ScorchedPalate

I think we could get there by 6:30. Thanks for setting this up, Laurel. ~A

Oh man! 1) I never got there 2) I have a restaurant.com gift certificate that I bought for them. Sheesh. ~A

Cam and I would be interested, but 6pm is pretty early for us on a weeknight. (We both work on the eastside.) ~Anita

We visited there last night after a movie at the Majestic Bay. From 4 to 6pm and 10pm to 1am, there's about a dozen $4 Happy Hour food items. Some are a better value (vs the regular menu prices) than others. The food was just OK, and the service was crappy. OTOH, if you think of it as a bar that just happens to serve food (rather than a restaurant), they're doing pretty well. ~A

There wasn't a single drink on the menu that I wouldn't have tried. The mojito float -- which was my second-round choice -- has a scoop of Mojito sorbet in it; it's a different drink with the popsicle (raspberry vodka, soda water, and an orange popsicle, to be precise).

Our previous HotPot discussions were actually part of the Lo Sichuan thread. Sorry we'll miss out on yet another eG gathering. We'll be in London pestering our newborn niece and eating pig-parts at St John. ~Anita

We went to Cascadia last night for drinks with friends. They don't offer half-off their regular bar-food menu, but they do have mini-burgers for $1 ($0.50 more for cheese) and cones of calamari for $2, plus deep discounts on well drinks and their signature alpine martini (lemon vodka with douglas fir sorbet). ~A

Can't say as I am terribly surprised. Buena Vista is the new venture from Maritza Texeira, the chef who brought us the disaster-that-was Gitano, in the Madison Valley space that is now Voila! ~A

We took a friend there a few weeks ago for dinner, since they'd sent us a $50 coupon in the mail, so we figured we wouldn't have much to lose. I wish! The place was a tomb... two other occupied tables full in the place, one of which was a drunk and obnoxious group. And this was a Thursday night! Not a single bottle of wine on the list for under $50, and nothing worth drinking under $75 (mmm, supermarket wine with a 500% markup...) Steak was fine, sides were exactly as you'd expect, and service -- including the bizarre dog-and-pony show Tighe mentions -- was mechanical in the extreme. I kept thinking there was a teleprompter above my head that the waitron was reading. The prices, even for a steakhouse, seemd outrageous. I definitely wouldn't return. You can get a much better steak dinner at any number of other local places. It was an icky chain-restaurant experience from beginning to end. ~A

Alas, we'll be in England from July 1 through 10, so we can't join you for HotPot or Mexican (two of our favorite meals). Sorry we'll miss ya.

Anyone know what kaas is? I searched on google and only got a bunch of people named kaas and some dutch sites. kaas is dutch for cheese. kaaskroket(en) are dutch/flemish cheese fritter(s)... think fried mozzerella but a lot yummier. ~A

We gave this a whirl on Sunday. It is a deal, and the food is decent. Not amazing, mind you, but good enough for $7.25, no question. As always at Galerias, the service was aloof and inattentive, so if you're one of those people who needs constant refills on coffee (Cam) or water (me), you may be disappointed. Maybe we should start a Mexican breakfast thread. ~A

Ew, that's bad. I hope this isn't another instance of "chef torpedoes a venerable Cap Hill favorite while launching his newest venture."

Penelope's article quotes the owner's email as saying "It is a sad and painful message when I tell you that the lack of patronage at Bandol will cause suppliers and creditors to force the closure of Cassis Bistro as well." I'm not a CPA (nor, thankfully, do I play one on TV), but I can't understand why Jef Fike didn't set up the two restuarants as separate corporations, to protect Cassis. Restaurant failures aren't exactly unheard-of events, especially in pricey downtown locales. I'm also a little confused about the sadness over Bandol's demise... it seemed inevitable given the mixed (at best) reviews I'd heard. Didn't an eG crew try the place on a couple of occasions and find it severely lacking? I seem to recall LaurieA-B specifically calling it a "superdud." I'm truly sad about Cassis, even more so because I fear its closure was a preventable catastrophe. ~A

More details Nancy Leson's column this week: The place is owned by Mick McHugh, the impresario who brought you the culinary wastelands of TS McHughs and FX McRory's. What a shame.

Nancy Leson's column this week insinuated that they're under financial duress. I can't say I'm surprised -- the last few times we've gone, we've been one of a handful of parties there -- but I am very sad. ~A

Went by Vlaamse Frites tonight and had a small (erp!) with fritesaus. The people and place were gezellig (convivial) and the frites were lekker (yummy). They even had all the all the requisite equipment, inclusing the little gizmo for shaking the frites with the salt. The one saus they didn't have -- unless I missed it, which was totally plausible as their signage leaves a bit to be desired -- was the old fave, peanut... a necessary part of the traditional A'dam frites-mayo-peanut hangover cure. And yes, it is a total pain in the butt to find. If I hadn't known it was next to Neumo's, I might never have found it, even knowing which intersection it was. ~A

Cyndy's being a particularly fine example.

Two new news bits from the weekend: According to signs in the window, Grady's Grillhouse on 24th/Montlake (next door to Cafe Lago) has been sold to the owners of the Madrona Alehouse & Eatery, and should reopen in 6-8 weeks as the Montlake Alehouse. The old owner apparently was ready to retire. We saw the old pull-tab bins on the street with a big "FREE" sign, so presumably they're going family-friendly -- no shock to those who know the Madrona sibling (aka Romper Room). An "Irish bistro" called Maguire's is coming to 15th Ave between Thomas and Harrison. No menu posted yet, but the sign went up this weekend. ~Anita

Tony Bourdain started a thread about frozen sushi-fish in the Food Media & News forum not so long ago. If memory of this thread serves me right, sushi-fish purveyors have special freezers that bring the fish down to temperature very, very fast, thus eliminating the usual problems associated with frozen proteins. It's apparently done primarily to kill off parasites, but (most) bacteria are also eliminated. ~A

Whoa.. I hope the prices come down by the weekend. ~A

I do think the one on Madison is an exception. Jae (the executive chef of the chainlet) is usually in residence, and even when he's not, Ken (his sous chef) holds down the fort. The only bad sushi chef there is the younger woman. That said, there's nothing there -- not even the potstickers -- that I would recommend off the non-sushi menu. And I also think you don't get anywhere near the quality of sushi at the tables as you do at the bar (a phenomenon I've noticed all over Seattle). <edited for a bizarre typo>

Actually, Palace Kitchen (a Tom Douglas joint) has many entrees within the $15-$20 range. They also have an amazing selection of small plates that we often combine to make a meal. Etta's also has more than half their entrees priced under $20. I personally would stay away from the dining room at Brasa; see the 25 for $25 thread for a write-up of our recent visit. The bar is supposed to be better. Other restuarants that might suit your needs: Cafe Lago for great wood-fired pizza and pasta; and Salumi for lunch (not quiet but worth it.. or take your goodies to go and eat them al fresco). Or, if you're feeling a wee bit adventurous, Lo Sichuan and/or its neighbor, Seven Stars Pepper. ~Anita

Personally, I wouldn't bother with Ototo. We've eaten there a couple of times, and thought that the prices were high for what you got, quality, freshness, and quantity-wise. The fish isn't any better than at Chiso or Chinoise on Madison, but their pretensions are loftier, and you pay for that.

We've bought our CRS at Central Market in the past, and were very happy with the price and the quality. We'll probably head to Mutual Fish this year, now that we're closer. ~A