Hearty Toast

Cone and Steiner’s downtown outpost continues to stock essential Seattle goods: local beer on tap, a fridge full of cold brews and every-occasion wines, takeaway items suitable for posh picnics and power lunches alike. Now there’s a little lineup of toasts. Atop a thick slice of Sea Wolf Bakers’ sourdough bread are layers of herb cream cheese, tomato jam, microgreens, and a fan of avocado slices. It’s unwieldy but seriously satisfying. —Rosin Saez

Fiery Fried Chicken

Inside the U Village location of Rachel’s Ginger Beer dwells a Ma‘ono walk-up counter, and one supremely unruly fried chicken sandwich—daikon pickles, kewpie mayo, tender bird that also packs crunch. It’s a destination unto itself. The spice levels are no joke. Chef Mark Fuller brings fiery pain to an extra-hot version; don’t feel like a total wuss if you order this mild. —Allecia Vermillion

Baller Crab Tacos

Heavy Restaurant Group’s Pablo y Pablo offers quite the take on the baja-style taco. Most of the requisite parts remain: housemade tortillas with locally sourced masa, a bed of crisp cabbage, a drizzle of beach-blond aioli, pico de gallo for a little sweetness. A crustacean crown of soft-shell crab adorns the three-bite taco, delivering flavors unmistakably rich and earthy. It’s in the “Baller” column of the menu for a reason. 
—Darren Davis

One Rice Bowl to Rule Them All 

At B-Side’s pastel-tiled nook the rice bowl is put-a-ring-on-it good. Atop a bed of rice sit textural bundles of joy—puffed wild rice and amaranth, char-roasted turnips and broccoli, a perfectly runny soft-boiled egg, tahini and chickpea-miso dressing. If there were ever a place to hide away with a book and a cup of joe, it’s this Analog Coffee sibling cafe. —RS