91. Skillet
City: Seattle, WA
Category: Restaurants
Description: Josh Henderson and his wife, Kelli, buy old Airstream trailers and outfit them with full commercial kitchens. Then Josh and his staff roam the streets of Seattle to serve impeccably executed, locally sourced bistro food. Josh graduated from the Culinary Institute of America in New York but felt that the upscale mobile food market in Seattle was underserved, and made it his mission to fill that niche. Skillet’s specialty is bacon jam, which is bacon rendered with spices and onions, simmered for six hours, and then pureed. It’s great served over the grass-fed beef burger; other menu items include a mushroom-pesto linguine, duck tacos, and Canadian poutine (crispy fries with gravy and cheese). Skillet moves all over the city and can be found on its Web site and Twitter/Facebook feeds.
92. Tacos El Asadero
City: Seattle, WA
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (206) 722-9977
Address: 7300 Martin Luther King Jr. Way South
Description: Known as the “taco buses,” these two converted school buses serve what are regularly called the best tacos in Seattle. Traditional, old-school Mexican tacos are served in mulitas (a crispy tortilla sandwich) with avocado, cheese, and salsa. You can eat them right inside the bus, where a television is usually playing Spanish-language soap operas. Beef and chicken tacos as well as tamales and quesadillas are on the menu, and be aware that portions are large.
93. Kaosamai
City: Seattle, WA
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (206) 925-9979
Address: 404 N. 36th St. (North)
Description: In case you are wondering how to say the name of this restaurant, it’s pronounced “gow sa mai,” which means the ninth dynasty of the royal family. This coral-colored house in the lively Fremont neighborhood just underwent a remodel and serves very traditional Thai food, such as noodles and curries, as well as some specialty dishes like Swimming Rama (chicken or tofu served on spinach with peanut sauce) and Pla Sam Rose (a whole trout deep-fried, then smothered in sweet and sour sauce with fresh mango). When the weather is lovely, dine al fresco on the 1,000-square-foot sun deck.
City: Seattle, WA
Category: Restaurants
Address: 1612 N. 45th St. (North)
95. Orrapin Thai
City: Seattle, WA
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (206) 283-7118
Address: 10 Boston St. (Central)
Description: This Queen Anne restaurant is consistently reliable, with a neighborhood feel. The strongest dishes are the brothy noodles and the curries, which are spicier (as opposed to overly sweet) than many Thai restaurants. It’s a pretty and elegant space, and all dishes are prepared with fresh ingredients.
96. Cafe Flora
City: Seattle, WA
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (206) 325-9100
Address: 2901 E. Madison St. (Central)
Description: This light-filled restaurant with a stylish, minimalist decor consistently wins “Best of” readers’ polls among Seattle Web sites and magazines. It used to be an old Laundromat, until three friends decided to gut it in 1991 and open a community-based restaurant serving creative vegetarian cuisine. Cafe Flora is dedicated to using sustainable produce and environmentally friendly design and practices. Specialties are the spicy Oaxaca tacos and the portobello mushroom Wellington. For extra serenity, request a table in the tranquil indoor patio garden with its bubbling fountain.
97. Chaco Canyon Organic Cafe
City: Seattle, WA
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (206) 522-6966
Address: 4757 12th Ave. NE (North)
Description: A favorite not just for vegans and vegetarians, Chaco is the destination for raw-food and healthy-eating aficionados. One of the few restaurants in the nation that can say it is more than 90 percent certified organic year-round, this Southwestern-style cafe features a daily raw-foods menu, as well as vegan sandwiches and soups, rice and quinoa bowls, baked goods, smoothies, and fair trade tea and espresso. Organic wine, sake, and beer are also served. Chaco is committed to sustainable practices not only with its food, but throughout all business decisions and the staff.
98. Hillside Quickie Vegan Sandwich
City: Seattle, WA
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (206) 632-3037
Address: 4106 Brooklyn Ave. NE (North)
Description: Hillside is always crowded at lunchtime, a popular spot with students and faculty in the University District. A variety of sandwiches, burgers, soups, and sides are on the menu, including the Crazy Jamaican Burger with jerk seasoning and the fire-roasted yam on focaccia. For more extensive fare, check out their sister restaurant, Sage Cafe, below.
99. Pizza Pi
City: Seattle, WA
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (206) 343-1415
Address: 5500 University Way NE (North)
Description: This 100 percent vegan pizza joint uses the freshest ingredients and no animal products in anything, and offers a gluten-free dough choice. Along with veggie topping favorites, there are also meatless “meats,” such as pepperoni and sausage. Salads, calzones, sandwiches, and desserts are also on the menu.
100. Sage Cafe
City: Seattle, WA
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (206) 325-6429
Address: 324 15th Ave. East (Central)
Description: Sage offers many of the same types of burgers and sandwiches that Hillside does, but extends the offerings with a wide range of pizza by the slice, with toppings such as heirloom tomato, roasted squash, Thai red curry, and enchilada. The burger menu is also expanded, with gourmet burgers like the Portabella and the Mahalo.
101. Green Leaf
City: Seattle, WA
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (206) 340-1388
Address: 418 8th Ave. South (Central)
Description: This small, sweet restaurant is a perennial favorite of Seattleites for fresh dishes heavily flavored with cilantro, mint, and lime. The noodle bowls with grilled pork, crab soup, and mint shrimp rolls are always good, but the beef noodle pho soup, scented with anise, gets raves. Green Leaf is family owned and operated, and highly focused on customer service.
102. Monsoon
City: Seattle, WA
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (206) 325-2111
Address: 615 19th Ave. East (Central)
Description: Sibling chefs Eric and Sophie Banh, natives of Saigon, bring their traditional Vietnamese cuisine to this Capitol Hill restaurant and marry it with Pacific Northwest innovation. Their signature crispy drunken chicken is constantly lauded, and other dishes are equally innovative. Try the caramelized catfish claypot, or the Carlton Farm flank steak that is wrapped in la lot leaves and then grilled. Not only is the food local and fresh, but it also arrives looking so beautiful that you’re almost loath to dig into it. Monsoon boasts an extensive wine list
103. Tamarind Tree
City: Seattle, WA
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (206) 860-1404
Address: 1036 S. Jackson St. (Central)
Description: This provincial Vietnamese restaurant is a little quirky, a hidden gem in a rather unremarkable strip mall in the International District. The fresh rolls are highly recommended, from the crunchy tofu to the cilantro spring rolls. The aromatic Thang Long yellowfish is tender and one of the most popular dishes, but the menu is plentiful with traditional soups, satay, seafood, beef, noodles, and specialty dishes such as the scallop, pork, and mushroom crepes. The decor and ambience are very stylish, with artistic lighting and an inventive cocktail list that will make you feel as if you’re in 1930s Saigon. Don’t skip the roasted coconut ice cream.