This review covers dishes that is not necessarily on their normal menu. As part of the COVID holiday specials (is that a thing?), Tavolàta was offering this weekend special of "5 Course Lobster Feast" for two at $175 that also includes 2 courses that don't have lobster. The pre-ordering is online with tip pre-paid for pickup at a fixed time. The process was very easy. Here are the 7 dishes: 1. Lobster Bisque with black truffle, crème fraîche, chili oil 2. Lobster and Grilled Avocado with basil, frisee, meyer lemon, espelette 3. Lobster Salad with smoked mussels, baby octopus, clams, squid, scallion, lobster roe vinaigrette 4. Linguine Nero with lobster, uni, jalapeño 5. Whole Roasted Lobster 6. Charred Brussels Sprouts 7. Rum Baba - Citrus Curd All the dishes were delicious and amazing except two were below bar. The whole roasted lobster was too dry (very unfortunate since it was the key entrée); we did warm it a bit when we came home which probably didn't help. The lobster bisque was way too salty though immensely flavorful. I opted to strip the lobster meat and dunked the pieces into the bisque, basically using the bisque as a sauce. The now sauce-y pieces of lobster meat were super flavorful and slightly rehydrated. LOL. Probably wouldn't choose to order this full set again, but it was worth trying it once. read more

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COVID review: I was able to come here for my most recent birthday dinner and made a reservation online through Ethan Stowell Restaurants website. When we came here, they checked our temperature and had a hand sanitizer pump in the entrance. We were then seated at our table and the menus right now are paperless, so just on our phones. Currently, their happy hour is 4pm-6pm. We happened to make it here on the last end of happy hour and were able to get $12 pastas, $6 wine, and $5 beer. You can look at their happy hour ahead of time on their website. This most recent time at Tavolata, we decided to share 3 different pastas. We ordered: pappardelle, rigatoni, and cacio e pepe. The food was super filling and between 2 people, we were unable to finish it all. We ended up taking the rest of the food home as leftovers and the pastas still tasted great a day later. My favorite pasta is the pappardelle because the I really enjoy their ragu and egg noodles. I would highly recommend coming here if you're in the area. They also have another location in Capitol Hill and just recently opened a location in Fremont. read more

Tavolàta Belltown - $12 pastas on HH: Pappardelle, rigatoni, and cacio e Pepe. - Italian Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Ordered a giant meal as a special holiday thing. Online ordering was easy and they were right on the dot in finishing their food for the pick up time. That I really appreciate. Packaging was also very nice and sturdy. Food wise- I think I expected more. The pork chop was seasoned well but overcooked and a bit dry (I think you can prob even tell this from my pic) and the gnoochi could have been a little more flavorful. Overall everything was OK but we tried many dishes as you can see in our photo and there wasn't anything that was mind-blowing. But on the pros side, I think their portion sizes are nice. For the price you're paying, you do get a nice amt of food. read more

Tavolàta Belltown - Italian Near Me - Seattle, Washington

The picture included is a different restaurant to compare how much more you can get elsewhere. We came here to celebrate something and boy, my partner and I chose wrong. We ordered the Salumi board HH and we were given 4-5 paper thin slices of Genoa salami on a dry, beaten up cheese board with a few sprinkles of grated parm on top for $9.00. No color, no other kinda of meat. no bread or even lavash cracker to go with it. Not even a choice of two kinds of meat... If you try and charge me roughly $160 per pound for a salami that I could find at a local grocer for $5.00-8.00, you must think I'm nuts. We sent the board back and asked for marinated olives and bread, and the bread came cold as though it was refrigerated. I had to ask the bartender for it to be warmed, and she actually argued with me that they never chill their bread. Having cooked professionally for 15 years, I knew she was wrong. Your money would be better spent elsewhere, even when factoring in inflation. For reference, this picture is what you get at Farine for $20: read more

This was the best dining experience I've had in a long time. From the ambiance walking in, to the service, to the food. Everything was perfect. If you are looking for Italian food in Seattle, this place can't be beat! read more

I highly recommend this Italian gem for all you pasta lovers! The chefs are insanely talented, the staff is amazing and the manager knows how to run a successful business. 10/10 yes please!!!!! I highly recommend the chickpea salad, torta fritas and rigatoni! read more

I have officially been to every single one of Ethan Stowell's restaurants in town. There should be a fanclub punch card for this kind of dedication! It's hard to go wrong with ES restaurants and this Tavolata location is no different. When the email went out offering the Seafood pre-fixe menu for two weekends only I knew I had to get in to try it! I'm so glad we did it! We were a difficult table to accommodate with me being a pescatarian (seafood only, no meat) and my friend having an allergy to clams and shellfish (but not shrimp, other seafood, and oddly enough scallops)...there's not really a good way to substitute clams so I did feel bad that for that course my friend got fried artichokes. I feel like that was one thing that could have been subbed for a different protein like chicken, pork, or beef in her portion. They accidentally brought me a full serving of the sausage and clams and had to redo that for a half serving of just clams. They did sub the mussels with very delicious seafood croquettes that either had dungeness crab or shrimp in them - it was hard to tell and they didn't announce what they were when it was brought to the table. The server was busy getting to-go orders ready so we never did find out what was in them! The uni linguini was really good with all dente pasta and the octopus in red sauce pasta was very exciting. I was not expecting octopus in that dish and was pleasantly surprised. The unique curly pasta was also interesting and very complementary to the dish. The king salmon was very fresh and prepared well. It was delicate and mild flavored - the perfect final dish in a seafood medley! To top off the meal we were each served a beautiful chocolate cake with fresh ripe berries on top. I'm not sure if it was flourless but it tasted like it may have been - either way it was decadent! We enjoyed our meal here very much and can't wait to return! read more

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Tavolata has some of the best pasta in Seattle and the service is always excellent. I love how thick the pasta is and how unique the sauces are. Pasta is my favorite type of food, and I'm always surprised how special all the "basic" items are here at Tavolata. There's nothing boring and nothing is unnecessary or overused. Definitely worth a visit if you're looking for amazing Italian food in Seattle! Oh, one more thing - try the gnocchi. It's amazing. read more

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We were excited to try Tavolata, but unfortunately had a really sour experience. Service was extremely slow, food came out room temp, and quality of food was inconsistent and very mid. Our party of 7 had a 7:30 reservation, put in our order at 7:40, got our drinks at 8:10, and received our entrees at 8:30. It was disappointing to watch tables around us getting their food served piping hot noticeably faster -- we noticed the parties who got seated after us got their checks when we got our food. Dinner took 2 hours! What?! Note: all pasta here is served more al dente than average. If you aren't a fan, you could try to ask them for a longer cook time. == DRINKS == VIOLETTE 2/5 I love floral drinks, but this straight up tasted like soap. The floral gin and chartreuse did not mix well together, the lime was nonexistent. 4 people in our party took a sip, and we all agreed it didn't taste good at all. We sent it back for the pineapple daiquiri, which was a fruity 4/5. APEROL SPRITZ 3/5 Very bland and the aperol was very mild. Have had much better elsewhere. == APPS == BRUSCHETTA 5/5 Imagine smoked salmon on a tiny toast. These were delicious and I would order again. I wouldn't call these authentic though, as they didn't have any tomato or basil. BURRATA 5/5 The burrata was the best dish of the night! Cold, fresh burrata topped with pine nuts, and the arugula with peaches was excellent. I could definitely eat an entire app of this. ==ENTREES== RIGATONI 5/5 A classic Italian staple that we agreed was the best entree. The Italian sausage was juicy and spicy. Rigatoni pasta is great sauce carrier in general and did not disappoint. PAPARDELLE 4/5 I wasn't expecting the brightness of the orange here, but surprisingly, the citrus complemented the meat sauce well. I was still a little off put and would've rather stuck with the standard meat/tomato flavor profile. Unique nonetheless. BUCATINI 3/5 We ordered 2 plates of bucatini, but my half of the table got the dud because ours had virtually no flavor or cheese unlike the other. Ours tasted like salted oil pasta. The noodles were served so al dente that when you pull them up, they're still stiff. Because this dish was served to us cold, the oil made the noodles starchy and sticky. Honestly this one was so disappointing. ==DESSERT== LEMON ZEPPOLE 4/5 The zeppole look like they're going to be supple like a donut, but they were disappointingly dry. The best thing about this dessert was the dark chocolate dipping sauce, which we happily helped ourselves to. ==SERVICE== Although our server was so nice, service last night was so slow and I don't know if I can look past that. We were in the middle of the dining area, but had to flag down service 3 times. The staff also were not knowledgeable about the menu and couldn't provide recommendations. Our food was cold when we received it... boo. It's a pass for me -- for being in such a hot area, there are plenty of better dining options. I do not recommend, and will not be returning. read more

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Stopped in on a Saturday evening. Stood around and were no greeted for several minutes. After we greeted the host, she was incredibly rude and seemed bothered that we were there. The bar was empty and we were happy to sit there, we took a few steps toward it and she snapped at us to wait. Ordered a bottle of wine, some apps. Some good some not. Focaccia was the stand out, so that's what you're working with here. I've had much better Italian food in many other Seattle spots. Don't recommend if you're looking for warm service. read more

Great ambiance. Caring and attentive staff. Great prices. Gratuity 22% included. It's so close to my house and very nice environment were the first there at 5pm on Friday. read more

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I'm completely addicted to the malted mocha freeze. Best to order via app, wait times can be long during season. read more

Yum! Lovey spot with delicious fresh made pasta. Really enjoyed my dish. Dim lighting feeling more intimate, but did sit at long communal table with seats in between parties. read more

Tavolàta Belltown - Italian Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Every visit I know I will be taken care of. The service is attentive and inclusive, the ambiance/music is always perfect for the tone, and the food can revive anyone who's having a bad day. read more

been wanting to try this place out and it didn't disappoint! parking was a bit hard to find in the city and seating took a small wait but it wasn't too bad! i loved all of these dishes, and i would def come again! highly recommend making a reservation if you plan on coming during the weekend! * papardelle * rigatoni * gnocchi alla romana read more

Tavolàta Belltown - Pappardelle - Italian Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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The food is amazing, the service and ambience is equally amazing. When I travel to Seattle I always make time to visit this restaurant. I traveled with my 84 year old mother and this and the Space Needle were the two places I wanted to take her. read more

Friends wanted some Italian food while in Seattle and this place came up as a good recommendation. We were able to get seated right away without any reservations. The drinks were strong and the food was amazing. You can tell they made their own pasta and sauces. Recommend the gnocchi and the pappardelle. The reason for the 3 stars was for the slow service. Our waiter would come over and take food and drink orders and then not come back and check in on us or see how everything was. Because of this once we received the check, we paid online using the QR code to not have to be there any longer. read more

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The selection of food is limited - like there were 5 entrees to select from - but what you select is so DELICIOUS! I had the gnocchi Romano and wow! My son had the pasta and meatballs and he devoured it! We had a good time. Note that the place is dark... lighting just sucks! We had to use the light on our phones to read the menu. It was also so noisy. They need some sound dampening material on the ceiling/walls and improved lighting but that's my only complaint. Food was awesome and you should go and enjoy it. read more

Tavolàta Belltown - Italian Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Wait-listed at one restaurant had me venture to Tavolata. Me and two other friends decided to have some drinks and an appetizer to kill time. We were greeted by Tomas who we immediately became "fast-friends" with. The menu had the right amount of options (nothing worse than too many menu items). We settled on cocktails and shared an entree - beef pappardelle. Location: Belltown; fun-lively neighborhood. Not sure about parking since we Uber'd around town Atmosphere: hip/industrial; cozy; dimly lit. A great place to bring a date or friends out for dinner. Patio seating available. Food/drinks: cocktails were very well made especially the dealer's choice which did not disappoint; great presentation and photo-op worthy. The pasta was fresh and light and the sauce was so good i would have licked the plate clean if I wasn't raised right . Experience: customer service was awesome thanks to Tomas our server! Tomas was attentive and had a great sense of humor that made you feel right at home. Overall: Highly recommend this place. read more

Tavolàta Belltown - Beef papardelle - Italian Near Me - Seattle, Washington

As with many of my other reviews, my love for Ethan Stowell restaurants runs deep - with that said, it pains me to rate this experience a 3; especially because the cap hill tavolata is one of my go to and favorite places for Italian food. I'm thinking maybe we got super unlucky with the time we sat down because the bar and kitchen were both slammed and way behind. We had to get to another event after this and it became a little stressful waiting for our drink then our food and then the check to arrive. The burrata was also solid thru the core which was a head scratcher - how did that happen? It was such a disappointment to see it not ooze in the middle. My cocktail came super late and the flavor was not great (forgot the name but it had passion fruit in it) which is super surprising for tavolata. The staff was apologetic for the delay but truly... everything was extremely delayed and we were cutting it very close for the next thing we had planned. Thank goodness for the pay thru QR because otherwise - waiting for the card to be run would have probably extended the experience by at least 10 more minutes. read more

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2 reasons to not come here: 1. Bread costs money here, and they don't tell you this beforehand. 2. They charge a 4% pandemic surcharge, and they don't tell you this beforehand. I'd be fine paying for these but they did not tell us about these beforehand. Transparency is key! Will not be coming back. Our waitress Christina was incredibly accommodating however. Give her a raise using the hidden fees you charged me and my friends. read more

Tavolàta Belltown - Hidden fees: baguette and pandemic surcharge - Italian Near Me - Seattle, Washington

amazing deal on mon + tues and we got rigatoni "the king", ricotta ravioli, and 2 mocktails (elder elixir & dewdrop dream) for $45 but including tax/22% service fee it was ~$60 which we felt was worth it. it also had great vibes and good service. read more

Tavolàta Belltown - Italian Near Me - Seattle, Washington

LOVED IT. Wow I was blown away at how good this place is! The food tasted handmade like my Italian grandmother would make! read more

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Got here with my work bffs visiting from across the pond. We had an Italian colleague in our ranks, so choosing an Italian restaurant was a bit precarious, I'd say. Still, parts of the menu we tried were deliciious and met the (very high) bar with flying colors. Here is the recipe for success with appetizers here: order the salumi board and some burrata. Ditch the bread they serve with said burrata and instead get a few portions of torta fritta. Grab some of the contents of the salumi board, place it on the warm torta fritta and ship it into your mouth. Follow by some red wine. Repeat with burrata. Enjoy. After this strong opening, I was definitely expecting a great main course but it was unfortunately, somewhat underwhelming. The paccheri nero pasta was cold on the outside, extremely hot on the bottom, little to no smoked mussels detected. As for the ambiance, I loved the space, the industrial feel of it, the intimate lighting. The open kitchen though ended up being a total assault on the sense of smell, to the point where it felt that the vent was not working at all. The service was at times too busy to notice we needed their attention. In summary, there are definitely better Italian spots in Seattle. This one has some work to do but I don't mind stopping by for some of those appetizers + drinks again. read more

Ethan Stowell restaurants never miss. The food is incredible. They always have a special event or promotion going on. I got to support Endometriosis research last March with a fundraiser they were hosting and recently they had a deal of $45 for 2 pastas and a bottle of wine this April! Check their social media for their specials!! read more

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We had such a great experience at the OG Tavolàta celebrating a birthday. The selection, flavors and lighting delighted us. The staff were attentive yet blended into the background while we enjoyed our time together. The manager checked in with us and ensured we were well taken care of. While we did have to wait for a celebrity to vacate our table before us, we felt we were treated like one. read more

Been a while since we've been to this location and never disappoints. Food was great. Festive and fun crowd. Friendly staff to top it all off. read more

We got the beet salad, the papardelle (fav) and the anchovy spaghetti. The papardelle was sooo good and I'd def go back just for that. Friendly and speedy service as well! read more

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Good dinner and great service. Really liked the Burrata and hour wine was really good too. read more

Tavolàta Belltown - Gnocchi alla Romana - Italian Near Me - Seattle, Washington

My husband and I came here for a special dinner. I was surprised that we were able to get seated right away. The service was okay, I felt like at times were were forgotten about. The food though was amazing. We ordered the appetizer that was made with crab butter. I can't remember the name but it was so delicious. The pasta itself was also just as good. And to finish we had some dessert. This place has been on my list of restaurants for quite some time so it was nice to finally get to come here! read more

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Highly recommend the Pappardelle! Was delicious. Burrata app, not so much. Their menu changes but it seems they keep different versions of it - when we order it there were figs. Issues were the oddity of the ice cold cheese and rock hard crustinis that are a bit painful to bite into. After enduring for a bit, I decided to ask our server for some fresh bread and that switch helped a bit. If the crustini was a bit thicker cut and more chewy than hard, it would help a lot. Got 'An appropriate sipper' (bourbon based cocktail) and that was very tasty and enjoyed. Our table was towards the back along the wall with view into the open kitchen. I always enjoy watching the kitchen prepare meals. Great advertising on their part since it convinced us to get the delicious dessert that was being prepared for a large group. I forgot to take a photo and my memory is fuzzy but since these items change often there isnt much point! I do appreciate the constantly changing menu; I'm sure this is a popular spot for locals of Seattle. Lovely ambiance, attentive service, delicious italian food. read more

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WOW!! Love this pasta wine bar! Was visiting a friend in Seattle from LA and she booked this restaurant for her birthday celebration. I'm not going to lie, I was overall disappointed from the overall restaurant scene in Seattle, I felt like at several eateries we visited the quality and service was nothing to the standards of LA. But this place truly stood out. The pasta was incredibly fresh and delectable with complexity in taste. The cocktails were innovated and refreshing. If I ever come back I'll definitely visit again for so more yummy pasta. read more

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Much too expensive for probably the lowest quality pasta I've had since moving to the city.

Heard good things about this spot's pastas and had to give them a try myself. I've had good experiences with Ethan Stowell restaurants so I had pretty high expectations. This place is pretty good -- the pastas are handmade and cooked al dente (which I love). I tried the squid ink bucatini (with house-cured pancetta, garlic, parmesan, and egg yolk) as well as the pappardelle (with beef and pork ragu, tomato, mint, chili, orange, and grana padano). Both were great, although the bucatini was a bit too salty for me. Things are a bit pricier here, but the portions are honestly huge so it's pretty worth it. I made a reservation here last time, but I think walking in is doable (and definitely on weekday nights). If you're looking for a cozy local spot with good pastas, check this place out. :) read more

Tavolàta Belltown - bucatini & Pappardelle - Italian Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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Emma was the sweetest. Kind, efficient and so pleasant. Hostess was also very sweet but didn't catch her name. 10/10 on service. Gnocchi was decent, mushroom carpaccio was a bit odd with basic food service mushrooms but the flavor was decent. 7/10 food. Cocktails were 9/10. Love the open concept, good vibe. read more

Tavolata was recommended by a couple of people and while I did like a couple starters, the pastas were not executed well or very good for an Italian restaurant. The tavolata salad and cocktails were excellent. The salad had many unique ingredients and was very fresh. I had the rigatoni with Italian sausage. The sausage pieces were so huge almost like meatballs. Most places break up ground sausage so it's incorporated in the sauce and easy to eat with the pasta. Very disappointing. The pasta was also way too soft and overcooked. Same with the bucatini carbonara. Way too overcooked pasta and we had to send it back. I may come back solely for the salad and cocktails during half hour. Definitely not for the pasta sadly. read more

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We came in on a weekday and got lucky with open bar seating so we didn't have to wait. The hostess and bartender provided great customer service! To start we had the buratta. This was ok, not my favorite and probably won't order again. For pastas we had the Campanelle and the Spaghetti with anchovy. Both pastas were really flavorful! I would definitely recommend both of these options. Took off a star as we had to wait quite long for our pastas to come out. The appetizer came quick but we waited a while after that for our meal. Also they do charge a 4% covid tax so look out for that on your check. read more

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This review is specifically for the 2021 Seattle Restaurant Week menu & it was fantastic! For $35 per person, we got to try a variety of dishes, all of which were incredible. For our starters, we chose the beef carpaccio and Brussels sprouts (both amazing). For mains, we had the bucatini and gnocchi alla romana (the gnocchi was my fave 10/10). And finally, for dessert we chose the lemon sorbetto and lemon zeppole (delicious and refreshing!). I also want to mention that our server was incredibly kind, patient as we took forever to decide what we wanted (lol), and attentive. Overall it was a great experience. We will definitely be back to enjoy more of the amazing looking dishes on their regular menu! read more

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I was disappointed with my last take out from Tavalota, and I doubt I will return. We used the online ordering system that provided a time our meal would be ready. Arriving a few minutes late, I didn't think it would be an issue since we pre-paid. The young woman at the front said it would just be another five minutes. Well, it was another 30 minutes, and an older woman apologized as she left the restaurant, explaining a pan broke. They comped us bread and two cookies for our thirty minute delay. Once home, 40 minutes after our meal was supposed to be ready, my spaghetti was thick, pasty, and uneatable. The meatballs were as hard the proverbial bowling ball. It was a sad production from a kitchen charging high prices. Ethan Stowell is opening restaurants all over, including a Tavalota in Spokane. With a successful format, that's understandable. However, stretched too thin, without maintaining quality, can be a disaster in the restaurant business. It's often an express train to bankruptcy. Judging by the Tavalota in Belltown, Mr. Stowell should be wary. read more

Out of all the Italian restaurants I visited in Seattle, I have to say Tavolàta is one of my faves. I have been to both restaurants multiple times. In fact, once I came an hour early because I thought it opened at an earlier time. Of course, I couldn't show my face for a period of time after that. This review is for the Belltown location. The people there are friendly as you walked through the door and explain to you that happy hour (5-7 pm) is limited to the long bar in the front and the side table structure at the very front of the restaurant. I say structure because it glides along the window in a weird pattern that is aesthetically interesting to see. I have to say this restaurant has a great happy hour. I define a good happy hour as one where you could get a decent meal just off of ordering from the happy hour listings alone. You can get cheap but delicious wine options ($6 bubbles don't mind if I do). Good apps to share (if you are into that). Plus actual pasta options like 2 different dishes of spaghetti depending on your interest. Plus I appreciate that they have an actual dessert on the happy hour menu as well. Myself, like many others before me, have chosen the gnocchi alla romana thinking it would be the small ones we know. I won't call it a mistake because I enjoyed the dish, but I think they can call it out more so people know what to expect. But the main reason I go back to this restaurant, even if I have to cross from the Eastside is for something that isn't even on the menu and isn't available all the time. It is... their bucatini carbonara. I know this is not the first place I had bucatini but it is a good reason why I love it. It is not even available during happy hour but I keep going back for it (I try other good things as well). The worst part is the guessing game in which you have to see it if it would be available. I could call ahead to check but even I am not that ridiculous and I can try other dishes when I get there. I have been there once where they were going to have it the day after I ate there. I was crushed. But it is a great #treatyourself meal if it is available. Would I bring a big group to Tavolàta? Not in the winter if you are banking on happy hour. But if we wanted to ball on pasta and other treats, sure. If it was 2-3 people, I would definitely try to get a bar seat. It would be a great and interesting date location. This was my first Ethan Stowell restaurant when I came to Seattle and it has inspired me to go to more read more

Tavolàta Belltown - Carbonara - Italian Near Me - Seattle, Washington