User Lists in Seattle, WA Metro

In December 2009, I left my home (and my heart) in San Francisco and headed north, landing in Ballard amidst the cold drizzle of a Seattle winter. More than six months later, I'm loving the local food scene, the live music, the beautiful gardens, the plethora of good coffee and yes, even the rain. Here are a few of my current favorite spots--though I'm always taking recommendations!

(Photo: Looking more sophisticated than a normally do, and with a tragically empty wine glass, in WA)

It's a little secret that Seattle weather is not always gray and miserable. For a few months, there is summer: sunny bliss in the form of long daylight hours and temperatures warm enough to get out on the boat, take in a Mariners game or enjoy a meal al fresco. To help with the latter, here's just a few of our favorite restaurants to enjoy eating outside (when weather permits, of course).

Sunday suppers with family used to involve Grandma's boiled, bland brussels sprouts, but no more?Seattle restaurants are embracing our love of family-style dining and serving it up in delicious deals on Sunday evenings. Head to one of these local eateries if you're avoiding cooking for your own family, or just looking to enjoy a meal out with friends.

We originally put this list together in honor of Thai New Year in April, but these awesome Thai restaurants are worthy of a visit any time of year. We polled our Citysearch Dictators for their favorite spots: the top 10 are below.

In Seattle--a city where "sustainable," "local" and "organic" have come to be more commonly used menu adjectives than generalities like "sweet" or "salty"--the locavore reigns supreme. Eat well without the guilt at these restaurants, where the menu and business practices both revolve around farm-to-table dining and preserving the Earth. (Photo of Nettletown sandwich by: Valentina Vitols.)

The Emerald City may be more focused on whole grains, seasonal veggies and organic meats, but even when you're on the SLO diet, there's always room for a little PB&J. In honor of National Peanut Butter and Jelly Day (April 2), we give you some of the most creative Seattle restaurant interpretations of this favorite childhood dish normally prepared at home.

Unlike National Escargot Day or Raisin Week , National Waffle Day (August 24) is an arbitrary food holiday we can really get behind. What's not to love about those doughy grids from Belgium? Have 'em savory or sweet, topped with bacon or ice cream--find the best in this list of our favorite Seattle waffle spots. (Photo by flickr user SanFranAnnie.)

Because we love you, we're giving you an excuse to indulge your love of pie. We asked our knowledgeable Dictators where their favorite sweet and savory slices could be found; drool-worthy answers below. Judging by the responses, Tom Douglas from Dahlia Lounge is clearly the reigning King of Pie--nearly everyone who responded mentioned a junkie-like need for the Triple Coconut Cream. (Photo of coconut cream pie by Flickr user shoelessruth.)

The weather may be all over the place, but nothing says spring (and soon, summer!) like a good margarita. Start the Cinco de Mayo celebrations early; we asked our @CitysearchSEA Twitter followers to tell us their favorite Seattle spots for margaritas--answers below.

Citysearch is undergoing some changes and improvements--basically finding more opportunities to highlight the wise and well-informed words of our site's users. We've collected a group we're calling the Dictators, a selection of Seattle's finest foodies, bar hounds and fashionistas who will be posting frequent reviews and lists featuring all the fabulous places they're already going in exchange for prizes donated by our sponsors listed below. Interested in joining our ranks? Email for more info. Interested in the freebies without the commitment? Become a fan of Citysearch on Facebook.