"Up there with dinosaur-shaped chicken nuggets, slices of cheese, Legos, and other stuff kids really like to eat is the illustrious dish that is butter pasta. At Spinasse, all of the upscale Italian food is very good, but their fresh pasta with butter, sage, and parmesan cheese is one of the best noodle-y things a child or a child’s chaperone could eat, period. Not to mention that the space is classy, but also lively enough to drown out your five-year-old’s lengthy explanation of the bubblegum scandal that went down today at recess. This is the best Italian restaurant in Seattle, and such superlatives come with a tricky reservation process. They do have a patio now, which has made things better than they used to be, but good luck getting a table that isn’t at 9:30pm unless you book several weeks in advance. You can secure a table up to 60 days ahead of time, and thankfully, there’s usually nobody hovering at midnight ready to pounce on that 60th day. (Except for you, of course.)" - aimee rizzo