LIST: Where, what to eat in Seattle
SEATTLE, USA — “Emerald City,” “Rainy City,” “Jet City” — Seattle comes in many nicknames (also “Sleepless,” thanks to the movie).
But for Show Me Seattle tour guide James Gindle, “Seattle is known for the seafood.”
“It's the best stuff in the world out there,” he assured Philstar.com, other media and Philippine Airlines executives during a recent city tour.
“For the United States, about 30% of the seafood for the whole country comes through Seattle,” he said, recommending their “miracle food” like salmon and halibut — "miracles" because Washington State is largely a dry desert, and Seattle stands out as a bountiful verdant "Emerald City."
For a gastronomic adventure, take your taste buds on a journey with this quick food guide of Seattle – from in-flight to local delights!
Philippine Airlines Manila to Seattle flight, vice versa
The Philippines’ flag carrier airlines, Philippine Airlines (PAL), offers “a diverse tapestry of Western and Asian flavors catering to unique palates” in its business class flights for the Manila to Seattle, and vice versa, route.
PAL flies thrice weekly to and from Manila and Seattle, every Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.
Related: WATCH: Philippine Airlines President, COO Stanley Ng on Manila-Seattle direct flight
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PAL Vice President for Sales Salvador Britanico Jr., in an interview with Philstar.com and other press in The Westin, Seattle, said PAL aims to elevate passengers’ in-flight experience by serving Filipino food in partnership with Filipino brands, such as Tanduay for the in-flight cocktails and Carmen’s Best for ice cream.
“Explore the beauty and diversity of the Philippines with a collection of finely crafted cocktails, each designed to encapsulate the essence of Philippine destinations,” PAL’s business class beverages menu says of the company’s partnership with Tanduay Rum in re-imagining top Philippine tourist attractions into cocktails like:
- Manila Skyline (classic rum cola elevated with the richness of Tanduay Superior)
- Bukidnon Breeze (a refreshing mix of Tanduay Asian Rum Silver, infused with the fruity sweetness of pineapple)
- Boracay Sunset (Tanduay Superior and sweet mango with a whimsical cotton candy finish)
- Ilocos Dunes (Tanduay Asian Rum Silver intertwining with sweet, citrus, and spicy flavors)
PAL Executive Vice President and General Counsel Atty. Carlos Luis Fernandez later told Philstar.com that airlines follow different cultures in determining the time zone for serving food in-fight, and for PAL, the culture is based on Philippine eating times for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks. As such, the schedule for serving meals for the 12-hour Manila-Seattle flight is Hot Meal, followed by Mid-Flight Refreshment and Breakfast.
WATCH: Philippine Airlines Business Class flight from Manila to Seattle with Aubrey Miles
Starbucks’ first ever store, roastery
Check out Starbucks’ “OG” siren logo and sip store-exclusive brews in the coffee chain’s first ever store and roastery in its birthplace, Seattle.
Related: That's that me espresso: What’s inside world's first Starbucks store, roastery?
Ludi’s
Owned and operated by Filipino-American Gregorio Rosas, Ludi’s was formerly known as the Seattle heritage resto-bar The Turf. Apart from twists on all-day breakfast and Filipino fare, diners go here to feel Filipino warmth and hospitality, and to take inspiration from Rosas, an orphaned boy who rose from The Turf’s dishwasher to its owner.
Related: From dishwasher to restaurant owner: Filipino recalls Seattle hardships, success
13 Coins
A fixture in the Pacific Northwest dining scene, the restaurant, built in 1967, prides itself of a diverse menu – from all-day breakfast to continental classics like steaks, signature Chicken Parmigiana and a long list of drinks.
Apart from its high-backed booths and swiveling captain’s chairs, among the must-sees here is the Philippine piso (one-peso coin) laminated in tables as among the 13 coins!
Duke’s
Testament to Seattle’s seafood reputation is Duke’s in Westfield Southcenter, which is particularly proud of its Clam Chowder, touted as “Seattle’s best” Chowder inspired by a recipe from the restaurant chain’s Gampa Cox, which won the city’s Chowder Cook-Off for three years in a row. Chowder Cook-Off is the city’s biggest competition for Chowder.
Fogo de Chao
Smacked right into the city’s central business district, the Brazilian restaurant chain’s third Washington location features an open grill with gaucho chefs demonstrating the culinary art of Churrasco: expert butchering, fire roasting, and serving and carving eat-all-you-can meats straight on diners’ plates.
Adding to the stylish interiors that nod to the restaurant’s Brazilian heritage are a buffet-style Market Table, as well as dry-aged meat lockers for in-house aging.
Pike Place Market
First started in 1911 by a group of farmers who wanted to reach out directly to consumers without middlemen, Pike Place Market, or simply PPM among locals, is an iconic tourist spot in the city for its fish throwing tradition and 471 fresh produce, arts, culture, flower and food shops spread across 9.8 acres of land.
Related: WATCH: Filipino executive tries Seattle's fish throwing tradition
Eat Seattle tour guide Jonathan Oxorn told Philstar.com, other media and Philippine Airlines officials in a food tour of the market that PPM is specifically special as food stalls and diners here source their supplies directly from the market daily. Among such restaurants is Oriental Food Mart, owned and operated by Seattle-based Filipina Leila Apostol Rosas.
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Since the market has a policy that all first stores should be opened at the market before the stores spread out, Starbucks opened its first retail location in the market in 1972.
Related: That's that me espresso: What’s inside world's first Starbucks store, roastery?
But besides the first ever Starbucks store, here are Oxorn’s other recommendations when going on a PPM food trip:
- Beecher's Handmade Cheese
If one buys Beecher’s in a grocery store, you will get a frozen version, said Oxorn. But at PPM, you get to experience the cheese and the brand’s dishes fresh as the cheese is manufactured fresh in-store, with the store’s big machines showing customers how the cheese is done.
Among Oxorn’s recommendations are Kimchi Grilled Cheese and Cheese Curd Lasagna.
- Maiz
Best known for their corn tortillas using corn freshly grinded every morning, this Mexican street food place soaks its tortilla in a water and lime mix, which makes these tortillas really soft, Oxorn explained.
- Totem Smokehouse
Known in Seattle for its salmon jerky and Salmon Teriyaki recipe, this store is wholly devoted to smoked salmon.
“We've got five species in the Northwest and we have all five species of salmon in Seattle, and they're all cooked and everything's wild hot and everything is ready to eat. We have 10 varieties just of the salmon jerky to give you an idea. It's like salmon land in here and we also have classic smoked salmon,” a representative for the brand told Philstar.com and the rest of the tour group.
According to the representative, they have been handcrafting wild smoked salmon for over 40 years in PPM. Among the representative’s recommendations is smoked salmon with crackers and cream cheese.
“This is a real classic Northwest-style smoked salmon. We take the wild cod salmon. We soak it in a brine, which has an equal amount of salt and brown sugar that help to cure the fish so it has a longer shelf life. We discard the brine… and the moisture. It's very delicious. And then we smoke it. We smother the alder wood, which is a local wood that makes for a wonderful kind of light smoked salmon,” the representative shared their process of curing their products, which included canned ones.
The jerkies, said the representative, are “nice for traveling” and will last for three to four years.
“Even if you're just taking a detour to space, you'll be able to use it,” the representative assured, “This is wild-caught salmon. This is fantastic! You see all the natural oil.”
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Hellenika
Founded by a Greek family that moved to Australia together with their yogurt family recipe, this Greek gelato place in PPM is a must-visit for its ube, coconut, and occasionally, durian gelato, said Oxorn.
Lou, one of the gelato place’s food scientists, shared that the owners have been making cultured dairy products like feta cheese and Greek yogurt for generations, but the store was opened in PPM just over a year ago.
Using fresh milk from Washington State, Hellenika produces Greek yogurt gelato in small-batch freezers imported from Italy.
“We only use natural colors and flavors here,” Lou affirmed, “We like to make our own purees. We don't use any artificial colors.”
- Pike Place Chowder
The long line in the counter at any given day is proof that this diner has the best chowder in PPM, if not in the entire city, said Oxorn.
The secret, he said, is that the store’s chowder is full of fresh clams – and a bowl is more than enough to keep one full throughout the day.
- Pizza and Pasta Bar
All the tomato and basil on the store’s pizza are bought from produce stands in PPM every morning, said Oxorn.
“I think the best way to eat vegetables is a slice of pizza for sure,” he noted, adding that the dough and sauces are also made fresh daily at the bar.
- Chukar Cherries
Washington grows the most cherries in the world outside of Turkey, said Oxorn. As such, Chukar Cherries capitalizes on this by churning out cherries into nibbles such as with dark chocolate, almonds and truffles, among others.
Crab Pot Seafood Restaurant
If boodle fights are your thing, this restaurant has been voted as among the best restaurants near the Seattle Great Wheel. A casual dining joint specializing in seafood freshly caught in the city, Alaska and surrounds, the restaurant is famous for its Seafeast or giant steamed buckets of seafood, corn and sweet potatoes dumped directly onto diners’ tables. The fun part comes when diners are asked to crack open their lobsters and crabs using gavels.
Purple Café & Wine Bar
In this fine-dining bar and restaurant, “wine takes center stage” – literally, since at its center is a library-like staircase filled with wines.
Diners are then invited to participate in “The Purple Experience,” where freshly-baked bread, appetizers, and big-portion meals ranging from steaks to Seattle’s salmon dishes are paired with wines from the Northwest and around the world. — Video by Deni Rose M. Afinidad-Bernardo; additional video editing by EC Toledo
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Editor's note: The tour to Seattle was hosted by Philippine Airlines to promote tourism in the area. At no stage does the host organization have a say on the stories generated from the coverage, interviews conducted, publication date and story treatment. Content is produced solely by Philstar.com following editorial guidelines.
