Welcome back to Eater Seattle's Something for the Weekend column. Every Friday, you probably ask the same question: Where should I eat and drink this weekend? Covering brunch, dinner, and everything in between, here now, three places to try.

April 28, 2017

Lucky Envelope Brewing

When Ballard’s more prominent breweries are overflowing with patrons, head to quieter Lucky Envelope, which will celebrate its second anniversary next week. The brewery continually improves, and current pours like the Eniac Mosaic IPA and Washington Wild Spruce Tip IPA are great representations of its strong suits.

Ciudad

With chef Aaron Willis now at the helm and putting his own twists on the menu, Ciudad is worth another visit. Willis skillfully melds flavors from around the world and encourages diners to build their own meals with combinations of sauces, grilled meats and veggies, sides, and small plates, plus housemade flatbread. Deeply flavorful and perfectly executed, this meal is one you won’t soon forget.

Huong Binh

Eater 38 member Huong Binh has been an International District staple since 1993, serving up hard-to-find Vietnamese specialties. It’s hard to go wrong here, but weekends are prime time — the already strong menu expands to include even more impressive dishes. Get anything with pork, or one of the soup-based dishes, as the broth is always lovely and complex.

April 21, 2017

Bounty Kitchen

Bounty Kitchen manages to make healthy feel indulgent. Surrounded by sweet, rustic-chic decor, fill up on hearty — yet vegetable-centric — breakfast bowls, toasts, scrambles, and more. There are some compelling juices, too: Hail the Kale (kale, apple, ginger, cucumber, parsley, celery) and Turmeric Tastic (turmeric, orange, carrot).

Central District Ice Cream Company

Late last year, Darren McGill, of Nate’s Wings and Waffles fame, launched the Central District Ice Cream Company in a small storefront across the street from Chuck’s Hop Shop. Amidst local art displays, get your sugar fix with bulk candies you may have forgotten existed (Air Heads, anyone?) plus a rotating cast of cookies, ice cream sandwiches, and not-your-average ice cream flavors that change monthly (think matcha mint with cacao nibs or olive oil with balsamic caramel). Leftovers from the previous month are sold by the pint at a discount.

Giddy Up Burgers

This Western-themed joint specializes in grass-fed burgers and handcut fries, but there are other great options beyond the beef. The fried chicken sandwich is one standout, with house-pickled jalapeños atop chicken brined in the jalapeño liquid. You could eat lighter with plenty of healthy options, or you could just load up on haystack onions and local beer and soak up the sun in the greenhouse-style patio.

April 14, 2017

Navy Strength

Chris and Anu Elford are once again raising the bar for the Seattle cocktail scene with their Belltown newcomer Navy Strength. The bar skews tiki, but bursts through the confines of the genre with plenty of creativity. Tropical and globally-influenced cocktails pair with darn good dishes from chef Jeffrey Vance, who also cooks at the couple’s lauded No Anchor bar next door. There are lots of good things happening at these two addresses.

Le Petit Cochon

Chef Derek Ronspies has a rebellious edge to him, and that’s just one part of what makes eating at Le Petit Cochon so fun. Bold and unapologetic, Ronspies achieves a balance with his restraint and respect for his sourcing. An avid supporter of local farmers, Ronspies’ nose-to-tail cooking here also highlights the best of what’s in season. And the veggies are as much a draw as the meat. Le Petit Cochon feels both high-end and rowdy, with composed plates that clearly do give a damn.

Sam Choy’s Poke to the Max

The godfather of the poke movement offers some of the best poke in town at his Hillman City restaurant. There are several takes on the raw fish salad available, from poke nachos and tacos to salad with corn chips, plus a number of other indulgent twists on Hawaiian specialties. The cheesy musubi, for example, is a deep-fried spam wonder with bechamel and eel sauce. Really.

April 7, 2017

Bookstore Bar and Cafe

You’ve never seen brunch like this before. Chef Eric Rivera is now at the helm at the Bookstore Bar and Cafe, and he’s got quite a few tricks up his sleeve. His take on brunch is called Afternoon Delight, and it involves a multi-course parade of modernist dishes, carefully plated and utterly fascinating. From the reimagined everything bagel to the Camembert tart with fermented blueberries to an array of crafty toasts and tea sandwiches, this one is sure to be memorable. Cocktails, tea pairings, and a hyper-seasonal approach make it all even more alluring.

Mbar

Sky-high Mbar seems to best encapsulate Seattle at this very moment. Perched among the high rises (both existing and in-progress) of South Lake Union, surrounded by glass and steel, you’ll dine on some of the city’s best food right now. Chef Jason Stratton does an impressive job melding diverse influences with dishes that pop with the flavors of Italy, the Middle East, and Spain. The experience is made even more dizzying by the views.

Hot Cakes

Beware the sugar coma. The decadent desserts of Autumn Martin’s Hot Cakes, available at her Ballard and Capitol Hill cafes, may be a bit over-the-top, but that’s part of the fun. Martin’s signature hot cakes, with their molten cores, are the main draw, and there are always a handful of creative takes on the original. Oh, but there’s so much more, too: dessert cocktails, boozy milkshakes, bread pudding, and creme brulee, all with seasonal twists.