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Serious Pie - Tom Douglas puts pizzazz into pizza at this welcoming eatery with timbered ceilings. Crusts create crunch and toppings are top-notch—especially the clams with pancetta. Entrees: $11 - $15

Serious Pie
316 Virginia St.
(206) 838-7388
www.tomdouglas.com

Cremant - Like its namesake wine, this chic bistro sparkles, offering taste updates on classics such as bouillabaisse and cassoulet at reasonable prices. Entrees: $17 - $20

Cremant
1423 34th Ave.
(206) 322-4600
www.cremantseattle.com

At the drop of a penne, proprietor Mauro Golmarvi will volubly launch into a discourse about the proper ratio of water for boiling spaghetti, or how to slow-simmer tomato sauce. His pursuit of perfection shows in the sublime food at Assaggio, which showcases the delicacies of Golmarvi's native Ancona on Italy's Adriatic coast: duck, quail, venison, and seafood. Practically all the pastas are made in house, including an angel-hair pasta that serves as a flavorful foundation for Dungeness crab in a buttery saffron sauce. Golmarvi's love of zesty flavors also shows in the risotto laden with house-made sausages and portobello mushrooms, and grilled beef tenderloin served with a gorgonzola cheese and demi-glace. The reasonably priced wine list and murals that recall the Sistine Chapel complete the Italian intermezzo feel.

The sunny Mediterranean beckons at Brasa. Located in Seattle's trend-setting Belltown district, the design mingles natural woods with faux brushed steel. "Brasa" means "live coals" in Portuguese, and the wood-fired grill and oven form the centerpiece of the open kitchen. Although the menu changes daily, entrees might include a lamb shank served with cannelini beans, roasted fennel and oven-dried tomatoes, or suckling pig paired with clams, chorizo sausage, and hot smoked paprika.

Just off street level in Pike Place Market, Cafe Campagne cooks up French bistro classics, from croque monsieur to steak frîtes. Daily specials also nurture the soul, such as duck confit with tender, intensified flesh melting into sizzling pan-fried potatoes. Matching the menu and the music from Edith Piaf, the decor transports diners to the Left Bank, with etched-glass partitions, fashionably worn wooden floors and French film posters (several of which depict food motifs in a tasty visual pun). The cafe is also extremely popular for breakfast, where you can settle in with the morning paper, brioche and a latte.

One of Seattle's most romantic spots for a tête-à-tête, Chez Shea is hidden away up a flight of stairs across from Pike Place Market. Tall, arched windows peer over the food stalls to sunsets on Elliott Bay, the silhouette of the Olympic Mountains looming in the distance. Keeping things intimate, they only field about a dozen tables. Changing seasonally, the four-course, prix-fixe menu might include entrees such as filet of beef tenderloin or rabbit braised with white wine with Dijon mustard. The restaurant is also known for its lemon pasta "handkerchiefs" stuffed with spinach and ricotta. Want to dine casually or late? The adjoining lounge features much of the same menu, and they serve until 10 p.m. weekdays, 12 midnight Friday and Saturday.

Sparkly mosaics, lacquer-red walls, and witty paper lanterns shaped like koi create a casual-but-chic ambience at Dahlia Lounge. To start off, owner Tom Douglas recommends "Little Tastes from the Sea Bar," which showcases tidbits such as seared tuna with ponzu sauce or scallop ceviche. Menu regulars include the salmon and the duck, the exact preparations vary daily. On one recent evening, the duck was tinged with Oriental spices, then barbecued, paired with a ginger-sweet potato waffle that perfectly complemented the crispy skin. Save room for a world champion dessert: the triple coconut cream pie.

Earth & Ocean features clever recipes created around hand-harvested and foraged foods. Entrees might showcase fresh game such as squab, partridge and venison, or from the sea, scallops and periwinkles. Located in the cutting-edge W Hotel.

"Oysters R Us" could be the slogan for Elliott's, located right on Pier 56. (On sunny days, you can't beat a table on the south-facing deck for lunches and early dinners.) Generally, some two dozen varieties of oysters might loll on the half shell, including exotic-but-local specimens such as Quilcenes, Hama Hamas and Skookums. Other specialties include the alder-planked Coho salmon and the Dungeness crab, which might be boiled up whole, or play a starring role in crab cakes or pasta dishes. You can also make landfall with chicken and steak. For dessert, there's the warm, rich comfort of a fallen dark-chocolate brownie souffle.

Great food, reasonable prices and an easy-going atmosphere characterize Etta's Seafood, another popular entry from Tom Douglas (the restaurant is named after his daughter, who is already an accomplished cook). Located near Pike Place Market, Etta's is nicely but not fussily decorated with vinyl banquettes, wooden tables and bright artwork on the walls. The menu sparkles, however, with fresh catch ranging from Penn Cove mussels to Alaskan spot prawns, while the Dungeness crab cakes often win "best in town" honors. Meat dishes follow in Douglas' globetrotting footsteps, from Oregon rib steak to Korean barbecued pork loin. Most important of all--the sensational coconut cream pie from Dahlia Lounge rules the dessert list.

Flying Fish embodies Seattle at its most eclectic. A culinary United Nations cozies up on the menu, with everything from Thai crab cakes to Italian tuna fettuccine to America's own buttermilk fried chicken. It's especially fun place to come with a group, because the menu is divided into small plates, large plates and platters, so you can delve into different dishes. Bright and modern, the decor features deep pumpkin walls, aqua chairs and open-to-view kitchen; tables on the balcony tend to be less frenetic than those on the main level.

For sweet indulgences, the number-one seduction is Macrina Bakery And Cafe in Belltown. A cozy nook, it features high ceilings, big windows and hordes of hotshot software designers checking stock quotes on their PDA's as they nurse their lattes. If all the tables are full (not unusual), you sign your name on a list up front to obtain the next available space. The cafe is popular for both breakfast (muffins, croissants and coffee cake), and lunch (soups, salads and quiches). Be sure to nibble the daily bread, perhaps a sourdough or olive loaf. But this is just the alibi--what you're really coming for are owner Leslie Mackie's stupendous desserts, such as the pear frangipani tart or chocolate turtle brownies laced with caramel so unctuous, your teeth shift into slo-mo.

When celebrities want to be seen, they book a table at Metropolitan Grill, Seattle's premier steak house. Scanning the photos out front, you'll find both movie stars and All-Stars (baseball players often drop by when they're in town for games). Housed in a former bank building with high ceilings and decorative columns, the restaurant offers up prime cuts such as the top sirloin, grilled over mesquite charcoal (you can order it with a special roquefort sauce). The superlative wine list is also sensibly priced, with notable labels like Opus One and Cain Five available by the half bottle. The bar is also known for its rotating selection of martinis, especially the trademark "Smokey Met" with Glenlivet scotch, vodka and an orange twist.

Yes, you'll find all the usual suspects: maguro (tuna) and hamachi (yellowtail). But Shiro's Sushi also features unique Seattle interpolations like mirugai (geoduck--that gargantuan clam that can weigh up to 20 pounds). The esteemed master of sushi in Seattle for some three decades, Shiro Kashiba still presides over the sushi bar. He's known for his exquisite attention to detail, using fresh wasabi or creating an elegant ponzu dressing. Another specialty is the black cod Kasuzuke dinner: the Alaskan fish is marinated in sake and miso, then broiled. Over a half-dozen sakes are available, as well as both Japanese and Northwest beers.

For surfside views a sea gull would envy, head to Waterfront, with vistas sweeping from Elliott Bay to Magnolia Bluff and the Space Needle. The restaurant is huge (10,000 square feet) and often jam-packed, especially Friday and Saturday nights. Bright young hipsters hang out at the curvy, glass-topped bar, networking to the tunes on the baby grand piano evenings from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. During the summer, there's al fresco dining on the large deck. Specialties range from grilled salmon and steaks to elaborate preparations like lobster risotto laced with black truffles. Stylish without being stuffy, the dining room features copper-trimmed pillars and rounded chairs and the captains wear tuxedos.