The place has questionable hygeine, but Tokyo Garden in the U-district (U-Way and 45th) has really good chicken curry rice. We couldn't go in good conscience for a while, but I crave nothing else on cold rainy nights.

Thai Tom does suck. Secret ingredient: SALT.
Touche!

The best breakfast I've had in the area in a while is the chorizo and egg sandwich at Barriga Llena (78th and Aurora). Perfect hangover food.
And the wait at Portage Bay can sometimes be horrific on the weekends, let's be honest.

It's so predictable, and I always recommend it: go to the Valley Cafe in Ellensburg. It's a beautiful space and the food is great. Then stretch your legs around downtown stopping to look at the great gallery exhibitions, walk through the guitar shop and marvel at the ukulele collection high on the wall, and visit the antique mall. I love that town.
Save that, there was an interesting recommendation for Ritzville lately - you could search for it.

I just went to the District two weeks ago and the appetizers we ate were completely uninspired, all beige and without flavor. The people are nice, though, and the happy hour prices are reasonable. Kai's is a better choice.
No one has mentioned the Pagliacci on the ave, which is a jewel in the crown of the empire. I can't stomach the pizza from any other Pagliacci; the cooks there are just amazing. Every element is stellar.
Try the Portage Bay Cafe for brunch if you're not in a hurry. Mamma Melina's on Roosevelt and 50th has good pasta and meat dishes. The Blue Onion on Roosevelt and 58th(?) has freakin' awesome chicken fried steak. Cedars is good for Indian food, but get it takeout because the service is annoying (I recommend the tandoori salmon). There really is a lot of great food around here, despite appearances.

Buffalo Deli, First Avenue, Belltown. Yum. Good service, too.

Enat is not so good sometimes. That's all I can say. Nice people, but sometimes the only flavor in some dishes is salt and more salt. No spice. Just salt. The miser wat is always damn good, but the meat dishes can be touch and go.

Strangely, my favorite fries are the 1101 cafe at the University of Washington (Campus Parkway off the University bridge); they usually have them during lunch (I am an "older student" at the U, and technically you can't go there unless you're associated with the university, but they don't check ids - cash only). Crispy, golden, tender at the inside, salty but not overly so, not weighed down by any grease. You might be amazed.

No one has suggested Ray's Boathouse, so I'll give you that.

You're right about the tavern part. I was on some heavy antihistimines when I wrote that.

And Taste of India on Division is great; the rice pudding is the best I've ever had. It tastes like fruity pebbles' milk after you're done eating them (I am aware this comment might not recommend it, but I like that sort of thing). The butter chicken is divine, and so's the biryani and tandoori chicken.

I always recommend the Pine Tavern just because it was my grandma's favorite restaurant there, and a friend used to be a sous chef there. Plus, it has a tree growing in the middle of it. How many 'taverns' can you say that about?

Milford's, Europa Pizzeria, The Elk, Huckleberry's deli counter (breakfast especially - get the blueberry pancakes), fish and chips at Zip's, the Mustard Seed, Peking North, the Thai place near Lincoln Heights. Geeze. I am so hungry now.

I think my food-obsessed aunt and uncle take me to Szechuan House (18659 SW TV Hwy) when I visit. It was quite good, from what I remember.

The puddin' at Jones BBQ is totally legit, with a toffee sauce that puts you in a transcendant sugar coma. Really good texture, too; it's some of the best I've ever had.

The Pacific Way Bakery & Cafe in Gearhart had a good review in Food & Wine. There ought to be a lot of good food around there (I haven't been in ten years or more) since James Beard's cooking school used to be in Seaside! But then, everything tastes better the closer you get to the Oregon coast.

I had the boar once for dinner at Volterra. It was fantastic, and oddly enough, tasted like buttered popcorn. The reservation system is weird, admittedly.
Then I went for brunch: I got a basket full of stale, hard pastries (they did comp them, I will admit, but they should have noticed that their sticky buns could have been used for blunt force trauma BEFORE SERVING THEM). They were not even very busy and they still managed to ignore us for most of the time. Our food was lukewarm. It all tasted really good, but there are some kinks to be worked out at brunch. Just be forewarned.

Heresy perhaps, but the chicken fried chicken at Hattie's Hat in Ballard is pretty amazing.

I forgot about Rocket! The raspberry bar with crumbly stuff on it was always a favorite. That space on Main is gorgeous.

In Portland, I shopped at Woodstock Wine and Deli (40th and Woodstock SE) when I was feeling flush. My sporty friends swear by their jerky, and I always enjoyed their sausages. A little too much, frankly.

ludwig Bemelmans' 'Hotel Bemelmans' is really beautiful and sad - it's a collection of vignettes he wrote about working at the Ritz at the turn of the century with all kinds of crazy chefs who gamble and drink hellishly. Just amazing.

Lana Thai. Yum.

Huckleberry's. Lindaman's. Four Seasons. The Garage.
I always favored Donut Parade on Hamilton, but they only served watery Farmer's Brothers coffee. The atmosphere is pure old-style Spokane (which might be a little rough around the edges for most). The ambiance, eavesdropping, and donuts are the main event. Just thinking about that place makes my eyes well with tears.

My grandmother always loved the Pine Tavern - she sweet-talked the French dressing recipe out of the proprietress about 50 years ago - but I've never been (though my friend's ex-husband was a sous chef there for years while he was a snowboard "bum", and he was a very good cook). Their menu these days looks solid if they still pull it off. How does it measure up these days to new restaurants in Bend?

Six years of living in the U has been nothing if not educational:
The staff and product at the Pagliacci is unparalleled. The quattro primo they serve during the annual cheese festival makes me weep openly. However, there is often no pizza at peak times.
Thai Tom is always 'pretty good', especially on a cold day when you have a primal need for fire in your face (not so much in July). I get the chicken and broccoli, then take it home to dilute it since he always puts too much garlic salt stuff in it.
We used to grab burgers from Schultzy's, but the quality has gone down recently so we go to A Burger Place (next to the post office) - they are made to order and cheap!
Tokyo Garden (the Japanese place near the theatre) does have a lot of roaches - we saw one walk across our table and die right in front of us - but their chicken curry rice is so good I get it to go. I'm gross like that.
The water refilling stops at Cedars or Taste of India if you put a napkin over your glass. And don't tip, because the owners keep them and pay a high hourly wage instead to the servers (a server confimed this rumor to me). The butter chicken is exquisite.
Ruby is okay as a bar, but the food is disappointing. Both myself and a friend have had rotten things on our plates on separate visits. The taco joint near the bus stop on 45th is kind of bland.
Kai's on 43rd has surprisingly good food, and the happy hour specials are great.
Araya on 45th between 11th and 12th is mediocre.
Than Bros., Aladdin, the Gyrocery, and the Continental are all great choices for lunch.

Sully's Snowgoose on Phinney Ridge - 6119 Phinney Ave. Only open from 4-7 pm, and all day sunday; don't miss the free peanuts in the barrel by the fireplace. It is so small and cozy and perfect it's ridiculous.

Someone posted something about Karen's Kitchen in Kettle Falls having legit huckleberry pancakes, but I haven't been up to try it. My mom says it's pretty much a culinary wasteland up there (she lives in Ione, near Metaline).

Huh. I've never seen a burnt, teeny anything there- but I don't frequent the place every day (I would have cellulite on my face if I did). I will agree that Le Fournil is exceptional.

I will second the boulangerie in Wallingford (if only to hear the French-Viet accents of the bakers). The Essential Bakery in Madison Valley makes a mean black forest ham and cheese croissant. The plain and raspberry are also very good; they obviously know how to work with butter.

I recommended the u-district pagliacci because they make it with a very thin crust usually, save for the puffy part at the outside crust. Methinks it's a lot thinner and more tasty than the other pagliaccis, but what do I know, right?