Monday nights are worth celebrating—you made it through the first day of the week, so why not treat yourself to a delicious meal? Unfortunately, but understandably, plenty of restaurants are closed. But at these spots, not only are the kitchens still serving, the quality doesn’t drop off post-weekend, providing a perfect opportunity for a surprise date night (they’ll never see it coming), work dinners, or impressing family visiting from out of town.

Need a tidbit to tide you over until then? Take a bite of these.

Dig into Women’s History Month

Seattle is lucky to have a whole host of trailblazing women whose achievements rock the culinary world: Renee Erickson, Rachel Yang, Kristi Brown, the list goes on and on. To celebrate them and enjoy delicious food while you’re at it, Resy put together a guide of some of the best women-led restaurants, like Yuki and Miki Sodos’ Bang Bang Kitchen, Lisa Zak’s Noodle/Bar, and Jill Kinney’s Copine. 

The edge of spring

That’s the translation of the Swedish word Vårkanten, a limited-edition dining collaboration between Salt Harvest (inside Populus Seattle) and the National Nordic Museum held to celebrate the final week of the museum’s exhibition “New Nordic: Cuisine, Aesthetics, and Place.” Just 15 guests per evening from March 2-8, will be able to enjoy the prix-fixe menu created by Chef Conny Andersson to evoke Nordic coastlines, forests, and open-fire traditions. Each dish honors the interplay of these elements, from the charred and cured Chinook gravlax with coffee-honey mustard and shaved fennel to the pan-roasted black cod with watercress, horseradish, brown butter, beets, and capers. Of course, you’ll also indulge your sweet tooth, with desserts such as citron fromage with hazelnut brittle and sea salt, followed by chokladboll, a traditional Scandinavian sweet bite of chocolate, coffee, and oat. Reservations are required. The dinner is priced at $125 per person.

A Brazilian eatery goes brick-and-mortar

Bahia is a state with terrains ranging from tropical jungle to stunning coastline and even desert; fittingly, its cuisine is just as diverse. Soon, visitors to Pike Place Market will get to try those flavors on a permanent basis at Baiana, a new restaurant from renowned chef Emme Ribeiro Collins that’s planning to open early next month. Efforts are underway to convert the former Pike’s Pit Bar-B-Que location into a bright and vibrant showcase of the dishes that made the “MasterChef” contestant and “Chopped” winner’s original pop-up so popular. Expect customizable bowls as well as set recipes inspired by “deep West African roots, alongside Indigenous and Portuguese influences.” 

Flour to howl about

At Sea Wolf Bakers, the bagels and breads have a secret ingredient—specialty flour made with Washington-grown wheat, stone ground about 70 miles north of Seattle at Cairnspring Mills. Each of its blends is a careful creation of founder Kevin Morse, a lifelong resident of Skagit Valley who provides an alternative to the bland powder churned out by massive companies by emphasizing relationships with local farmers and prioritizing flavor and nutrition. You’ll find Cairnspring Mills flours in the pizza crusts at Sunny Hill, Lupo, and Stevie’s Famous, and you can elevate your own baking game by picking up a bag at PCC Community Markets.

Smart casual and shipshape

If you are departing on a Norwegian Cruise Line voyage soon, make sure to pack formal attire—captain’s orders. The company, long known for its more casual stance on dining dress code, is implementing a new policy at specific upscale specialty restaurants onboard for passengers departing Seattle, which includes “jeans or slacks with a collared shirt and closed-toed shoes” for men, and “slacks or jeans, dresses, skirts and tops” for women.