All Purpose Pizza "Kid-friendly" is a hyphenated poison pill for many restaurants. Especially ones that, with some pies going for nearly $30, clearly cater to the well-heeled crowd at the tippy-toe of the Jackson Street corridor. But don't let that deter you. Yes, All Purpose's pizza is gonna be a little pricier than your average pie. But it's worth it—even with all the rugrats. Handmade sourdough is the special ingredient that takes even the most basic slice—like the titillatingly named Fromage a Trois (mozzarella, gorgonzola, shaved parm, and red sauce)—into run-your-fingers-over-the-plate-to-sweep-up-all-the-crumbs territory. Even better, the ingredients are all fresh. So while that pepperoncini may clear your sinuses, it won't leave you with the bitter aftertaste of a canned good. And if you actually are the type of person who subjects a roomful of strangers to your progeny (what, too good for a babysitter?), see that tyke-friendly mini-kitchen underneath the big screen showing the NBA on TNT? That's for you and yours. CALEB HANNAN 2901 S. Jackson St., 324-8646,allpurposepizza.com. $ LESCHI
Kevin P. Casey
Betty: perfect for a low-stress, high-end meal.
Steven Miller
Branzino “comes off like a handsome older man.”
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"Here in Seattle, we've got it all. We've got the talent. We've got the product in spades. Revolutionary spirit? In some neighborhoods in this town, you can't chuck a rock without hitting some white-jacket with grill scars on his arms and a new restaurant opening in a former gas station or converted Airstream trailer."
Read Seattle Weekly food critic Jason Sheehan's intro to "Our Favorite Restaurants 2010" here.
A - B
All Purpose Pizza - Anchovies & Olives - Bakeman's - Bakery Nouveau - Betty
B - C
Bistro Turkuaz - Branzino - Buddha Ruksa - Café Flora - Café Juanita - Café Paloma
C - C
Café Presse - Canlis - Carmelita - Cascina Spinasse - Casper's - A Taste of the South - Chen's Village - Chinoise Café
C- E
Continental Restaurant and Patry Shop - The Counter - The Cutting Board - Delancey - Easy Street Cafe - Elliott Bay Cafe
E - G
El Mestizo - Emmer & Rye - Fort St. George - Georgetown Liquor Company - Green Leaf - Guanaco's Tacos Pupuseria
H - I
Hana - Harvest Vine - Hector's Restaurant - Hidmo - Hi Spot - I Love New York Deli - In the Bowl
I - K
Island Soul - The Italian Spaghetti House - Jones Origianl Barbeque and Catering - Joule - Kau Kau Barbeque - Kingfish
K - M
Kisaku - K.I.S.S. Cafe and Wine Bar - La Rustica - Lunchbox Laboratory - Maneki
M - M
Mawadda Cafe - Mecca Cafe - Mee Sum Pastry - Mistral Kitchen - Monsoon
N - P
New Saigon Deli - Ocho - Okinawa Teriyaki - Ototo - Pair - Palace Kitchen
P - P
Pam's Kitchen - Paseo - The People's Pub - Pete's Egg Nest - Pike Street Fish Fry - Plum Bistro
P - R
Poppy - Portage Bay Cafe - The Pub at Piper's Creek - Purple Dot Cafe - Rose Petals Restaurant - Red Bowls
S - S
Saba - Salumi - Serious Pie - Shultzy's Sausage - Skillet - Slim's Last Chance
S - T
Spring Hill - Spur Gastropub - Steelhead Diner - Tamarind Tree - Tammy's Deli
T - T
Taqueria La Venadita - Thaiger Room - Thai Tom - The Tin Table - Toulouse Petit
T - V
Tubs Gourmet Subs - Turkish Delight - Twilight Exit - Union - Volterra - Voula's Offshore Cafe
W - Z
Watertown Coffee - Wild Ginger - Zippy's
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Anchovies & Olives Run by one of the city's most talented chefs, Ethan Stowell, this intimate neighborhood spot offers inventive, impeccably prepared food without the pomp of fussy downtown establishments. Distinguishing it from the other stars in Stowell's burgeoning restaurant empire, the focus here is on seafood, often showcased in unusual ways: halibut with zucchini flowers, mackerel with wild mushrooms, and bluefish with soft-boiled eggs. But there's simplicity, too, in Stowell's style, and the best dishes, like giant scallops lightly sautéed, manage to convey both purity and complexity. Come during the restaurant's version of happy hour, renamed power hour, and you can treat yourself to raw oysters for a buck apiece. NINA SHAPIRO 1550 15th Ave., 838-8080,anchoviesandolives.com. $$ CAPITOL HILL
Bakeman's Jason Wang makes the Soup Nazi seem like a softy. He won't swear at you if you waffle for more than half a second with your order, but you can tell he wants to. You might walk out of your first visit to Bakeman's thinking that Wang, who runs the ultra-efficient, subterranean cafeteria, is a prick. You might also think that after your second visit—and maybe after your 17th, if you make it that far. But at roughly visit 43, you'll notice a shift in Wang's demeanor. Oh, sure, he'll still flip you shit, but his eyes start to smile, as Tyra Banks might say. And even if you never develop an appetite for Wang's brusque personality, it's pretty impossible not to be drawn to his homemade meatloaf sandwiches or daily plate specials, including beef stroganoff and Seattle's most affordable lamb shank. And good luck trying not to fall prey to Wang's dessert hustle when you reach the register. You don't need that slice of pie, granted, but sometimes you'll do whatever it takes to get a guy off your back. MIKE SEELY 122 Cherry St., 622-3375. $ DOWNTOWN
Bakery Nouveau What gets you first about the twice-baked almond croissants at Bakery Nouveau is the smell: like warm, fresh bread, only sweeter, richer, better. Next, as you take a bite, it's the magic of croissants that surprises you—the way they manage to be crisp and flaky and chewy and soft all at the same time. And after that, you're just into it—fully committed and loving the restrained sweetness of the almond paste and the pure, luxurious kick of all that butter and all that sugar doing wonderful and terrible things to you. The twice-baked almond croissants at this little West Seattle Bakery (which just happens to be run by William Leaman, the guy who led the 2005 U.S. bread-baking team to victory at the World Cup of Baking) are far and away the best thing I've had there, but Bakery Nouveau also does a brisk trade in fresh bread in the morning (the loaves sell out fast); in plain croissants; in cookies and pastries and cakes and fist-sized pains au chocolat. But seriously, there is just no way I can walk into this shop without being drawn straight to those little almondy bastards. And there's never any point in picking up fewer than three because, at least in my experience, one of them will never survive the drive home; the second will vanish before midnight; but the third—if I can manage to show a little restraint—might actually make it to breakfast the next morning. JASON SHEEHAN 4737 California Ave. S.W., 923-0534, bakerynouveau.com. $ WEST SEATTLE
Betty While its older sister, Crow, near Seattle Center, is something of a "destination" restaurant, Betty, run by the same owners, is a neighborhood joint all the way. Bear in mind, however, that the neighborhood in question is the top of Queen Anne hill—so don't come for budget dining. With your expectations properly calibrated, though, you'll find Betty the perfect spot for a low-stress, high-end meal where you can hear your companion speak low and speak love from across the table. Betty handles standards like roast beet salad, steak frites, and roasted chicken with graceful ease. And the no-fuss elegance of the atmosphere makes for a great weeknight escape. MARK D. FEFER 1507 Queen Anne Ave. N., 352-3773,eatatbetty.com. $$ UPPER QUEEN ANNE
