Seattle - Washington State - page 84

keep an eye out for whatever looks particularly appetizing. The House of Hong
also has free parking.
409 Eighth Ave. & 206/622-7997. www.houseofhong.com. Reservations not necessary. Dim sum $2-$5; main
courses $6.50-$27. AE, DC, DISC, MC, V. Mon-Fri 10am-midnight; Sat 9:30am-midnight; Sun 9:30am-10pm.
Merchants Cafe AMERICAN Merchants Cafe is Seattle's oldest restaurant
and looks every bit of its 100-plus years. A well-scuffed tile floor surrounds the bar,
which came around the Horn in the 1800s, and an old safe and gold scales are left
over from the days when Seattle was the first, or last, taste of civilization for Yukon
prospectors. At one time the restaurant's basement was a card room, and the upper
floors were a brothel. In fact, this may be the original Skid Row saloon (Yesler Way
was the original Skid Road down which logs were skidded to a sawmill). Straight-
forward sandwiches, salads, and soups are the mainstays of the menu.
109 Yesler Way. & 206/624-1515. Main courses $6.50-$7. AE, DC, DISC, MC, V. Mon 11am-3pm; Tues-Sat
11am-8pm; Sun 10am-4pm.
Salumi ITALIAN For many folks, salami is a guilty pleasure. We all
know it's got way too much fat, but it tastes too good to resist. Now, raise the
bar on salami, and you have the artisan-cured meats of this closet-size eatery near
Pioneer Square. The owner makes all his own salami (as well as traditional Ital-
ian-cured beef tongue). Order up a meat plate with a side of cheese and some
roasted red bell peppers, pour yourself a glass of wine from the big bottle on the
table, and you have a perfect lunchtime repast in the classic Italian style. Did I
mention the great breads and tapenades? Wow! If you're down in the Pioneer
Square area at lunch, don't miss this place.
309 Third Ave. S. & 206/621-8772. Reservations not accepted. Main courses $6-$10. MC, V. Tues-Fri
11am-4pm.
BELLTOWN & PIKE PLACE MARKET
VERY EXPENSIVE
Cascadia NORTHWEST Chef Kerry Sear first made a name for him-
self in Seattle at the Georgian, the opulent restaurant at the Four Seasons
Olympic Hotel. Here, at his own restaurant, he celebrates all foods Northwest-
ern in an elegant, understated space in Belltown. For the full Cascadia experi-
ence, indulge in one of Sear's seven-course tasting menus. For the ultimate
Northwest dinner, try the menu of dishes prepared exclusively with seasonal
ingredients from around the Cascadia region, which stretches from British
Columbia to Northern California. Because the menu changes with the seasons,
you never know what you might find, but rest assured it will be memorable.
There's also a seven-course vegetarian dinner. Just to make the meal prices more
palatable, the wine list includes 30 wines for under $30. Want the dining expe-
rience but can't afford the prices? Try the bar, which has a menu of 10 dishes for
under $10.
2328 First Ave. & 206/448-8884. www.cascadiarestaurant.com. Reservations highly recommended. Main
courses $20-$34; 3-course fixed-price dinner $25; 7-course fixed-price dinner $45-$75. AE, MC, V.
Mon-Thurs 5-10pm; Fri-Sat 5-10:30pm.
El Gaucho LATE-NIGHT/STEAK Conjuring up the ghosts of dinner
clubs of the 1930s and 1940s, this high-end Belltown steakhouse looks like it
could be a Fred Astaire film set. The pure theatrics make this place a must if
you're in the mood to spend big bucks on a thick, juicy steak. Stage-set decor
aside, the real stars of the show here are the 28-day dry-aged Angus beef steaks,
definitely some of the best in town—but know that the perfect steak doesn't

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