Probably a bit late, but was looking for Seattle restaurants myself because I'm up there every damn week. Here's a list of places I've gone -
Metropolitan Grill. It's THE steakhouse. Every city has one. Pictures of celebrities from floor to ceiling, $30-$40 steaks and the wait from hell. It's worth going to once to say you've been there. Don't get me wrong, the food is great and they make excellent cocktails at the bar... but for the price you can do a lot better. A buddy and I dropped $300 for dinner, and we brought our own wine.
Palisade. Another place you have to go, if only once. Palisade is the ultimate "date" restaurant. It's on the other side of Elliot Bay, so you look back over downtown Seattle. The view is spectacular. They have salt water "creeks" running through the restaurant, which is amazing. Nothing like eating dinner and watching a 15' monkfish swim by your table. Food is pretty good - try the stuffed salmon. They do the whole cedar plank thing, but that's never been high on my list of impressive things. Again, if you're in Seattle for 3 days (with a significant other), I don't know how you justify not going to Palisade.
http://www.palisaderestaurant.com/
Tulio. Italian place in downtown. Could have been the company, but I had a great time and I swear the buttons on my shirt were going to pop off. Really enjoyed it, and if you're staying in one of the hotels in downtown, it's worth walking 2-4 blocks for.
http://www.tulio.com
Elliot's Oyster House. Again, it's another one of those Seattle traditions that you go to once to say you've been there. If you like oysters, it's kind of hard to miss. Bring multiple credit cards for the bill.
http://elliottsoysterhouse.com/elliotts/elliotts.html
On to places I REALLY like -
New Orleans Creole Restaurant. This is NOT a bring your own wine place - it redefines hole in the wall. If you like cajun cooking, this is one of the few places to go where it will actually taste like New Orleans. I've eaten almost everything on the menu and been carried out at 2:00 AM several times. Great jazz and blues music at night, but again... it's a beer and jambalaya/catfish place.
http://www.neworleanscreolerestaurant.com/
Dahlia Lounge. Tom Douglas is Seattle's version of Emeril. Dahlia is a great little restaurant with a pretty good wine list, featuring Turley and others. Thought it was a bit pricey for what was on it, so I'd bring your own. Food was delicious. I was not at all excited with Lola, his latest place.
http://www.dahlialounge.com/
Marjorie (2nd Ave. Bell Town). Colleague was living with the executive chef. Really good food, not a typical fine dining experience. Kind of Jamaican atmosphere, hole in the wall place. Patio is very nice during the summer. They had a cinnamon chipotle ice cream (something bizzare) that turned out to be phenomenal. I'd go back just for the ice cream. Executive chef left, not sure what food is like now, but Marjorie's is the kind of place I'd hang out at because of the atmosphere.
Shiro's. Sushi. Very good sushi. I spent too much money here and was bloated for 2 days. One off the wall note: the bathroom is down a really long hallway that goes down past several other restaurant/property doors. Just kinda weird, that's all.
http://www.shiros.citysearch.com/
Mistral. Put this one last... it's the fancy option out of the bunch. The food is spectacular and it's one of those restaurants where you'll find yourself eating for 3 hours. Literally. If you're going to eat there, go all out and get the chef's matched tasting menu. It's kind of like buying a car - why spend $xxxx and not pay the additional money for air conditioning. Only catch is it's really, really expensive. I left out a couple of really's. This place isn't the French Laundry, but it's definitely high up on the list. Marjorie chef left to cook at Mistral :-)
http://www.mistralseattle.com/
Bars -
Chapel Bar. I drink too much. This is one of the reason's why. Former mortuary, place has great martinis, with an exotic appetizer menu. On Capitol Hill, it's one of those places you won't forget.
http://www.thechapelbar.com/
See Sound Lounge. If they could get away with playing "I'm too sexy..." all night, they would. Great martinis, but very very very trendy. Big plasma screen showing weird erotic sea life videos... go figure.
http://seesoundlounge.com/
Toi. Depending on when you go, this place is great. Can't get over the giant booths... Place does have a tendency to get smokey, so keep that in mind. Say hi to Benji, the bartender. He's cool.
http://seattle.citysearch.com/profile/11527330
I could go on and on with bars... Feel free to PM me if you want any more advice. One place I plan on trying is Chandler's - they published a crab dipping sauce in a hotel magazine that has turned into one of my signature side dishes. Have that, too, if you're interested.
DREW