If you find yourself driving back to downtown Seattle or Bellevue from a morning in Snohomish County Superior Court, take a detour to Kenmore for lunch at the Thai Kitchen. It is well worth the effort.

Located at 7828 NE Bothell Way (425-806-3929), the Thai Kitchen regularly delivers yummy eats. My favorite is the Curry Lover’s Special: their version of pineapple curry. It is a light curry (in comparison, say, to Typhoon’s heavier version) offered with a choice of beef, chicken or shrimp. I prefer the shrimp as a light complement to the curry sauce. Aside from the wonderful sweet and spice flavor (three stars is plenty here), I am never infected with a food coma after lunch.

My law partner is partial to the Thai Kitchen Summer that he says is a nice sweet vegetable and meat meal that has no spice. The lunch menu also offers selections such as a Yellow Chicken Curry with Phad Thai and a Garlic Lover’s Special (vegetables, chicken and garlic) with Phad Thai, but it is only for those who plan to spend the afternoon alone in the office.

During the holidays, Thai good-luck charms are given out to customers.

--Catherine C. Clark
Williams and Clark

My favorite lunch escape is the Pike Place Bar & Grill (not to be confused with the Pike Place Pub & Brewery), or -- as it’s known to those chosen few who I’ve shared it with -- “the dive bar.” It is not a dive bar, but it’s not the typical business lunch location.

Located on the second floor at 90 Pike Place, the restaurant offers typical diner fare at a reasonable price and serves breakfast until 2 p.m. While the food is nothing spectacular, it’s never disappointing. I’ve never had to wait for a table and, best of all, I’ve never run into anyone I know there.

Whenever I need to get away for lunch, that’s where I head.

--Eric B. Martin
Davis Wright Tremaine

I like SO, a/k/a Spice Orient. A Vietnamese/Thai place located in a parking lot on Second Avenue. The food is quite good, cheap and they like my dog and let me lock my bike to their front door.