10 Best Restaurants 2009
THERE ARE MAYBE two dozen cities on the planet where the top 10 restaurants are tougher to call than in Seattle. Lucky us. Thank our extravagance of edible resources, entrepreneurial enterprise, and culinary exuberance. But man it makes a restaurant critic’s life hard.
Anointing just 10 has a choosing-your-favorite-child whiff to it. Each has its lovable qualities, its lovable quirks. One worships at the altar of the finest Shigoku oyster, the freshest heirloom tomato. Another sets family-style feasts upon banquet tables, inviting a shared communion that goes much deeper than dinner.
But here’s what it came down to for us. Whose service best captures the intelligent flavor of Northwest hospitality? Who bestows beauty and precision to plate and place, at every single meal? Who transforms the world’s finest raw ingredients into dishes that shimmer with invention and intention—but, mostly, that taste good? Who expresses the rooted sense of place that imbues a restaurant with a soul?
This year’s ultimate short list—take our word and our belt size for it—was culled from a list a whole lot longer. For each restaurant (listed in no meaningful order) you’ll find the chef or owner’s vision, my critical appraisal, and a list of the place’s noteworthy dishes.
Read it…and eat.
Published: October 2009
Serious pie is amazing! We try to treat ourselves every month.
Fairly new to the Seattle area, and this list was great. I am excited to knock out all 1-10!
We are from Wisconsin. While visiting our son in Seattle this summer, we celebrated my wife’s birthday at the Boat Street Cafe. A nice ambience. A varied menu. Fabulous food. The service was excellent.
I love this list! We’ve enjoyed a few of the Top 10 before, and look forward to going to the rest. Good to see Seattle classics on here like Canlis and Rovers, as well as some of the newer places like Spring Hill.
I agree with Jefferson…great list. Classics deserve to stay on the list if they continue to innovate and impress! Can’t wait for the parentals to come to town…going to Boat Street and Crush for sure!
I went through the whole list wrote them down and I want to try them all. Your reviews were great. My birthday is in feb and we are going to try one of these fabulous sounding restaurants. Thankyou Sherry in south king county.
Hey,
how are you?
i’m coming into seattle and was wandering if a pro like this blog could help me out in terms of…
1. best breakfast – i’m coming in on thurs, so cant do the corson building- so depressed
2. best lunch/dinner place to eat good seattle grub fare.
thanks so much!!! anything else i must eat etc like donuts just let me know too – yum yum.. i’m so jealous you have it all at your fingertips!
michelle
Serious Pie is great but for 2010?
Is there any list of top restaurants for 2010?
Mike,auto insurance quotes
Serious Pie is pretty damned good, but it says a lot about Seattle that one of it’s best restaurants is a pizza joint.
If Rovers can nail it’s consistency problem down, it would probably be a strong candidate for top spot in WA, maybe even contend for a michelin star.
For serious foodies, hop a ferry to Bainbridge (half an hour, great for visiting relatives) and walk to “The Harbourside Pub.” Looks like a fun, happy Pub joint with lots of micro-beers. What it really is that’s different is locally grown foods, highly creative seasonal choices of organic and grass-fed beef. The foodies will be happy and so will the whole family (no kids). There’s even a sunny deck. The owners have made this possible by working directly with local farmers—you can really taste the difference in the food. Best list for 2011?
Serious Pie is seriously UN-amazing. None of Tom Douglas’s restaurants are at all impressive compared to chef owned restaurants in Seattle including most that are on this top ten list. Tom knows how to market himself and make money. Cooking great food with authenticity and sustainability? He doesn’t have it. Serious Pie is a step up from Pagliachi, but not anything I would write home about. I miss Brasa’s fig pizza…. that is worth writing home about.