If my daughters hadn’t gone to Seattle for college (both had the opportunity to attend Seattle University) and my sister-in-law’s family hadn't moved away from the area, I probably never would have gone there much. Even though it’s one of the primary embarkation ports for cruises to Alaska, I still would not head there often. But as it turns out, I love visiting this popular destination in the Pacific Northwest.

JRS and I will probably come here for a few more games at T-Mobile Park every other year to see the Giants and Mariners, as we did last month. That’s probably about all that we will do, because we’ve seen all that we have wanted in the city. We even skipped its premier foodie place, Pike Place Market, because we’ve gone there on nearly every previous visit and didn’t want to fight the summer tourist crowds.

So, we decided to try to eat like locals do as much as possible and go elsewhere. Yes, we did go to T-Mobile and enjoyed some of the foods we had before, but we also tried a few new items. I was disappointed that I didn’t find the ballpark’s secret cocktail window. I probably could have asked someone, but it would have felt like cheating if I did. But that was probably the only thing that didn’t go to plan, because we found some great places to recommend if you come to Seattle.

Bangrak Market

RAS, a friend and I visited Seattle last year and dined at this chaotic and colorful Thai eatery, which probably resembles ones in Thailand. This time, JRS and I ordered lunch and kept it simple with starters that stayed clear from incendiary spice levels we previously experienced. Our meal included chicken satay, fried tofu and vegetarian egg rolls, all of which were savory, sweet-sour, piquant and nicely tied together with one of our favorite all-time condiments, peanut sauce. We probably would have ordered more, but we wanted to save room for food at the ballpark.

T-Mobile Park

I’ve written before about items at the Mariners’ home park, but just like every baseball venue, they’ve continued to add creative foods to their menu. We first tried a Seattle hot dog outside the park. It’s simple, with grilled onions, cream cheese and optional jalapeños, but it’s a great taste combination of creamy, smoky and spicy. Inside, we ordered crab nachos in a super-popular Washington State Ferry replica tray. These were irresistible, with wonton chips, crab meat, cheese sauce, sesame seeds and green onions. Lastly, we ordered piroshky, a Russian pastry, one filled with salmon and cream cheese and the other with potato and onion.

Fran’s Chocolates

A Seattle institution for over 40 years, this chocolate specialty shop is just around the corner from Pike Place Market and across the street from the Seattle Art Museum. There are four area stores and one in Japan. I had heard about it on Food Network and always kept it in mind to visit, and I’m so glad I finally did. Most of the items sold here are chocolate caramels (the smoked salted one is my favorite), truffles, bars and fruit-and-nut candies. But if you come here, don’t leave without getting a cup of drinkable chocolate, which is slightly bitter but just sweet enough that you know you are indulging in something special.

Marination

This Hawaiian-Korean fusion eatery was a hugely successful food truck business that started in 2009 and now has four locations around town (including a scaled-down one at T-Mobile Park), and we went to the arguably most scenic one in West Seattle – called Ma Kai, or at the sea- next to the water taxi dock. JRS ordered a katsu sandwich with cheese, slaw and pickles, along with a Spam musubi she wanted to save for later, while I chose kimchi fried rice with bulgogi, as well as their take on a mai tai. All of the food was savory and authentic, like we were back on the beach in Maui.

The Easy Bitch, or basic biscuits and gravy with an over-easy egg (photo courtesy of Yelp)

Biscuit Bitch

I won’t write about this place, not because I object to its provocative name, but because we only stopped by on our way to the airport. There are two locations in Seattle, both of which serve massive biscuit sandwiches, sides and coffee beverages. We just shared what’s probably their most basic item – biscuits and gravy, in all its flaky and peppery glory. We both agreed to come back here and try one of their more substantial entrees.