These days, Seattle Met’s first-ever Restaurant of the Year serves a fixed tasting menu that begins with a flurry of stuzzichini, or single-bite snacks. Chef Nathan Lockwood takes Northwest ingredients in unexpected and elegant directions. Beautiful dishes plated with moss, rocks, or leaves deliver a sense of the rustic, despite consistently deep finesse. Much has changed at Altura over the years, but the hand-carved wooden angel still looks down from an overhead alcove; the service is down-to-earth, the wine list smart. A great bet for a special occasion.