Etta’s Seafood

Singers are often associated with a certain song, and famous chefs with a signature dish. In Tom Douglas’s case, it’s Dungeness crab cakes, which he perfected right here, when the restaurant belonged to someone else and he was an employee rather than the owner. Seattle’s most prominent chef-entrepreneur made his name with these crunchy-on-the-outside, creamy-on-the-inside delights, and when you taste one, you’ll understand why. But there’s more to Etta’s than crab cakes. Located in the perpetually busy Pike Place Market neighborhood, with big windows that let you people-watch as you dine, Etta’s roster of seafood dishes includes seafood chowders, really good fish and chips, razor clams, and less usual offerings, like tuna sashimi salad with green onion pancakes. My last meal at Etta’s—fresh oysters followed by their wonderful seafood stew—was truly memorable.