Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
crowded confines of Serious Pie you can enjoy beautifully blistered pizza bases topped
by such unconventional ingredients as clams, kale, potato, apples, pistachio and more.
It's seriously good!
LA VITA É BELLA
ITALIAN
$$
(
www.lavitaebella.us
;
2411 2nd Ave; pasta $10-14; 11:30am-10pm Mon-Sat, 5-10pm Sun; 13)
As any Italian food snob will tell you, it's very hard to find authentic home-spun Italian
cuisine this side of Sicily. Thus extra kudos must go to La Vita é Bella for trying and
largely succeeding in a difficult field. The pizza margherita is a good yardstick, though
the
vongole
(clams), desserts and coffee are also spot on.
As in all good Italian restaurants, the owners mingle seamlessly with the clientele
with plenty of handshakes and good humor.
360 LOCAL
NORTHWEST
$$
( 206-441-9360;
www.local360.org
;
cnr 1st Ave & Bell St; mains $16-26; 11am-late Mon-Fri,
8am-late Sat & Sun; 13)
S
Snaring 90% of its ingredients from within a 360-mile ra-
dius, this new restaurant follows it ambitious 'locavore' manifesto pretty rigidly. The
farms where your meat was reared are displayed on the daily blackboard menu and the
restaurant's wood-finish interior looks like a rustic barn. With such a fertile hinterland
to draw upon the food is pretty special; try the rabbit, the oysters or the chickpea cake.
Fresh vegetables supplement most meals, and even the whiskey is local.
FARESTART RESTAURANT
NORTHWEST
$$
( 206-443-1233;
www.farestart.org
;
700 Virginia St; 3-course dinner $25; 11am-2pm Mon-
Fri, 5:30-8pm Thu; Westlake & 7th)
S
FareStart serves substantial meals that benefit
the community. All proceeds from lunch and the popular Thursday-night Guest Chef
dinners - when FareStart students work with a famous local chef to produce outstand-
ing meals - go to support the FareStart program, which provides intensive job training,
housing assistance and job placement for disadvantaged and homeless people.
The constantly changing lunch menu is pretty darn gourmet for the price - try the ve-
ggie Reuben, or a flatiron steak in blue-cheese sauce. Reservations are strongly recom-
mended for dinner.
PALACE KITCHEN
NORTHWEST
$$
