Eating And Drinking Around Seattle

370258 05: The Seattle Space Needle is viewed during twilight with Mt. Rainier in the background on May 30th. … [+] 2000 in Seattle, USA. (Photo by Dan Callister / Newsmaker)

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Eating and drinking in Seattle

The Emerald City has long been a great food city, but I have often viewed it as a powerhouse for mostly great seafood, vegetables, and Chinese food. While the International District is crammed with great Asian joints, it is not such a pleasant place to navigate these days due to the homelessness that persisted during the pandemic.

However, I have to say that the Dim Sim in Harbor City was worth a trip. Tender and juicy steamed shrimp dumplings with carrots and peas, followed by just stuffed shrimp dumplings and coriander and soup dumplings: yes, they were divine! Better than what I’ve had in New York or San Francisco lately. They don’t have much of a wine list, but who cares if the dumplings are this good!

Dim Sum in the city harbor

Lisa B. Zimmermann

Next stop Vietnam

After my Chinese problem was over, I switched to Vietnamese and discovered a really great restaurant in Monsoon on Capitol Hill. Chef Eric Banh moved from Saigon to the USA as a child and the boy knows how to combine Vietnamese classics with modern flavors.

Green papaya salad in the monsoon.

Lisa B. Zimmermann

The green papaya salad with prawns, mint and peanuts is crisp and refreshing. Beef on La Lot leaf is hearty and the fried chicken wings are addicting! And while the banana cake isn’t particularly traditional, it’s divinely rich and oozes with banana flavor.

On meat and seafood

The Flintcreek Cattle Restaurant is an airy place with high ceilings, a solid wine list, and a nice mix of dishes. The duck confit was rich and tasty. This was followed by crispy fried Garganelli noodles with a Bolognese with forest mushrooms, which was doused with a pinch of Grana Padano. The water of choice here is the ever-chic Mexican Topo Chico. The Belgian endive salad with apples and pecans was a great way to end the meal. J. Laurens Brut Rosé Crémant de Limoux went perfectly with almost everything we enjoyed.

The airy dining room in the Flintcreek.

OF Creative

The next evening’s dinner at Rockcreek was all about seafood, with a couple of oysters to kick off, followed by Hawaiian Hamachi Crudo with sweet onion vinaigrette, cucumber and shiso leaves. Since one crudo is never enough for me, a more Latin American-inspired pairing of Hawaiian tombo tuna tiradito with fennel, tomatoes, red onions, coriander ad aji amarillo followed. The Basque charmer Txakoli Rezabal, made from 100 percent Hondarribi Zuri, went perfectly with all of these dishes.

Crudo with shiso leaf.

Lisa B. Zimmermann

Before heading out on my last night, I grabbed a cocktail at the lively and swanky Frolic Kitchen & Cocktails at the Motif Hotel (where the rooms have breathtaking views of the sound)! Fire pits abound and the bar had both indoor and outdoor seating.

The redesigned El Gaucho in Belltown is a flashy, elegant dark supper club of your dreams. Cozy alcoves line the walls while a pianist plays softly. The Cesar salad is served at the table as a reminiscence of the old golden days. The Dungeness crab cakes were delicious and the ribeye on the bone – my second favorite after Porterhouse – perfectly cooked and too big to finish!

The bar at El Gaucho in Seattle.

Night owls club

If you need a little dog hair the next morning or just want a really good breakfast, Andaluca at the Mayflower Park Hotel has a very inviting dining room. The eggs and omelettes hit just like the bloody mary! The Spanish restaurant is now open again and serves paellas and other Latin-inspired dishes to take away. When I was there, Oliver’s Lounge only made cocktails, but the elegant bar area is now open for drinks as well as crab cakes, salads and burgers.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/lizazimmerman/2021/11/11/eating-and-drinking-around-seattle/