North America

ALLIGATOR PEAR

Everyone loves a good sarnie, especially ones piled with worldly (aka chichi), fresh, artisan ingredients including English cucumber, German pickles, and Fourme d'Ambert blue cheese—precisely the kind of sarnie available at this tiny Belltown sandwich shop. Owners Jessica Prince and Alisa Mann craft lunchtime goodies, many of them starring the avocado—otherwise known as an alligator pear. Get the No. 1, Prince's fave, with roasted turkey, New Mexican green chiles, sharp white cheddar, mayo, and some of that creamy alligator pear, all layered on a roll and grilled. Note to big eaters: Some sandwiches, such as the vegetarian, are a bit small. If you've got a monster appetite, order a supplemental cup of soup (selections change daily; the chicken noodle is pure comfort) or a cookie for dessert. MOLLY LORI

Serves: lunch. 2523 Fifth Ave., 206-728-5897. BELLTOWN $ www.alligatorpeartogo.com

CAFE FLORA

Cafe Flora continues its long reign as Seattle's best vegetarian restaurant. The quality of its food has not flagged since it opened in 1991. The kitchen keeps putting out imaginative haute cuisine without dead animals, like the Oaxaca tacos (who knew mashed potatoes would taste so good stuffed in a corn tortilla?), sage polenta (grilled cornmeal cakes with roasted vegetables, pomegranate molasses, and fig balsamic reduction), and portabello Wellington (grilled 'shrooms, leeks, and other delightful things enhanced by a Madeira wine sauce and sitting in a puff pastry). Even though the menu sounds hoity-toity, the atmosphere is unpretentious. If you are lucky enough to be seated in the glassed-in patio with the bubbling fountain, all your senses will enjoy the evening. GEORGE HOWLAND JR.

Serves: weekend brunch, lunch, and dinner. 2901 E. Madison St., 206-325-9100. MADISON PARK $-$$ www.cafeflora.com

CANLIS

Saveur magazine recently named the Original Canlis Salad one of the 100 best dishes in America. It's the mint that really puts it over the edge. The other ingredients are crisp romaine lettuce, equally crisp bacon, sultry Romano cheese, oregano, and a lemony olive oil dressing made with lightly cooked egg. The salad is 10 bucks, which I point out because people tend to think that Canlis is for millionaires. (It is indeed for people with sports coats, but if you haven't got one, they'll spot you one for the evening.) I'm not telling you that Canlis is a bargain basement in the sky, but all things considered, some small plates and a couple of cocktails—and an hour's worth of '70s classics from the piano player/singer—in the lounge add up to an excellent deal. Bottom line: Canlis is among the top three splurge-worthy joints in town. You will not get better service anywhere, and the mostly Northwest-sourced food sits exquisitely between inventive and scientific. LAURA CASSIDY

Serves: dinner. 2576 Aurora Ave. N., 206-283-3313. QUEEN ANNE $$$ www.canlis.com

CASUELITA'S ISLAND SOUL

It's like a Cinderella story: If you focus on the gussied-up, two-story Belltown sister in the Casuelita family, you might miss the real princess secreted away in the Judkins area. Thing is, the fabulous Caribbean menu's almost the same at both, albeit the Judkins restaurant is booze-free. (But does your Belltown waitress have intricately hand-painted psychedelic fingernails?) The atmosphere is neighborly and casual at Island Soul, but you're still guaranteed the best cornbread in the city—almost like coconut cake, really—and jerk chicken and plantain tostones that will make you want to move to the Dominican Republic. SARA NIEGOWSKI

Serves: lunch and dinner. 2608 S. Judkins St., 206-329-1202. JUDKINS PARK. 81 Vine St., 206-770-0155. BELLTOWN $-$$ www.casuelitas.com

CRAVE

Crave seems like a 1950s luncheonette because it's small, street-facing, and everyone seems to know one another—and also because of the counters, which are underneath two perpendicular open windows through which you can watch the fry cooks. But instead of gristly, greasy burgers or cheap cheese melted between slices of white bread, those cooks are preparing crab melts made with fontina cheese and a tangy, zesty remoulade, and their grilled cheeses include New York's best sharp cheddar, crisp apple slices, and maple-dijon mustard on sourdough. At dinnertime, the pork chop comes with braised greens in a port glaze, and the closest thing to mac and cheese is goat cheese gnocchi. (If you'd rather, there's duck confit with savory bread pudding.) The real kicker is that chef-owner Robin Leventhal serves only organic, free-range, grain-fed meats, and the components of her dishes are either made in-house or procured from regional artisans. When you think about it, that's pretty old-fashioned, too. LAURA CASSIDY

Serves: breakfast, lunch, and dinner. 1621 12th Ave., 206-388-0526. CAPITOL HILL $-$$ www.cravefood.com

CROW

Eating at the bar is always a great idea, especially when you're at Crow. Now that it's settled into the neighborhood and the crushing throngs of diners have streamlined themselves into a more navigable steady flow, it isn't necessarily a necessity, but it's still a fine idea. You can choose between the booze bar in the front and the kitchen bar in the back; either way, you get the sense that you're on the front lines of Northwest cuisine and cocktails. My only beef: Crow needs a Web site. Seriously, the menu changes often, and I need to be able to log on and, at the very least, pretend that I'm watching the cooks prepare the season's freshest seafood and produce. LAURA CASSIDY