh and local and this seemed to be the way to go.

This is true! Do not order! Okasake! Shiro san will not stear you wrong! I just had the most amazing sushi meal ever. I was lucky enough to be at the bar while Shiro was working and blown away does not come close to the experience!

Enijoy,
Yo

Ps. Don't even think about giving me shit about spelling!

MarlaCollins'Husband wrote:Sandwiches at Paseo.

Allow me to elaborate. The Caribbean Roast ($8.50) is one of the best sandwiches I've ever eaten. The chunks of tender pork shoulder are roasted for what is clearly a very long time. The menu implies the meat is covered in a house marinade before it's roasted but it's hard to tell when that flavor ends and the very garlicky aioli starts, but the result is an intoxicating combination of flavors in and around the tender pork. Completing the sandwich are an overabundance of sweet grilled onions, cilantro, jalapenos, and a stalk of romaine lettuce. The excellent crusty toasted bread that does an admirable job of attempting the impossible task of keeping the sandwich together comes from Seattle's Macrina Bakery.

For Breakfast I highly suggest the following:

Take the ferry over to West Seattle, there is a restaurant right at the dock called Marination Ma Kai they have delicious breakfasts including a breakfast slider, their description is as follows: House-made Portuguese sausage (yes, Portuguese sausage is traditional Hawaiian) and a fried egg, served on a pair of Hawaiian-style buns, with NUNYA Sauce* and a sprinkle of cheese.

*a spicy mayo-miso sauce

By taking the ferry, one gets to see Seattle from the water as well as enjoy a great breakfast outside (there is inside seating as well)