Dining atop the Space Needle

You don't go to a rotating restaurant for the food, right? People will come to enjoy the city view whether the food's good or not. So I had very low expectations a year ago, the first time I ate at the Sky City Restaurant, located atop Seattle's most iconic landmark. Soon after I moved here, my neighbor recommended that I eat lunch there if I wanted to go up to Space Needle's observation deck, because admission is included with a meal, and the price to get to the observation deck alone was a steep $19. It was good advice, and my lunch was great. But since Chris was working, he missed out, and he's the biggest Space Needle fan in the family.

So last weekend we returned for brunch to celebrate Chris's birthday, and it was fantastic. It's $49.95 per adult ($15.95 for kids), so not cheap, but then again, I wasn't hungry for the rest of the day. Also, Chris had joined the restaurant's Celebration Club, and received a certificate for a free brunch, so it ended up being merely expensive instead of ridiculous.

And anyway, the food was fantastic. The veggies in my scrambled egg were amazingly flavorful. The orange juice is fresh squeezed. The silver is replaced as you use it. Lovely!

Brunch includes a starter, a main course, and a dessert, as well as juice, coffee, and an assortment of breads. Unlike at some fancy restaurants, portions are generous, so beware. Here's our food.

Starter: Tomato bisque:

Chris and Oscar got house-made bacon, served over brioche toast:

Wild mountain huckleberry pancakes:

Kurabuta ham and cheese omelet:

Spring garden scramble:

Huckleberry cheesecake:

Blueberry cobbler with Snoqualmie gourmet vanilla bean ice cream:

In short, I would happily visit Sky City Restaurant without the view. But the view is, of course, spectacular. And since it's the Space Needle's 50th birthday, it's a great time to visit. There's some very cool memorabilia on display in the observation deck lobby, and retro tchotchkes for sale in the gift shop.

Nook

Nook -- on scrubby University Way & 50th in the U District -- mostly serves one thing: biscuits. Fluffy, buttery, delicious biscuits. Biscuits with sausage gravy; biscuits with mushroom gravy; biscuits with bacon, egg, cheddar and tomato jam; biscuits with ham, egg, and cheese (with dijon or jalapenos optional); biscuits with goat cheese spread, tomato jam, and egg; biscuits with ham, brie, and arugula-pesto. You can even get a plain buttermilk biscuit with jam. There's also homemade soup and chili if you don't like biscuits (i.e., if you're crazy!).

The biscuits alone are basically irresistible, but Nook itself is as well. From its owl logo to the cheerful aqua wainscoting and jam jar light fixtures and snug booths, it's the epitome of hipster chic.

Unfortunately, all this irresistibility has a price. As in, you better get there early (I suggest arriving when it opens at 9, Wednesday through Sunday). And the competition for the four booths and four counter stools is pretty fierce as well. Nook closes when it sells out of biscuits (and from what I hear, it always sells out). Get there before noon on a weekend, or you're probably out of luck.

Sweetish Swedish

I'm not gonna say there's nothing Chris likes more than a pancake breakfast, but he sure does enjoy a pancake breakfast. So yesterday we attended one at the Swedish Cultural Center. I'm not a big pancake fan in general, but Swedish pancakes are so much better than regular pancakes! They're light, like crepes, and the ones at the cultural center were served with a choice of lingonberries or strawberries, with whipped cream, plus a side of ham.

Apparently Swedish pancakes are also very popular! We spent about 20 minutes searching for parking, as the parking lot there is quite small, and then spent at least another 10 minutes or so standing in line. But it was worth it. The people at our table, all of Danish descent, were really nice and welcoming, and there was a folk band playing, with people dancing. There was also a selection of Scandinavian sweaters, crafts, and bread for sale. A woman handed out the words to some holiday carols -- in Swedish -- for a sing-along, but we didn't stick around for that, though it might have been amusing to try to pronounce those words.

I'm so intrigued by the cultural center -- which celebrates all Scandinavian heritage, not just Swedish. It has lots of cool artwork and bric-a-brac on display: dolls, Swedish horses, folk art, and of course, now, a big Christmas tree. I learned there are lots of interesting events there. Top on my list is the Swedish Kafé & Happy Hour, which is held every Friday and features Smörgås sandwiches, Swedish meatballs, and homemade Swedish pastries. There's also a Viking lecture every Friday at 5:30! Also every Friday, they show Scandinavian films with English subtitles at 2 p.m.

The center also offers various levels of language classes, genealogy services, a book group, and lots of parties and events. But if you want to start with the pancake breakfast, the next one is on Sunday, January 8, from 8 a.m. until 1:30 p.m., with music by Skolkis, Mäd Fiddlu, and Nyckelharpa. It costs $9 for adults and $5 for children 5-12; $7 for members. See you there?