Dinner cooked to order on Aisle 6!

When his stomach starts rumbling, Joel Blumenthal heads downstairs to scan the fridge for dinner ideas.

London broil or skirt steak? Chicken satay or pork tenderloin?

Some of us strive to eat what's organic, what's local or what's in season. Blumenthal likes to eat what's on special at the Whole Foods Market, where cooking to order is included in the price of a rib eye, Dungeness crab or salmon fillet chosen from the meat or seafood cases.

"It's perfect for someone like me," Blumenthal says. A bachelor who lives in the same building — near Seattle's booming South Lake Union neighborhood — he likes to cook but never seems to polish off all his leftovers when he does. "It's much more convenient. It basically costs the same if I go down there and buy some meat and have them cook it and offer me two sides."

In yet another effort to set itself apart from its peers, Whole Foods appears to be one of the only mainstream supermarkets around the country that will season and cook fresh seafood or meat to order and even serve it to you, cloth napkins, silverware and all.

Only a few Whole Foods offer the service so far, mainly those that, like this one, are nestled within a forest of condominiums, apartments and hotel rooms likely to house singles, couples and travelers who would prefer a professional do the cooking."They are constantly pushing the envelope," said Phil Lempert, a grocery-industry analyst based in California. "It's about looking at food holistically. It's not just a piece of fish, buy it for five dollars. We're going to sell it to you, help you cook it, celebrate it, all of those things."

Cooking to order is a hit with the Too Busy To Cook crowd, the I Don't Know How to Cook Fish or Grill Steaks crowd, the I Don't Want to Stink Up My Apartment crowd and the I Want a Great Meal at a Cheaper Price Than a Restaurant crowd. They congregate at Seasmoke Café, a petite grill and counter tucked behind displays of gleaming produce on weeknights and even weekends. Regulars compare notes on their favorite chefs and meals as shoppers stroll past pushing carts.

Whole Foods spokesman Milton Artis says the only thing missing at the Seasmoke is a liquor license. No matter. Some of the 30 to 60 customers per hour during the evening rush carry their steaming plates of just-cooked food to an eating area at the store's front where they are allowed to enjoy their meal with beer and wine.

Since the spring, Blumenthal, a medical-company representative, heads downstairs several nights a week for dinner, flanked by a revolving cast that includes KOMO TV weatherman Jim Castillo; local cab driver Camel Sellam; and Jamilah Khalil, who's in the midst of remodeling the kitchen of her Capitol Hill home.

"It's good food, well-cut, well-displayed. I could live here," Khalil said.

On a recent night, Seasmoke cook Eric Moss fried up sole stuffed with herbs and garlic and grilled a cut of sockeye salmon just the way Sellam likes them. While he waited for his fish, Sellam munched on a green salad, enjoyed a plate of hot French fries and swigged a soda. With the sole and salmon (on special), his meal came to $7.38. Sure, it's easier to eat at McDonald's, he says. But why not enjoy all this for only a few dollars more?

Fellow Seasmoke cook Michelle Wesley enjoys the challenge of cooking an ever-changing variety of dishes. Customers come by with everything from spendy swordfish (at $18.99 a pound) to a variety of meats, poultry or whatever's on sale.

"It's like Iron Chef. Every day, you never know what people will bring you," she said.

Karen Gaudette: 206-515-5618 or kgaudette@seattletimes.com