Vertical tasting of Viña Tondonia in Valencia...

Thanks Walt. I appreciate the suggestion and the info!

MaJesus

I apologize for my delay in responding, I have been out of Seattle and away from my computer for a few days. How exciting that you are visiting Seattle. It is a beautiful city and August is exactly the right time to visit as we have beautiful summers!

Here are some recomendations for restaurants that you may enjoy. Please know that Seattle for the most part is a fairly casual city. Most restaurants you can enter dressed down or up. I prefer up but that is just me.

*Canlis--Seattle Classic Restaurant overlooking Lake Union and with an amazing wine list and an amazing sommelier. Food features Pacific Northwest ingredients at its freshest. You would need a taxi but the hotel will be very familiar with this restaurant.
Cascadia--Extensive wine list and more dressy than other restaurants. They have a 7 course tasting menu that can be delicious. You could walk from your hotel or take a short taxi ride to it.
*Rover’s--French based using amazing Pacific Northwest ingredients. Gorgeous tasting menu. Wonderful wine menu and an excellent Sommelier. This is in a small house near a very pretty neighborhood in Seattle near Lake Washington. Actually, it is one block away from Harvest Vine which Walt suggested. You would need to take a taxi.
Dahlia Lounge--New American Cuisine. Good wine list emphasizing Washington/Oregon wines.
Union--wondeful restaurant with fabulous experimental food using local ingredients. Wine list isn’t quite as strong as the places mentioned above.
Cafe Juanita--On Lake Washington in a suburb of Seattle. Hotel could arrange transportation but well worth it. Pacific Northwest with some Italian influence. Gorgeous wine list. Well worth visiting if you have the opportunity.
Other personal favorite restaurant suggestions.
Monsoon--Vietnemese in a very modern setting. Food is lovely and a very well thought out wine list to accompany the food. Eric Bahn, the co-owner is very interesting and accomodating. Taxi needed. If the hotel suggests Wild Ginger, which is good, this is better.
Osteria la Spiga--Italian with great wine. Pietro the owner is very fun to speak to about the wines on the list. Taxi needed
Lark--Very good food using the best of Pacific Northewest ingredients. Wine list limited. Taxi Needed.
Crush--Creative food! Nice wine list. Beautifully designed restaurant. Close to Harvest Vine Restaurant. Taxi needed.

I eat out all the time so am well aquainted with the majority of the above suggestions.

I will be in town the beginnng of August so if you would like my contact information in case you have questions, send me an email.

Cheers!

It is looking less and less that I will be in Spain that week as I have a business trip the following week that needs a great deal of preparation. That means that I should be there September 9th and after for about 10 days. I usually visit Madrid first as I have lived there before and then I try to visit Rioja to see some friends. Sometimes, after Madrid, I just take off in the car and follow my whims. Believe it or not, I’ve never been to Valencia so that may be a nice stop for me. This is the shortest trip that I have taken in Spain so I can’t wander as much as unsual.

Wonderful list! thanks! ... my USA friends are going to be ever-so-impressed!!! I told them also about the Spanish restaurant, in case they want to go some other evening. This was an impressive list.

Cheers!

MaJesus

My pleasure. Have a great visit! If I think of anything else, I will let you know.

Anyway, if finally you could come to visit us… please send me an e-mail to pacoATveremaDOTcom and we will keep you a place…

Cheers!!!

... But I did try some of your suggestions ;). Almost everything was closed on Sunday, so we went to Union, and it was a very pleasant experience, but it was half-half: some things were superb (the fluke tartare was excellent), some were just nice: the crab salad was overwhelmed by the avocado, and I found the fish overcooked (but that happens to me almost everwhere in the USA). The sommelier was charming, helpful and very knowleadgeable. We had (very many) local wines. The service was very good, and the atmosphere was very pleasant, so, as I said, all in all a very enjoyable experience, but it I go back again, I’d try other places.

Another day we went to Monsoon, and that was su-perb, with ALL its letters!! fantastic!!! the food was marvellous (even the fish was cooked o.k.) and the wines were interesting with interesting prices (although not too large a list). I really loved that place ... but, of course, it was a ";plain"; type of place, not at all fancy, no tablecloth nor fancy anything, too many tables, but decent wine glasses. It was not the place for our fancy dinner, but we had superb food and superb wines; the RQP is very good too.

Many many thanks for the suggestions! one of the persons in our group was a girl that had expent there 1 year some few years ago, and she did not know any of them and was in awe!

MaJesus

Walt, I still have to go to that restaurant sometime ... I haighly reccomended it to my friends, but the 4 days conferences was very busy, and we only had 2 free nights (and I did not want to go to a Spanish restaurant ... all my fault!)

Maybe I’ll see you in Chicago this next year: I’m spending the academic year in the Triangle in a sabbatical, starting September. Another Veremite from Spain, Olaf, is spending some 5 months or so in Texas ...

Thanks for your knowleadgeable suggestion anyway: I am supposed to know of good Spanish restaurants in the USA!

MaJesus