Where to dine in Seattle

A special meal

Q: My wife and I will be coming to Seattle in the middle of September. If there were only one place to eat dinner and money were not an issue, where should we go for dinner? It doesn't have to be the most expensive place in town, but it needs to be a unique dining experience.

— Allen, Dallas, Texas

A. I'm going to be optimistic and assume the sun is shining, the weather is warm and dry and dining with a water view is on your list of requirements for a perfect meal in Seattle. I'm also going to assume that you'll be looking for a place you can reach on foot from a downtown hotel.

Taking all of that into consideration, I'd recommend heading for the historic Pike Place Market area for a uniquely Seattle experience.

Start out with a window table overlooking Elliott Bay in the ultrachic Art Lounge at the Four Seasons Hotel (www.fourseasons.com/seattle). Drinks and appetizers are $5 between 5-7 p.m.

For dinner, check out the menu at Place Pigalle (www.placepigalle-seattle.com), an elegant little dining room hidden in a corner of the Market with sweeping water and mountain views. This was a tavern in the early 1900s, probably the first stop for sailors to have a quick drink before going to the bordello upstairs. Today it's an intimate place to sample organic produce and local seafood specialties in a romantic setting.

Less formal is the Italian-inspired Pink Door (www.thepinkdoor.net) in an area of the Market called Post Alley. There's a cozy dining room, but the views are from the open-air deck on the roof.

Matt's in the Market, (www.mattsinthemarket.com) on the third floor of the Corner Market Building at First and Pike, isn't as casual (or inexpensive) as it was before a major remodeling, but it's more comfortable and still very popular with locals. Another excellent choice is the more intimate but pricey Chez Shea (www.chezshea.com) next door.

Can't decide? Try one for dinner and another for dessert and coffee. All of these are small places, so be sure to make a reservation.

Carol Pucci / Seattle Times

If you have a question about travel, ask us. Go to www.seattletimes.com/travel (scroll down to the middle of the page to "Ask Travel") to submit a question. We'll answer as many as we can, but are unable to answer all due to the volume of submissions.