For a first visit to El Gaucho, everything went pretty much as expected. We went right at the opening (note: during the 5 p.m.-6 p.m. "Power Hour," food from the bar menu is half-price when you sit at the bar or in the piano lounge) and spent the first ten minutes adjusting our eyes to the darkness. You’ll want to use the flashlight they provide to read the menu. El Gaucho is a perfect place......

The American steakhouse--that dimly lit, mahogany-paneled, mafia-chic hideout for fat cats and their trophy molls--you'd think it would never fly in laid-back, egalitarian Seattle. You'd be wrong. Yet another high-end steakhouse, from Atlanta's 25-unit Capital Grille chain, is opening an outpost downtown, just steps from chain rivals Ruth's Chris (New Orleans, 92 units) and Morton's (Chicago, 70 stores), not to mention a couple of locally-owned, downtown standbys, the Met and the Brooklyn. We were invited......

The best part about The Big Picture was not eating popcorn from a Veuve Clicquot bucket, or the bar. The best part was listening to the two older couples behind us, who couldn't have been happier with having wine in their seats: "I can't wait to tell everyone that I saw a movie at El Gaucho and drank wine!" The only real negative: the sound system isn't as good as the rest of the......

To see Seattle's culinary scene up close, just like the locals do, get thy butt over to the Gray Line tour desk! Aunt Minnie from Moline can spend a summer afternoon watching a real live chef! Gray Line of Seattle figures plenty of rubes will want to tag along on a trip through the market and demo in the kitchen. Jason Wilson of Crush is the only "name" to sign up, but the Space Needle,......

The glorious fall sunsets have disappeared along with the mouldering husks of Halloween pumpkins, and according the weather report, we can all expect a long, cold, wet weekend. But this being the Northwest, that's never stopped us from getting out and about; here's the weekend plans of your intrepid Seattlest contributors: By the time this hits the digital newsstands, Jeremy is going to be on his way to Fadó for post-work cocktails; after that......

No, this isn't George Orwell's sad tale. Seattlest is a professional on a closed course. Do not attempt. Afternoon starts at 0/8 in Bellevue with lavish spread and tasting of the entire Moët Hennessy portfolio. Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label always gets you off on the right foot. Follow up with Moët & Chandon Brut Impérial Rosé. Outside, three bars sculpted from ice blocks. Sample a three-olive, Chopin vodka martini. Sample the Belevedere & Grand Marnier......

What the rest of the world was doing while Seattlest was at Bumbershoot: A mixed case from the wine cellar at El Gaucho, painted by Nina Mikhailenko, the Russian artist whose oils adorn the walls of the tony Belltown steak house. How much? Nina's asking $2,500. Seems reasonable, given that the bottles alone would run well into five figures. Nina's style has its roots in a late-19th century Russian art movement called Peredvishniki, a loose......

Seattlest James took a time-out from showering the Nickels administration with Gwen Stefani tickets and El Gaucho gift certificates to host the quiz last night at the Old Pequliar. Nine teams took refuge from the sunshine and warm weather to sit in a dimly -- excuse us, atmospherically -- lit bar and answer 80 questions in an attempt to win money. It was an intimate turnout. The winners? Freshly renamed The Origin of Spensor......

For serious wine geeks, it's all about the pursuit of perfection. We'll tolerate the bafflement of friends, the disappointment of poor vintages, the torment of indifferent service and the frustration of inferior bottles--because we have faith that now and again, with the clarity of a religious vision, we will experience something Utopian. In a column last week, Slate.com's resident wino Mike Steinberger asks whether a bottle of wine is worth $700. Not just any bottle,......