November 2007 American Way Magazine - page 48

48 AMERICANWAY NOVEMBER 1 2007
can’t really get an appreciation for the
weather, the shopping, the restaurants.”
Judgingbyhercommentsduringour
time together, the former University
of Connecticut star is most enthusias-
tic about the latter. Indeed, it’s hard to
imagineoneof thecity’sappointed food
critics giving a better quick-hit guide
to local dining. “I could give you a res-
taurant for every kindof food you like,”
Bird says,mock-seriously.
She starts off with the most im-
portant foodstuff on the planet: the
cheeseburger. “That’s an easy one,”
she says, “Dick’s.” Seattle-bred rapper
Sir Mix-a-Lot’s “Posse on Broadway”
praises Dick’s Drive-In, whose burgers
areoftendownedwitha liberalheaping
of tartar sauce. “They may not be the
biggest burgers or the healthiest, but
they’re so, so good. I kind of want one
of them right now,”Bird says.
For those in the mood for Italian,
Bird touts Capitol Hill’s Ristorante
Machiavelli and its combinationof café
ambience and authentic cuisine.While
shegoesoutofherway tostress that she
isn’t a chain-restaurant type of gal, she
doesextendprops toSeattle’s IlFornaio
outpost, which is especially good for
larger groups. Those who want a bit
more intimacy should try Ristorante
Pellini, locatedhigh in theRenaissance
SeattleHotel.
Ambience, in fact, informs most of
LODGING
TheFairmontOlympic
Hotel, very expensive,
(206) 621-1700, www
.fairmont.com/seattle
HotelMax, very expen-
sive, (866) 833-6299,
www.hotelmaxseattle
.com
WSeattle , very expen-
sive, (206) 264-6000,
www.starwoodhotels
.com
DINING
TheBrooklyn , moder-
ate to expensive, (206)
224-7000,www.the
brooklyn.com
CuttersBayhouse, in-
expensive tomoderate,
(206) 448-4884, www
.cuttersbayhouse.com
Bird’s restaurantpicks.ShedigsWasabi
Bistroasmuch for itswaiters (“serious-
ly— they’rea lotof fun”)andoccasional
livemusicas for its sushi. Shementions
the Paragon Restaurant &Bar’s salads
and salmon only in passing, focusing
instead on its music; it was one of the
venueswhere singer-songwriterBrandi
Carlilefirst attractednotice.WhileBird
cops tomissingNewYork’shole-in-the-
wall Chinese and Mexican joints, she
points to Peso’s Kitchen&Lounge and
Mama’s Mexican Kitchen in Belltown
as destinations that transcend what’s
on theirmenus.
“At Mama’s Kitchen, you don’t feel
like you’re in Seattle anymore,” Bird
says. “Peso’s is loud, but in a goodway,
especiallyduring thehappyhour lateat
night.” She recommends Peso’s break-
fasts aswell.
When asked about the premier ven-
ues for pre- and post-dinner drinks,
Birdattempts to runout theclock, so to
speak: “My impulse is to say that there
aremore lounge-yplaceshere than ina
lot of other cities, but I’m not the per-
son toask.”At the same time, she rattles
off a few quick names, including Vice-
roy (“dark,greatDJ,niceoutdoorarea”)
andSportRestaurant&Bar (“amillion
TVs, great for things like the NCAA
tournament”).
She credits Australian-born team-
mateandreigningWNBAMVPLauren
The Seattle Public Library
outside (top) and inside
HeSaid/SheSaid…
Dick’sDrive-In,
inexpensive, (206) 285-
5155,www.ddir.com
FlyingFish, moderate
to expensive, (206)
728-8595,www.flying
fishseattle.com
Il Fornaio, moderate,
(206) 264-0994, www
.ilfornaio.com
Kangaroo&Kiwi Pub,
inexpensive, (206) 297-
0507, www.kangaroo
andkiwipub.com
Mama’sMexican
Kitchen, inexpensive,
(206) 728-6262, www
.mamas.com
MetropolitanGrill,
expensive to very expen-
sive, (206) 624-3287,
www.themetropolitan
grill.com
O’Asian, inexpensive to
moderate, (206) 264-
1789,www.oasian.net
Pagliacci Pizza, inex-
pensive tomoderate,
(206) 324-0730,
www.pagliacci.com
ParagonRestaurant
&Bar, inexpensive to
moderate, (206) 283-
4548,www.paragon
seattle.com
Peso’sKitchen&
Lounge, inexpensive
tomoderate, (206)
283-9353,www.pesos
kitchen.com
RistoranteMachiavel-
li, inexpensive tomoder-
ate, (206) 621-7941,
www.machiavellis.com
RistorantePellini,
moderate to expensive,
(206) 267-2201, www
.ristorantepellini.com
SeastarRestaurant
andRawBar, Bellevue,
moderate to expensive,
(425) 456-0010, www
.seastarrestaurant.com
SportRestaurant
&Bar, inexpensive to
moderate, (206) 404-
7767,www.sport
restaurant.com
ThreeGirlsBakery,
(206) 622-1045
Wasabi Bistro, inex-
pensive tomoderate,
(206) 441-6044,
www.wasabibistro.biz
ATTRACTIONS
107.7 theEnd/KNDD,
(206) 622-3251,
www.1077theend.com
KerryPark, (206) 684-
4075,www.seattle.gov/
parks
TheSeattlePublic
Library, (206) 386-
4100,www.spl.org
TheShowbox, (206)
628-3151,www.show
boxonline.com
Venom, (206)448-4887,
www.venomseattle.com
Viceroy, (206) 956-
8423,www.viceroy
seattle.com
SHOPPING
Capitol 1524, (206)
322-2305,www.capitol
1524.com
ChampionParty
Supply, (206) 284-
1980,www.champion
partysupply.com
EasyStreetRecords,
(206) 691-3279, www
.easystreetonline.com
PikePlaceFishMar-
ket, (206) 682-7181,
www.pikeplacefish.com
PikePlaceMarket,
(206) 682-7453, www
.pikeplacemarket.org
WhereSueBirdandKevin
Durant (w)hoop it up inSeattle