Where Chef Maria Hines Would Eat During Seattle Restaurant Week

Seattle is home to a lot of restaurants, and among them are hidden gems some Seattleites just aren't unearthing. To help guide us to these potential discoveries, we've enlisted some of our city's many food luminaries to share with us their under the radar recommendations for a weekly feature dubbed Dining Confidential.

Chef Maria Hines has earned widespread respect for her restaurants Tilth, Agrodolce, and Golden Beetle. Oh, and a little thing called a James Beard Award for Best Chef Northwest in 2009. She also appeared on Food Network's "Iron Chef America" and won the "Battle of the Pacific Cod" and last year was a semifinalist for another James Beard Award, this time for Outstanding Chef. Hines has dedicated her dining rooms to serving local and organic fare, and her three restaurants have earned organic certification from Oregon Tilth.

It suffices to say Hines knows her stuff. Below, she weighs in on three restaurants to visit during the upcoming Seattle Restaurant Week, for which Hines serves as a board member.

Nell's Restaurant: The menu is creative and changes so frequently. I also love this neighborhood location, right across from Green Lake.

The Harvest Vine: They do the best job at Spanish-style tapas. Bold flavors with a great view of the kitchen action.

Restaurant Roux: One of my new favorite places. It's an incredible representation on Southern-style cooking.

Seattle Restaurant Week runs October 19-23 and 26-30 with more than 170 eateries serving three-course dinners for $30 bucks. Many restaurants also offer two-course lunches for half the price.