The Melting Teapot

The fall run of Seattle Restaurant Week gets underway this Sunday, and it is a great opportunity to try some of the city’s best dining establishments at a very reasonable price. Over 100 Seattle-area restaurants offer a 3-course dinner for only $25, while some also have 3-course lunches for $15.

Most of the menus provide three or more options for each course, and almost all feature seafood and at least one vegetarian option. (I do notice, however, that there is an awful lot of squash ravioli and mushroom risotto appearing – nice, but not the most original of veg entrees to be found.)

Head over to their web site for a list of all participating restaurants, searchable by neighborhood.  Click on any restaurant name to view the special menu and to find out more information.  Seattle magazine also provides a nice list of accompanying special offers, primarily wine and cocktail specials, which several of the restaurants offer concurrently.

Which participating restaurants do I personally recommend?

If these restaurants are all new to you and the list seems a bit overwhelming, here are a few places that I’ve visited more than once (and have recommended to friends and family). 

Carmelita’s:  gourmet vegetarian that is not for vegetarians only.  The food is sophisticated, intrictate, and delicious.  This is fine-dining in a comfortable setting.  All veg options, some vegan.  Discounts on Washington wine by bottle or glass.

Matt’s in the Market: as one of my favorite Seattle restaurants, I make sure to get to Matt’s whenever I’m near Pike Place Market.  I’ve taken visiting relatives and friends, and they always leave impressed.  Matt’s sources its food from Pike Place Market, and like the market itself the food is fresh and full of character.  You’ll have a great view of Seattle’s best-known sign, boats on the water, or the open kitchen.  Sadly, there is no vegetarian entrée on the 3 for $25 menu.

bin on the lake: used to be Bin Vivant when it was next door, and we recently returned to the new "bin." I’m happy to report the same stellar service, meticulous platings, and fabulous views of Lake Washington.  They have one of the largest wine-by-the-glass offerings around, and they will be offering 25% off any Washington wine by the glass.  There is a vegetarian option.

Barking Frog: a high-end restaurant located in the heart of Woodinville wine country, with an extensive selection of Washington wine.  Whether you choose dinner or lunch, this is a sizzling deal for a place that is often a bit spendy.  The grand marnier prawn appetizer is one of their most popular items, and I’m happy to say it is a part of this deal. They are offering 20% off Woodinville bottles of wine, 15% off other Washington wine. Unfortunately, they do not have a vegetarian entrée on the 3 for $25 menu.

Tilth: certified organic, committed to seasonal menus, with food preparations that are elegant and memorable.  James Beard award-wining chef Maria Hines handily won a recent battle on TV’s Iron Chef, and she made one of my favorite meals ever in that competition (a sous vide sablefish with multiple preparations of heirloom tomato). There are always vegetarian and vegan options on Tilth menus, but my meat-eating husband and friends are also very happy with their entrees.  It’s too bad Tilth doesn't seem to be offering a wine deal because their wine list is known for being rather overpriced.

Poppy:  I love Poppy, with its fresh herbs and flowers (grown in the back garden) and have never been anything but incredibly happy with my experiences there.  I’m sure that the 3-course meal will be nothing short of fabulous, but if you’ve never been before… I’d actually recommend going at a different date and trying their daily thali.  These are 7 or 10 item meals, vegetarian or non, and they are only a few dollars more than the 3 for $25 deal.  That said, I’m thinking about going to Poppy next week because it will actually have me trying something I wouldn't usually get when there.  Veg. options on the 3 for $25 menu.

Where Will I Be Dining?

I see this as a fun excuse to try the foods of a new chef, to visit a place I've been meaning to go for a while, or to step outside of the familiar neighborhoods.  This is what made my shortlist.

Rover’s: another highly respected Seattle restaurant with a well-known chef.  I’ve been reading great reviews and getting glowing recommendations of this for years, but the high prices make me hesitate.  This is a great opportunity to try the place without dropping a couple of hundred dollars!

Toulouse Petit: the relative newcomer has been getting some crazy buzz, and I think it will be a destination restaurant for a while.  They have more options than usual on on the special menu, including veg.  This is just a faint echo of their famously extensive usual menu.

Boat Street Café: which I’ve been meaning to visit for ages because everyone says it is so wonderful.  In this case, though, I might put things off until after the Seattle Restaurant Week rush and just go afterward to try the regular menu.

Dahlia Lounge or Etta’s: I’ve only once visited a Tom Douglas restaurant, even though I'd been wanting to dine at them since before I lived in Seattle.  Douglas is a likeable local figure, these are classic Seattle dining experiences, and the menus look amazing.  I just need to get to that part of the city more often.