New Seasons Market

• New Seasons Market website

• Location: All over

• Price to fill up two people: About $10-$15

OK, it’s a grocery store, not a restaurant…but it’s still one of the best values I’ve found for lunch and not a bad choice for dinner, either. This is a sustainable/organic/whatever market, all grown up and really nice people, and they bake their own bread and cook their own deli food (mostly). Really nice sandwiches, good desserts, the ubiquitous northwestern coffee-and-buns, decent salad bar and hot-pot, plus a gelato stand. What more do you want?

For sandwiches, order whatever cooked meat is written up on the blackboard, on their sourdough or rye with the basil-pesto mayonnaise. Really nice. Unlike most grocery delis, these folks understand that folks like to sit down–comfortably–to eat, and supply comfortable chairs, tables, dishes, etc. Depending on the store, they may also turn the “restaurant” into an art gallery or community center for meetings, and some of the meetings are fascinating entertainment (there was the time the breastfeeding activists rehearsed a demonstration for an airlines…).

Tip: If you are on the Web before you head over there, visit their website, order your food, and it’ll be ready when you get there. Saves time–the counterfolk are nice but NOT speedy.