Chef Dustin Ronspies quietly runs his weekly supper club that offers a special occasion dining experience at terrific prices. He's also instituted a full bar and more casual, no reservation nights. A coveted chair at the open kitchen is the best seat in the house.

Matt Dillon's first Pioneer Square project, credited for helping to revitalize the neighborhood, is a Mediterranean-inspired restaurant that is big, bright, airy and downright gorgeous. Plates are just as pretty: chilled Dungeness crab with garlic mayo, king salmon cured in honey & camomile, and lamb leg cooked on the rotisserie have all made an appearance on the menu. Don't leave without ordering the homemade sourdough bread.

A longtime favorite respite for locals who like to duck into Seattle's answer to Paris for a carafe of wine and some frites, this quaint Pike Place Market bistro is a little slice of baguette heaven complete with cobblestone patio for those rare sun-soaked extended lunches.

Brandon Pettit's perfectly fired seasonal pizzas and cunningly simple sides make this a Seattle institution. Don't miss the desserts, either. Some come for the salted chocolate chip cookies alone.

One of the most common complaints heard is that Seattle lacks authentic Mexican food. This Georgetown semi-newcomer is where you should bring the complainers who can watch as their tortillas are made fresh right in front of them. The pozole and pork tamales are clear winners.

There are a lot of hole-in-the-wall Vietnamese restaurants in Seattle, but this is the spot discerning diners keep coming back to. There's something very comforting and satisfying about the food. The fresh salads, noodle dishes and spring rolls have a cult following. The portion sizes here are plentiful and cheap, so come hungry.

It's not Ethan Stowell's newest restaurant, but How to Cook a Wolf encapsulates the chef's unfussy, Italian-via-Northwest style. The wood-wrapped, copper-punctuated space also stands out as one of the most unique dining rooms in Seattle.

Mike Easton's hand made pasta and charcuterie has become a regular habit for lunch goers, who now have more than twice as much space to nosh in (and stand in line) with Il Corvo's new home in Pioneer Square.

The popular farmers market Malaysian street food outfit became a brick and mortar back in January 2013. Some describe this take-out only hole-in-the-wall as the best drunk food in Seattle, but it's good anytime the hunger pangs hit. Hearty dishes you'll want to inhale include Kedai's signature fried rice dish, Nasi Goreng, served with your choice of tofu and sprouts or roast pork, and topped with a runny egg.

Chef/owner Aleks Dimitrijevic impresses with hearty steaks, Merguez sausage and pork rinds, but exhibits that same talent with a more delicate crudo or, say, a sesaonal tomato tart. The menu feels a little French, the dining room feels a little like a fairy tale.

The only thing better than the mole, the salsa bar and the damn delicious casual Oaxacan food — how little it costs to eat yourself silly. Brace yourself for a crowd, but the end result is well worth it.

Considered required eating by many a food type around town, Lark is elegant, intimate and special without being pretentious. The small plate style of dining takes the stress out of ordering, as it's protocol here to order a bunch of things and share, family-style. The menu is heavy on vegetables, grains, meat and fish: all innovative, classic, familiar and delicious.

This French bistro possesses both a legendary roast chicken and an informal charm that makes you want to linger all afternoon with some charcuterie and cheese.

Located across from the Melrose triangle, where good food is easy to come by, Mamnoon has created its own scorching hot rep with its Lebanese/Syrian cuisine. While the menu can be unfamiliar to those who have not tried this type of food, the entire thing is pretty much rock solid. You can't go wrong with any of the dips or salads - great starting points as you work your way down to more adventurous entrees.

Getting seats at this 107-year-old Japanese restaurant can be an utter puzzlement, but should you crack the code, the mind-boggling list of specials are where it's at.

Every night, by reservation only, patrons who plan ahead are rewarded with Ma'ono's immensely popular fried chicken dinner. As one of the four flavor options, the Korean-style doles up crispy chicken in a tangy gochujang sauce. Aside from their chicken, the kalbi short ribs are also a tempting option.

Chef William Belickis's white-linen Mistral has been reborn as a many-nooked restaurant that offers a bar scene, plain old dinner, or a restaurant-within-a-restaurant fine dining experience. The food hasn't faltered since he opened in December 2009.

The former Chez Shea chef is producing handmade soba noodles, but the entire menu shines. Don't miss the smaller snacks (uni shooter, smoked hamachi kama) and salads. Best bet: order omakase style and let the kitchen cook for you. Always a good bet.

Ethan Stowell's tiny Tangletown restaurant sandwiched between a doughnut shop and a pub opened last August, and predictably the 600-square-foot space has been filled ever since. Sit at the chef's counter for full view of the kitchen crew preparing, tangine, ceviche, and bowls of vegetable fritters with pesto.

The continued hype surrounding Rachel Yang and Seif Chirchi's Fremont spot is well-deserved. This follow-up to the popular Joule is casual, largely Asian street food inspired and a fantastic (reasonably priced) experience for brunch, lunch or dinner. Grab a cocktail at adjacent bar Quoin after dinner.

Former Toulouse Petit chef Eric Donnelly has given Seattleites what we've been waiting for—expertly prepared seafood in a space that's equal parts accessible and stunning. RockCreek's ultra fresh menu doesn't disappoint. Neither does brunch.

Braving the lines for cured meat sandwiches and hot fare like porchetta is a Seattle rite of passage. Salumi is open just a handful of days and only for lunch, so come prepared for crowds. And yes, it's worth it. At least once. And probably more.

This is about as Seattle as it gets: Chef Matt Dillon; Northwest ingredients; and dishes that seem disarmingly simple, until you realize you could never recreate them yourself. Sitka's location inside the Melrose Market is also absurdly quaint.

Jason Stratton has made this trattoria inexorably his own with memorable pastas and Piedmont-influenced fare. Plus its recent expansion makes it (slightly) easier to get a table. Make sure to stop by the adjoining Artusi bar for a cocktail before you say, 'Ciao.'

This Belltown destination has major cocktail credibility, but chef/owners Brian McCracken and Dana Tough make sure their crew produces food with a modernist flair that feels memorable, not gimmicky.

A tiny, unmarked hole in the wall, Tsukushinbo is the go-to for authentic Japanese food in the International District. There's a sushi bar and a handful of tables that fill-up within moments of the doors swinging open. If you don't have a reservation, your wait might be a long one (and there's no waiting room). Needing your GPS to find the place is part of its charm, because you won't want people knowing where it is.

Yes, the oysters are delicious (just ask Frank Bruni). But Renee Erickson's oyster bar also offers seemingly simple small plates of seafood and beautiful in-season fare that keep the tucked-away dining room reliably packed. Show up the minute doors open or settle in for waits of an hour or more.

Josh Henderson's restaurant (and oyster bar Little Gull) on north Lake Union sits across the water from downtown Seattle. Have drinks in an Adirondack chair around the outdoor fire pit, come back for Mediterranean-inspired food like halibut crudo and wood-baked gigante beans in a whimsical, beautiful dining room that was just nominated for a 2014 James Beard nominee for Outstanding Restaurant Design.