I'm in Portland, so I can help with that if you have an idea of what you'd like to eat. Off the top of my head, Tasty & Sons or Tasty & Alder are delicious small plates type places. Por Que No or Mi Mero Mole are both really great Mexican places with fabulous drinks. Pambiche is a really good Cuban place. If you're visiting on a weekend, Apizza Schools is a pizza place that gets national recognition that's yummy. Oven & Shaker is another pizza place with great drinks, or Ken's Artisan Pizza. Mother's Bistro is always great. Le Bistro Montage is a fun cajun place with suuuupper yummy macaroni & cheese, but check their hours because I'm not seeing lunch/brunch anymore (even though I've been in the past). If you want good beer and pub food, Deschutes, Breakside Brewery, Hopworks, and 10 Barrel are all fabulous.
Also, my favorite place to eat in Seattle is called Sweet Iron Waffles, sort of near Pike's Market. They have these amazing leige waffles with a special kind of sugar that caramelizes and then put sweet or savory toppings on them. I love, love, love, the brie basil waffle.
In Astoria, there's a dry-docked ship called the Bowpicker that only does albacore tuna fish and chips (AKA great for someone with shellfish allergies who can't worry about cross-contamination from fryers). But it's really, really yummy.
I'm a Pacific Northwesterner. I used to live in Seattle and now I live in Portland.
The weather in August should be gorgeous: 80 degrees, no humidity or fog, crystal blue skies, chilly at night.
The Space Needle food is mediocre. Kerry Park is free and flexible and your pics will have the Space Needle in them. (Google images!) Also true for Gasworks Park.
I love Pike Place Market and I've been a gazillion times. I love people-watching and I never get tired of snapping photos and it has a million different restaurants to suit your fancy. It gets crazy crowded in the afternoons and evenings.
A boat ride would probably be fun: there is a public transit water taxi to West Seattle and a ferry to Bainbridge Island and there are also Argosy cruises on Elliott bay, Lake Union and Lake Washington. Or you can always ride the Ducks!
If you have extra time you could check out Fremont neighborhood and the Fremont Troll and Lenin statue. There was a restaurant/beerhall nearby called Brouwer's that once served me a bird leg that was like a succulent meat lollipop that I still dream about. It might still be there. Do you like Thai food? Seattle has so many good places.
My Portland recs are Verde Cocina Cafe and Andina but they aren't quick places. Honestly, I would just find some food trucks near Powells and enjoy watching the people of Portlandia in their natural habitat. Salt & Straw is a Portland chain that makes weird and wonderful flavors.
Do you like beer? For breweries in Oregon, I recommend Fort George in Astoria and Bridgeport in Portland.
Or maybe you could skip Portland and try to squeeze in wine tasting and lunch in the Willamette valley? Anyways, have fun!
Post by InBetweenDays on Jul 5, 2015 12:00:43 GMT -5
August should be gorgeous in Seattle. We can sometimes get marine layers in the morning, but they usually burn off before noon. And this had been a hot spring/summer (already multiple days over 90) and it isn't supposed to change. However it still cools off in the evenings to where you'll want a sweater or sweatshirt.
If you are at the market I'd grab lunch there. Not sure of the name of it, but there is a place right in the middle (inside) that makes amazing blackened salmon sandwiches. Or there is a good gyro place across from the main market (on Pine St.) Maybe called Mr. D's? But you can basically eat your way through the market.
Not near the market or the Space Needle, but if you all eat meat consider Salumi. Fabulous sandwiches from a tiny place in Pioneer Square. The owner is Mario Batali's dad.
So many amazing restaurant options depending on what type of food you want, your price point, and whether you want to stay downtown or will have a car to drive to one of the in-city neighborhoods.
In Astoria I recommend Ft. George brewery even if you won't drink. Fun place with good food and an outdoor deck. If you're looking for something to do while in Astoria check out the Maritime Museum.
Also from Seattle. IBD is correct that you can just eat your way through anything at the Market! Tucked across the street in a slightly different part of the market is a place that makes AMAZING pickles and next to them is a great sandwich place. There's a pricier restaurant in the market that has a great view and lots of seafood. One of my top favorite restaurants is in Post Alley (next to the market) - The Pink Door. Not really wheelchair accessible as you have to go down a flight of stairs (not sure your mom's moving ability). They have a killer view from their gorgeous outdoor patio. They're booking up about 2 weeks in advance right now for the patio.
August is usually our most gorgeous weather and it can get quite hot. We're having a hot summer already!
I would not recommend eating at the Needle itself as its very pricey and very mediocre. About 5 blocks north of Seattle Center is a Seattle Nextie favorite Toulouse Petit - French creole. There is also a Dick's nearby for cheap food (Seattle's local burger chain often argued as being better than In-n-Out).
What type of food/price point/other areas are you interested in? there are numerous foodies on the Seattle board who adore giving out food recs!
LadySusan thanks for all that! Unfortunately for all of us, my mother is a judgey teetotaler, so wine tasting and beer are out as destinations. I've been several times in OR though, and my sister and her DH are planning a return trip together sometime.
Food trucks are a good idea! My mom and i did find salt and straw the last time we were there. Yum!
I'm following this! My husband and I have never been to the PNW and are taking a week in September - flying into Portland and then driving up to Seattle, a few days in both. Would love any suggestions - so I'll be keeping an eye here.
I'm following this! My husband and I have never been to the PNW and are taking a week in September - flying into Portland and then driving up to Seattle, a few days in both. Would love any suggestions - so I'll be keeping an eye here.
Well then, let me give you some more recs:
If you have time you should go hiking among the Doug Firs. The quickest and easiest is probably the short loop trails at Washington Park/Hoyt Arboretum or Tryon Creek State Park which are basically inside Portland. Multnomah Falls is just outside Portland and Snoqualmie Falls is just outside Seattle. There is also plenty of serious backpacking, cycling, kayaking, rockclimbing, ect to be had if that is your thing.
You should check to see if there are any harvest related wine things going on in September. Maybe spend a weekend night in the Willamette valley so you don't have to fight traffic afterwards because 99 is baaaaad.
Man most of my recs are very booze driven. Lol I agree with everyone else, skip Space Needle food. Eat your way through the market. The weather will be gorgeous. Go on a ferry or boat ride. The view from the water is incredible.
Go to Dahlia Bakery in Seattle. The donuts are a wonderful and something that we had heard about long before we ever went there.
Some of the best meals we had in Seattle were places we just stumbled across, but we got some wonderful recommendations just by talking to people who worked at the hotel and in shops. We are more spur of the moment people than planners, so that often means missing out on a place that looked great because the wait is too long, but we've come across some gems. The key is to start looking for a place to eat before you are really hungry.lol
@juno, wanted to let you know I've seen this and think others have made great points/suggestions. It's a crazy week and I'm without my computer so I'm not ignoring you, just popping in on my phone and will write more soon