By David Jones

I know many of our readers like to hear about places near home they can try for themselves and while that is almost always the focus of the journal, once in a while I like to share experiences we’ve had while on vacation.

With that in mind I’d like to give you my favorites from a recent trip we took to Seattle.

When talking about Seattle most people are familiar with the iconic Space Needle and Mt. Rainier.  Our apartment was just 3 blocks from the needle in a neighborhood known as Belltown.  Seattle is so much more than you can imagine and an absolutely wonderful town for foodies.  Here are my favorites, in no particular order.

Donuts and pastries: 

Top Pot on 5th Avenue.  This is in the Belltown section and just under the monorail and across the street from a wonderful glass blowing studio.  They have the lightest donuts and very delicious cream and custard fillings.  Seattle natives know this place well and it was always crowded.

Dalias on 4th Avenue.  They are known for their delicious desserts, especially pies.  We got a coconut cream pie and chocolate éclair that were wonderful.  Dahlias provides the desserts for many of Seattle’s finest restaurants.  It is owned by Tom Douglas who is to Seattle’s food scene what Steven Starr is to Philadelphia’s.

Ice Cream:

Molly Moons is a Seattle neighborhood favorite and a short walk from Kerry Park on Highland Avenue, which has a panoramic view of the city that includes the needle and Mt. Rainier.  I had honey/lavender with Stumptown coffee and vanilla.  Lin had their double chocolate.

Mora’s in Kingston is a delightful little shop about an hour outside of the city.  If you want to go to Mt. Olympic National Park you take the ferry from Edmonds to Kingston.  On the way home it is guaranteed you will have a wait in Kingston.  One block from the ferry parking lot is Mora’s ice cream.  What a delight to wait for the ferry, watch the bay and enjoy a great ice cream cone.  I mixed coffee and vanilla.  Lin had another deep dark chocolate.

Pike’s Market: 

Everyone knows Pike’s Market for throwing fish.  They’ve been featured on many TV shows and certainly no trip to Seattle is complete until you visit Pike’s.

However, there are a bunch of terrific restaurants in and around the Market.  Our favorite here is Lowell’s.  It’s a long time establishment in the market with a great view of the bay from every seat.

Lin had a really good plate of fish tacos and I had Alaskan Cod fish and chips.  While you’re at the market you can also visit the very first Starbucks coffee shop.  This is where it all began for Starbucks.

Italian:

We had a really good meal at La Fontana.  This is a quiet little place with a totally enclosed courtyard garden and water feature.  We ate in the courtyard and although you are in the heart of the city you could be almost anywhere, the place is so quiet and intimate.

I had one of the best grilled calamari dishes I’ve ever had.  It was mixed with a pesto sauce that was a combination I’d never had before.  I had a very good dish of pasta and eggplant for my entree.

Lin had pasta with sardines, pine nuts, raisins and fennel.  This dish was a combination neither of us had ever experienced and it was truly remarkable.

We each had a glass of Dawson Creek Cabernet/Shiraz.

Brew Pub:

Far and away for us, the Bell+Whete was the best combination of great food and a large and varied selection of craft beers on tap.

This is a place with veranda windows open to the street for people watching and a very good staff that are quick to serve, but not at all intrusive.

We shared a very good cheese plate, followed by pork bellies and short ribs.  I had a Lost Abbey Imperial Stout that was so good I went back the next night just for a night cap.  Lin had a glass of cabernet from Yakima Winery.

Best Lunch:

We had quite a few nice lunches, but for us our favorite was at the Frye Museum.  The museum is always free and has a very interesting and eclectic collection.  The atmosphere in the museum café is quite relaxed and the food is very creative.

I had a very good chicken salad sandwich on fresh made bread with a touch of curry.  Lin had a salad that was excellent.

Best setting for a meal:

We had a fantastic table outside on the deck at the Paradise Inn on Mount Rainier.  The food here is actually quite good, but it is the breathtaking view that we will never forget.

As we enjoyed our soup and sandwich we were mesmerized by the meadows of wild flowers covering the lower mountain and leading right up to the snow line.  I can close my eyes today and visualize that scene and I’m sure I will be able to for many years to come.

Best Ethnic:

We went to a Latin American restaurant called La Isle.  All of the ‘action’ here was at the sidewalk bar and tables.  Going inside, we practically had the place to ourselves.  Lin had a really good cerviche and I had a delicious pulled pork sandwich.

La Isle is 2 blocks from the famous Seattle canal locks in the Ballard section of the city.  Here you can watch the boats moving up and down through the locks and also watch the salmon moving through the intricate system of the locks set up just for them.

Seattle is many things wrapped up in one great city.  It’s a very active and progressive town with lots of young people and a good variety of music and entertainment.  There are lots of fun things for the whole family either in the city or in a series of day trips to the surrounding country-side.  The seventh largest port in America is in Seattle.  Starbucks coffee started there.  Bill Gates is a native of Seattle.  Amazon is the largest employer.  The city is surrounded by water and sports are very big.  Jimi Hendricks is from Seattle and is buried here.  The world renowned glass artist Dale Chilhuly is actually from Tacoma, but he has a large presence in Seattle.  Bruce Lee lived and taught in Seattle and his final resting place is here in the Capital Hill district.

Seattle is also known for their ‘floating bridges’ and this is home to the largest ‘floating’ bridge in the world.  The term ‘flying saucer’ was first coined here in 1947 after the unexplained sighting of an object near Mt. Rainier.

We had a fun-packed week with never a dull moment and we could have easily kept ourselves occupied for at least another week.

The state of Washington is very big in the US wine market and right outside of the city you’ll find a vibrant vineyard scene that is both beautiful and easy to access.  You may know that the symbol for the Seattle Seahawks football team is designed by a Native American Indian from the Seattle area.  This style of art has a strong presence throughout the region and is a great exploration and experience to see.

A trip to Seattle is worth it for the food, but it is so much more.  .

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A native of Chester County and a 1968 graduate of Octorara Area High School, David Jones earned a Masters Degree in Medical Ethics from from Villanova University. Mr. Jones served as CEO of both Mayview and Wernersville State Hospitals and later worked directly with then Governor Rendell to modernize and right-size Pennsylvania’s entire state hospital system. Jones and his wife Lynn make their home in Parkesburg and dine out frequently across Chester County and the Delaware Valley.