Tomato

The gazpacho was perfect—garlicky and spicy with an ideal texture. The recipe isn't exactly, "Throw it in the blender and hit liquefy." Although, that is exactly what I did, just after I grilled and chopped everything.

This recipe has several immediate advantages. It's simple; it requires minimal preparation apart from stemming and halving the little tomatoes; most of the time is devoted to roasting rather than prep (allowing more time to test-drive the dinner wine); and it calls for ingredients that I am likely to already have on hand.

In Seattle, a neighborhood restaurant that satisfies on all counts—plus the dish that keeps our columnist coming back.