mamster

Noodle Boat was so good I forgot about that other place.

That yeast batter sounds intriguing, Andy. Ever since I started making yeast waffles my default, I've been wanting to put yeast in everything. Does it make an especially light batter?

No pressure or anything, tighe.

The place opens at 6. I've occasionally rolled out of bed early and made it to the Capitol Hill Top Pot before 7, when you find serious coffee drinkers and fresh donuts.

Toasted coconut on top sounds delicious, especially if you find the rice pudding by itself too pablum-like. I have no problem shoveling down coconut sticky rice in mass quantities, but I know some people are looking for a little more texture.

Even if you can get good mangoes, try the peaches anyway--it rocks. "Sweet Christmas tree" sounds like an expletive. "Sweet Christmas tree this is some tasty corn on the cob, Myrtle!"

I often buy frozen duck legs at a local fish and poultry shop. You can give them a spice rub before putting them in the fridge to thaw (or thaw them fast in a bowl of water), and then braise them. Make a pasta sauce, soup, stew, or broil and crisp the skin. Heavenly, and often cheaper than chicken thighs.

Nice end to that story, Scorched. And Feaster, I wasn't really complaining about the wait--everyone there was in a good mood and it was fun. There was even a woman who said she didn't work there giving out donut samples.

I have been to Top Pot HQ and back. I started calling around 9:30 but just got the message that they would be opening "late morning". So at around ten I got bored and walked down. It was open, and there was a hell of a crowd. The line wasn't out the door, but it filled the downstairs space, and it was about a 45 minute wait for donuts. The space is gorgeous. One of the least likable things about the major chains is their art direction. There are some Starbucks and Tully's locations that I like, but for the most part they're the coffeehouse equivalent of Helvetica: plain, boring, seen it all before. The Zeitgeist folks understand that chain-wide design schemes are not incompatible with good design, and what they've come up with is something ironic, hip, and retro without the theme park feel. Maybe this will get old when they open six more locations, but for now these are among the most comfortable coffee spaces in town. The new HQ benefits from the huge sloping curtain wall in front and a balcony seating level set back over part of the kitchen. The kitchen itself gleams. I'd like to see them put in a couch upstairs, but then they'd never get rid of me. Anyway, I got some bizarrely shaped raised donut (a new product, shaped like something I couldn't recognize) and a double macchiato. The barista was talented, and all of the china is, of course, Zeitgeist-branded. I forgot to bring my camera, but something tells me there won't be a shortage of photos of the place. This is the last time I am waiting 45 minutes for donuts, though.

I drove by yesterday evening and the place was lit up and looked like a donut oasis in the Belltown wilderness. I can hardly wait for tomorrow morning, which is a little weird since it's not like I haven't already consumed several dozen of the donuts.

Misery loves company.

He did?

NE Broadway or SW Broadway? Does anyone know if this is the same as the Noodlehead that was owned by the Casa U Betcha people? Because if it's back, hell, I'm moving to Portland.

I will definitely be there Friday morning to bring you the scoop.

Jason, a journalistic "Aw yeeeah" to that.

Nice photo! This place is totally going become my standard downtown meeting spot.

Laurie and I had dinner at Noodle Boat yesterday after a tour of some of King County's best public libraries (if you had a librarian in the family, you would enjoy this too). I noticed on the way in that the place has a characteristic laid-back feel that reminded me a little bit of Thailand. We ordered three dishes: the cottonfish that tighe describes, hor mok (red curry with egg) with pork, and we went off-menu at Laurie's suggestion and got yam woon sen, which is glass noodle salad. One of the treats (usually) of yam woon sen is that everybody puts a different combination of stuff in it, and here it was shrimp, scallops, squid, dried shrimp, onion, and lettuce. It was a great salad. I think this is the first time I've had scallops in an Asian restaurant that were not overcooked. (The squid was rubbery, the shrimp right on.) We asked for everything Thai-spicy and basically got it. I love that Noodle Boat spices things with a mix of sliced fresh green and red chiles and dried chile flakes--overuse of dried chiles is one of the things that annoys me about Thai-American restaurants. The hor mok was not exactly what I expected, but the fact that it had a choice of meat tipped me off. Generally speaking, hor mok is a curry custard--you make curry, beat in eggs and cooked fish, and steam it until mousselike, wrapped in banana leaves. There's a slightly blurry picture of hor mok at this Thai restaurant site (in the upper-left under where it says Salathai). This was just a good red curry with bits of egg and pork. Finally, the cottonfish, which was problematic but promising. This is a version of a very popular Thai salad called yam pla doog foo, which is usually translated as "fluffy catfish salad". I'm not sure what fish they use at Noodle Boat, but I'd be surprised if they were actually using the fish known in Thailand as cottonfish, since it's only imported whole and frozen and is not usually served this way in Thailand. Anyway, they've really nailed the fish--as you describe it, tighe, and as it was served to us, that's exactly the way it's supposed to be. The problem was with the mango: the mango they're serving is way too ripe. When I go back I'll ask about this--maybe people complained about the unripe mango, but it's supposed to be served with slivered green mango, tart and slightly crunchy. We were awfully tempted by that young coconut green curry and will definitely try it next time. Overall, quibbles aside, this was easily the most authentic Thai meal I've had in a restaurant outside Thailand. This wasn't a function of any particular dish, but the attention to spicing and flavor balance was intense. If any of the rest of you want to check it out, I'd be happy to come along and, y'know, help out.

Beurre manie is cool, but you have to be careful with it. If you cook it more than very briefly it takes on a raw-flour taste, and it's easy to overdo it, whereas if you put in a little too much plain butter, what's the harm?

I've seen him quoted as saying he takes small tastes.

Nancy Leson throws fuel on the fire.

I'm the sumac daddy, but I'm no chef. The TJ's lamb was not nearly as good as the Costco rack of lamb, and I think the price is about the same. It was fatty and the chine bone wasn't completely removed, so I had to use the cleaver to cut it into chops. Stick with the Costco.

Definitely winter. I always look forward to the January issues of the food magazines, because they will have covers with things like braised short ribs and greens and all the other wintry things I like but usually can't get away with making in the summer.

I am currently eating leftover Thai pork and rice salad for breakfast. I'm willing to eat anything but am usually too lazy in the morning, so it's leftovers, or cereal, or waffles if I made the batter the night before.

Working with onions is the best thing about cooking. When in doubt, substitute an onion. See the table below: If the recipe calls for / Substitute =========================== Potato / onion celery / green onion peach / shallot beef / onion foie gras / onion salt / onion

Now I want to get engaged too! I'm making Trader Joe's rack of lamb tonight. Since Laurie and I have never been to Mistral, I will serve it up and say, "Yeah, I hear this is better than that guy Chef William can make," and she'll be like, "Uh-huh."