Corrected version

Seattle Times food writer Nancy Leson embarks on a six-month leave with a tasty farewell — a post about reader-recommended places for soup of all sorts. While Nancy takes a break, award-winning food writer Rebekah Denn will host the All You Can Eat blog.

Bisotted: by butternut squash soup at Bisato, in Belltown. [Seattle Times/John Lok.]

Soup: It's what's for dinner. And lunch. And, if you're me, breakfast. Especially in January. As much as I love to take to the stove and soup-er-size-it, I'm always on the lookout for a restaurant fix. Recently, I asked my Eatership to point me toward their soup-spot favorites and — thanks, guys! — they offered a wide world of ideas, directing me to hole-in-the-wall places, as well as haute haunts. With a nod to their lineup, I've added a soupçon of seafood-scented suggestions:

Last month I shouted "Mambo, Italiano!" and with help from my Eatership came up with a list of Italian joints longer than Frank Sinatra's musical canon, curated here to a handy dozen.

Did we miss our chance to raise a glass of chianti and sing "That's Amore!" to your homiest of hangouts? Come-on-a-my-comments-box and sing it, Paisan!

Angelo's Ristorante
After 50-plus years as kitchen crew and Welcome Wagon, the Ricci family is the Burien equivalent of Italian-American royalty. "They are old, old school Italian," notes one enthusiastic follower, and their reach extends to a second Angelo's, in Bellevue.
601 S.W. 153rd St., Burien, 206-244-3555, www.angelosofburien.com; 1830 130th Ave. N.E., Bellevue, 425-883-2777, www.angelosofbellevue.com

If you spend any time at all on this blog, you know how I feel about soup: my adoration for its powers of restoration is far-reaching. I've offered plenty of soup recipes for your consideration, including this quick-and-easy classic which, now that I mention it, would make a fine lunch. And when it comes to dining out, I've sung praises for Chinese soup noodles, French onion soup and Malaysian laksa, among others.

Today I'd like to turn the tables, and here's what I want to know: when you head out to a Seattle-area restaurant looking for a great bowl of soup, where do you go? Which soup do you hunger for, and what is it about that particular bowlful that speaks to you of love? I'm making a list and checking it twice. You in? Spill it! But not on your lap, OK?

I feel better just looking at this big bowl of beefy goodness, eaten at the original Pho Bac, where I've been slurping pho for more than 20 years. [photo: Nancy Leson]

Talk about a fall harvest! So many restaurants made their debut last month, it's difficult deciding where to go first. To celebrate the season, here, in alphabetical order, are 10 October debutantes to put on your check-it-out list. Want to add your two cents about these newbies -- or any others recently opened or in the offing? Please do.

By the time autumn turns to winter, dozens of new restaurants will have opened in and around Seattle. October brought the debut of many, including (from left) Altura, Mezcaleria Oaxaca, Marché and LloydMartin. [Seattle Times/Erika Schultz]

Altura
Here on North Broadway, chef/owner Nathan Lockwood is turning it out in an open kitchen and turning us on to seasonal Italian cuisine and the option of a "3-4-5" coursed dinner ($49-$69). Added attractions: paired wines and a 10-seat counter.
617 Broadway E., Seattle (206-402-6749 or www.alturarestaurant.com). Hours: dinner 5:30-10:30 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday.

Bako
Remember the old Jade Pagoda? Forget it! On that site across from Altura stands Keeman Wong's contemporary Cantonese restaurant and bar. Wong ditched the kitsch to make a modern mark. Cocktails are king, and you may enjoy one alongside char siu pork at "Foursies" (think happy hour).
606 Broadway E., Seattle (206-829-8958 or www.bakoseattle.com). Hours: dinner 5 p.m.-close Tuesday-Sunday (Foursies 3-5 p.m.).

The weather's gone all autumnal on us, and you know what that means: Sunday night Bolognese at my house, right? Right. But when it's time to head out to a great red-sauce Italian joint, I'm wondering: Where do you go? And please don't say Cafe Juanita, because that's not the kind of Italian restaurant I'm talking about, nor would I call Holly Smith's Kirkland Italian a "joint." Ditto for the Varchetta brothers' beautiful Barolo, Tom D's SLU newcomer Cuoco, Jason Stratton's cascina Spinasse, and Ethan Stowell's Staple & Fancy. No offense to the aforementioned (I'd happily send you to any of them) but that's not what I'm looking for.

I'm talkin' Lady and the Tramp chianti and candlelight Italian. Billy Joel's "bottle of red, bottle of white" Italian. "On top of spaghetti" Italian. Places where you won't be out of place standing up with a glass of red in hand, wiping the red gravy off your face and pulling a Rosemary Clooney. I'll be rounding 'em up early next month, so sing it, paisan!

Not all of us are Slow Foodies craving burrata with heirloom tomatoes or sous-vide chicken with chanterelle emulsion. And if you just said "Huh?" I'll bet you a senior-citizen discount you could have been among the crowd crying big salty tears when Marie Callender's closed its Northgate location in June.

Charlotte and Harry Spizman were, and they called me, bereft, leaving me to wonder: When it comes to affordable, family-friendly, senior-citizen-loving restaurants, what's left? My Eatership helped supply the answer, offering ideas for neighborly places where "the usual" is not unusual and soup du jour is de rigueur.

They gave the nod to menus where liver and onions still reign (Leena's Cafe in North City) and places where no one gives a rip whether or not the "B" in their BLT is cured in-house (Patty's Eggnest in Greenwood? Not!). They singled out names like Mitzel's (in Kent) and Shari's (in Shoreline); houses local (Family Pancake House) and international (IHOP); and put their thumbs up for Seattle breakfast-and-burger-stops north (University Burgermaster near University Village) and south (Silver Fork in Rainier Valley).

Among the nods were the following nothin'-fancy joints where I paid homage with a recent visit: local favorites that have been feeding old-fashioned tastes for decades.

Good-old-fashioned food? Yeah, they've got it. [photos/Nancy Leson]

The Wedgwood Broiler has served its same-name neighborhood since 1965. There, my waitress delivered a lunchtime martini to an elderly gent who could have played Don Draper's body-double back then. Had I been inclined, I might have leaned across the aisle of a dining room brown as my thick-sliced pot roast and gravy and said, "I haven't had pot roast and potatoes this good since I visited my mother-in-law at the fancy hospital!" Meantime, our waitress dropped a salad to our next-door-patron noting, "Sally, we changed the bacon bits to salami bits, so I put yours on the side." Now that's service!

Ours is a food-lover's Paradise. When I asked folks to join me in singling out the places we show off to visitors, they proved loud and proud, pointing to the city's delicious attractions. Did we miss your gotta-take-'em spots? Share them here on the blog.

Way to show folks a good time: at Matt's in the Market (left) in Pike Place Market [Seattle Times/Betty Udesen]. And at Sitka & Spruce in Capitol Hill's Melrose Market, where simple pleasures might include Pacific Northwest lox with zucchini and wild currants. [Seattle Times/John Lok]

There's seafood and then there's "see" food. With apologies to a certain native chief, that's why they call it Seattle. "When I pick [guests] up at the airport, I like to jump on the viaduct and breeze through downtown for that 'Chamber of Commerce tour.' Then get off in Ballard and head for Ray's Cafe for deck seats," says one Eater. "By the time they finish their first beer, they're AGOG."

In advance of next month's roundup, here's what I need to know: Where do you take friends and family from out-of-town to show off our fabulous food scene? The answer can be a restaurant (see me with friends, below), a public market, a specialty foods store, a hole-in-the-wall they're unlikely to find in guidebooks or anyplace else that makes you say: "Yep! This is one of the many reasons why I love living here!" And one more important favor: Please tell me why you like the place, and who -- particularly -- you might take there.

For instance: I'm crazy about Staple & Fancy (and so were my pals in the photo), but it's loud and festive. Which is to say that's not the restaurant I'd take folks who'd appreciate an equally memorable Italian meal in a more restrained environment (I'd take them to Cafe Juanita).

Feel free to offer up a list, which might say: "I'd take my father-in-law to Ray's Boathouse, because he loves fresh seafood and has a thing for sailboats, and my brother-in-law to Mutual Fish for seafood, then hand him an apron and a spatula and introduce him to my Weber." Or, "I'd bring my best pal from high school to Elemental, because she enjoys surprises, and my cousin Paul to Mike's Noodle House, because he likes Chinese soup noodles, and then I'd march him right over to Uwajimaya because I know he'll move here after he sees that place."

It's been 25 years since we all hung out together in Alaska waiting tables. But within two minutes of sitting down for a "fancy" meal at Staple & Fancy last week, it seemed like only yesterday. We laughed till we cried, and that was before we finished the first bottle. [photo/Emma Yip]

For my July roundup, I took the liberty of asking Eaters to salute their favorite sandwich -- by naming the stuffed breadstuffs that form a more perfect union. I asked them to lay off the banh mi (recently discussed here) and leave out the burgers (for now). Battles raged. But I'm in it to win it -- and did they ever come up with some winners. Did we miss the one that rings your bell? Feel free to raise the flag for your favorite, right here on the blog.

If you think Paseo makes the top 'wich in town, get in line. You won't be alone! "They have no competition," insist a multitude who flock to this Caribbean sandwich-shack duo in Fremont and Shilshole. "All of their sands are a religious experience," says one zealot, who's quick to single out the Grilled Pork with its "sweet oozy onions" and pickled jalapenos, among other add-ins. "Heavenly," opines another, describing the marinated pork on the Midnight Cuban, pressed with smoked ham and melted Swiss. Slow-roasted pork shoulder defines Paseo's best-selling Cuban Roast sandwich -- my choice, and one respondent's death-row dinner. Another prefers the "4-star" Grilled Prawn sandwich: "Two of those, along with a couple ears of their corn, would be my last meal."

Cuban Roast sandwich at Paseo -- the glamor-shot version. [Seattle Times/Ellen Banner]

In honor of the summer of fun (summer? what's that?), I'm enlisting your aid once again. This time, I want to know: What's your favorite sandwich? Let's leave burgers (for another day) and banh mi (which I've recently riffed on) out of the discussion. Otherwise, if breadstuffs and the stuff that stuffs them are involved, it's fair game. So, game on! Tell me where -- in the Greater Seattle area -- do you go to get your gotta-have-it sandwich. And please do tell: what's in it and on it that makes it so great?

Yeah, I'd eat these. A Reuben from I Love New York Deli [left, Seattle Times/John Lok], and barbecue beef from Pecos Pit [Seattle Times/Barry Wong].

Kids, these days! When I grew up, a swell dinner out was a bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken shared with my siblings. Not my one-and-only, who cut his (baby) teeth on dim sum and kaiten sushi, and can often be heard begging "Mom, can we pa-lease go to Delancey for pizza?" (Yours might prefer the uber kid-friendly Tutta Bella.) He's clearly not the only youngster with well-developed taste buds. When I asked my Eaters where their children deigned to dine, they complied with a (nother) laundry list of options. Did we miss your family's hot-spot? Put your napkin on your lap, stop playing with your food, and weigh in in the comments box.

Looking for an indoor jungle-themed treehouse to land the tykes while you and a gal-pal sip wine and/or split an (excellent) panini? Twirl Cafe on Queen Anne Hill, built expressly for the moms-'n'-me club, has your number. It's got your kid's number, too ($5 to take advantage of the clean, well-appointed play space, or you might park junior up front and sit alongside him in the free play area). Jamie Oliver would approve of the mindfully chosen foodstuffs: Macrina treats, soups, salads, sandwiches and a gamut of good-for-them goodies worthy of the Sunflower butter-and-fruit-spread crowd.

Twirl (your toddler, your wine, whatever!) [Seattle Times/Courtney Blethen Riffkin]

In a few short weeks, my son turns from tween to teen, which means he's no longer free to say, "Sure, I'll see the kids' menu." Of course, if you know my kid, you probably know he's been saying, "No thanks, I'll have the regular menu!" since he was a tot. He's also the only 12-year-old I know who's willing to wait an hour -- without complaining too much -- for a seat at the counter at his favorite restaurant, Delancey. Anyway, in preparation for next month's restaurant roundup, here's my burning question: What's your kids' favorite restaurant? And which among them do you actually like taking them to?

Just desserts, kid-style: Nate was a big fan of these Gummy Worms in cookie-dirt (among other eats sampled at Suncadia) back when the resort was testing their new childrens' menu on a group of willing young guinea pigs.

In advance of next month's restaurant roundup, here's what I'd like to know: where do you go when you're going out for pancakes? And I'm not just talking about the good old American hot-stack, though I certainly want to hear all about your favorite neighborhood pancake house and what you order once you get there. Is your pancake passion a French crepe, a Swedish pancake, a Dutch baby? Do you hunger for Vietnamese banh xeo, Korean pajeon, South Indian dosa? Well, batter up! -- and map me a route.

Oh-oh, say can you see a stack of all-American buttermilk pancakes with a side of warm maple syrup? Or is it pajeon with a wider world of Korean side dishes that gives you a thrill? Speak now or forever hold your Batter Blaster. [Seattle Times photos/Courtney Blethen Riffkin (left) and John Lok]

A resounding efkharisto (thank you!) to scores of readers who shared with me their Greek food go-tos: from the corner gyro joint to the Greek diner hangouts to the sit-down-dinner places where I might lift a glass of retsina and say, "Here's looking at you, squid!" Their "bests" included many of my favorites. Did we miss yours? Feel free to join the chorus.

Whether they've got a taste for gyros or Greek omelets, arni psito or pastitsio, long-timers pledged their allegiance to a Greek fleet of familiar names. "Mr. D's at Pike Place Market is the best for a run and grab lunch," says a fan of Demetrios Moraitis' gyros. "Just be prepared to have happy onion/garlic breath the rest of the day." No lie!

"Hey Mom, got any Altoids?" asked my son, Nate, after we dined and dashed last weekend at Pike Place Market, where Mr. D's is temporarily doing business out of a big red truck due to Market construction.

I need your help again. In advance of next month's restaurant roundup, I'm preparing to compile a list of Greek restaurant favorites -- mine, and yours. I'll consider everything from the corner gyro joint to your Greek diner hangout to the sit-down-dinner place where you can lift a glass of retsina and say, "Here's looking at you, squid!" So, what's the word? Where in the Greater Seattle area do you go for Greek food, and once there, what's the dish (or dishes) you wouldn't want me to miss?

I'd like to get my arms around this: Octopodi Salata at Plaka Estiatorio in Ballard.
[Seattle Times/Greg Gilbert]

Last month, when The New York Times took readers on a cross-country tour of banh mi stops -- most notably to one of the leading centers of Vietnamese sandwich culture: Seattle -- national debate ensued. Rabble roused, folks weighed in on the sandwich that gives a good name to the words "fast food" and commonly costs less than a Big Mac.

What constitutes a proper banh mi? Baguette crisp enough to drop a flurry of crumbs on your shirt, with an interior soft enough to embrace the proffered protein, for one thing. Mayo and freshly pickled do chua (carrot and daikon), plus slivered cucumber, cilantro and hot chilies for another.

Rising to the bait, I responded in a blog post, giving the big-thumbs up to my banh mi "best" -- Yeh Yeh's in Lynnwood, where I regularly have a tough time choosing between the tenderly rendered grilled pork or chicken overstuffed (or perfectly stuffed if you ask me) with do chua. Readers gave a shout-out to their local favorites.

Raves came in for Q Bakery on South Graham Street, noting their house-baked bread, and for the "fantastic foot-long banh mi" at nearby Tammy's Bakery. And I'm forever in debt to those who directed me to the Rainier Valley shopping center where Tony's Bakery & Deli sits in the shadow of Viet Wah.

Jacklyn Tran, showing us what's in store at Tony's Bakery & Deli, named for her brother Tony: banh mi, and then some. [Seattle Times Ellen Banner]

With Valentine's Day around the corner, there's a lot of sweet-talking going down, so I thought I'd share the love. When it comes to sweets, I tend to go for something lemony, so I asked my readers to broaden my horizons and speak to me of chocolate desserts. They were happy to report exactly what they love and why they love it. So, here's a little gift from me to you: a list of some of my favorites, some of theirs and a couple of Valentine's Day specialties you might want to kiss up to. Did we miss your heart's desire? Do tell!

One reader insists that after a side-by-side tasting of chocolate cakes -- involving 22 invited guests and cakes from some of Seattle's top bakeries --"Nothing came close to Bakery Nouveau's exceptional quality and flavor." Their classic chocolate cake is "a perfect balance of chocolate cake and ganache -- both bittersweet. Not overly sweet, just rich and buttery." A rousing vote for the West Seattle contender.

My nod goes to the chocolate truffle cake at Simply Desserts in Fremont. Those luscious layers also hit that just-right note between sweet and not-so. I've been indulging for more than 20 years, and warn you: share a slice. Readers weighed in heavily for the shop's chocolate fudge cake. No, wait, the chocolate caramel cake! -- with a chocolate espresso cookie on the side.

Everybody has a favorite cake at Simply Desserts in Fremont. Here's mine: the Chocolate truffle cake, a little slice of heaven. OK, a big one. [Seattle Times/John Lok]

I hadn't lifted a fork with my friend Kim in a year, and we had plenty to talk about when we met at a Capitol Hill restaurant last week. The food was terrific, and so was our server, but next time I want to have a nice long chat with a gal-pal, I'm going elsewhere. Why? Because by the time we left, my ears were ringing.

Go ahead and call me "old" (my kid does, every day), but I know I'm not the only frequent diner who wishes there were more good restaurants where the decibel-count takes conversation into consideration. And in a nod to those who agree with me (and others who might need to entertain friends and family without bringing along a bullhorn) I've offered ideas for dining-out in relative quiet in this month's Ticket roundup.

My list is far from definitive, and that's where you come in: I'd love it if you'd lengthen the list by chiming in here on the blog. Thanks in advance for giving a shout-out to the places you frequent when you're in the mood for quietude.

Soak up the sun(flower) -- and the sound of conversation -- at Taberna del Alabardero, in Belltown.
[Seattle Times photo/Erika Schultz]

In today's Ticket cover-story, I do the dim sum dance at jook joints North (Bamboo Village, last discussed on the blog days before it opened) and East (Macky's Dim Sum in Issaquah, introduced here early this year). So, has anybody besides Seattle Weekly's Jason Sheehan gone to either since we first discussed? What do you think? And am I the only one who's yet to make it to Zen Garden in Mill Creek for dim sum? (I hear it's worth the trip. You?)

And has anybody seen the "Dim Sum Coming Soon" banner hanging over my neighborhood Chinese-stop, T&T Seafood Restaurant in Edmonds? I have, and I'm beside myself. Last I heard, my main man at T&T, Tony Mann, was in search of the right dim sum chef -- who may be making dumplings as soon as November. Speaking of dumplings, the ETA on Bellevue's Din Tai Fung, since so many of you keep asking, is early November. I promise to keep you posted on that one.

Amy Lee, co-owner of Bamboo Village (center, left) and Sonny and Macky Wong of Macky's Dim Sum (holding their namesake specialty) had strong ties to the ID before heading North and East.
[Seattle Times photos/John Lok]

The time's prime for an all-American picnic. But before you ice up your cooler and set your checkered blanket with the obvious -- say, Ezell's fried chicken or Safeway potato salad -- remember this: You live in Greater Seattle, where in addition to the traditional picnic-fixin' options, we've got a globe-spinning array of eats from around the world -- if you know where to look.

In this month's Ticket roundup, I offer some stops I'd consider before heading out into the sunshine (get the details on those places right here, and check out my photos below). However, seeing as there are a zillion great options for picnic fare in these parts (including the appropriately named Picnic, in Greenwood), I've got to ask: where do you go to pick-up picnic fixings?

A little bit of this (Russian salami, a banh mi sandwich, yuca chips), a little bit of that (dried squid, Spanish olives, feta cheese). In and around Seattle, we can find some great picnic eats. [Seattle Times photo: Steve Ringman]

July is National Ice Cream Month, though ice cream -- and its Italian cousin, gelato -- are a treat adored year 'round. Can't you hear the screams, for classics like West Seattle's Husky Deli, Maltby's Snoqualmie Gourmet and Redmond's Theno's Dairy, and long-loved gelaterias Procopio, Gelatiamo and Bottega Italiana? Frozen-sweets fans follow Half Pint, Empire and the Whidbey Island Ice Cream Co. to local farmers markets, and chase trucks from Molly Moon's and Parfait by following them via Twitter.

Meantime, I've made the rounds in search of creamy, handcrafted cool, with stops at local shops profiled (here) for this month's Ticket roundup. And to complement that seasonally inspired caloric workout, allow me to take you on a tasting-tour of the places mentioned therein. Hey! Stop licking the screen.

A waffle cup at Mora Iced Creamery (left) with three shops on the Kitsap Peninsula, and a waffle cone at Fainting Goat Gelato in Wallingford [Fainting Goat photo by Seattle Times photographer Joey Anchondo].

I like my Northwest salmon raw and cooked, kippered and cured, dressed to thrill or simply grilled. I adore its roe, its bony "collar" and its edible skin when properly crisped. I'll never say no to my favored finfish tucked into fresh pasta or layered over a fresh bagel. And with summer's salmon season upon us, I thought I'd swim through town for a tasting tour (as seen in today's Ticket section) and offer finds along the way. But I wasn't always a Northwest salmon-lover. As you likely know by now, I grew up on the Atlantic seaboard, among people who ate their salmon one of two ways, each requiring a fresh bagel and a thick schmear.

A schmaltzy piece of kippered salmon with some nice "belly" lox: my idea of breakfast.

But one day I kissed those folks goodbye and moved west, briefly to California, and later north to Alaska, where I learned there are two ways to fillet a salmon: the right way, and the wrong way. The latter is illustrated below by yours truly and friend, poised on the bank of the Kenai River circa 1986.

A fishing expedition in the "Land of the Midnight Sun." It's 4 a.m. on the Kenai after a long night waiting tables in Anchorage, and what can I tell you? We forgot the damn cutting board and the salmon were jumping faster than we could catch them.

Going out for Easter brunch on Sunday? Here's hoping you've made reservations. If not, try this list for openings. I'm staying home, having already done my share of brunching in anticipation of my April restaurant roundup, in which I put a global spin on that year-round lazy day-repast: weekend brunch.

And no, I'm not talking about the fill-up-at-a-groaning-buffet places (like the ones we discussed here in January), or the open-daily-for-breakfast joints like The Original Pancake House (which I adore, now with three locations around the Sound). Instead, I was determined to put a finer point on the usual brunch-time Benedict-ion by taking a wider egg-centric world view.

That itinerary took me on a tasting tour of Mexico, Italy, France and Vietnam. It also had me paying homage to the Bloody Mary, as well as the notion that when all's said and done, there's no place like home -- so long as that home is the beautiful evergreen Northwest. Here's my tour, in pictures:

Eat globally, brunch locally.

If you know me, you know how I feel about sushi. I'm a woman obsessed. To my thinking, there's nothing better than putting myself in the hands of a well-schooled professional and saying "omakase." Which, very loosely translated, means "Hit me with your best shot." When it comes my obsession, leaving it up to to a talented sushiman (or woman!) is the best way to get a little taste of heaven. But when I'm looking for a quick, easy and far less expensive fix, I'm a sucker for kaiten.

Kaiten (conveyor belt) restaurants offer a visual primer to the wide world of sushi and other Japanese-food favorites. The movable feast, with color-coded plates that generally cost between $1 and $5.50 each, is perfect for the sushi novice, and kids love it too -- as I explained in this month's Ticket roundup (read it here).

You probably know about locally owned Blue C Sushi and the international giant Sushi Land. Between them, they've got a dozen kaiten restaurants orbiting in our orbit, but for my roundup, I stepped out to introduce you to a quintet of others. In this post, I offer some visuals to go along with my suggestions, beginning with this Japanese video-import -- to give you a taste of how things work:

You know how I feel about dining out on Valentine's Day: I'd rather stay home and cook. But if someone were to put my feet to the fire and insist I make a list of "romantic" places to send my readers (and they did!) I'd tell 'em, "Cut me a break! One woman's romantic restaurant is another's `You've got to be kidding!'" Sure it's romantic to sit at a tiny table for two with a view at Place Pigalle, sharing a half-dozen oysters and a chocolate pot de creme. Or side-by-side on a banquette at Licorous, savoring a well-made cocktail and a couple of pretzel dots -- says me.

Place Pigalle, hidden away in Pike Place Market and a pair of pretties at Licorous, where I love to lift one. [Seattle Times photos/Betty Udeson (left) and Mike Siegel]

My idea of romance involves dining at the counter at Spinasse next to a total stranger, sharing antipasti and tajarin with two of my dearest friends -- as I did last week. Though you may beg to differ. In fact, I can already hear you saying, "Yeah? But what if there was no room at the bar and you had to sit at one of those communal tables listening to some Capitol Hill condo-dweller carry on about her ex-husband?" (Point well taken.)

Well, because the season is nigh, here are some ideas for places where you and yours might do the romance dance. Please take these suggestions with a grain of salt, preferably fleur de sel -- which you'll find on the tables at Boat Street Cafe: a perfectly romantic place. At least I think so.

And because I'd really like to know: where do you like to eat and drink when romance is on the menu? My comments box is open for business!

Mash notes from Nance Romance:

If your sweetheart rides a Hog: Check out the vroom-vroom room at Renton's newly Irish-accented Mick Kelly's at Full Throttle. Lift an Harp -- and some fish 'n chips -- while straddling a leather bar-stool built to resemble your ride. Or repair to the indoor "patio" overlooking the spacious showroom at Renton Motorcycle Company.

Indoors -- and out -- at Full Throttle. You're either for us, or a Guinness. [I'm for you!]

It's February, so you know what that means: they (and you know who they are) want me to think "romance in the air." So for this month's restaurant roundup, I followed the perfume of berbere, rose water and saffron, cardamom, fenugreek and mint, garlic, ginger and galangal. I ate with my hands, with a swath of bread and with a lust for life lived elsewhere -- if only for an evening. Here's where I landed.

It had been some time since I've traveled to Kabul, where I had a chance to practice my fractured Farsi and find myself seduced by the cuisine of Afghanistan. Now I can't wait to go back for more, especially since chef, owner and all-around nice guy Wali Kairzada just reintroduced live music (Tuesdays and Thursdays) at his intimate Wallingford bistro.

Nancy had a little lamb at Kabul, with raisin-sweetened rice and badenjan borani (that's the yogurt-sauced eggplant, right).

Habesha, in the Denny Triangle, is a sexy, centrally located hipster haunt for Ethiopians and those of us who appreciate their fragrant finger foods. Share chicken wot, sega tibs (berbere-spiked beef) and vegetarian combos like the one in the photo below.

I'm crazy for Vancouver, and each time I go I ask myself, "Why don't you come here more often?" If you haven't been, what are you waiting for? Yeah, yeah, I know: you're waiting for the Winter Olympics to blow over, and who can blame you? It won't be easy getting a reservation to eat -- or sleep -- in Vancouver in the near future (let alone get a ticket to one of the big events), but unlike the folks converging on the city right now, we've got plenty of time to head north, as I mentioned in my food-focused story in Sunday's travel section. But whenever you do get there, trust me: if you like to eat, it'll be well worth it.

The view from Vancouver's Granville Island. Heaven -- on a plate -- awaits.

In addition to hitting a lot of restaurants during my December stay, I spent an afternoon tooling around the Granville Island Public Market, home to Vancouver's version of Pike Place Market. And as much as I cherish our major tourist attraction and everything it offers, the stunning foodstuffs available at their Public Market made me weep. Why? Well, let me show you.

It was not-so-skinny dipping over the past few weeks as I went in search of fondue, seeking out the Swiss classic and its many variations for today's Ticket roundup. I found fondue aplenty, at obvious places like that Bellevue bastion of cheese-in-all-it's-glory, Artisanal -- where I tried the fondue du jour. On the jour I visited, 30 different types of cheese were melted into the mix. Or so they said. It could have been four cheeses, or 17, and after a few ridiculously rich mouthfuls I couldn't have told you the difference. But rest assured, I was forking it up like a lonely goatherd who'd just come in from a long stint on a cold mountain.

30 different types of cheese in a single fondue at Artisanal -- but who's counting?

As I said in today's dim sum round-up, if you ask local dim sum fanatics to name the "best" dim sum house around, you can expect a vocal food fight. Me? I'm no fighter. But I did offer a quartet of popular dim sum joints where you'll find me with chopsticks in hand. (And yes, I do love the dim sum served during brunch at Monsoon on Capitol Hill, so don't start with the "how could you leave that out?" routine. As for Jade Garden, yes, their dim sum's good 'n plenty. That said, I'm still scratching my head over those long lines, when there are other worthy contenders close by.)

Feel free to chime in with your two-cents, because I know you want to. And I'd love to have you help put together a definitive dim sum list right here. Where do you go? What dishes are on your gotta-have-it list once you get there? And if all this talk about dim sum is making you hungry, here's a little taste of what I've been enjoying over the past month:

If you haven't tried chicken feet yet, those served at Imperial Garden in Kent are worth a trip.

I hope you had a chance to relax with Sunday's paper the old fashioned way (via newsprint) and read "Dining Out 2009" when, once again, our Pacific Northwest magazine was devoted to my favorite subject. Time flies when you love to dine out, as I mentioned in last year's blog-post "A Decade of Dining Out." That post linked to a 10-year retrospective of my Sunday magazine restaurant cover-stories (a service the old-fashioned print version famously doesn't provide). This year I profiled 10 pairs of restaurant notables old and new, representing a look at where we've been and where we're going. Missed it? Read it right here.

Now meets then: Pacific Northwest "Dining Out" covers 1999-2009

Whenever I write these magazine pieces, I hear from readers who suggest I've left out their favorite spot, or failed to mention a hot new (or fabulous "old") restaurant they adore, or otherwise managed to miss the boat. And, as always, your comments are most welcome.

From the initial comments on my overview of the new Wild Ginger and its Seattle counterpart today, I can see they're coming out of the woodwork already. Nah, not the attractive hostesses, the servers pointing out the signature dishes that helped put the Ginger atop Zagat's "Most Popular" index for 20 years, nor the sommeliers here to assist with a wide world of grape juice. I'm talking about the readers who need to note you'll find "better," more "authentic" and far less fussy Asian food -- priced for a bargain feeding frenzy -- at restaurants in the ID and Little Saigon, in the strip malls of Redmond, Lynnwood and Federal Way and at the take-out counters of our super Asian supermarkets. To them I say, "Oh, cry me a river!" -- of this:

Malaysian laksa: my go-to dish at Wild Ginger.
Seattle Times photo/Dean Rutz

Yes, there are many, many reasons to frequent Greater Seattle's lesser-sung Asian food haunts. And I do, all the time, as you know if you spend much time here at All You Can Eat. Places like these:

Yesterday, when it was a sweltering 90 degrees in New Orleans (with the humidity it felt like 109), I had the great good fortune to cool off with one of life's little luxuries:

Chilling in the French Quarter with oysters and a cold beer.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, I'm offering up a very personal list of edible extravagances in today's Ticket roundup: eats and drinks that don't cost a lot, but do give me a thrill. Like these fontina fonduta frites at Quinn's Pub:

Like French fries with Cheez-Whiz, only 1000 times better.

I almost knocked my coffee over this morning after pulling my Seattle Times out of its plastic bag. Right at the top, the front-page teaser reads "Nancy Leson's rib-joint roundup. Five great 'cues." Uh, I don't think so. While my monthly restaurant roundups usually profile places that do the job well, this time, in the name of getting my hands on some great ribs, I hit a quartet of popular barbecue joints (read the roundup here). The tally on the taste-test? Great ribs (3), Could Have Been Better (1), and No way! I Paid For This? (1).

On the "great" list is a relative newcomer: Casper's A Taste of the South in Lake Forest Park, which I'm crazy about for many reasons. Excellent ribs, killer beignets and Casper himself among them.

Good 'ol boy Casper Townsend, showing off his bodacious beignets on his outdoor patio-with-a-view.

When asked to wrap my arms around the idea of great rooms with a view -- as I did for my June Ticket roundup -- the options were unending. Far from comprehensive, I list a dozen classic water view-restaurants, many of which were named when I posed the rooms-with-a-view query to you Eaters a couple weeks back. Thanks for all those great suggestions -- including places I've never been (the Tides Tavern in Gig Harbor, the Ajax Cafe in Port Hadlock and the Bay Cafe on Lopez Island) and others I regularly frequent (Matt's in the Market, the Steelhead Diner, Place Pigalle). Pike Place Market alone offers so many rooms with a view (the Pink Door! Chez Shea! Lowell's! Maximillien!) it's deserving of its own round-up -- not a bad idea for the future. My focus today was on classic restaurants with water view, including these:

Why I love the view from Anthony's Pier 66 and Bell Street Diner

And now for some happy news out of Mexico: we're loco about their food. When I set out to eat my fill in and around town a few weeks back as research for today's Mexican restaurant roundup in Ticket, I was thinking in terms of a certain May celebration, knowing that despite all the hard-core drinking and nacho-eating that goes on during Cinco de Mayo, eating Mexican food is a most American occupation. That year-round sport takes place at taquerias, taco trucks, fast-food joints and sit-down restaurants everywhere. Yeah, yeah. We're not San Diego. And we don't have a Mission District. But things are definitely looking up lately, don't you think?

Remember when I asked you to tell me about your favorite Thai restaurant and scores of Eaters responded with scores of different eateries? My guess is you'll feel the same way about the Mexican places you frequent -- everybody's got a different "favorite." Meanwhile, back at the ranchero, here's my gallery of gotta-goes. I'm looking forward to hearing what you have to say about yours:

Today, in my Ticket roundup, I profiled five Asian supermarkets, among them places I regularly shop to feed my family, my fridge and my pantry. As I've said before, I'm an equal-opportunity shopper. And while you might enjoy hitting the sales at the malls for bargains on clothes, shoes or techno-toys, my idea of a great time is roaming the aisles of an international market -- as entertaining and enlightening a trip as any found on a shoestring budget. Passport to India? Who needs one? Ditto for Japan, China, Korea, Southeast Asia and every other spot on the globe I've yet to visit.

Not too long ago, I posed the question: Where can you find a great Reuben? Of course, I knew my well-fed Eaters would come up with a world of answers, and you obliged, pointing out some of my favorites in the process. This month, in honor of the upcoming holiday (you know the one: corned beef, a pint or six 'o Guinness, songs like this classic about a well-known "Irishman"), I went out and knocked back a stack of Reubens. Here's the best of the lot. Yet I have to say, as a child weaned on East Coast deli-food, nothing compares to the sandwiches served at places like Jack's Delicatessen (whose charms I've discussed in print before), or New York icons like the Carnegie Deli, and Katz's -- immortalized in the minds of many thanks to this famous scene:

The popularity of French onion soup can't be denied. It's served everywhere, and today in Ticket I wrote about some of the many great places you (and I) might go for a cheese-laden bowlful:

For this week's Ticket round-up I took a trip to several of Seattle's long-loved bakeshops, visiting a multicultural melange of neighborhood bakeries that have stood the test of time. Read what I had to say about them right here.

It's funny: while I live with a (slender) guy who can eat three doughnuts in a sitting without flinching, and a kid whose middle name is "maple bar," I'm not a big sweets eater. But rest assured, I'm a lot bigger now than when I started on my rounds. Here's a look at some of what we sampled. And do me a favor: don't drool on your keyboard, OK?

Remo Borracchini's (established 1922):