Tulio

Repeatable: Yes. Visits: 2

Tulio's legendary sweet potato gnocchi

If you are yearning to escape the world, but only have an afternoon to spare, then take yourself to Tulio, settle into a banquette, and eat. As you ease into the charm of this most authentic Old World setting, with its dark wood furniture, leaded glass doors, and mahogany bar, you’ll find yourself amazed to be still in Seattle.

Long a fixture in the city’s fine dining scene, Tulio is easy to overlook. But don’t make the mistake of underestimating this classy standard: Nowhere in town will you find gnocchi as brilliant as Tulio’s, made with sweet potato, flash-fried to a golden sweetness, and finished with a savory touch of sage.  It’s also one of the best appetizer bargains in town at $9. The salmon ravioli ($17) also deserves its iconic status: whole bits of salmon are carefully enrobed in pasta and finished with a rich, lemony Hollandaise. Perfection.

As superb as the gnocchi and ravioli are, my vote belongs to the baccala appetizer ($9) as the one dish that must never, ever leave the menu. This creamy paste of cod is served with whisper-thin crackles of crostini. Rich and soul-satsifying, and one of the most authentically Old World treatments of this versatile dried fish in town–I enthusiastically recommend it. The orecchiette ($15) is a wonderful presentation of tiny ear-shaped pasta, made savory with sausage, rapini, and a light splash of tomato sauce. The roast chicken $19) here easily equals Le Pichet’s as some of the most hauntingly savory and tender in town; this version comes with a touch of caramelized garlic and a side of creamy risotto. Can’t decide on the many tempting options? Most of the pastas come in half-size portions–just ask your server.

Lunch is perhaps the most crowded time to sample the pleasures of Tulio, as the downtown power suits dine here en masse. But arrive at 1pm, and you’ll get a seat with no problem, and maybe even a glimpse of the chef, Walter Pisano, who named this lovely restaurant after his father. Breakfast is also another tempting option to consider. The rustic grilled bread ($13.95) with poached egg, mushroom tomato ragu, and basil Hollandaise is quite simply one of the most delicious spins on eggs Benedict you’ll find–and a rare vegetarian version.

Tulio is located on the ground floor of the Hotel Vintage Park, which is why it serves three meals a day. Take advantage of these generous hours to while away a full day here. The prices are quite low for food of this caliber, and you might even feel like you’re on vacation far, far away–if only for a few precious hours.

Alexa’s Garden Cafe

Repeatable: Maybe. Visits: 1

Alexa's Garden Cafe

When the sodden gray of a Seattle winter starts dampening my spirits, I look for comfort in food and eat out. Lunch is the best meal to get the most pleasure for your money, especially if you enjoy dining alone with a good book or newspaper in hand. It is rare to find a space one could actually linger in, for hours at a time.  So when I found Alexa’s Garden Cafe, improbably hidden in the far back recesses of Swanson’s Nursery, I blinked, thinking it was an hallucination.

Hidden by lush tropical foliage and several ponds of enormous koi, Alexa’s feels so faraway from Seattle that it might as well be a wavering mirage in the desert. I found it quite by accident, while on a quest to buy houseplants. Trailed by my three young children, I went in search of a ficus and found, instead, food.

“French toast!” shouted my daughter with delight. “Vegan banana bread!” exclaimed my food-allergic son. My youngest just wanted scrambled egg, like always. We had just tried to eat some fried slop from a fast-food restaurant I’m too embarrassed to name. I had gotten rid of the barely bitten evidence in the garbage can outside the store and was hoping we could buy a plant and rush back home for something real. Instead, we ate first, then got our tree.

The French toast was lovely. The thick, chewy slices of bacon perfectly cooked. The egg, gently scrambled. The blueberry muffin was obviously home-made, as was the vegan banana bread. My children ate every bite while I drank black licorice tea and studied the tempting menu, with its list of breakfast items on one side, lunchtime options on the other. I chose to get a Mom’s Plate ($6.50), just a simple egg over easy, with whole wheat toast and a bowl of immaculately fresh melon and grapes. The food was simple, clean, and pleasant–nothing to gush over, but far better than the breakfast places on Queen Anne.

If you have small children, or like the rest of Seattle, suffer from chronic Vitamin D deficiency, Alexa’s Garden is worth whiling away a few hours in, especially for a weekend brunch, when every other place in the city is mobbed. Prices are all well below $10, and the children’s menu is filled with smart, nutritious options.  If Alexa’s offered an Internet connection, the place would probably be filled with writers, sunning themselves while nursing a latte next to their laptops.