Madison Park Conservatory

For all the pedigree bound up in the atmo and address of the classy destination dinner house at the tag end of Madison Street, Madison Park Conservatory isn’t forbidding. Baseball caps dine side by side with tuxes in that stylish neighborhood’s unassuming spot, enjoying candlelit indoor dining, a breezy patio, and (from the intimate and blue upstairs lounge) glittering views of Lake Washington. The kitchen displays a slightly more arcane aesthetic, with lots of sophisticated approachables—items like gravlax, octopus, beef tongue—along with some pitch-perfect harmonies, such as a recent special of Alaskan spot prawns with warm Savoy spinach, chunks of feta cheese, and candy-sweet crescents of delicata squash. Not always are innovations so successful here, but we continue to happily take our chances.

Read our review of Madison Park Conservatory.