Region's happy-hour superstars

Relaxed European elegance pervades this gracious dining room and lounge, part of a chain with branches in Spain and Washington, D.C. Classic Spanish cuisine is executed with aplomb. Feast on paella, roast suckling pig or veal cheeks; or make a meal of tapas (half off from 4-7 p.m. daily). Lunch and dinner daily.

Forget location, location, location. At Barolo — whose name, menu and wine list reflects its Northern Italian bent — it's all about lighting, lighting, lighting. Elegant crystal chandeliers hang over a communal table. Grappa groupies hang in the bar. Candelabras flagrantly drip wax, lending a seductive mood to the dining room, where housemade pastas (don't miss the strozzapreti), grilled meats and seafood dishes prove consistent in their inconsistency.

Chef and co-owner Tamara Murphy cooks with French restraint and a lusty Mediterranean abandon. Hope for squid ink risotto, roasted pig, seared scallops and lamb chops on the dinner menu. In the bar, graze on thin-crusted pizzas, perfect frites, a Moroccan steak sandwich and Manila clams steamed with chorizo and chickpeas. Desserts are lovely, but the cheese table is the grandest finale. The wine list is notable for its originality. Open for dinner.

Classy joint. You could order a seafood special or gargantuan lobster tail, but really - indulge in a porterhouse, peppercorn-studded New York steak, or bone-in herb-crusted prime rib. LBJ-era appetizers: escargot gratine or oysters Rockefeller.

Hungry crowds come to salsa-dip, margarita-sip and for superb Southwest-influenced fare. Don't miss zarzuela, spice-encrusted Cowboy Steak, Indian fry bread. Mexican standards rise above cliche. Start dinner with tapas; finish with caramelly, three-milk Cuban flan.

There's a party going on at Flying Fish, whose lure goes beyond the scene and the seafood to include a world-ranging wine-list, friendly professional service, late-night dining and dazzling desserts. Sip and sup at the big boisterous bar, join the fun in the lively main dining room or watch the action from a balcony table. No matter where you're perched at this seafood-centric soiree, one thing is certain: the energy level will reach critical mass when the guest of honor arrives -- the fish.

There's braised octopus for breakfast, lamb tongue for lunch and whole fish for dinner. The pita's warm, the ouzo's cold and Bacchus is doing a brisk business in the bar. Greek? You bet. But Lola-the hot new restaurant adjacent the Hotel Ändra — is not your papou's taverna. This is Greek food Tom Douglas style. Here, high-quality ingredients, straightforward preparations and deceptively simple flavors translate into Mediterranean magic, offering a rousing riff on Greek cuisine. Expect great food, casual sophistication and a savvy crew schooled in the fine art of treating you right. Sharing is encouraged, as is feasting on classic spreads and meze (tzatziki, skordalia, Greek salad, dolmades) and sublime kebabs (chermoula-spiked squid, smoky; lemon-stoked mushrooms; honey-laved chicken). Exotic-scented tagines feature roasted goat with shallots and dates and saffron-kissed seafood. Miss out on the meaty lamb burger, bursting with honest lamb flavor and accompanied by pillowy logs of semolina-crusted chickpea fries — and you'll really be missing out. Note: lunch is a steal, the bar serves late-night noshes and the decibel-count can verge on atrocious. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Felix and Sarah Penn, the pair behind Pair, have poured considerable charm, creativity and know-how into this delicious little bistro, offering a small-plates menu and complementary wine list. Simple seductions include halibut in parchment, herb-scented chicken, Moroccan-spiced eggplant and potatoes, and a Fontina-dressed pasta that may be the best mac 'n' cheese you've ever sampled. Come for a nosh, stay for dessert and know that friendly prices and expert service make this sweet spot all that much sweeter.

Light gourmet pizzas fired in a 600 degree stone-encased applewood burning oven feature house-made charcuterie and artisan cheeses from around the world.

An ode to the South Pacific, with footbridge to dining room over a saltwater pool. Scenic surroundings outside complement seafood chowder, cedar-planked salmon, tropical sauces, Hawaiian game fish, wood-fired steaks and shellfish. Sunday brunch.

Been around a while? You've probably eaten at Maximilien. Perhaps you were once a regular, paying homage to tiny, tender snails and a heart-breaking view of Elliott Bay, visible from every creaky, mismatched wooden seat in the house.

Certified pizzaiolo Joe Fugere has brought his passion for pizza to Columbia City, where his handsome pizzeria has the official blessing of Naples-based Associazione Vera Pizza Napoletana. Each of his "true Neapolitan pizzas" has as its base a slender, beautifully blistered, silky-textured crust. Swiftly baked in a searing applewood-fueled oven, pizzas come adorned with high-quality ingredients. Salads, like the pizzas, are all terrific - and modestly priced. Open for lunch and dinner. Takeout available.

Known since 1988 as a reliable venue for surf and turf - and especially oysters - this amber-lit homage to Old New York has kept its standards up and its menu current without banishing old favorites. Go for such entrees as the filet Roquefort, alder-planked salmon, Hawaiian opah, pork chop with juniper-blackberry jus and, for lunch, the Kobe beef burger. Open for lunch and dinner.

Beef and booze are big again. Though competition has never been keener in the steak house arena, the venerable Met Grill is still revered among Seattleites.

Dressed with elegant decadence, this dramatic dining room always looks ready for a party. The kitchen merges Southern comfort (gumbo, ribs, fried catfish) with culinary sophistication (house-made charcuterie, oven-roasted shellfish, fresh fish crudo). Energetic staff; full bar. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

The Zig Zag Cafe needs to decide whether it wants to zig or zag. If you arrive at the traditional dinner hour, this romantic, amber-lit den tucked into the Pike Place Market Hillclimb has an expectant air. You'll likely find a few people drinking at the bar but a roomful of empty tables.

This bustling restaurant in the shadow of Bellevue Square is a popular destination for business lunches and family dinners. The dining room is attractive (love the loud tablecloths), and service, courtesy of members of the Chantanee family, never flags even when the place is filled to capacity. The menu offers all of your central Thai favorites and some unusual and authentic specialties such as "miang kham," a do-it-yourself leaf wrap appetizer.

At this artsy, urban-industrial haunt, Brian McCracken and Dana Tough dabble in the shape-shifting world of molecular gastronomy, finding new ways to manipulate flavor and texture. But they do so judiciously, not just for effect. Try such dishes as the tagliatelle with parmesan foam or carpaccio with fried béarnaise. The art of alchemy also extends to the bar, where house-made tinctures and bitters flavor classic and contemporary cocktails.

The former lounge at Ponti Seafood Grill is now a cafe, offering a full, cheaper dinner menu that features seafood done with pan-Asian and Mediterranean touches. Try the juicy bacon cheeseburger with fries during happy hour or have the Thai curry penne or linguine with prawns for dinner. Open daily.

Housed in a handsomely restored, antique-filled Victorian, the newest Julia's has plenty of polish but also a relaxed informality. Vegetarians get more than a cursory nod from a menu that is predominantly American, with a faint Mediterranean breeze. Breakfast offers numerous options, some available until the dinner menu kicks in at 5 p.m. Go for lush salads, comfort food like meatloaf or Portuguese seafood stew, and the iconic carrot cake. Breakfast, lunch, happy hour and dinner daily.