The restaurant scene in Seattle is fire! Unlike NYC, you definitely can’t walk everywhere unless you’re up for an enormous hike in every possible direction. The city has hilltops, waterfront, and downtown in between with lots and lots of hilly streets and steep steps. On a recent work trip to the west coast, I discovered a few dynamite places and these were my top picks for Seattle’s best snacks.
In the Fremont area, there’s a super popular pizza joint called Tivoli. It’s a bright spot with huge windows, plenty of outdoor seating and a cool, casual vibe. You order at the counter and the server brings your meal to your table. Tivoli is known for their incredible slices made in their on-site wood burning oven. We came ready to sample!
Our first course was their extraordinary Wood-Fired Rainbow Carrots covered in a horseradish-scallion cream and dappled with a salty pistachio crumble. Hands down this is the best vegetable I’ve ever had in my life. The carrots were fork tender and piping hot in the middle. The cream sauce was to die! A silky texture with a tangy bite and the crunch of the pistachios mixed with the oniony scallions was absolute perfection. I couldn’t get over it. I oohed and ahhed for the next 24 hours straight. Confession? Ummm, I’m still sort of obsessed.
The pizza was otherworldly as well. We tried a slice of the Pepperoni, the Pesto, Meat and a slice of the Veggie. All were incredible. The Pesto was the table fave. The basil, olive oil and combo of mozzarella, provolone and parmesan was just right. Salty and earthy. And the crust was super thin and crispy. A side of ranch brought a cool finish to my last crusty bite. Yum. The Veggie slice had mozz, squash, slivered red onions, a drizzle of hot honey and dollops of house made ricotta. Another triumph. Tivoli? How do you do it??
Way across the city in a section called Capitol Hill, I had a ridiculous sandwich I’ll never forget. A tiny storefront called Slab Sandwich has limited hours and a line forms as the doors open. The locals sure know their ‘hood. The must try here is the Fried Chicken Sandwich served on a just baked toasty ciabatta roll with a double schmear of ghost pepper ranch, tangy round pickle chips, and a pile of slaw. The chicken! Wow. So moist with just the right coating of crunch without overwhelming the bird. All the elements were stacked in that magically life affirming way for a perfect cross section in each bite. So impressive. The fries were hand cut, skin on, super-hot and golden and served with a thick scallion aioli for dipping. It was truly a memorable lunch.
The two noteworthy bakeries that I visited were Temple Pastries in the Central District and Sea Wolf Bakery in back up in Fremont. Temple was a shrine to all things buttery with incredible breakfast sandwiches, a fabulously crunchy Honey Butter Toast, a twirly Pistachio Schnecken, a few choice Cruffins, and a huge savory Pretzel with super spicy mustard on the side. This laptop friendly two story space was airy and welcoming with an early line that snaked to the door.
Sea Wolf’s Savory Croissant with tomato, lemon garlic aioli, and pecorino Romano spread on a square croissant bed rocked my world. The Savory Lye Roll was a standout too with honey mustard, mini cubed carrots and Swiss cheese baked right in. But the best menu item here was by far the gigantic Oat Chocolate Chip Cookie. This saucer was loaded with nutty brown butter, chunky shards of dark chocolate, oats, and a smattering of flakey salt on top. This cookie was big enough to be a meal!
Overall the food scene is Seattle is spectacular. On the sweeter side down near Pike Place Market, Shug has homemade ice cream with thick rich hot fudge and back up in Fremont, Theo’s Chocolate delights with handcrafted Dark Chocolate Covered Raspberry Marshmallows and fantastic creations unique to their shop. Hello, Big Daddy!
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