Seattle refresher

Any recommendations on what's new/good in Seattle? Haven't lived there in 7 years and haven't gotten back nearly as often as I would like, so I'm not up on what's new and good. Any cuisine and price range considered! Thanks in advance!

-gtgirl

If you do a search on "Seattle" in the Beyond Chicagoland forum, you'll find three threads on Seattle that have had posts within the past six months. You may want to start there...

We were in Seattle about a month ago and had some wonderful meals. Our favorite places were Union and LOLA. Union, pricewise, is high end but the attitude and dress is laid back. The idea here is to pick from three separate categories and do tastings. One of the things that made the evening so enjoyable was that our server was really enthusiastic about what the kitchen was doing. The menu is created with what's fresh that day and there are no specials. Everything was just outstanding.

LOLA is another one of Tom Douglas's places and the menu has a Mediterranean feel to it. I think we could've easily gone back there on another day as an excuse to try other things. I'm sorry we missed Dahlia Lounge. I had heard a lot of good things about that. We also ate at Etta's and while it was good, it just wasn't "knock-your-socks-off".

Wild Ginger was another place we dined at. It was good, but I wasn't wowed. Our server treated us like the whole concept of Asian food was new to the planet and as my husband ordered she repeated everything he said like, "Are you sure you know what you're asking for?"

If I was going back to Seattle soon, I'd definitely put Dahlia Lounge, Seven Stars Pepper, Le Pichet and Matt's in the Market on my list.

Enjoy!

http://tomdouglas.com/lola/index.html

http://unionseattle.com/

I would highly recommend Seven Stars Pepper. I go out to Seattle about twice a month and have dined at Seven Stars 3 times. It is possibly one of the best meals I've had. They have several dishes with hand shaven Dan Dan noodles that are to die for. The fresh fruit shakes are fantastic. I've never had the opportunity to try their hot pot, what they are known for, because it is way more food than two people can handle. The portions are huge and very inexpensive.

For a late night treat, Frites sells authentic Belgian frites with about 15 dipping sauces, mostly mayo based. They have a small offering of other Belgian treats and interesting sodas. The place is very tiny and loud as it is next to a punk club but if you find parking and make it in, its worth it.

I would recommend Le Panier in Pikes Place. Very nice pastries and lots of samples while you wait in line.

Enjoy!

SEVEN STARS PEPPER SZECHUAN RESTAURANT
PHONE: 206-568-6446
ADDRESS: 1207 S. Jackson St., Suite 211

Belgian Frites
925 East Pike, Seattle WA 98122
http://www.belgianfrites.com

Le Panier
1902 Pike Street
Seattle, WA 98101
206-441-3669
http://www.lepanier.com

Here's a picture of Matt's at the Market - a very fun place to eat. This is shot from the table closest to the outside wall back toward the entrance.

And this is the place on Whidbey Island where we had super mussels:

leek wrote:And this is the place on Whidbey Island where we had super mussels:

Toby's has been a long time favorite of my family. IMHO, they have the best mussels in the world. It is a hole-in-the-wall tavern in a 120 year old building that sticks out over the shore of Penn Cove in Coupeville. If you sit in the back booths you can actually see the famous Penn Cove mussel beds out the windows. You cannot get fresher mussels than they serve at Toby's. They are so sweet and tender, although usually smaller than their PEI brethren. The first time I ate there, I realized that I had never eaten a truly fresh mussel in my life. I warn you though, after you eat at Toby's you will compare every other mussel you ever eat to the ones you had there.

It is definitely worth taking a day trip to Whidbey. Fort Ebey State Park, just north of Coupeville is beautiful. There is a long bluff overlooking a prisitine beach. There was a WWII gun emplacement there. The bunkers still remain. The view from the bluff is gorgeous.

Toby's Tavern
8 Nw Front St
Coupeville, WA 98239
(360) 678-4222

leek wrote:Here's a picture of Matt's at the Market -

Leek,

Great pic, brings back fond memories of our dinner at Matt's.

Enjoy,
Gary

joyfull144 wrote:For a late night treat, Frites sells authentic Belgian frites with about 15 dipping sauces, mostly mayo based. They have a small offering of other Belgian treats and interesting sodas. The place is very tiny and loud as it is next to a punk club but if you find parking and make it in, its worth it.

Belgian Frites
925 East Pike, Seattle WA 98122
http://www.belgianfrites.com

Thank you for this wonderful tip!!! I am in love with potatoes, particularly those of the fried variety, and these were wonderful! For anyone else who is in Seattle and looking for this place, the entrance is actually on 10th Ave E, not on East Pike. Look for it just before the Bad Juju Lounge.

Now, if we could only get a frites place here in Chicago...

-gtgirl

Every year my buddy Howie from Sonoma and I spend a weekend together, eating our way through a new city. Last year, it was Washington D.C.

http://lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=5734

This year it was Seattle. Basically, we have not much new to report that LTHers won't already be familiar with. But I'll say a few words, nonetheless.

We got around to it a bit late Thursday evening, so when we got to Jasmine in Post Alley by the Market at 8:15, it was closed. We went around the corner and found an Ethiopian/African restaurant on First Avenue. It wasn't very good, and, I'm sorry to say, I didn't write down the name. But don't bother going looking for it, in any case.

Friday we were first in line at Salumi. Wonderful crowd of foodies, all standing around talking excitedly about where we'd eaten before, and what was in store for us behind the "Closed" sign. The crowd convinced us to order the grilled lamb sand, which we duly did, once the time came.

So the smiling man opened the door for us, we crowded in, and had an absolutely wonderful time talking to the staff, the crowd, ourselves, as we went through the ordering process. Howie and I both got the sandwiches, I on the country loaf/bun, he on the baguette. He chose more wisely--there's just way too much bread on the bun. We tasted some salami on the way down the line: simply terrific! I got a half pound of salumi to bring home.

The lamb sandwiches weren't teriffic. Not much lambiness, a bit dry (overcooked?), and the meat itself was too gristley. We were sitting next to a regular (in fact the guy who owned the shop next door), who got some other things for us to taste. He was eating this marvelous-looking concoction of baked acorn squash stuffed with pasta and meat.

So, all-in-all, a glorious experience, even considering the sandwiches. It is so delightful to be in amongst a bunch of folks who are absolutely dedicated to their work, who love doing it, and are having a great time doing their job with a crowd who is appreciating it as much as they are.

Mid-afternoon at Elliott's for oysters. Oh boy. We hit the happy hour (50¢ per oyster) precisely at 3, and chose to accompany the bivalves with the happy hour micro, a very nice porter, whose richness was a superb framework for the brineyness of the oysters. Great staff--again people who really believe in what they're doing. We sat at the bar and talked to the shuckers. The oysters were Calm Coves, from Hood Canal. Small, quite firm, nice and briney, with a long finish. I lusted after the Wescott Bay European flats, and one of the shuckers slipped me a couple. Yee-Hah! These are totally correct Belons, which I have eaten in a restaurant At The Vrai Source, so hey! I know pretty much mostly what they're supposed to be like. Imagine a 5mm thick silver dollar size, crunchy oyster delight, with an after taste that builds for 15-20 seconds after you swallow, metallic and beautiful.

The wine list was long and almost exclusively West Coast. That's commendable BUT: in a shellfish house, surely there just *has* to be at least one from the Muscadet/Sancerre/N.Z. Marborough sauvignon blanc triad on the menu?

Howie and I can most seriously recommend Elliott's. A great experience.

That evening we went to a restaurant, Von's, owned by an old college buddy. Tim was treating us, so we had the best. Von's is most famous for their martinis, and justifiably so. We tried some fabuluous gins, some so floral they were gardenia-like, others just... well, different. I found my thrill in Broker's, which is medicinal-juniperish to the nth power. I can't afford the stuff, but man, what a martini.

Howie had the prime rib, I had the smoked wild salmon, which Tim had promised me I would find superb. He was right: nice and smokey, perfectly cooked, a real delight. I accompanied it with a very good Caesar, just eggy and anchovy enough.

Von's has a weird and wonderful wine list--nothing makes much sense, except the price and the policy that, if you don't like the wine, you can order another one free. Probably some of the finest wine values in Seattle restaurant history there.

Because Ivar's Acres of Clams was the site of my very first Real Date, long ago when rock 'n roll and I were about the same age, I convinced Howie that we needed to go there for fish and chips. My bad. 'Nuff said.

Saturday night we hit Seven Stars Peppers. Oh boy. What a place! Great staff, great service, great food. I did my Chinese restaurant trick-- saying the few words of Mandarin that I know (all about food, natch!), and the staff turned the hospitality up a notch, if that were even possible. We ordered, and the eats started appearing in under 5 mins. Everything was on the table before 10 mins. To start: the fried green onion 'pancake' was just superb, crispy, lots of onions, not at all doughy. Garlic baby bok choy (mei ching choi) were exactly right, bright shiny green, with a cosmic level of garlic, still a bit crunchy. Ants on a stick were ok, but that's a problem with the dish, I think, not the kitchen. Dan-dan noodles were excellent, served with a hot soupy sauce, and not the cold thick pasty version one often gets. The folks at the next table got them with shaved noodles, which they gave us a sample of. Yum!

The killer dish was the Szechwan Fish: equal parts very mild fish and tofu, a sour hot sauce with a haunting aroma (?small green bamboo shoots?tamarind?) that just kept us eating, and eating, and eating. We swapped tastes with our neighbors, who'd ordered the Szechwan Shrimp. Equally superb, but totally different treatment to the sauce, and the shrimp were crispy.

The whole trip was worth the Szechwan Fish dish.

We liked this place as well as we'd liked last year's winner, Joe's Noodles in Rockport MD.

On the way out of town, I stopped at Anthony's Fish Bar in the airport terminal. Got the fish and chips. Excellent. Entirely made up for the zilch at Ivar's. Anthony's has some awfully good looking fish tacos, too. I can easily say that this is one of the best values At The Airport I've ever seen. Maybe I should add it to that thread! : )

I'm not going to put on the contact info for these places--I think they're all mentioned above.

Seattle's a great town to eat in.

Geo

I can heartily recommend Lowell's in Pike Place for breakfast. Absolutely the best corned beef hash I've ever eaten, anywhere, anytime, ever.

Just got back from Seattle and wanted to give a quick update on Seven Stars Pepper.

Basically, the family that owned Seven Star sold the place and opened up a new restaurant in Bellevue last year. The quality did not diminish because the chef decided to stay...

Recently, the chef has left for the Bellevue restaurant. The quality at Seven Star is not what it used to be. The food at the new place "Szechuan Chef" is at the level of Seven Star in its' prime.

Bellevue is a bit of a hike. I think it is worth it though.

15015 Main St.
Bellevue, WA
(425) 746-9008

I am in Seattle now. Had dinner last night at Matt's in the Market. They expanded last year, and it's over twice as big, but still very good. I sat at the bar, which wasn't crowded. I would recommend reservations, still, but I think you could walk in and be OK, if you go a bit later in the evening.

AM coffee at Le Pichet. They were busy and someone was out sick, so service was slow, and they comped my coffee (and made me an Americano, because they were waiting for coffee to brew and it was faster, which they also comped).

We were in Seattle about a year and a half ago. Our two favorite meals from that trip were dinner at Union and lunch at LOLA. We did eat at one of Tom Douglas's other places, Etta's Seafood, and were not impressed.

http://www.unionseattle.com/

Went to Lark with 2 friends tonight. It was wonderful. I really liked the ricotta gnudi with lemon and peas and pea shoots. MMM. Wasn't thrilled with the mussels, though my friends liked them (too meaty for me, they had proscuitto, or something). Very nice cabbage stuffed with pork trotter and figs.

leek--pls pls pls go to Elliott's, have an oyster or two, and regale us with the stories...

The flats there are simply scrumptious.

vicariously yours,

Geo

for brunch right near the pier/market, i had THE BEST breakfast item I've ever consumed at Cafe Campagne...

Cafe Campagne
1600 Post Alley
Seattle, WA 98101

had the Oeufs en meurette ... absolutely fan-tas-tic. Poached eggs served over a garlic toast, then drizzled with a red wine foie gras reduction with bacon. It really was spectacular. After pouring through the wine list I decided to have a nice rose with this, don't recall what it was exactly, it was a darker complex rose, it paired really well. The dish was also served with fries, which were excellent when dipped in the foie gras reduction. it's been about 6 months and i still often lick my lips thinking about it.



(other than the eggs, started out with champagne sunrise cocktails which were good. started out with the pate, which was good as well. They only brought a tiny tiny piece of baguette, though. SO had a lamb burger, which was good but couldn't compare to the Ouefs). service could have been better, they got the French bistro service down well though ;p

they have a nice outdoor patio area that's great people watching... it appears to get busy so you might have to put your name in then wander for 15 or 20 minutes at the nearby shops.

Geo wrote:leek--pls pls pls go to Elliott's, have an oyster or two, and regale us with the stories...

Thanks for the inspiration, I did! I went during the basketball final game, and sat at the steel oyster bar (the pics of the guys shucking didn't turn out). I ordered a glass of Washington Sauvignon Blanc that was recommended to go with oysters. It was good, though I might have liked a little more minerality.



I didn't know what I wanted, so I ordered 6 Washington State oysters from the waitress. The guy shucking gave me my selection, but said that the Canadian were better, then he slipped me 2 Kusshi to try. Very nice! The plate comes with a mignonette sorbet, which was really good. I could have eaten some of that all by itself.

Later I had a small alder plank cooked piece of white salmon, it was also very tasty. For dessert the shuckers gave those of us at the bar more oysters. They had mistakenly shucked the wrong variety for someone at a table, and instead of just sending out the right ones, they took the wrong ones back. Their loss, our gain! I ended up having 11 oysters, and a very nice time.

In the summer, it must be great - they have outside seating right on the water.

Also needed to post this pic of Latte Art from Presse cafe on 12th Street across from Lark restaurant (very very good). It was dark, so the picture is a bit grainy:

In March 2003 I scheduled a business trip to Seattle concurrent with "Dining Around Seattle"- which enabled me to enjoy multi-course prix fixe luncheon and dinner for $15 and $25 respectively. I think this is still happening and is a great chance to try difference options. This was five years ago but both meals were excellent examples of the Seattle dining scene so I will offer them up.

The lunch was at The Barking Frog in Woodinville, WA - a short jaunt NE of downtown Seattle in the beautiful Willows Lodge setting. Very close to Chateau Ste. Michelle and other wineries so one could make a nice daytrip. Their menu included a garlic and potato based spring soup the depth of flavor I have yet to experience elsewhere. A double lamb chop entree with a pomegranate glaze, before this became fashionable, was cooked to (rare) perfection and was complemented by grilled seasonal root vegetables. For $15 I couldn't have done better!

http://www.willowslodge.com/culinary-barkingfrog.php

Dinner was at Flying Fish in the Belltown neighborhood. Think Bucktown with a little heavier coat of grime (at the time anyway) and with easy on-street parking! This is a smallish place with a neat old bar and at happy hour oysters were $.25 each. I had a dozen washed down with a local Sav Blanc whose label I can't recall. An excellent beginning. For my $25 I enjoyed a deliciously earthy carrot-beet soup, a huge chunk of ahi tuna seared and served with a pretty display of pickled ginger and wasabi, plus a starch that I cannot recall, and a ridiculously large piece of coconut cake for dessert! Thought this was five years back, friends who have dined more recently tell me Flying Fish is still an excellent option.

http://flyingfishrestaurant.com/history.html

Enjoy,
Davooda

leek wrote:Also needed to post this pic of Latte Art from Presse cafe

latte art seems to be trendy... there was a story on CNN the other day about it in fact.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/04/04/coffee.art/

Headed to Seattle this weekend:

Elliotts and Batali's Salumi place are both on the list.

ANy other suggestions? Have two meals to fill and will be there this weekend.

Be sure to go to Elliott's during happy hour, and by all means sit at the bar, so you can watch--and chat with--the guys doing the shucking. And, if you've never had one before, have a European flat/Belon oyster. They won't be on the happy hour special, but you'll be glad that you did.

Wander through the Market. At the south end, along one of the side passages, there's a terriyaki stand where the guy makes just terrific salmon sticks. Wouldn't hurt to try one of those.

Geo

Just got back and have lots to report.

Elliotts - Went here last night and was completely underwhelmed. Had the Dungeness crab which was no big deal. Had about 6 different types of oysters. I am not an oyster expert but some were good and some were fair. The guys I was with were oyster fanatics and said it was nothing special. The service was utterly terrible. Forgetting drinks, orders, condiments. You name it.

Clam chowder place in the market - Little spot that has about 8 chowders and has won a decent amount of awards. This was the food highlight of the trip. Had their traditional new england and it was fantastic.

Tried about 6 different coffee shops and will have to transfer our notes. But highlights were VIvacce and Victrola (spelling on both??). Bauhaus was also good and a great scene. Cafe Ladro, Monorail, Tullys and Specialty all were nothing special.

I was in Seattle recently and stumbled upon Skillet Street Food. I had a wonderful crab cake po boy and mushroom soup.

www.skilletstreetfood.com

“the concept”

We buy old Airstream Trailers, and outfit them so that they have a full commercial kitchen. We then go out to local office parks, events, farmers markets and provide impeccably executed and seasonably relevant bistro style food. Our market is people who really like food, and who appreciate food. Our goal is seattle first, the west coast/world second