What: American and Italian food; lunch/dinner; appetizers; brunch

Where: Dahlia Lounge in downtown Seattle, WA.

Must Order: Grilled cheese sandwich with tomato soup; coconut cream pie

The Verdict: I first heard about this restaurant a few months ago from The Best Thing I Ever Ate on The Food Network. The moment Giada De Laurentiis named the Lemon Scallion Dungeness Crab Cakes as her go-to crab cake fix I made it my mission to someday visit Dahlia Lounge. So when I took a weekend trip to Seattle, WA, the Tom Douglas establishment was first on my list of restaurants. As much as it pains me to say this, the crab cakes were just average. I appreciated the quality crab meat but overall I found the cakes to be dry -- they were breaded too heavily. $29 is too much to pay for mediocre crab cakes. But enough about those cakes. Let's talk about what truly is delish megish at Dahlia Lounge.

It's the grilled cheese sandwich. Simple as that.

In between two slices of potato bread is thick, gooey cheddar cheese. But what they don't specify about the Dahlia Potato Loaf Grilled Cheese and Tom's Tasty Tomato Soup on the menu is that they lovingly crust the outsides of the bread with parmesan cheese, a salty bite that complements the sharp cheddar. Munch on this with the accompanying side of tasty tomato soup, a thick yet brothy concoction, and you immediately forget the rainy dreary weather outside. For $12 this filling duo is a good deal.

But save room for dessert! The foodie adventure isn't over yet. Be sure to order a slice of the Coconut Cream Pie. It's soft and fluffy, creamy yet light -- truly a decadent treat and well worth the $9.