Seattle for Foodies

The Pike Place Market is one of the highlights of a trip to Seattle. It's where you go to watch the fisherman throw the catches just off the boat and where you pick up your salmon for dinner. Seattle is about a lot more than fish, though. It's a city full of great things to eat and wonderful wine to drink it with. When heading to Washington's capital, make sure you take full advantage of sampling the restaurants, coffee, dessert and drinks you can find there.

When planning your trip, keep in mind that just outside of Seattle, you will find some great areas just outside the city. Towns like Kirkland are listed as just a few miles away, but traffic and bridge crossings can take some time. If you want to see and taste Seattle, get a hotel in the city and leave a suburb trip to Kirkland and Woodinville, where there are 100 tasting rooms and more great restaurants, for before or after your Seattle stay.

Restaurants

It used to be that hotels in restaurants were where you ate if you didn't want to go out. Things have changed and you can no find some of the best meals in town at a hotel. Two such places that shouldn't be missed on a trip to Seattle are Boka Kitchen & Bar at Hotel 1000 and ART Restaurant & Lounge at the Four Seasons. At Boka you won't go wrong with the chicken, veal, salmon or pork, prepared to perfection by Chef Angie Roberts with farm fresh ingredients. At Art, the simple is made extraordinary by Chef Kerry Sear, from a Baked Cheese Sandwich to Crab Cannelloni.

One name you shouldn't forget if you are looking for great restaurants in Seattle is Tom Douglas. He's the city's king of food and he proves that at quite a selection of places: Lola, with modern Mediterranean cuisine; Palace Kitchen, a busy bar with an applewood grill; Dahlia Lounge, the center of the city's local flavor; Etta's and Seatown, seafood lovers paradise; Brave Horse Tavern, barbecue with a twist; Ting Momo, a Tibetan Dumpling House; and Cuoco for Northern Italian favorites.

Chocolate

Coffee & Dessert

From Seattle's Best to Starbucks, this city was the leader in the coffee movement. Patrons still line up down the block to get a cup at the original Starbucks, despite the fact that there is one on every corner. Seattle natives still love their coffee, whether it's straight or a latte. They also love to have something to go with it. Stop at Dahlia Bakery for mini coconut cream pies (covered in white chocolate) or visit one of the locations of The Confectional, heaven for a cheesecake lover as they have ever flavor and size you can imagine.

The other sweet treat that you will find all over Seattle is chocolate. Fran's Chocolates is the biggest and the salted caramels are even favorites of President Obama. Head to the Chocolate Box for a selection from 50 of the area's independent chocolate makers. If you want to make sure you don't miss any cocoa treats, take the Chocolate Indulgence Tour.

Wine & Beer
Don't leave Seattle without trying some Washington Wine. You will find wine bars throughout the city and all of the restaurants have Washington wines. If you are looking for a more authentic winery style experience, check out Urban Enoteca. It's seven tasting bars in one spot so you can feel like you are visiting Washington wineries without having to leave Seattle. While at Urban Enoteca, you can also grab a bite to eat in their lounge, which also serves a full Sunday Brunch.

If you prefer a different kind of bubbles in your cup, you will find plenty of breweries, brewpubs and microbreweries in Seattle too. Hales Ales Brewery and Pub goes back to 1983 and you can find a variety of English style brews here.