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Diner
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DINER*
A great diner is hard to come by in these parts, and Diner—nestled in its obscure location on a Pioneer Square side street—is a great diner, with proper red-upholstered booths and shiny tabletops and a checkered floor. Other signs that this place is the real deal: Cops frequent it. Service, even at a busy lunchtime, is shockingly fast. They know what a black-and-white shake is. A hot turkey sandwich, with white bread toast and nice sear marks on the turkey and good salty gravy, comes with what one can only believe are potato buds. The hash browns ($1, people!) are appropriately greasy and, appropriately, the grated kind, none of this home-fries bullshit. The Fantabulous Eggwich (scrambled eggs, cheese, and ham, bacon, or sausage on toast, a muffin, or a biscuit) is exactly as it should be, and if you choose the biscuit you get TWO side-by-side, because a biscuit isn't as big as toast or an English muffin, and that wouldn't be fair, and this way it's more than fair. The prices are also more than fair. Now that's how a diner should be. B.J.C.
72 S. Washington, 340-8859. Breakfast, lunch, & dinner, closed Sun. PIONEER SQUARE $
THE DISH
Generally, people don't like waiting around outside on dreary, miserable mornings. And many flinch at paying $7.50 for an omelet. Even more in these parts frown upon breakfast establishments that don't own an espresso machine. So just why do they descend in droves on the Dish, the modest cafe situated in the nondescript zone between Ballard and Fremont? The answer is quite simple: The ingredients are top quality and always fresh, everything's served in healthy portions, the coffee never stops flowing, and the mismatched furnishings are somehow oddly comforting. A case could certainly be made for the Slacker Especial (scrambled eggs, green chiles, tortilla chips, and Monterey Jack, coated with a zesty enchilada sauce), but there's no such thing as a signature item here: It's all good. Someplace on the menu there's a house combo of eggs, meats, cheeses, and veggies to satisfy the most fickle breakfast connoisseur, but they'll accommodate custom orders if you really must. And please don't neglect the lunch side of the menu—the soups and sandwiches are no less spectacular. P.F.
4358 Leary, 782-9985. Breakfast & lunch, closed Mon. Cash and checks only. BALLARD $
EARTH & OCEAN
Earth & Ocean shares many of the qualities of a successful love affair; it's plenty serious about the right things but has wicked fun with others. It's sleek and elegant, dark and comfortable. If you're here for Dinner with a capital D, plan to spend big money, feel serious, and eat rich. Try one of the chef-selected four-course dinners, and look for the unadulterated honeycomb that shows up from time to time. Flavor contrasts abound in the appetizer menu; the wild boar ravioli has a heady intense taste of porcini mushrooms and caramelized onions. The joie de sweet is the amazing the Sue McCown—her gold medal-worthy work as executive pastry chef is brash, creative, and just plain incredible. The "Cool Kind of Mint" is simply gorgeous, celadon green chocolate cake layered with mint ganache. Earth & Ocean is trying, obviously, to do a lot and be a number of places—an arbiter of taste, a serious eatery, a Candace Bushnell-worthy cocktail bar. It brings together the feelings of comfortable old marrieds, thrilling blind dates, and the uneasy questioning of the just-moved-in-together. As with love, it's nearly always fun trying—especially if you order dessert. A.V.B.
1112 Fourth, 264-6060. Breakfast, lunch, dinner every night. DOWNTOWN $$$
EL GALLITO
For the muy tasty stuff, visit the little, er, cock. The compelling exterior signage beckons as you drive by on Madison, and diner-esque booths, a linoleum floor, and general working-class Los Angeles feel (cement block walls, stuffed rooster watching over the place) greet you. Get an order of stellar guacamole with your chips; delicate palates should be wary of the house salsa, which will impress even the most desperate capsaicin addicts. The burning is nothing one of their fine house margaritas won't solve, though their other drinks are tempting as well, and El Gallito maintains an extensive tequila selection for sipping or shots. The main courses blend simple ingredients and complex spice mixtures elegantly—even the rice stands out! The mole sauce is thick and full of yummy details, the tortillas are perfectly soft but don't fall apart midbite, and the portions will outlast most appetites. The lunch menu is varied and tasty, though not as cheap as their competitors'—but that extra buck or two pays for some serious postprandial satisfaction. Rob Lightner
1700 20th, 329-8088. Lunch & dinner, no lunch on weekends. CAPITOL HILL $
EL GAUCHO
Scampering valet parking attendants signal the swarming hub of swank that is El Gaucho, Belltown's reigning champion in the heavyweight dating category. This is a place to impress your beau (or client), a joint to show you have, most emphatically, Arrived. The tiered, open floor plan is topped by old-school, U-shaped booths overlooking a theatrical space just waiting for Rita Hayworth to slink into the spotlight and sing "Put the Blame on Mame." Since diners on a midweek visit wore white tennis shoes, jeans, and logoed sweatshirts, the Stork Club revival feeling may be lost on some—glamour works both ways. The abundant, uniformed, attentive staff holds up its end with sales shtick that can be a little over-the-top (when requesting a Tanqueray and tonic, you may be complimented on your choice), but you can't complain about the food, which tends toward supersized luxury signifiers like lobster and steak. Crab cake starters are mercifully firm and well-textured. A seasonal special of Alaskan halibut was top-drawer, served unpretentiously with greens and scalloped potatoes. The "Magnificent Northwest Bouillabaisse" raises suspicions, but doesn't bludgeon the palate with either sauce or seafood selection. You won't be able to finish any of it, however, even the dessert; size has its price. Brian Miller
