Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
( 206-789-3770;
www.rays.com
;
6049 Seaview Ave NW; mains $24-39; 5-9:30pm; ;
17)
OK, so it's a cliché, but Ray's offers views over the Olympics, nautical decor and an
exhaustive fresh-fish menu. It offers tourists everything they imagine when they think
about a nice dinner out in Seattle. Reservations are required; if you can't get in for din-
ner, at least come for a drink on the sundeck: the bar's open until midnight.
FRELARD
What do you get when you cross offbeat Fremont with Scandinavian-flavored Bal-
lard? Frelard, according to some facetious Seattleites - or, in the words of the
Seattle Times, an area 'so hip it defies definition.' Seattle neighborhoods have al-
ways been indistinct, lacking official borders, and this ambiguity is no more ap-
parent than in the warehouse district where western Fremont dissolves into east-
ern Ballard. Leary Way NW around 43rd and 45th Aves is where the demarcation
gets a bit sticky, with some businesses claiming they're in Fremont, others saying
they're in Ballard, and a significant portion in the middle say they don't really
know - or care. Hale's Ales, one of Seattle's finest microbreweries, is a classic
case. TripAdvisor puts it in Fremont, Yelp claims it's in Ballard, while, sitting diplo-
matically on the fence, the Hale's Ales Twitter account lists itself as being in Fre-
mont/Ballard. All hail the new neighborhood!
CHINOOK'S AT SALMON BAY
SEAFOOD
$$$
( 206-283-4665; 1900 W Nickerson St; mains $6-30; 11am-10pm Mon-Fri, 7:30am-10pm
Sat & Sun; RapidRide D-Line)
Across the Ballard Bridge in the Fisherman's Terminal,
Chinook's is where fish practically leap out of the water and into the kitchen. You can't
get it much fresher than this, and the selection of fish and range of preparations is vast.
Watch the fishing fleet coming in from the massive restaurant windows.
