Dinner

After seven or eight hours of directing Seattle Weekly's food and drink section, there's nothing I like to do so much as go out to eat—provided I don't have to write about it. Eating and drinking in the anticipation of having to write about it has always struck me like making love while also making mental notes for your next session with a sex therapist ("time to full erection: 4 min. 35 sec.; time to ejaculation . . . "). Like criticism of any kind, food criticism is an inherently perverse activity because pleasure (or pain, for that matter) can't be experienced purely while you're watching yourself experience it. So, more than most people, I think, I really enjoy myself when dining out for fun: There's a glorious sense of irresponsibility about it, like playing hooky; something orgiastic, like shameless sensuous indulgence in a public place. Colors seem brighter, flavors more intense, the drinks stronger, the waitpeople sexier. Even the bill is easier to pay, because I'm paying it, not the Weekly, so I don't have to consider whether the editorial budget can stand it if I have one more martini. Or two. And for that kind of experience, it's got to be dinner: the meal of kings. ROGER DOWNEY

Bamiyan

While Kabul, a frequent favorite of ours, does a steady business in Wallingford, another outstanding Afghan restaurant languishes in an Issaquah strip mall. Bamiyan vividly captures the cuisine's big flavors: lamb, tomato, eggplant, yogurt, fenugreek, coriander, rosewater, and cardamom. Dishes like badenjan borani (baked eggplant with tomato sauce and garlic-mint yogurt) and ashak (herb- or meat-filled dumplings), as well as various Afghan- and Persian-style kabobs, are extremely flavorful without being heavy, and they're always plated with verve. Their lightness lets you indulge in firni, a luscious custard flavored with cardamom and rosewater. What makes Bamiyan perfect for a romantic dinner, especially during the warmer months, is the front patio, where you can sip something from the sizable wine list, enjoy a multicourse meal without feeling bogged down, and watch the summer moon rise in a slowly darkening sky. NEAL SCHINDLER

ALSO SERVES: lunch. 317 N.W. Gilman Blvd. (Gilman Village), 425-391-8081. ISSAQUAH $-$$

Bis on Main

Almost invisible among the antique shops of Bellevue's Old Main district, Bis harks back to an earlier era in fine dining: understated decor, cosily crowded seating, assiduous but tactful service, and food the center of attention. At luncheon, Bis caters to the busy shopper and business crowd with simple foods: burgers, melts, etc. At night, things get more ambitious. Try the potato pancake with gravlax or the sweetbreads with a vegetable "cassoulet." Osso buco, half a boneless chicken with delectable garlic potatoes, lamb loin, and muscovy duck breast with huckleberry sauce are standouts among more conventional suburban fare like steak, prawns, and crab cakes. The wine list is extensive and not for the faint of pocketbook; the wines by the glass, though pricey, are worth the cost. ROGER DOWNEY

ALSO SERVES: lunch. 10213 Main St., 425- 455-2033. BELLEVUE $$-$$$ www.bisonmain.com

Bleu Bistro

At Bleu on Wednesday nights, you can get a bottle of drinkable-to-decent merlot or cabernet for $5 and a plate of better-than-decent pasta with red sauce for $6.99. Talk about your cheap dates: That's dinner with wine à deux for around 20 bucks. It'd be one thing if said dinner took place in an unremarkable setting, but Bleu boasts one of the coolest, quirkiest setups in town. Each table is a little lair unto itself, walled in and curtained off so the rest of the place, decorated liberally with Christmas lights and knickknacks, barely registers. The regular dinner menu is surprisingly good, too: huge sandwiches, playful pasta dishes, and the otherworldly feta nachos—chips buried in melted jack cheese, sour cream, kalamata olives, feta cheese, salsa, guacamole, and hummus. It's another kind of romantic dinner, perfect for couples who've been together long enough to watch each other eat messily. NEAL SCHINDLER

ALSO SERVES: lunch. 202 Broadway Ave. E., 206-329-3087. CAPITOL HILL $

Brasa

Just about the time "tapas" became a buzzword, Tamara Murphy and Brian Hill opened Brasa, a full-bore restaurant inspired and informed by the Spanish tradition of savory little dishes but not constrained in the least by it. You can graze all night just on the appetizers—curried mussels, fried calamari with smoky pepper dipping sauce, chimichurri-sauced prawns, and grilled porcini in truffle oil were on the bill of fare at this writing—but the salads and main dishes are just as good for nibbling and splitting: roast pig, squid-ink risotto, clams and chorizo, paella. I've never—repeat, never—been disappointed at Brasa, except when I realized that my appetite was giving out before I'd tried everything I craved. The bar, too, is first-rate: cocktails imaginative without being silly, the wine list extensive without being overwhelming. You can't lose drinking from Hill's selection of wine by the glass—particularly if he's there to recommend a choice. ROGER DOWNEY

2107 Third Ave., 206-728-4220. DOWNTOWN $$$ www.brasa.com

Buddha Ruksa

"Will you walk into my parlor?" said the spider to the fly. West Seattle may seem out of the way when it comes to dining destinations, but the chance to savor this bait is worth the effort to weave your web in a westerly direction. Three words: crispy garlic chicken. Get to know them; after you find this hidden Thai food haven, they may become your dining obsession. Bite-size morsels of boneless chicken are battered and fried to perfection, then sautéed in a sticky garlic glaze and served on a bed of crispy basil. Also exceptional, the prawns and pumpkin curry: an exquisite blending of red curry, coconut milk, cubed pumpkin, and prawns. Delightful in harmony, yet each flavor retains its distinct voice. Selections are many; portions are ample and beautifully plated with incredible attention to detail—which you would expect, given the gorgeous dark-walled interior. Chile heads: Be sure to sample the house-made blend of pepper flakes when you request the condiment tray. AMY NIEDRICH