A throwback to the supper clubs of the 1930s, El Gaucho is one of Seattle's more expensive restaurants. Its location in Belltown (Seattle's latest 'in' spot) and dark, dramatic black-on-black decor attracts an upscale, hip clientele. Steak is the unabashed house specialty, and coupled with appetizers, it can easily lighten the pockets of two diners by $100 -- even before ordering wine. But part of the price is the presentation. The restaurant is a large, open space, broken up into several semi-circular "corrals, " each with half a dozen or more comfortable banquettes and broad passageways between them. A three-foot raised platform along two sides holds even more tables, affording diners an excellent view of a continuous stream of impressive tableside preparations. Four separate rooms accommodate private parties from eight to eight-score, and there's even a Cigar Lounge. Check out the nightly piano bar music, or on weekends head downstairs to the Pampas Room for dancing and entertainment.

Everything about Canlis declares "high end, " from its spectacular hilltop location with sweeping views to the prices. It's long been THE place where Seattleites and suburbanites go to celebrate life's peak moments: graduations, promotions, reunions, honors and, of course, anniversaries. From the moment the parking valet greets you and you enter through the Japanese Kura Doors, every detail speaks of elegance and sophistication. The interior is filled with natural materials and Northwest art. There are no casual Fridays at Canlis, nor any other day -- your fellow diners are turned out in sleek, well-tailored finery. If you're early, head for the lounge overlooking the dining room where you'll listen to the Steinway grand under subtle lighting provided by antique Japanese lanterns. When your table in the intimate dining room is ready, you'll find a menu that reflects the best in Northwest cuisine.

Long before Belltown was hip, Mama's was a happening place with a reputation for serving great Mexican food in a fun atmosphere. Even now, while the neighborhood has gone upscale, Mama's remains a bastion of good, plentiful food. And the prices still don't injure the wallet. An eclectic mix of posters, vinyl-covered booths and second-hand furniture are inside, as well as lots of people. Kitsch lovers may want to head for the Elvis room, which is dominated by memorabilia of the King. Or dine outside on the patio in good weather. You'll find all the usual Mexican standbys among the dozens of items on the menu, as well as vegetarian offerings and a kids' menu. Need to wait because it's packed? Just head for the bar and sample a margarita. Mariachi bands on Tuesdays lend a festive touch

Ensconced in a suburban strip mall just off 520 is Jeem, Jim Han Lock’s Asian-fusion haven. Soft spoken and distinguished, Lock has spent decades on the Seattle restaurant scene, most recently at Wild Ginger where he won the James Beard Award for Best American Chef for the Northwest region in 1997. The big teal and bamboo-accented room can be reconfigured in moments to easily accommodate very large parties. Lock’s talented kitchen staff executes a menu with so many highlights that deciding what to order is a real challenge. (Thankfully, the long wine list provides guidance in pairing wine with Asian flavors.) Begin with pork sate and ginger-mango salsa or coconut cream of pumpkin soup. Combination meals are a fine way to sample two courses at once -- such as garlic and honey pork, bitter melon with beef, oysters with ginger and onion -- but a glance at another sheet and find temptations like rack of lamb with macadamia and mango or tiger prawns with chile sauce. Fresh and saltwater tanks hold live fish and seafood, so if you’re in the mood to splurge, opt for Maine lobster with red curry sauce. Inventive dim sum is a special focus of the restaurant, and though not all plates are available on any given day, varieties number in the many dozens. Round up a group of your favorite companions for a memorable weekend brunch

Stretching along most of the south side of Pier 56, Elliott's features outstanding views and an outstanding lineup of oysters in what is probably Seattle's biggest bivalve bar, which measures a full 21 feet. An especially extensive selection of white wines provides appropriate accompaniment for the subtle variations in flavor among the more than 30 varieties from which you can choose. There's even a weekday oyster happy hour in the gleaming teak and copper bar. Elliott's takes full advantage of its prime waterfront location, with huge windows and slanted skylights that drench diners with abundant natural light, while the booths just across the aisle are raised by about a foot to share in the vistas. In good weather, outside tables offer one of the city's truly superior al fresco dining experiences. Not surprisingly, the menu features seafood, with a special emphasis on Dungeness crab and other Northwest marine bounty. Steaks, chicken and fettuccine are also available. Consider starting your meal with one of the chowders, which feature diminutive neck clams and full-bodied cream.

Eager and patient devotees line up for a table in this classy, coolly atmospheric pair of rooms, where the Coaston sisters have been dishing up inventive southern classics since 1997. Servers are down-home courteous, and so lithe it's hard to believe any of them actually eat here. In photos enlarged and sepia-toned, great grand-relations look down from the high walls like guardian angels, as if to insure that everyone leaves satisfied. <br> Kansas City ribs, griddled catfish, crab cakes and the very popular buttermilk fried chicken with collard greens can warm up the soggiest Seattle evening, and don't be put off by the precious names: dig into Miss Choo Choo's Company's Comin' Rib Eye or Kissing Cousin's Lamb and Rice and you'll feel like one of the family. Sweets like coconut cake, strawberry shortcake and red velvet cake with buttercream frosting may prove irresistible -- just don't tell your cardiologist

Isn't the observation area open on weekends? Since this is the tallest building in Seattle why wouldn't it be a show place to view Seattle and the beautiful surrounding mountains? The best information I could obtain is that the observation area is open only Monday to Friday during the day! This is not very friendly for people who come into the city on weekends and wish to watch the sunset. Information was hard to come by, for people living outside the local area.

The tuxedo-clad maitre d' that greets you is just one of the tip-offs that you're in one of Seattle's most elegant restaurants. The heart of the menu is, of course, steak. Expensive steak. Choose from among such cuts as filet mignon, New York strip, sirloin, prime rib, T-bone, chateaubriand and prime rib. The Met starts with high-end heifers, then dry-ages the beef for a month in costly coolers that produce the notably tender and tasty servings that find their way to your table. You'll also find seafood -- salmon, halibut, lobster -- chicken and lamb. Side dishes and sumptuous desserts reflect the same attention to detail. A lengthy wine list supplements your meal choice. <br> The food's magnificence is mirrored by the surroundings -- high mahogany entrance doors; tuxedo-clad servers; plush green carpeting; lots of polished brass; a black marble bar that stretches for more than 50 feet and serves single malt scotch and some of the city's best martinis; high ceilings with carved moldings; and dark wood paneling that surrounds comfortable, overstuffed booths.

Done up in 1930s-era art deco flair with sleek curves, large mirrors and frosted glass, the Union Square Grill specializes in steak, seafood and chops. The familiar menu is matched by equal comfort in the plushly carpeted dining room. It's a preferred site for both lunchtime wheeling and dealing and evening trysting. Its central location also makes it an ideal spot for pre-theater dining. Just let your waitperson know when the curtain goes up and you'll be in and out with time to spare. The Grill has its own bit of theater: waitstaff with a flair for the dramatic wheel serving carts next to your table for on-the-spot presentations of Caesar salad, chateaubriand or peppercorn steak, baked Alaska and bananas foster. Consider starting your meal with the appetizer sampler, four of the Grill's most popular offerings, or the lobster bisque soup. Entrees include several other steaks, prime rib, garlic roasted scampi and more seafood. The wine list offers hundreds of listings to ensure a perfect complement to your meal. It leans primarily toward the Pacific Coast but also ranges as far east as France and Italy and westward to Australia. Choose among additional dessert wines, sherry

Since 1967, this diner has achieved its goal of providing epicures with a late-night hang-out. Take refuge in a brown, high-backed booth or plant yourself at the main counter and prepare to be wowed. Between the people-watching and the view of the kitchen, you'll have plenty to keep you entertained. Try the bucket of clams, the Steak Sinatra (tenderloin medallions seared in olive oil, sauteed with artichoke heart and burgundy wine) or the hot sausage and pepper-cheese omelet. The wine list (yes, it's a 24-hour diner with a wine list) includes Dom Perignon. The prices aren't exactly rock-bottom, but the food and service are several notches above any other diner. There's a second location at Sea Tac airport

Southern hospitality and cosmopolitan clubbiness are a happy match at the New Orleans-based beef mecca. Up a grand staircase lie private rooms and the main dining room, long and wood paneled. On the entry level are smaller dining areas and the bar, home to a surprisingly affordable daily happy hour -- the perfect place to send a companion lacking shopping mall stamina. <br> It's hard not to want some of everything on the menu. Favorites (though it's hard to narrow down) include sizzling crab cakes, velvety lobster bisque, a fork-tender filet of the highest quality midwestern beef and a well-marbled rib eye that tastes just as good the next day as leftovers. Yes, dinner can set you back, especially if you're tempted to go crazy with the huge Wine Spectator Award-winning list. But lunch offerings (sandwiches with fries, salads) are priced just right -- which leaves more room for dessert: The ultra-rich caramelized banana cream pie should be shared, but you'll want to keep the fresh seasonal berries in a custard sauce all to yourself. Service is justifiably renowned: smooth and unintrusive with excellent timing

Sporting a vibrant, tropical color palette, this buzzing Belltown fish cafe reels in loyal locals and adventuresome visitors alike, drawn by its stellar reputation and the view through floor-to-ceiling windows. The balcony affords a voyeur's vantage point, but it's also fun to crowd a quartet into a booth adjacent to the cocktail bar to be nearer the action (which can get a bit loud at times). Proximity to Pike Place Market is pivotal to chef-owner Christine Keff's go-with-what's-fresh, award-winning style. With a global menu that changes daily, there's a good chance that any visit to Flying Fish will let you sample monkfish, the 'poor man's lobster.' Expect mussels, scallops and calamari in curry, coconut shrimp, crab cakes, king salmon (of course!) ahi tuna with plantain polenta and buttermilk fried chicken (even non-fish lovers gotta eat). The wine list has depth and breadth, and servers are well seasoned. Plates are grouped in small, large and platter sizes, for different levels of family-style dining. For the ultimate sharing experience, order the banana split platter for dessert and dig right in

What would Seattle be without its icon, the Space Needle? Well, not much, apparently. There are more souvenirs in Seattle sold with images of this colossal white landmark than anything else. (Pictures of salmon may run a close second.) The Space Needle was built for the 1962 World's Fair, along with much of the surrounding Seattle Center. Some 605 feet high and built to withstand windstorms, earthquakes and, of course, rain, this is the place to go for a 360-degree view of Seattle and its environs. It'll cost you to get up there, but the observation deck is at the very top and the gift shop there is your best bet for finding a spoon in the shape of the needle, imprinted with your name, of course. Did we mention there's a Starbucks located here too? Just below that, at 500 feet, is the Space Needle Restaurant, which offers a fantastic Sunday brunch. The restaurant spins while you're eating, although not too quickly. It makes one revolution an hour, a perfect digestive aid

With a decor perhaps best described as south-of-the-border shabby chic -- orange stucco walls are accented by crystal sconces -- Luchita's serves Cleveland's most deliciously authentic Mexican cuisine. The salsa, served with chips to start the meal, is garden fresh and packs a punch. For an appetizer, consider a classic ensalada Mexicana, which includes lettuce, cilantro, avocado and a Mexican mustard-flavored vinaigrette. Many of Luchita's salads and entrees include cactus, a tender green vegetable which tastes like a desert-grown asparagus. Also try dishes prepared with the mole sauce -- mole is made with cocoa, so don't ask how this works but it does, particularly as a compliment to the chicken dishes. At Luchita's tangy margaritas go well with any meal, but for something slightly different try the refreshing sangria. For take out try a burrito mojados -- the salsa is on the outside, so be sure to snag lots of napkins and don't attempt eating it in the car.

Whether it's overrun with downtown workers at midday or bar-hoppers at midnight, Bo Loong is a favorite stop for Clevelanders seeking Chinese food. Enjoy the ambience of a pagoda-style eatery, complete with giant fish tanks, Buddha-style statues and an elegant dining room. Among the best places on the North Coast for cheap, late-night eats, Bo Loong covers all of the basics, with an extensive menu that includes a dim-sum selection offered daily around lunchtime. This makes Bo Loong one of the few dim-sum diners left in the area. On the menu, you'll also find family-style two-, three-, four- and five-person dinners, which are bargain-basement cheap: They come out to less than $10 per person. The entire menu is available for takeout, which makes it a perfect after-hours stopover

There are no parking meters in the Warehouse District, at least none in operation during typical dining hours. That would be a good thing for those visiting Mallorca, where lengthy meals are the norm, as they are in Spain and Portugal, the influencing lands of much of Mallorca's cuisine. Known on the North Coast for its informed and talented staff, Mallorca features the unusual combination of European and continental cuisine with an emphasis on seafood. The likes of mahimahi, tilapia and octopus are scattered about the menu, along with the standard shrimp, crab and lobster, the latter of which is available live on most nights. Land lovers will enjoy a variety of veal scallopini dishes, or just a thick steak grilled to perfection. Start out your evening with mussels in fra-diavolo sauce and finish it with a sweet helping of tiramisu. The atmosphere at Mallorca, like most of the warehouse district, is casual. Be it business or pleasure, your needs will be met here

This deli is much loved, known especially for its mile-high kosher corned beef sandwiches. The setting of Slyman's is nondescript to say the least; thick block glass and a vivid blue awning outside. Inside is a bland but bustling diner atmosphere, complete with open kitchen and friendly lunch counter. The standard Reuben is available and wonderfully tasty, as are the variations on the Reuben theme -- the pastrami, turkey, and roast beef Reubens. Or try a sandwich made with the super ultra-fresh tuna salad -- the tuna melts are superb. Breakfasts at Slyman's offer an abundance of morning time treats. Omelets mostly feature ingredients for carnivores -- the basic salami, ham, bacon, and sausage. You don't want to be too health-conscious in order to fully appreciate the Slyman's experience. If absolutely necessary, a semi-harmless tuna plate is available for health sticklers.

Coventry is changing -- becoming more corporate, more homogenized and ever more gentrified. One resident of the East Side neighborhood that isn't changing or going away though is Grum's. This popular establishment located on the corner of Coventry Road and Mayfield has been serving submarine sandwiches since 1977. The shop itself is quite simple, consisting of only a couple of benches, a cooler, a deer's head on the wall and a counter lined with Grum's small army of sandwich makers. Credit cards aren't accepted, and everything's take-out. Yes, unlike the cushy atmosphere of the chain restaurants along the street, people don't come to Grum's for the decor. The locals and visitors that have made themselves regulars are here strictly for Grum's great grub

Rock Bottom has much to offer the beer connoisseur, but the view while driving up to the place may be the most impressive of all. Located inside the Power House on the West Bank of the Flats, the Rock Bottom is an awe-inspiring site, offering a glimpse back to the industrial revolution, when tall smokestacks dotted Midwestern skylines. Inside it's a different picture, clean and modern, with the food and beer to match. Though the restaurant is part of a nationwide chain, the brews at the Cleveland Rock Bottom compliment local cuisine and culture. Walleye Wheat, Dawg Pound Brown and Powerhouse Pale Ale highlight the tap selections. Those there to lift a fork along with a mug will not be disappointed. Filling appetizers such as the seared ahi, crisp brick oven pizzas and a surf-and-turf menu highlighted by a 14-oz. New York strip steak offer something for every taste

From the looks of Siam Cafe, you'll initially think you've entered just another family restaurant, with low-key atmosphere and bare-bones decor. But even if the busy cafe's pan-Asian clientele doesn't tip you off, the line of fish tanks will (they're packed full of Boston lobsters, Oregon dungeoness crab and farm-raised Florida eel). Despite its pedestrian appearance, this downtown eatery offers an extremely authentic Eastern dining experience, with Vietnamese, Thai and Cantonese offerings that attract a regular batch of customers from as far away as Canton, Akron and the far East Side. Open since 1994 in Cleveland's sparse Chinatown -- across St. Clair from the more heralded Bo Loong -- the Siam Cafe serves many dozens of different dishes. Chef's specialties include the paradise shrimp (blended in Thai spices, and fried with yellow curry chili, onion, pineapple, scallion and egg), the ever-popular pad thai (Thai-style stir-fried noodle with shrimp, chicken and egg) and as an appetizer, goi cuon (shrimp and pork in a rice-paper roll).