The Ramen: Sure, most soup is hot. But then there’s the next-level mala kotteri ramen from Ooink—a double whammy of both high heat index and intense spice, made with funky black garlic and numbing Sichuan peppercorns that could thaw out the Vatnajökull glacier. Chicken noodle, take a rest.

The Post-Holiday Debrief: There’s no better location to tell a friend that you ran into your childhood D.A.R.E. officer in the liquor aisle of your hometown Albertson’s than The Velvet Elk. This quiet little neighborhood bar is perfect for a casual gossip session and has velvet couches, fun cocktails like an Old Fashioned with chai syrup, and homemade corndogs.

The Chocolate Cake To Eat For Dinner: Savory food for dinner is a social construct. Deep Sea’s chocolate cake, layered with fudgy ganache and a porter soak that cuts through the sugar, is a meal unto itself. Light a woodsy candle, slice up some slabs, and mope about until April.

The Gameday Wing: If you’re going to scream nonsensically at the TV while watching a team that sadly isn't the Seahawks, do it with a basket of the best buffalo wings in town. You’ll be surrounded by other humans who care just as much about the score as they do about drums and flats.

The Plan For When There’s A Quarter Inch Of Snow In The Forecast: First, panic. Then, stock up on luxurious pantry staples, charcuterie, and beer from Delaurenti’s kind-of-weird selection. (Hi, n/a brew with bubble gum and glitter.) Be spendy if you can—that $38.99 can of Spanish potato chips chased with a mouthful of Compartés chocolate tastes better while watching TikToks from last year of cars sliding down icy hills.

The Hot Pelmeni & Cold Vodka Combo: Shove yourself in a booth at this moody Wallingford bar for our favorite juxtaposition: steamy pelmeni and a frosted glass of beet-infused vodka. As the cocktail’s condensation chills your fingertips, the pork dumplings warm everything else. Be generous with the hot sauce.

The Restorative Morning Spot: Hungover? This bacon, egg, and cheese on a squishy poppy kaiser is yours. Bummed that “7am sunlight” has been an oxymoron for months? Eat a mini crumb cake. Want to cosplay as a tech executive’s stay-at-home spouse who has time to hang around Volunteer Park long enough to buy a bundle of dried lavender from a breakfast place? That’s the stuff.

The Stand-In For Your Cabin Vacation If The Pass Is Iced Over: If you swore to finally invest in snow chains this year and then didn't, same. Thankfully, Fireside in Burien exists. You can eat allspice-kicked Cincinnati chili and Ritz cracker-coated walleye among enough taxidermy, fireplace heat, and mid-century wood paneling to rival any Wenatchee Airbnb.

The Braised Short Rib: We see your beef simmering in a merlot jacuzzi at home and raise you Musang’s short rib kare kare, whose peanutty bagoong gravy wields the power to stop time. If there’s anything that’d make us agree to be suspended in animation during late January in Seattle, it’s this dish.

The Steamy Basement: Right off The Ave, there’s a basement with fogged-up windows and college kids packed into every corner. This isn’t a UW fraternity party—it’s Korean Tofu House. Here, tables are covered in sizzling plates of marinated short ribs, the best fish cakes in town, and pots of kimchi stew that can soothe the most frazzled of MBA students.