Where do you go when you have a special occasion to celebrate? Since I entertain a lot and cook almost daily, dinner out is a real treat. And for special occasions, I love a fixed course menu, where the chef surprises you with three, four, or five courses. Why is it a surprise? Because with these meals, the menu changes daily, or weekly, allowing the chef to use the freshest, in-season ingredients. With advanced notice of dietary restrictions, chefs work around your needs, or let you know they can’t. For adventurous eaters, here’s a chance to discover new things and experience the familiar in a new way.

There are many names for these meals: prix fixe (pree-ficks), chef’s menu, degustation, chef’s choice, tasting menu. Usually, but not always, the whole table must commit to the multi-course option. Some restaurants offer only set course meals. These allow a chef to shine way beyond an a la carte menu featuring chicken, steak and pasta. The Pacific Northwest is blessed with a deep bench of chefs who’ve developed long-standing relationships with local growers and fishing boats, ensuring a steady supply of the best meat, seafood, fruits, vegetables, cheeses and wines.

My foray into prix fixe meals began at Kokkaku, a Japanese steak house in Wallingford that’s all about Wagyu beef. The small space is crowded and noisy, and their menu is a little confusing, but the food! Oh, my. They have both 3- and 5-course meals, and not everyone has to go the same route. The 5-course Wagyu special ($125) includes an “amuse,” or palate opener of seared Wagyu sushi. Then an appetizer called Wagyu 4 ways, followed by linguine with a sauce of — you guessed it — Wagyu ragu. After all this, the main dish is served: Wagyu Manhattan Striploin Steak. Finally, your choice from three desserts.

On the other side of the Cascades, Leavenworth is known for its Bavarian theme. But the best restaurant in town, hands down, is Mana, a distinctly un-German option. Four nights a week: Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, by reservation only, Mana has one seating for a five-course menu ($118) and optional wine pairing ($54). From the moment you walk into this former private home, you feel the magic. Mana love cards deliver unique messages at each place setting. Think fortune cookie meets motivational mantra. Dinner began with an amuse of cauliflower, labneh, hazelnut crumble, and micro-radish. Our taste buds woke up and begged for more.

Five more generous courses followed. Salad, soup, salmon, and a sublime palate cleanser: huckleberry-juniper geleé. Next, braised lamb shank, and finally, cinnamon maple chocolate mousse. The salad included smoked beets, pickled shishitos, kumquat bruleé, and more — absolute deliciousness. Each dish was perfectly paired with wines from Spain, France, Italy and the Columbia Valley.

On the northern tip of Lake Washington, Cedar & Elm, in Kenmore’s The Lodge at St. Edwards Park has a prix fixe menu. I reserved for two and eagerly anticipated the $135 multi-course dinner prepared by world-renowned Chef Luke Kolpin. But upon being seated in the elegant dining room, our waitress handed us standard menus. Somehow, I’d missed the crucial fact that this option needs to be specifically reserved in advance. To the chef’s credit, he immediately pivoted and provided us with one of the best meals I’ve had in years. In addition to the five courses, he sent out special snacks not included on the menu: fried enoki mushrooms with cured egg yolk (yum), beef tartare and caviar tart (divine), crab toast (melts in the mouth), and later, a special bread served with warm butter and olive oil. We began with seasonal lettuces, followed by light-as-air agnolotti (stuffed pasta), steelhead, short ribs, and dessert of chocolate tart and profiterole. The wine pairing at $65 included outstanding Columbia Valley and French wines from small producers. I’d never heard of Aligoté, a grape from Burgundy that produces crisp white wine. It was perfect with the steelhead on its dreamy bed of peas in cream. We left just on the verge of feeling stuffed from the generous portions.

When my granddaughters swoon over my cooking, I tell them my secret ingredient is love. These chefs are passionate about their work, and that comes across in every bite. I hope you’ll be inspired to try these restaurants, and soon. The industry is struggling across the board, and there’s no guarantee our favorite establishments will survive. I can’t wait to go back to each of these restaurants and to discover more places offering outstanding food, wine, and priceless experiences. Bon appétit!

Meanderings is a travel column by Mindy Stern, a Mercer Island resident whose essays can be found at www.mindysternauthor.com.