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By Root 918 0

years after it closed, a new Red Mill opened in Phinney Ridge, and a hamburger legend was born. No doubt, Seattle is a significant burger city and many of its connoisseurs believe Red Mill’s rate near the top. Flame broiled to a smoky savor, they come in many configurations from basic to deluxe (lettuce, tomato, pickle, onion, and sauce) and include patties topped with blue cheese or barbecue sauce. You can get a double—that’s a half-pound of meat—and you even can get a meatless garden burger. We are fond of the verde burger, which is topped with roasted green chiles, Jack cheese, red onion, lettuce, tomato, and the Red Mill’s proprietary sauce. Condiments and dressing are applied in abundance, so while the meat patty itself is good, it’s all those extras that put it over the top.

On the side, onion rings are essential. They are big crunchy hoops with ribbons of sweet, caramelized onion inside. And there is a whole menu of milkshakes and malts, plus fresh-squeezed lemonade.

And as if burgers, o-rings, and shakes weren’t enough reason to love this place, we should also add that it has a strict no–cell phone policy, allowing all of us to dine well and in peace.

Top Pot Doughnuts

2124 5th Ave.

206–728–1966

Seattle, WA

$

Thanks to several Roadfood.com users who tipped us off to Top Pot, and to Seattleite Rebekah Denn, who took us there, our donut consciousness has been raised. No longer can we blithely claim that all top-tier donuts are made in New England, because that claim would exclude those made in Seattle, and not to count Top Pot’s among the nation’s best would be a crime against taste buds.

Behold a plain one. First and foremost, there’s the crunch of its skin, crisp enough to feel like your teeth are breaking something, after which they slide into the creamy cake interior just below the golden crust. Now, encase the top half in silky dark chocolate, coconut shreds, maple frosting, or a glistening thick sugar glaze and this modest-size circular pastry becomes sheer ecstasy.

They call them “gourmet donuts” at Top Pot, of which there are three shops now in Seattle, and if “gourmet” means better than average, the term is apt. There’s nothing froufrou or pretentious about them. They are good ol’ cake donuts, the kind you want to have with morning coffee, but by any meaningful standard—taste, texture, heft, even good looks—they are world-class, far superior to any of the national chains and in a league with those of Dottie’s Diner in Connecticut, Allie’s in Rhode Island, and Butler’s Colonial in Massachusetts.

The downtown Top Pot we visited is a beautiful, airy space with book-lined walls and retro décor that includes a vintage TV and a handsome old espresso machine. The nice guy behind the counter told us that Top Pot has a bakery but not a retail shop in Portland, where they make donuts for Starbucks. We asked if the owners of Top Pot planned to create an empire. He doubted that was their goal. Whatever the future of Top Pot, anyone who considers a great donut one of life’s essential pleasures needs to come to Seattle and feast, right now.

About the Authors

JANE and MICHAEL STERN are the authors of more than forty books, including Square Meals, Chili Nation, and six previous editions of Roadfood. They write the “Roadfood” column in Gourmet, the winner of three James Beard Awards for Best Magazine Series, and are regulars on public radio’s The Splendid Table. They host the interactive Web site Roadfood.com, which Yahoo! declared “site of the year,” and frequently contribute book reviews to the New York Times. They live in Connecticut.

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