Rooms With a View

There's a great song by a great band that includes a great lyric about mirrors behind bars. "I can't stand to look at myself when I don't know where you are," the song goes. The singer raises a good point: Who wants to stare at their reflection while crying in their martini about the one that got away? Take your heavy heart to a bar that looks at something lovely. At Palisade (2601 West Marina Place, 206-285-1000, www.palisaderestaurant.com) in the Elliott Bay Marina in Magnolia, the views of the marina and the city are picture-perfect. The bar also looks over the dining room, so you might watch for lovely things eating dinner, too.

Small lounges at Maximilien (81-A Pike St., 206-682-7270, www.maximilienrestaurant.com), Place Pigalle (81 Pike St., 206-624-1756), and Chez Shea (94 Pike St., Suite 34, 206-467-9990, www.chezshea.com) overlook the Market, Puget Sound, and the Olympics; the view from Salty's on Alki (1936 Harbor Ave. S.W., 206-937-1600, www.saltys.com), across the bay in West Seattle, allows you to gaze back.

Like those Pike Place Market lounges, the bars at the Waterfront Seafood Grill (2801 Alaskan Way, 206-956-9171, www.waterfrontpier70.com), Anthony's Pier 66 (2201 Alaskan Way, 206-448-6688, www.anthonys.com), and Ray's Boathouse (6049 Seaview Ave. N.W., 206-789-3770, www.rays.com) offer a view slightly less spectacular than what you'd enjoy if you were seated in the dining room proper. But especially considering their proximity to the saltwater, it's easy to avail yourself of the gorgeous seascape.

For landlubbers, the Calcutta Grill (15500 Six Penny Lane, 425-793-5566, www.newcastlegolf.com) at the Newcastle Golf Club south of Bellevue includes an English-style pub and expansive panoramic views of the well-kept public course and the lake and city beyond.

lcassidy@seattleweekly.com