Thanks, Dudes! I'll be checking into at least a couple of these. IR asked an important question. I am interested in knowing about nice spots, but it seems a shame to sit at a nice place by my lonesome, so I'm likely to go that route only once or twice. Of course, nice places with nice bars, where a loner feels less out of place, are another matter!

Dives are probably my sweet spot on this trip. All you can eat ribs sounds pretty good, so if the weather allows, I may see you there, GutZ. I'll just look for the guy doing the BBQ ribs Tebow at the back.

Also, as much as I love pub grub, I'm especially interested in international flavors. For some reason, I don't get a lot of that in Elma. Olympia has a couple of gems, but for the most part, the area between Tacoma and Portland is a culinary wasteland.

IR: You mentioned McCormick and Schmick's; is the Seattle location a clear cut above the Bellevue location? If not, I'll hit Bellevue. Some fish that has not been fried is sounding really good.