I recently traveled to Seattle to attend an offsite for business. My mom was able to join me for the week, so it gave us some quality time together and see what Seattle has to offer. I have been to Seattle a number of times for business, and I love the Pacific Northwest. There is water everywhere around Seattle and it’s a really neat city.

Monday night we went out to dinner and had an amazing meal at SeaStar in Bellevue. Foodie that I am, I’ve resisted trying shucked oysters after an incident when I was younger. Wasn’t crazy about the texture. I figured since I was in Seattle, I’d give them another try. I ordered one Treasure Cove oyster on the half shell to try it. One slurp and I was sold, we each ordered a dozen Treasure Coves on the half shell. An exquisite start to our meal! The sommelier talked with us for a bit, and we decided on a somewhat local Pinot Gris, Adelsheim 2011. It turned out to be a very good compliment to our main meal of Cedar Planked Wild King Salmon, with Citrus Rice and Smoked Broccoli. The salmon was outstanding, best I’ve had in a number of years. If you love fish and seafood, I highly recommend SeaStar; I enjoyed this meal so much I brought my colleagues there on our last meal before flying out Friday night. It’s definitely pricey, but well worth it.

I attended the offsite four of the five weekdays I was there, but was able to take Thursday off and spend it with my mom. We started off our day at the Seattle Aquarium. The Seattle Aquarium is located on Pier 59 off Alaskan Way in downtown Seattle. It’s not as big as I thought it would be, but was a great experience. The Sea Otters were the thing I wanted to see the most, and they didn’t disappoint. Happily swimming around and playing with each other in their exhibit. This one guy was super active, and swam around in front of us most of the time we were watching them.

The reef exhibits were wonderful, full of vibrant fish and colors.

A kid at heart, I am always drawn to the ‘touch’ exhibits. The Boston Aquarium had a great one when I was there – baby stingrays. They feel just like velvet sliding under your fingers. The Seattle Aquarium had two major touch exhibits, they were both filled with starfish and anemones. The starfish were harder than I thought they would be, like running your finger over a pebbled surface.

The anemones were beautiful. I’ve never touched one before, they are velvety smooth and the tips of them grab your fingers in a soft way.

After our aquarium tour, we decided on Elliot’s Oyster House for lunch. More oysters! 🙂 They have a fantastic selection and we ordered a dozen to start. They have a dedicated shucker, and are serious about their oysters. Again a delicious start to our meal. I had the Halibut Fish and Chips, very good for a quick lunch selection.

We made our way to Pike Place Market after lunch. I’ve been there numerous times before, and it was a first for my mom. She loves open markets like this and we wandered around, buying things here and there for a couple of hours. I almost regretted already having lunch when we hit the Fish Market, as they had fresh crab and shrimp to go. The lobster tails they had for sale were huge!

After the Market, we walked over to Totem Smokehouse to pick up some smoked Salmon to bring home. I first discovered a new appreciation for smoked salmon when I was staying at the Westin in Bellevue a month prior for another business trip. I ordered a Smoked Salmon Eggs Benedict (actually it was called something else and I don’t remember the name). One of the best breakfast meals I’ve had – a whole wheat English muffin topped with wilted spinach, smoked Salmon, a poached egg and a citrus hollandaise. Room service this good?? Only at a Westin. I aim to create this one at home, look for a post coming soon. 🙂

My mom and I rounded out our day with dinner at Wild Ginger in Bellevue. Another one of those ‘must eat here’ restaurants when in town. We started with the Hanoi Spring Rolls and a special appetizer – Bacon Wrapped Grilled Oysters (yes, I made an exception and actually ate the bacon). The oysters were divine. I am convinced some day I should move to the Pacific Northwest just for oyster season. My mom ordered Pad Thai for a main, and I ordered the Wok Fried Barbeque Prawns. These were delicious. Huge prawns in a somewhat spicy Asian BBQ sauce over Jasmine Rice. And did I tell you about the drink? I had three of these! Their Cracked Coconut Martini is a semi-sweet explosion of creamy wonderfulness. A frozen martini of pineapple rum, muddled lime and coconut. Overall a very tasty close to my day together with my mom.

Seattle has a lot to offer. Explore it.