Dining Atop the Seattle Space Needle at Sky City

April 17, 2010

Dining Atop the Seattle Space Needle at Sky City

[caption id="attachment_3316" align="alignnone" width="680" caption="Space Needle soars above Seattle Center"][/caption]

There is of course a revolving restaurant atop the Space Needle at Seattle Center. The Space Needle was erected just in time for the 1962 World's Fair, and according to it's info site, "was always destined to become world famous." Truly it's one of a kind and Seattle does love it! At the holiday season there is a Christmas Tree atop it in a cone of light, at New Year's they set fireworks right off it and they wildly flower the night sky above the stunningly high eccentrically shaped tower, a sight so satisfying that enormous crowds of Seattleites, their friends and visitors, flock to see it every year from vantage points around Lake Union or the lucky ones from their balconies on Queen Anne Hill. Go to the site and watch a video about the Space Needle (only a minute long) which is a blast.

How's the restaurant at the top? It's called Sky City and is presided over by executive chef Jeff Maxfield (click to check out the video!) Someone once told me the food was just OK, and so it probably took me longer than it might have to venture up to the restaurant on top of the Space Needle. Having been here for more than five years, it just seemed impossible to put it off longer, and then that special someone took me there for a romantic dinner. Let me just say that not only was it much more thrilling than I'd expected, the scenery more immediate and the experience of turning around over the city more gripping, but the food was really nice. I even remembered to take a couple of photos, so "see for yourself." You'll have to trust me on the taste. In other words, I'd go back even if it wasn't on top of the Space Needle! An example is the grilled wild salmon with a moral vinaigrette, served with fresh Yakama asparagus, or what about Hedgehog Mushroom Saute? The chef emphasizes the seafood so fresh and abundant in the Northwest, along with fresh bounty from the fields and woodlands of our area. (View chef's blog.)

Just as gripping is the way Seattle spreads out before you as you dine and slowly twirl above the city streets. Shapes of buildings, the lakes, traffic patterns, amazing cloud formations, the ships cruising the Sound, and of course the mountains circling the city on all sides (Cascades to the East, Rainier to the South (here's the webcam), Olympics to the West, heading North there's Mt. Baker.

[caption id="attachment_3317" align="alignnone" width="889" caption="Seattle seen from Sky City Restaurant"][/caption]