"When you find yourself at Ba Bar, go ahead and fork over a few extra dollars for one of the finest bowls of pho in town. The menu goes way beyond soup, though. Bun bowls with vermicelli noodles are popular, as are slow-roasted rotisserie meats such as chicken, duck, and pork belly. Ba Bar’s pastries include macarons and pandan cake — perfect with a cup of strong, sweet Vietnamese coffee. For Seattle’s original upscale Vietnamese experience, diners can also head to Monsoon — Ba Bar’s big sibling restaurant, opened by co-owners (and siblings themselves) Eric and Sophie Banh in 1999 — where drunken chicken, catfish clay pot, and banana cake are among the hits." - Jay Friedman