Lunch
Szechuan Noodle Bowl
Tasty, as always. I had pork noodle soup with pickled vegetables. It was very tasty. Plus we had post stickers and a green onion pancake. I'm quite fond of this place.
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Apr 11 2009
Dinner
India Express
I haven't eaten here in years, so I thought it would be worth giving it another try. It was okay. I order Bhuna Lamb Gosht, and it was pretty good, but the quality of the lamb was pretty low. The rice was fine, but they don't add much spice (turmeric, cloves, cinnamon, cardamom pods), so it was basically just white basmati rice. I still think Annapurna Cafe is better if you're looking for Indian on Broadway.
India Express
I haven't eaten here in years, so I thought it would be worth giving it another try. It was okay. I order Bhuna Lamb Gosht, and it was pretty good, but the quality of the lamb was pretty low. The rice was fine, but they don't add much spice (turmeric, cloves, cinnamon, cardamom pods), so it was basically just white basmati rice. I still think Annapurna Cafe is better if you're looking for Indian on Broadway.
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Apr 8 2009
Lunch
Rice N Spice
I had pad thai with beef today, 3 stars. It was not 3 stars, more like 0 stars. Oh well. Other than that it was pretty tasty. I never get beef pad thai for some reason. I would probably get it again. They use pretty good quality beef and it manages to get a little crispy around the edges but stay tender.
Rice N Spice
I had pad thai with beef today, 3 stars. It was not 3 stars, more like 0 stars. Oh well. Other than that it was pretty tasty. I never get beef pad thai for some reason. I would probably get it again. They use pretty good quality beef and it manages to get a little crispy around the edges but stay tender.
Apr 7 2009
Lunch
Buckley's
We had hoped to sit outside but the only table big enough for our group was reserved. I had a california chicken sandwich which was okay but ended up making me feel a little bit nauseous for some reason.
Buckley's
We had hoped to sit outside but the only table big enough for our group was reserved. I had a california chicken sandwich which was okay but ended up making me feel a little bit nauseous for some reason.
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Apr 5 2009
Lunch
Seattle Deli
Banh mi sandwiches, barbecue pork. Very good, as always. This is probably one of the top 3 Vietnamese delis in Seattle. I'm always happy to eat their sandwiches.
Seattle Deli
Banh mi sandwiches, barbecue pork. Very good, as always. This is probably one of the top 3 Vietnamese delis in Seattle. I'm always happy to eat their sandwiches.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Apr 2 2009
Lunch
Floyd's Place
Ribs, hotlink, with co-workers. It was good today. The ribs were a little bit charred but still pretty fatty and flavorful.
Floyd's Place
Ribs, hotlink, with co-workers. It was good today. The ribs were a little bit charred but still pretty fatty and flavorful.
Mar 31 2009
Lunch
The Signature
This is a new Vietnamese place replacing an upscale restaurant on Lower QA. This was my first time eating there, and frankly it wasn't super impressive. I had a noodle bowl with pork skewers, and it was pretty bland all around. There just wasn't much flavor there. I expected more for the price, which was pretty high, like $11.00 for my bowl plus 1 small egg roll. Pho at this place is $8.00 for a small. That's pretty ridiculously expensive in my opinion. Oh well. I'll probably actually go again some day, but not any time soon.
The Signature
This is a new Vietnamese place replacing an upscale restaurant on Lower QA. This was my first time eating there, and frankly it wasn't super impressive. I had a noodle bowl with pork skewers, and it was pretty bland all around. There just wasn't much flavor there. I expected more for the price, which was pretty high, like $11.00 for my bowl plus 1 small egg roll. Pho at this place is $8.00 for a small. That's pretty ridiculously expensive in my opinion. Oh well. I'll probably actually go again some day, but not any time soon.
Mar 30 2009
Lunch
Buckley's
For some reason I really wanted a burger, so we went here. I used to go here all the time for some reason. It's nothing particularly special; just bar food. The burger was fine. It was actually better than I remembered, though for some reason slightly bland.
Buckley's
For some reason I really wanted a burger, so we went here. I used to go here all the time for some reason. It's nothing particularly special; just bar food. The burger was fine. It was actually better than I remembered, though for some reason slightly bland.
Mar 29 2009
Dinner
Tacos El Asadero
Delicious tacos. It's been a while since the last taco Sunday. They were great.
Tacos El Asadero
Delicious tacos. It's been a while since the last taco Sunday. They were great.
Mar 27 2009
Lunch/Dinner
We took a brief tour of a couple of bakeries today, specifically:
Honore Artisan Bakery
At this bakery we were most interested in finding Parisian-style Macarons, but I also got a ham/gruyere croissant that was excellent. I dare say it was better than Cafe Besalu's famous offerings.
We also went to:
Bakery Nouveau
We ended up getting some more Macarons here, along with a couple of thick slices of what I have known as Italian Bakery Pizza or Sicilian-style pizza, which is about an inch or so thick, with a fairly soft moist crust. The slices we got had various italian cheeses, soft rounds of goat cheese, tomato sauce, and caramelized onion. It was delicious.
The Macarons from both places were very good, but the flavors of the Nouveau examples were more vibrant and interesting. I'd eat either again though.
We took a brief tour of a couple of bakeries today, specifically:
Honore Artisan Bakery
At this bakery we were most interested in finding Parisian-style Macarons, but I also got a ham/gruyere croissant that was excellent. I dare say it was better than Cafe Besalu's famous offerings.
We also went to:
Bakery Nouveau
We ended up getting some more Macarons here, along with a couple of thick slices of what I have known as Italian Bakery Pizza or Sicilian-style pizza, which is about an inch or so thick, with a fairly soft moist crust. The slices we got had various italian cheeses, soft rounds of goat cheese, tomato sauce, and caramelized onion. It was delicious.
The Macarons from both places were very good, but the flavors of the Nouveau examples were more vibrant and interesting. I'd eat either again though.
Mar 25 2009
Dinner
Crush
I'm not sure how to even start writing about this. I'll simply say that it was very good, but the 9 course tasting menu was an obscene amount of food and ended up feeling like a physical assault by the end of the evening. We came out of the meal feeling violated somehow. I will update this post in the next few days with pictures, perhaps.
Crush
I'm not sure how to even start writing about this. I'll simply say that it was very good, but the 9 course tasting menu was an obscene amount of food and ended up feeling like a physical assault by the end of the evening. We came out of the meal feeling violated somehow. I will update this post in the next few days with pictures, perhaps.
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Mar 22 2009
Lunch
Pho Than Brothers
Pho at Seattle's largest pho chain. I have never been to this location, but it was unsurprisingly very similar to the others. The cream puff was okay, the pho was just fine. As tends to happen though, I was starving 3 hours later. That's the price of pho.
Pho Than Brothers
Pho at Seattle's largest pho chain. I have never been to this location, but it was unsurprisingly very similar to the others. The cream puff was okay, the pho was just fine. As tends to happen though, I was starving 3 hours later. That's the price of pho.
Friday, March 20, 2009
Mar 20 2009
Lunch
Hing Loon
We had "country style" pancake, pot stickers, satay beef on a sizzling platter, and salt and pepper pork chops. This place serves good consistent Cantonese-style Chinese. I really like their salt and pepper pork chops, but this time they didn't put enough pepper on them. The pancake was sort of soft and had scallions and dried shrimp in it. Everything was tasty today.
Hing Loon
We had "country style" pancake, pot stickers, satay beef on a sizzling platter, and salt and pepper pork chops. This place serves good consistent Cantonese-style Chinese. I really like their salt and pepper pork chops, but this time they didn't put enough pepper on them. The pancake was sort of soft and had scallions and dried shrimp in it. Everything was tasty today.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Mar 17 2009
Lunch
Ipanema Grill
All you can eat Brazilian barbecue. They big bring skewers of meat around to your table and hack chunks off for you. We went because for some reason one of my co-workers was craving steak, and it was another co-worker's birthday today. It was pretty good. The meat had a nice grilled flavor, though it wasn't anything particularly amazing in the quality department. They had tri-tip, a couple of different kinds of seasoned steak, bacon-wrapped steak, sirloin, chicken, small spicy pork sausages, and some sort of parmesan pork. I tried it all. I wouldn't mind coming back for dinner sometime to try some of the more interesting cuts, but I didn't find the place super amazing.
Dinner
How to Cook a Wolf
Another co-worker was here from out of town this week, and we generally make it a habit of going somewhere interesting for dinner while he's here. He lives in Spokane, so he relishes the opportunity to try some place new. I chose this place this time, and I wasn't terribly disappointed. We had:
* Fried Almonds (this is just a bowl of salted greasy nuts, despite the intriguing name)
* Focaccia (from Columbia Bakery I believe)
* Prosciutto with olive oil, raisins, and parmesan
* Hamachi crudo with "avocado," jalapeno, and lime
* Beef Carpaccio with grape must, almonds, and cilantro
* Fried sardines with some sort of cod/potato croquette thing, and pickled radishes and cauliflower
* Pork belly with this rhubarb compote stuff, fingerling potatoes, and some kind of beans that I didn't try
The almonds were just salty nuts. They were good, but nothing special and not really worth the $5.00.
The Focaccia was excellent. I think Columbia Bakery makes some pretty excellent breads.
The Prosciutto was a mountain of the stuff, not slice super thin, and was very good with the raisins and shavings of parmesan.
The Hamachi was super fresh and very high quality. It was served on this really light almost fluffy green paste with a sprinkling of diced jalapeno and lime juice. I had assumed the green stuff was like a guacamole, possibly with olive oil or something emulsified in there. It was quite light both in flavor and texture. I asked our server about it and he told me it was actually serrano peppers that had been cooked, pureed, and pushed through a screen, then emulsified with oil. I was stunned, and frankly I don't know if I believe the guy. I don't know why it wouldn't be true, but it really just looked and tasted like avocado. Not only that, but the menu actually said it was avocado! It would be impressive if it were as he described, but what would be the point? Anyway, this was a good dish all around, but I wish we could have tasted the fish a little more.
The Carpaccio was also a little bit of a let-down. The walnuts and the grape must over-powered the meat, which had little flavor. I had hoped for a nice meatiness to the dish, and it just wasn't there. Also, I am not usually one to ask more salt, but this sort of needed a salty component. Oh well. I used the almonds to add some saltiness which ended up being a nicer option than the walnuts.
The Sardines were really high quality, very fresh, and pretty flavorful. However they were pretty big, so the bones were kind of too large to chew up easily. I ended up sort of filleting mine. The cod/potato thing. I can't remember what it's called. It was okay. The pickled radish and cauliflower was very good though.
The Pork Belly was the highlight. They roll it up like pancetta and braise it, so you have this nice ring of fat around the outside that kind of melts. I ignored the beans, but the potatoes were fine. I'd go back for this dish, maybe. The pork belly was meltingly good.
Anyway the meal wasn't outrageously expensive, even though we got a whole bunch of stuff. The pricing seems high at first, but the servings are all family style.
I probably wouldn't wait hours to eat here. We got there around 6:00 and were seated immediately. By the time we left around 7:45 or so people were starting to line up. I think Ethan Stowell has some great food at his restaurants, but I sort of wish he'd sit back and really concentrate on the ones he's already opened rather than opening new ones. Which reminds me, I should go try Anchovies and Olives, since it's just a few blocks from my home. I kinda want to see their menu first though...
Anyway, I was more impressed with Union than I was with this place. Nothing was terrible, but a few things were pretty bland or uninteresting, and only the pork belly really wowed me.
Ipanema Grill
All you can eat Brazilian barbecue. They big bring skewers of meat around to your table and hack chunks off for you. We went because for some reason one of my co-workers was craving steak, and it was another co-worker's birthday today. It was pretty good. The meat had a nice grilled flavor, though it wasn't anything particularly amazing in the quality department. They had tri-tip, a couple of different kinds of seasoned steak, bacon-wrapped steak, sirloin, chicken, small spicy pork sausages, and some sort of parmesan pork. I tried it all. I wouldn't mind coming back for dinner sometime to try some of the more interesting cuts, but I didn't find the place super amazing.
Dinner
How to Cook a Wolf
Another co-worker was here from out of town this week, and we generally make it a habit of going somewhere interesting for dinner while he's here. He lives in Spokane, so he relishes the opportunity to try some place new. I chose this place this time, and I wasn't terribly disappointed. We had:
* Fried Almonds (this is just a bowl of salted greasy nuts, despite the intriguing name)
* Focaccia (from Columbia Bakery I believe)
* Prosciutto with olive oil, raisins, and parmesan
* Hamachi crudo with "avocado," jalapeno, and lime
* Beef Carpaccio with grape must, almonds, and cilantro
* Fried sardines with some sort of cod/potato croquette thing, and pickled radishes and cauliflower
* Pork belly with this rhubarb compote stuff, fingerling potatoes, and some kind of beans that I didn't try
The almonds were just salty nuts. They were good, but nothing special and not really worth the $5.00.
The Focaccia was excellent. I think Columbia Bakery makes some pretty excellent breads.
The Prosciutto was a mountain of the stuff, not slice super thin, and was very good with the raisins and shavings of parmesan.
The Hamachi was super fresh and very high quality. It was served on this really light almost fluffy green paste with a sprinkling of diced jalapeno and lime juice. I had assumed the green stuff was like a guacamole, possibly with olive oil or something emulsified in there. It was quite light both in flavor and texture. I asked our server about it and he told me it was actually serrano peppers that had been cooked, pureed, and pushed through a screen, then emulsified with oil. I was stunned, and frankly I don't know if I believe the guy. I don't know why it wouldn't be true, but it really just looked and tasted like avocado. Not only that, but the menu actually said it was avocado! It would be impressive if it were as he described, but what would be the point? Anyway, this was a good dish all around, but I wish we could have tasted the fish a little more.
The Carpaccio was also a little bit of a let-down. The walnuts and the grape must over-powered the meat, which had little flavor. I had hoped for a nice meatiness to the dish, and it just wasn't there. Also, I am not usually one to ask more salt, but this sort of needed a salty component. Oh well. I used the almonds to add some saltiness which ended up being a nicer option than the walnuts.
The Sardines were really high quality, very fresh, and pretty flavorful. However they were pretty big, so the bones were kind of too large to chew up easily. I ended up sort of filleting mine. The cod/potato thing. I can't remember what it's called. It was okay. The pickled radish and cauliflower was very good though.
The Pork Belly was the highlight. They roll it up like pancetta and braise it, so you have this nice ring of fat around the outside that kind of melts. I ignored the beans, but the potatoes were fine. I'd go back for this dish, maybe. The pork belly was meltingly good.
Anyway the meal wasn't outrageously expensive, even though we got a whole bunch of stuff. The pricing seems high at first, but the servings are all family style.
I probably wouldn't wait hours to eat here. We got there around 6:00 and were seated immediately. By the time we left around 7:45 or so people were starting to line up. I think Ethan Stowell has some great food at his restaurants, but I sort of wish he'd sit back and really concentrate on the ones he's already opened rather than opening new ones. Which reminds me, I should go try Anchovies and Olives, since it's just a few blocks from my home. I kinda want to see their menu first though...
Anyway, I was more impressed with Union than I was with this place. Nothing was terrible, but a few things were pretty bland or uninteresting, and only the pork belly really wowed me.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Mar 16 2009
Lunch
Floyd's Place
We had ribs and hotlinks again. The ribs were actually excellent today. The meat was pretty much falling off the bone, with a bit of crispiness to the exterior, but still pretty moist. The hotlink was pretty spicy this time and much better than last time. All and all a good experience. I wish they were this good every time.
Floyd's Place
We had ribs and hotlinks again. The ribs were actually excellent today. The meat was pretty much falling off the bone, with a bit of crispiness to the exterior, but still pretty moist. The hotlink was pretty spicy this time and much better than last time. All and all a good experience. I wish they were this good every time.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Mar 15 2009
Lunch
Red Mill Burgers
We used to go here for lunch pretty regularly, but I've since decided that their burgers really aren't all that exciting. I do like their Chicken Club Burger though. That's what I got, plus fries and a trufflemint shake. The place was totally packed with people so we got it to go and ate it in a conference room at work. The ambiance in the conference room left something to be desired, but I suppose I'll let Red Mill off the hook for that.
Dinner
Restaurant Zoë
Okay seriously this place was great. We've been meaning to try this place for years and a lucky combination of a promise to take my sister-in-law out to dinner and Dine Around Seattle made it happen tonight. I got:
* Ricotta Gnudi, Brown Butter Balsamic Beet Sauce, Orange Reduction, Tarragon
* Washington Beef Short Rib, Parsnip Cream, Organic Carrots, Beets and Potatoes
* Pineapple Upside Down Cake, Coconut Crème Anglaise
Plus we shared:
* Carlton Farms Pork Belly Confit, Caramelized Endive Puree, Candied Apricots, Toasted Pistachios
Everything was basically excellent.
The Gnudi were very tasty, and are considered one of the restaurant's signature dishes, with good reason. They're soft little balls of dough with a little bit of ricotta in the middle. They really went well with the sweet beet sauce, the slightly bitter/sour orange reduction, and the tarragon. I like tarragon anyway. I don't know why I don't cook with it more.
The Short Ribs were fantastically tender and really flavorful on their own. The rest of the plate were a great wintery vegetable mix that also included figs, which were terrific.
The Cake was not too sweet, as it can be, but rather really focused on the pineapple flavors. Moist and a little dense with lots of buttery flavor, it ended up being a pleasant way to end the meal. It was nothing exceptional, but I have learned to not expect exceptional desserts in Seattle. I can only think of two places that have really wowed me with their desserts.
The Pork Belly Confit was straight up awesome. The accompaniments were delightful, particularly if you could get them all in one bite. The Pork Belly itself was roasted just a little bit so it was nice and soft.
Oh I also had a pretty okay cocktail. It was called a La Pommette, and was calvados shaken with lemon topped off with dry cidre. I like not-too-sweet apple-y drinks, and this worked nicely.
So yeah, we'll be going back here over and over, I think. I'm glad we finally got a chance to try the place.
Red Mill Burgers
We used to go here for lunch pretty regularly, but I've since decided that their burgers really aren't all that exciting. I do like their Chicken Club Burger though. That's what I got, plus fries and a trufflemint shake. The place was totally packed with people so we got it to go and ate it in a conference room at work. The ambiance in the conference room left something to be desired, but I suppose I'll let Red Mill off the hook for that.
Dinner
Restaurant Zoë
Okay seriously this place was great. We've been meaning to try this place for years and a lucky combination of a promise to take my sister-in-law out to dinner and Dine Around Seattle made it happen tonight. I got:
* Ricotta Gnudi, Brown Butter Balsamic Beet Sauce, Orange Reduction, Tarragon
* Washington Beef Short Rib, Parsnip Cream, Organic Carrots, Beets and Potatoes
* Pineapple Upside Down Cake, Coconut Crème Anglaise
Plus we shared:
* Carlton Farms Pork Belly Confit, Caramelized Endive Puree, Candied Apricots, Toasted Pistachios
Everything was basically excellent.
The Gnudi were very tasty, and are considered one of the restaurant's signature dishes, with good reason. They're soft little balls of dough with a little bit of ricotta in the middle. They really went well with the sweet beet sauce, the slightly bitter/sour orange reduction, and the tarragon. I like tarragon anyway. I don't know why I don't cook with it more.
The Short Ribs were fantastically tender and really flavorful on their own. The rest of the plate were a great wintery vegetable mix that also included figs, which were terrific.
The Cake was not too sweet, as it can be, but rather really focused on the pineapple flavors. Moist and a little dense with lots of buttery flavor, it ended up being a pleasant way to end the meal. It was nothing exceptional, but I have learned to not expect exceptional desserts in Seattle. I can only think of two places that have really wowed me with their desserts.
The Pork Belly Confit was straight up awesome. The accompaniments were delightful, particularly if you could get them all in one bite. The Pork Belly itself was roasted just a little bit so it was nice and soft.
Oh I also had a pretty okay cocktail. It was called a La Pommette, and was calvados shaken with lemon topped off with dry cidre. I like not-too-sweet apple-y drinks, and this worked nicely.
So yeah, we'll be going back here over and over, I think. I'm glad we finally got a chance to try the place.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Mar 12 2009
Lunch
Rice N Spice
Drunken Noodles, pork, 3 stars. Good stuff. I thought it might be a little wetter than I usually like when I first saw it, but it ended up being just fine. I had to add some chili sauce though, as it was a little bit bland. This is probably my favorite dish at this place, and though my blog doesn't reflect it, it's probably the dish I order most often.
Rice N Spice
Drunken Noodles, pork, 3 stars. Good stuff. I thought it might be a little wetter than I usually like when I first saw it, but it ended up being just fine. I had to add some chili sauce though, as it was a little bit bland. This is probably my favorite dish at this place, and though my blog doesn't reflect it, it's probably the dish I order most often.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Mar 10 2009
Lunch
Athina Grill
Lamb souvlaki pita and fries. It was pretty okay. Same as always.
Dinner
Spring Hill
I have been looking to take advantage of the Dine Around Seattle deals to try some new places that I might not otherwise bother with. A friend had told me this place was quite good, so I went there with him tonight.
I had:
* Rogue Creamery Smoked Blue Cheese, Air Dried Beef, Green Garlic Vinaigrette
* Wood Grilled Flat Iron Steak, Creamed Savoy Spinach, Crushed Gold Potatoes, Garlic Salt & Lemon
* Chocolate Fudge Cake, Peanut Ice Cream
We also shared this to start with:
* red wine pork sausage - horseradish sour cream, parsley relish, wheat crackers
Nothing I had was in any way bad, but I am not sure what the fuss is about. There were some nice touches in every dish, but I was looking for something to jump out and grab me. That just didn't happen, aside from the dessert. The dessert was awesome. With the addition of some vanilla ice cream it could have been like the most amazing Peanut Buster Parfait ever. In general all the ingredients were fresh, everything was well-prepared, but there was no one part of any dish (aside from the dessert) that I could point to as being particularly remarkable in any way, at least flavor-wise. There certainly is some creativity in preparation, but it just didn't add enough anywhere. The one other minor highlight was the "Crushed Gold Potatoes" with the steak. They had a really nice creaminess to them that I couldn't pinpoint. I liked those a lot.
I guess I wouldn't really recommend this place at full price, but I'm glad I tried it. The full price entrees seem pretty steep and I suspect they would have left me feeling short-changed.
Athina Grill
Lamb souvlaki pita and fries. It was pretty okay. Same as always.
Dinner
Spring Hill
I have been looking to take advantage of the Dine Around Seattle deals to try some new places that I might not otherwise bother with. A friend had told me this place was quite good, so I went there with him tonight.
I had:
* Rogue Creamery Smoked Blue Cheese, Air Dried Beef, Green Garlic Vinaigrette
* Wood Grilled Flat Iron Steak, Creamed Savoy Spinach, Crushed Gold Potatoes, Garlic Salt & Lemon
* Chocolate Fudge Cake, Peanut Ice Cream
We also shared this to start with:
* red wine pork sausage - horseradish sour cream, parsley relish, wheat crackers
Nothing I had was in any way bad, but I am not sure what the fuss is about. There were some nice touches in every dish, but I was looking for something to jump out and grab me. That just didn't happen, aside from the dessert. The dessert was awesome. With the addition of some vanilla ice cream it could have been like the most amazing Peanut Buster Parfait ever. In general all the ingredients were fresh, everything was well-prepared, but there was no one part of any dish (aside from the dessert) that I could point to as being particularly remarkable in any way, at least flavor-wise. There certainly is some creativity in preparation, but it just didn't add enough anywhere. The one other minor highlight was the "Crushed Gold Potatoes" with the steak. They had a really nice creaminess to them that I couldn't pinpoint. I liked those a lot.
I guess I wouldn't really recommend this place at full price, but I'm glad I tried it. The full price entrees seem pretty steep and I suspect they would have left me feeling short-changed.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Mar 9 2009
Lunch
Roti
The Indian buffet here is pretty decent. I used to eat here quite often and for some reason have gotten out of the habit. Today was fine. They're food is generally above average in most respects.
Roti
The Indian buffet here is pretty decent. I used to eat here quite often and for some reason have gotten out of the habit. Today was fine. They're food is generally above average in most respects.
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