Havn't played in the Seattle area much, but one of the bigger rooms is Tuplalip (north of Seattle in Marysville). They have a decent Saturday and Sunday turnout (typically over 100 people), but the blind structure is still a little tough though. You're right, by the time the final table rolls around there is a little less poker played, and an all-in fest is created many times. Basically, imo, they want you back into the ring games so they can scrape a rake.
For what it's worth...There are a pretty good handful of strong players at Tulalip. There are certainly softer games at some of the smaller rooms, but there's always a game at Tulalip--many times with only 2-3 spots of 'money' where there can be 5-6 spots in some of the smaller rooms.
Good Luck