Skillet Diner @ Capitol Hill

"Cinnamon rolls larger than your head, iced mochas in mason jars, and upscale breakfast options like cornmeal waffles with maple-braised pork belly—any or all of these things can be yours at Skillet, which is what we imagine an old-school diner with an HGTV makeover would look like. It works really well for a weekend brunch with out-of-town guests, providing they appreciate tasty biscuits with sage gravy." - Aimee Rizzo

"Skillet’s the kind of diner where you’ll find mason jar cocktails and pancakes with lemon zest butter and berry compote. It’s also the kind of diner that serves ridiculously good homemade biscuits with pork sage gravy, and that’s what you should be getting for dinner. Add poached eggs on top, stir, and the day will really turn around for you." - aimee rizzo

"There aren’t many seats inside this small Eastern European diner, but it’s still easy to get a table here on a random weekday at 7pm. The whole menu is filled with hearty dishes like tender braised brisket, Russian dumplings, latkes, and Georgian boat pizza filled with farmer’s cheese and ham. If you want to feed your friends a comforting meal but don’t have it in you to cook, take them to Dacha." - aimee rizzo

"A Slow-Food Brunch at Skillet Skillet started life as a food truck, and you’ll still see their mobile kitchen popping up around Seattle throughout the week (check their website for location info). But sometimes it’s easier to head to one of their permanent diners, where you know they’ll be in the same place day after day. The truck always offers their famous burger and poutine, along with rotating specials, but the restaurants have an expanded menu, including an excellent brunch. Locally roasted Fonte coffee is served while you wait, which is a good thing, as the line can be long (an hour or more on weekends for brunch). The dinner menu is hearty, rib-sticking comfort food like southern fried chicken or pork belly confit. If you see elk meatloaf on the menu, order it without hesitation — it’s out of this world."