Wild Ginger

This Pan-Asian restaurant has long been a Seattle favorite, and because it's across the street from Benaroya Hall, it's perfect for a pre-symphony dinner. I like to pull up a stool at the large satay bar and watch the cooks grill little skewers of everything from chicken to scallops to prawns to lamb. Every skewer is served with a small cube of sticky rice and pickled cucumber; order three or four satay sticks and you have yourself a meal. Of course, you can also sit at a table and have a more traditional dinner. The Panang beef curry (prime rib-eye steak in pungent curry sauce of cardamom, coconut milk, Thai basil, and peanuts) is one of my favorites, but there are loads of good dishes. The restaurant is upstairs from the Triple Door, a classy live-music club; be sure to check the performance schedule. There's a second Wild Ginger, in Bellevue at 11020 NE Sixth St., Ste. 90 (tel. 425/495-8889).

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