Steelhead: Not your typical diner

Steelhead Diner's name is a bit misleading.  When you think of a diner, visions of a cook flipping burgers on a greasy cooktop circa 1950 often come to mind. So scratch that thought out of you mind before you read any further.

Located on a corner of Post Alley near Pike Place Market in Seattle, the diner overlooks part of the market, the open water behind the market and mostly the shops and streets in and around the market.  Inside you'll find two bars - one with a bartender by the windows and another that is geared for restaurant seating. I recommend the traditional bar facing the windows.  
Been to Steelhead twice - once for drinks and once for dinner.  The first time was for drinks.  As with this visit and a later visit for dinner, bread and a plate of butter with oil was served. What makes this unique is the butter and oil features a combination of cilantro, chives, parsley and salt that is made daily.

Another visit was for dinner. I started out with Wilapa Bay Shigoku Oysters on the Half Shell. Served with a red wine Mignonette.  These are priced by the oyster, but it is well worth it. A quick glance at the current menu says to me the menu changes with availability and/or seasons as they are not listed.  To me this is a good thing.  And so were the oysters.

A variety of salads are available but be sure to try the Steelhead Diner House Salad. Picture this (and you are if you look below): A full head of lettuce sliced in half and then served pretty much as a classic wedge salad. When it came out, I took the top half of lettuce and set it aside.  If there is any flaw dining at Steelhead, it would have to be the volume of lettuce on this salad.  However, since it can be set aside so easily, it can be overlooked. 

Another item not currently on the menu that hopefully will make a return is the Shrimp Po'Boy. Flash friend shrimp served with a served "NOLA style dressed". When I ordered this, I opted to have it served on a lettuce wrap. Unless you are big fan of buns, consider this lighter version as it allows the true flavors to come out, not masked by the heavy, chewiness of the bread.

Steelhead does it well with an ever-changing menu of fabulous food coupled with ambiance and an excellent location.  The dining room was fairly crowded both visits - one late afternoon and one at dinner time mid-week. One would expect weekend evenings to be packed with a decent wait for a table to open up. But keep in mind, the wait is worth it at Steelhead!