The new Delta One Lounge at SeaTac offers some of the top food and drink in the Seattle metro area. But getting in could cost thousands.

One of Puget Sound’s top new restaurants is at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, but the entrance fee is an airline ticket that will cost several thousands of dollars.

The Delta One Lounge from Delta Air Lines opened on June 26. It features gourmet food, wine and spirits in an upscale fourth-floor setting that includes an outdoor deck with views of Mount Rainier.

Around 30% of the 221 seats in the lounge are on the outdoor deck.

The One Lounge is part of Delta’s efforts to attract profitable, premium travelers on its routes from Seattle to Europe and Asia.

Admission to the Seattle lounge and its complimentary fine food and drink offerings is mostly dependent on the purchase of a premium Delta One ticket on an international flight. The flight comes with your own private cabin and lie-flat seats.

Next week, for example, those airline ticket prices start at almost $3,000 one-way from Seattle to Tokyo or Seoul and slightly above $8,000 one-way on the London and Paris routes.

It’s a high price to pay for a good meal. But then again, if you’re going to Tokyo, why not do it in style if you can afford it or if your company is picking up the tab.

I can tell you the Delta One Lounge at Sea-Tac was one of the nicest airline lounges I have experienced in my travels around the world.

Unlike most airline lounges, there is no buffet.

This is a sit-down restaurant with large glass windows, high ceilings and lush accented walls featuring green, navy and gray tones and natural wood throughout the club.

I visited the lounge and sampled some of the food dishes along with cocktails during a media preview of the lounge on June 24.

The meal started with hand-crafted cocktails specially designed for the Seattle Delta One Lounge.

I had a Strange Coconut. It consists of makgeolli — a milky, off-white and slightly sparkling white rice wine — combined with Planetary Cut & Dry coconut rum from Barbados and strawberries and honey.

It tasted like a sweet milkshake with hints of coconut, strawberries and honey enhancing the experience.

A large selection of wines by the glass from France and the Pacific Northwest along with regional craft beers were also offered for those who didn’t want the nine specialty cocktails or a standard bar drink.

My first course was edamame dumplings. The dumplings were soft and crispy, drenched in soy sauce.

That was followed by a raw yellowtail crudo sashimi with watermelon, rhubarb, lime and togarashi — a Japanese spice blend that includes chili pepper, orange peel and ginger.

The butterfly fish was light and refreshing, and sweet and spicy at the same time.

Next came the main course of Dungeness Crab Cannelloni. The pasta dish combined the sweet, succulent flavor of Dungeness Crab with tomato fondue and bechamel sauce for a rich, creamy flavor.

Dessert topped off the meal. A cherry sundae hit the spot. The sweet and tart cherries were the perfect compliment to the creamy vanilla ice cream.

Of course, this menu may not appeal to everyone.

There are other choices.

For appetizers, sticky hoisin ribs and an heirloom tomato salad are also offered.

For the main course, diners can also choose a roasted, free-range chicken with green farro, toasted corn, blistered tomatoes and chervil. A third choice is vegetarian ramen made with Thai coconut curry and mushrooms.

There is also a breakfast menu with a mushroom and spinach omelet, a bagel and lox, and steel-cut oatmeal.

My meal was complimented by excellent service. The servers knew the menu thoroughly and were able to explain the food choices.

Service was prompt and friendly.

The food is meant to reflect the diverse cultures and flavors of the Pacific Northwest, Tim Genovese, who directs operations and design for Delta One Lounges, explained at the media event.

Genovese said Seattle is the fourth location for the Delta One Lounge. The other three are in New York, Boston and Los Angeles.

He said Los Angeles features a sushi bar. In Seattle, there is an emphasis on local specialties.

“We’ve got a ton of local food,” he said.

Genovese said the decor of the club is also important.

“So if you’re a traveler going through Seattle, you’re going to learn and feel that you are in Seattle,” he said.

“The wood tones, the green, it almost looks like trees. That’s all by design to emulate the forest.”

Delta is late to the game in its attempt to lure the premium traveler with top-notch food and beverage offerings.

Its first Delta One Lounge opened less than a year ago at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City.

Competitors United Airlines and American Airlines first opened premium lounges in 2016 and 2017, respectively.

Genovese said Delta began planning the Delta One Lounges about seven years ago, but it took time to find the space, design the concept and construct the facilities.

He would not say why Delta waited longer than its competitors.

Airline financial data show the importance of luring premium travelers. Global airlines make up to 75% of their profits from premium travelers, even though their number is small compared to coach passengers.

That’s why Delta is willing to give away a premium dining experience. It’s about wooing top-tier travelers to use their airline over the competition.

At Sea-Tac, Delta now has a monopoly on its premium dining experience lounge.

Neither United or American Airlines have premium lounges at Sea-Tac.

In fact, American doesn’t even have a standard lounge at the airport.

All other lounges at Sea-Tac offer a buffet experience, but only Delta has a sit-down restaurant

But Delta competitor Alaska Airlines isn’t sitting still.

It plans its own premium lounge for passengers in 2027.

Alaska has three of its standard lounges at Sea-Tac while Delta has two. Its second Sky Club opened in conjunction with the opening of the Delta One Lounge.

Delta and Alaska are the two dominant airlines at Sea-Tac.

Alaska controls 52% of flights at Sea-Tac, compared to Delta’s 24%.

Delta and Alaska were codeshare partners until 2017 when Delta ended the relationship and began an aggressive expansion at Sea-Tac.

Now, it’s open war.

On June 3, Alaska Airlines announced non-stop service from Sea-Tac to Rome starting in the fall.

Delta announced its service to Rome from Sea-Tac on June 24, the same day as the media preview of its new premium lounge.

The service will of course have a Delta One section and will be another way to get into the exclusive new Delta club at Sea-Tac. Delta will also offer a Sea-Tac to Barcelona flight next year with a Delta One cabin.

In the meantime, there are a few other ways to get into the lounge.

Passengers paying for first class on Air France and Korean Air or the top premium class on Virgin Atlantic and LATAM airlines are also eligible to use the Delta One Lounge.

The last group of eligible members are Delta 360 members who are flying first-class, even domestically.

How do you become a 360 member? Delta won’t say, but it’s by invitation only. It’s essentially for Delta’s best customers, customers who spend tens of thousands of dollars on airfare each year.

The club is so selective that even flying Delta first class domestically from Sea-Tac, unless you are a Delta 360 member, won’t get you inside. The airline has no flights from Sea-Tac to U.S. destinations with Delta One cabins.

The only two Delta One Routes domestically are from Los Angeles and San Francisco to New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport.

Unlike the three-hour time limit before your flight at the regular Delta Sky Club Lounge, the Delta One Lounge allows passengers to spend as much time as they want. So you can come for breakfast and stay for lunch and dinner. Just don’t forget your flight’s boarding time, the real reason you came to the airport.

Randy Diamond: 425-339-3097; randy.diamond@heraldnet.com.