food is so good and so diverse you’ll also
find the locals lunching here every day.
In the heart of the market is Steelhead
Diner, run by Adelaide-born Terresa
Davis and her American husband, Kevin,
who met when they worked at Cajun
restaurant Bacall’s in Adelaide. The
first Seattle restaurant to have a full
Washington state wine list, Steelhead
Diner serves a mean chicken-and-
andouille-sausage gumbo and has
a focus on local ingredients and
sustainable fishing, showcased on my
visit in a melt-in-your-mouth Alaskan wild
king salmon served with local cherries on
grits with smoky almond brown butter,
cracked rosemary and lemon zest.
Visit the International District for
Chinese, Japanese and Vietnamese fare,
La Carta de Oaxaca for affordable and
authentic Mexican and Il Corvo for
handmade pasta. The latter is only open
for lunch and the owner makes just three
kinds of pasta a day.
Ezell’s is hands-down the best fried
chicken in Seattle (Oprah Winfrey is a
big fan), while The Walrus and The
Carpenter is your go-to for oysters
and seafood to write home about.
And finally you must try a Seattle Dog
at least once. A twist on the traditional
snag/onions/bun combination thanks to
the addition of a slathering of cream
cheese, it’s the perfect late-night snack
after a live music gig, which in Seattle is
also a must.WHERE TO DRINK
Seattle may be best known as the
birthplace of Starbucks, but there is so
much more to its coffee culture than the
world’s best-known chain. Seattleites
have raised coffee to an art form,
surpassing even Australians in their
obsession with the bean, so you’ll be
caffeinated and spoiled for choice at
every turn.
Analog Coffee offers a pour-over
menu and cold brew on tap, along with
a great selection of magazines and
comics. Caffe Appassionato by LakeUnion is a little out of the way but
well worth the pilgrimage for the Twin
Peaks-like charm of its fit-out and owner
Tucker McHugh, while in the comfy booths
of 24-hour eatery 13 Coins you can add
alcohol to your breakfast eggs and coffee
with Greyhounds and Bloody Marys.
When it comes to bar culture, Seattle
has the high-low thing down pat. At the
top end of the scale, Canon whiskey bar
in Capitol Hill boasts America’s largest
spirits collection, with more than 4000
labels. The intimate and moodily lit bar
at Sun Liquor Distillery serves cocktails
as seductive as its ambience. Redhook
Brewlab is the Willy Wonka of Seattle
brewing, turning out 75-80 new beers
each year with flavours such as My OhFROM LEFT: Steelhead
Diner champions
local ingredients;
this is what you call
waterside living.GLOBAL TRAVEL.
130 delicious.com.au