t colicchio was at chiso on saturday night for dinner!

Going south on Aurora I'll usually hit up Boardroom Cafe (Aurora & 84th, also Stumptown) or heading south on Greenwood I like Neptune (Greenwood & 85th). When I get lazy I go to Diva Espresso which is decent and a few minutes by car (Greenwood &145th). Parking's a bit of a pain by Neptune, though. If all else fails there's a drive-thru Starbucks on 130th & Aurora.

there's a ranch 99 in kent also. oaktree market has dried and fresh rice stick noodles.

also, i've been looking for fresh wide rice noodles, but haven't been able to locate any. does anyone know where i can purchase some?

boar's nest is currently my favorite place for bbq! great people, great service, and good food! the ribs and pulled pork were delicious :) and i'm a sauce gal and they do a good job on their different regional varieties. don't miss the fried mac and cheese there~!

excited to try bitterroot!

i had the same craving last year and randomly drove by minea farm cider mill on woodenville-redmond road. the cider was good-they had several varieties that they let you sample- and they sell some other apple products. super nice people with the cutest sheltie :)

I think Homestyle HK cuisine is closed :( I walked by last week and the store name had been changed.

As much as I love Revel, the noise level there tends to be on the high side, which probably wouldn't work for you.

Kobe Wellbeing in Bellevue does a ramen challenge :) 3 liters in 30 minutes...if you finish, it's free! Otherwise, it's $20.

I haven't tried their brunch yet, but I do like Revel and one of the cooks had recommended coming in on the weekend. This might be something you'd be interested in :)

http://www.revelseattle.com/menu-brunch/

Portage Bay is always a lovely choice for brunch and not too pricey~

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Portage Bay Cafe
4130 Roosevelt Way NE, Seattle, WA 98105

I had mixed feelings about E&R. The dishes ranged from delicious (slow-cooked beef with potatoes and brussel sprouts) to good (cheese plate, garlicky clams) to almost good (octopus salad with grapefruit-would have been great if executed better) to bad (pork belly with sweet potatoes and greens-salty, overfried, and overall just not a cohesive dish). They seemed slightly heavy-handed withe salt. The service wasn't bad, but on the other hand did not stand out. Something about the ambiance was a little off-putting, which I did not mind, but our table was extremely close to the two tables adjacent to ours. It felt like we were in the four-top's conversation while waiting for our next course and I could feel the guy next to us peering at our food. I like the overall concept of the place, but did not find most of the dishes worth the money paid. Would I go back? Not sure.

Yeh Yeh's in Lynnwood for banh mi (get it with a fried egg on top!) :)

These are all great suggestions :) Love Tilikum and just had breakfast at Portage Bay Cafe this morning (delicious)! The toppings bar also looked amazing for the french toast/pancake options!

Anita's Crepes might also be an option...super cute and I'm usually not a fan of savory crepes, but the bacon and cheese is SO good, and their French onion soup was great! Happy birthday!

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Portage Bay Cafe
4130 Roosevelt Way NE, Seattle, WA 98105

For Capitol Hill, Tavern Law's upstairs or perhaps Liberty :)

Great choices! :)

I personally love Tillikum for breakfast and for the price, breakfast happy hour at Toulouse Petit can't be beat (I love their veal shallot pan sauce!). I prefer Toulouse's brunch over their dinners, which seem overpriced IMO.

Shiro's is dinner only, so maybe consider swapping Sitka & Spruce, which does lunch also. Or hit up Paseo for some cuban sandwiches (not open Sunday).

You mentioned you'd be here on a weekend...otherwise I'd suggest doing happy hour at Elliott's (M-F) for super cheap oysters! For dinner you can't go wrong with Staple and Fancy, Sitka and Spruce, or Quinn's for some great gastropub food. However, Poppy is a unique experience, and also very good-with dessert! Chez Shea is well executed but not inspired, and their desserts are the same. Haven't been to Herbfarm or Tilth, but hope you have a great weekend in Seattle!

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Sitka & Spruce
2238 Eastlake Ave E, Seattle, WA 98102

Shiro's
2401 2nd Ave, Seattle, WA

Chez Shea
94 Pike St. Suite 34, Seattle, WA 98101

The Herbfarm
14590 NE 145th St, Woodinville, WA 98072

Toulouse Petit
601 Queen Anne Ave N, Seattle, WA 98119

Bang Bang Cafe is a nice casual lunch spot :) They have vegan options including their vegan mac and cheese which I usually get even though a die-hard carnivore. I've also had their veggie sausage in a burrito, and it was delicious...just as tasty as real sausage!

Other bonuses: Their soups, Lighthouse roasters coffee, super nice owners :)

I thought most dishes there were average, with some erring on the overly oily side, but the one standout I liked was the tofu fish soup in clay pot...very light and delicious broth :) My parents are huge fans of the hand-shaven noodles (which is a HUGE portion for the price). I like the soup, egg and tomatoes they put in there but too much noodle to soup ratio for my tastes.

also not a huge mojito drinker-more of a shots-type girl :P-but the shiso mojito (and the lychee martini!) at sushi kappo was DEE-LICIOUS :)

For breakfast I like Le Pichet or if you don't mind taking a short bus ride (or 20min walk) I love Tilikum Place Cafe (which is also a cute lunch spot). I also love the Crumpet Shop (honey, ricotta and almond crumpet!) but I think they closed until April to do earthquake-proofing. Not sure if they're open again yet. For lunch I like Pike Place Chowder or Macrina Bakery for cheap-ish lighter lunches. Steelhead Diner and Matt's in the Market are good for lunch for something a little nicer.

For the GF, you could try Cinnamon Works in Pike Place :) They have a lot of gluten-free and vegan cookies and baked goods.

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Le Pichet
Seattle, WA, Seattle, WA

Steelhead Diner
95 Pine Street, Suite 17, Seattle, WA 98101

Macrina Bakery & Cafe
2408 1st Ave, Seattle, WA

Pike Place Chowder
600 Pine St Ste 404, Seattle, WA 98101

Some of my favorites are definitely on this list :) Just wanted to note that if you're more of a Momofuku Noodle Bar fan you might enjoy Revel more (more street-ish food by the owners of Joule). If you're more a Ssam Bar fan you'd probably like Joule more...the food's definitely more refined there. But Joule, Poppy, and Sitka and Spruce are definitely unique, as is Nettletown (elk meatball banh mi!) :) and Paseo is just comforting, get-in-mah-belly good!

Are sticky buns and cinnamon rolls the same thing? Wild Mountain Cafe in Ballard has huge ass ones :)

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Wild Mountain Cafe
1408 NW 85th St, Seattle, WA 98117

Spiced is usually my go-to, but I'll have to try the twice-cooked fish next time I go to Ranch 99 :) Thanks for the rec~

"pretty tasty" and "nothing special" perfectly describe wild ginger with the addition of "way overpriced"

Love love LOVE paseo (but cash only, limited seating, and the line gets long). Musashi's has a great (and cheap) chirashi bowl (but also cash only, and small space+peak lunch hours+no reservations=wait). I would second Uneeda Burger as it's been getting great reviews and the people own it have opened two other good restaurants (I love Quinn's and I thought Zoe was good) so I can't imagine it sucking too much :) Maybe consider Revel in Fremont if you're into Korean/Asian flavors. They're open for lunch and lunch/brunch on weekends and I the owners are super nice!

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Musashi's
1400 N 45th St, Seattle, WA 98103

The decor, for one...the Redmond location is much nicer. I didn't get much ma la flavor from either restaurant, but most of the dishes I tried on my one visit to the ID location were misses.

Has anyone tried Szechuan First in Kent? My parents refer to all of them as "Lao Sichuan" in Chinese so I just assumed they were all under the same ownership. I remember liking their cumin lamb but I don't think I've tried any of their spicy dishes.

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Szechuan First
18124 E Valley Hwy, Kent, WA 98032

Ka won is by far my favorite for grilled meats in the north, but I've heard good things about Kaya's bbq which is on my list of places to try. I usually go to Old Village when I'm in the mood for soups, but the last few times I've been there it's been hit or miss.

Palace is alright (their Federal Way location is a lot nicer) but $15 for all you can eat is something I can't say no to :P I tried Mirak due to a friend's rec and Ka Won was much much better imo. Their pa jeon was also weirdly egg-y.

Most places have grill your own bbq unless you only order 1 portion, which they then usually cook in the kitchen for you.

I never realized most of the affordable places downtown are smaller! I love Tat's Deli if they are want to bus to Pioneer square..great sandwiches and super filling. Pike's Place is fun and inexpensive...Pike Place chowder is one of my faves. Taking 99 bus to Ivar's might be an option too :)

As a last resort there's always Cheesecake Factory which is will cover any palate :P

and @GreenYoshi, Lunchbox Lab could work, they have an upstairs also so it's pretty large, and most menu items are ~$13-15 including choice of side and it is DELICIOUS :)

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Cheesecake Factory
700 Pike St, Seattle, WA 98101

@ bjones
I'm Taiwanese and have been to dim sum restaurants in most major cities in the U.S., and I understand that the wait staff can get busy and aggressiveness is your friend at a Chinese restaurant. I do speak Mandarin also. However, at Jade Garden (even when the place is dead empty) I have just had bad experiences with being unable to flag down waitstaff and cold food. One or two cold dishes, I chalk it up to being busy and usually let it slide. However, I have had most of my dishes come out lukewarm before during peak hours, which I have never experienced at any other dim sum restaurant.

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Jade Garden Restaurant
7th S King S, Seattle, WA 98101

I think the Vietnamese deli is called Kim Van Deli...or something along those lines. Their grilled pork is pretty good, but if you like the combo meat banh mis I'd recommend Saigon Deli in International district. Yum! If you go to the Great Wall shopping mall be sure to go to the back of Ranch 99 for their Chinese bbq meats and their bakery for some Asian style bread :)

Also, Spiced for Sichuanese in Bellevue is authentic and delicious if you like spicy food.

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Saigon Deli
1237 S Jackson St Ste E, Seattle, WA 98144

I also live in Renton and I would suggest skipping dim sum at Tea Palace...or dim sum altogether in Seattle. I've tried most of the dim sum restaurants in the greater Seattle area and in the International district and most are average at best. Definitely subpar to Flushing. I would suggest going to Din Tai Fung in Bellevue instead for amazing soup dumplings instead.

Pabla and Naan and Curry are probably some of the best restaurants in Renton. My picks for Pike's place for breakfast would be The Crumpet Shop...the honey, ricotta and almond crumpet is AMAZING :) and so cheap! For lunch I love at Matt's in the Market for soup and sandwiches (make a reservation) or Pike Place Chowder.

For a great sandwich my absolute favorite is Paseo (cash only)! They have AMAZING pulled pork sandwiches (well, everything is good, but #2 is my favorite).

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Pike Place Chowder
600 Pine St Ste 404, Seattle, WA 98101

when i think comfortable (and a little more casual for a great meal and conversation) i'd go to quinn's, tilikum cafe and matt's in the market are both super cute and cozy, and palisade has great food and a great view. palace kitchen is pretty warm and comfortable inside also.

joule and poppy i thought were great, but have more modern interiors that weren't extremely comfortable to dine in. monsoon...i honestly thought was overrated. if you like indian food, roti has a nice, rich-feeling interior :) good luck and happy birthday!