Restaurant: SkyCity Location: 219 4th Ave. N. (Seattle Center) Seattle, WA Phone: (206) 905-2100 Price Range: Lunch $15.00-$24.50, Dinner $25.00-$42.00

Number of visits: 1
Last visit before review: December 21, 2000

Randy wasn't there

Jeff had: New York steak (with French fries, julienned vegetables).

Rating 10 (of 12) Excellent

Jeff says: The steak was pounded and garnished with shoelace fried onion strings, which added a nice texture. The iced tea was very good.

Jeff was on a business trip to Seattle to meet with Microsoft for a code review of his company's and Microsoft's joint software development project. On the last day of the trip, Jeff and his coworkers had free time to play tourist, so they went to lunch at the Space Needle.

The restaurant atop the Space Needle is officially called SkyCity. It rotates slowly offering, on a rare clear day, 360 degree views of Seattle and the Puget Sound. The food is very good, as is the service. A bread server makes the rounds (literally!) throughout the meal with a tray of several varieties of warm breads including sourdough and whole grain.

The prices are high, to be sure. But you're not paying for the food or the service (both excellent) so much as the experience and the view. And what a view. Even the non-window tables have a nice view. The price of your meal includes a trip to the observation deck above the restaurant where you can take in the views as long as you like without them rotating away, although for a while after leaving the restaurant you may feel like you're still rotating. Visiting the Space Needle is pretty much a required tourist experience for those visiting Seattle, so why not make plans to stop in for a meal?