Best Spot for a Romantic Dinner: At Chez Shea, Corner Market Building, 94 Pike St., Suite 34 (tel. 206/467-9990; www.chezshea.com), in a quiet corner of Pike Place Market, candlelit tables, subdued lighting, views of ferries crossing the bay, plus superb meals add up to the perfect combination for a romantic dinner.

Best Waterfront Dining: Palisade, Elliott Bay Marina, 2601 W. Marina Place (tel. 206/285-1000), has a 180-degree view that takes in Elliott Bay, downtown Seattle, and West Seattle. Never mind that it also has great food and some of the most memorable decor of any Seattle restaurant, with a saltwater tide-pool pond in the middle of the dining room and beautiful koa wood details everywhere.

Best View: There's no question here. SkyCity at the Needle, Seattle Center, 400 Broad St. (tel. 800/937-9582 or 206/905-2100; www.spaceneedle.com), has the best views in Seattle -- 360 degrees worth of them. Sure it's expensive, but there's no place in town with views to rival these.

Best Outdoor Dining with a View: Located across Elliott Bay from downtown Seattle, Salty's on Alki Beach, 1936 Harbor Ave. SW (tel. 206/937-1600; www.saltys.com), has a gorgeous view of the Seattle skyline. You can even get here by water taxi.

Best Wine List: Canlis, 2576 Aurora Ave. N (tel. 206/283-3313; www.canlis.com), has been around for almost 50 years, so the folks here have had plenty of time to develop an extensive and well-thought-out wine list.

Best Value: While Wild Ginger usually gets all the accolades for its Pan-Asian cuisine, Belltown's little Noodle Ranch, 2228 Second Ave. (tel. 206/728-0463), is every bit as good, despite a more limited menu.

Best for Kids: Located on the south shore of Lake Union, Cucina! Cucina!, Chandler's Cove, 901 Fairview Ave. N (tel. 206/447-2782; www.cucinacucina.com), is Seattle's most popular family restaurant because of all the things they do here to make dining out fun for kids. Adults like it, too.

Best Service: Canlis, 2576 Aurora Ave. N (tel. 206/283-3313; www.canlis.com), is a Seattle tradition, the perfect place to close a big deal or celebrate a very special occasion. When you want to feel pampered, this is the place to dine.

Best French: Tucked into a quiet courtyard in a secluded corner of Pike Place Market, Campagne, Inn at the Market, 86 Pine St. (tel. 206/728-2800; www.campagnerestaurant.com), is a casually elegant little restaurant that makes the most of fresh market produce, meats, and fish. There are even views of Elliott Bay.

Best Northwest Cuisine: Chef Thierry Rautureau at Rover's, 2808 E. Madison St. (tel. 206/325-7442; www.rovers-seattle.com), combines his love of local ingredients with his classic French training to produce his own distinctive take on Northwest cuisine.

Best Seafood: Chef Tom Douglas seems to be able to do no wrong, and at Etta's Seafood, 2020 Western Ave. (tel. 206/443-6000; www.tomdouglas.com), he focuses his culinary talents on more than just his famed crab cakes.

Best Place to Slurp Down Raw Oysters: The Northwest produces an astonishing variety of oysters, and locals are almost as obsessive about their bivalves as they are about coffee and beer. For the best selection, head to Elliott's, Pier 56, 1201 Alaskan Way (tel. 206/623-4340).

Best Steaks: Metropolitan Grill, 820 Second Ave. (tel. 206/624-3287; www.themetropolitangrill.com), in downtown Seattle, serves corn-fed, aged beef grilled over mesquite charcoal. Steaks just don't get any better than this.

Best Burger: We all have our own ideas of what constitutes the perfect burger, and here in Seattle there are plenty of worthy contenders. We split our vote between the burgers at Two Bells Tavern, 2313 Fourth Ave. (tel. 206/441-3050), and those at the 74th St. Ale House, 7401 Greenwood Ave. N (tel. 206/784-2955; www.seattlealehouses.com).

Best Desserts: The Dahlia Lounge, 2001 Fourth Ave. (tel. 206/682-4142; www.tomdouglas.com), has long been one of the best restaurants in Seattle, and while the food is reliably tasty, the triple coconut cream pie is absolutely divine. The rest of the desserts are pretty good, too.

Best Late-Night Dining: Palace Kitchen, 2030 Fifth Ave. (tel. 206/448-2001; www.tomdouglas.com), is an urbane palace of food that serves tasty specialties from the grill and rotisserie until 1am. The bar here is also a happening place.

Best Espresso: Torrefazione, 320 Occidental Ave. S (tel. 206/624-5847), 622 Olive Way (tel. 206/624-1429), and a couple of other locations, serves its brew in hand-painted Italian crockery, and offers delectable pastries to accompany your espresso.