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Highly recommended: Le Bistrot de Venice Calle de Fabbri 4685 30124 +39 041 523 66 51 Recommended: Alla Rivetta Castello 4625 Ponte San Provolo +39 041 528 7302

Address will be 117 Pine Street, near the Pike Place Market. http://www.penzeys.com/ I'm not sure if they are open now, or opening soon. I'm not in Seattle right now. Anyone seen the location?

Does anyone know what happened to Noodle King (on King between 5th and 6th in the I-District)? Is that guy throwin' noodles around somewhere else in Seattle?

Just had a nice sushi dinner at Damindra. Beautiful presentations and interesting texture and flavor combinations in their sushi rolls. Service was a little slow but very friendly.

Thanks for all the tips on Icelandic dining. After one week in the southern part of Iceland in 2009, I can recommend all lamb dishes, especially the smoked lamb called hangikjöti. Even in a sandwich from a gas station, it was excellent. The restaurant at Hotel Geysir had delicious food with a view of the hot springs. To sample Icelandic specialties in a relaxed environment in Reykjavik, try Islenski Barinn. Inspired by the financial meltdown of 2008 and the ensuing public backlash, they began making "back to basics", traditional Icelandic food. They have a basket of bar foods that is a great way to sample smoked lamb, lamb paté, smoked artic char and the famous fermented shark hákarl with a shot of brennivin snaps. The "in a jar" section of the menu has an interesting cured guillemot – not something you get to try everyday and prepared very well. When we were there, the mixed game three-way included a wonderful selection of reindeer meatball, and reindeer and puffin steaks. The flea market mentioned above was a good place to get smoked fish and the smoky Icelandic flatbread, which makes a nice sandwich to take on hikes. All supermarkets have the skyr mentioned above, which I loved.

Just got back from a fabulous Christmas week in Berlin. Thanks eGulleteers for great restaurant suggestions! Here are some updates: Tutun at Reinhardtstr. 19 is gone. (It's a Thai restaurant now). Cafe Einstein at Unter der Linden 42 had wonderful weiner schnitzel and goose breast, excellent house wine, and terrific service. Mao Thai at Wörther Strasse 30 was crowded on Christmas eve, with a festive atmosphere and excellent service. Good food, beautifully presented, but if you want it hot, specify scharf! Otherwise, it was not spicy at all. Oderquelle at Oderberger Strasse 27 was not as eccentric as I was expecting from the descriptions, but had nicely prepared German food and a fabulous "Emperor's pancake" dessert with vanilla and sour cherry sauce. Loved Monsieur Vuong at Schönhauser Str. 46. It was very crowded but we didn't have to wait. Fondue Chinoise Hot Pot at Kollwitz Str. 54 was another inexpensive, casual place with delightful food, although it took forever for them to deliver a few plates of chopped raw vegetables and raw sliced meat to our table. The chinese black mushrooms were worth the wait, though. Many restaurants were closed December 24-27. We called about eight non-hotel places for the 24th and found three that were open (Mao Thai, Hasir and Lutter & Wegner). If you go during Christmas, call around or try one of the hotel restaurants.

In the "seafood stalls" category, here is Mamster's review of Pike Street Fish Fry

I asked the staff and they said a second location of Samurai Ramen opens at 43rd and the Ave in late May. Yay. ← I'm crossing my fingers, too! But I heard "summer" as the opening time and when I went by last week, it looked nothing like a restaurant inside. Maybe they can pull it off in 16 days, though!

What's the minimum purchase for free delivery? That was what prevented me from using HomeGrocer (even though my sister was their comptroller and I owned stock). This is moot for me, because they don't deliver to Fremont; there is a pickup location that I can literally see from my apartment, but it is only for Google employees. What delivery option did you use? If you choose the predawn drop-off and you live in a secured building, do they just leave it outside the building? What if someone steals it before you wake up (a definite possibility in my neighborhood)?

I got in! They were open Saturday 4 Sept 2007 at noon. I think they are open 12-8 M-Sat but I'm not sure about Sun, and don't even try to check the website, flyers or call for info, it's no help at all. I don't know BBQ -- some southerner will have to go and give an expert review, but I had a tasty lunch for $10! Excellent succotash and coleslaw (non-cream, non-mayo version) and delicious pulled pork and brisket. They were perhaps a little dry (again, what do I know), but there were 4-5 different sauces to use, plus dozens of commercial hot sauces. They have beer. It's fun, casual, fast, close to Gasworks, if you want to get take out and go to the park.

Everytime I tried, they were closed. I gave up. Have you tried Pig Iron in Georgetown? ← I got the flyer, too. It said they are open until 10 pm, but when I went by at 9 one evening they were closed. I plan on trying on Saturday. I'll let you know if I get in!

Smoked eel is wonderful. If you know anyone going through the Copenhagen airport they can buy it for you vacuum-packed and customs-valid. Skip the small pieces and get a whole one. It might have the head, but it doesn't matter, it isn't disgusting, just comical. You can cut it into segments and freeze some for later Then, just peel off the skin and separate out the large bones. It makes good rolled sushi with chives and cucumber or egg. Chris

Do you drink coffee? You can get Starbucks in other states, but not Vivace! I've never been to The Herbfarm but it seems like a uniquely Northwest place.

I hadn't realized this, but I've found several news stories that confirm this. If people stop using margarine, it could be good for the danish butter industry!

The Danish Technical University has a website of nutritional information that will tell you the vitamin, mineral, carb, amino acid, fatty acid and caloric content of an impressive list of foods. It's got a bit of a scandinavian bias (10 kinds of herring, 6 kinds of beer) but you get data, variation and sources. It's amazing! Danish Technical University Food Composition Database Chris (I've been meaning to post this for awhile. Sorry if this isn't the correct forum or it's already been discussed.)

We had good service, but then my friend was holding an angelic, sleeping two-month infant, which seems to get us a little extra attention as long as the "angelic" lasts. I forgot to say I'm heartbroken about the Belgian Frites closing, but at least if we need frites and mayo at 1 a.m., Cafe Presse has them. We can roll the menu into a cone.

Has anyone mentioned Cafe Presse yet? It's delightful! All your favorites from Le Pichet, served all day until 2 a.m., in a comfortable, airy, friendly space.

Oooh, rugbrød! It's not available everywhere because here in Seattle, there's just one bakery that makes The Real Thing. I'm jealous! Also about the little cinnamon rolls. I wonder what brand the Ol was, because øl is just the word for beer. But you're right, most of them are like Carlsberg. I don't know why Denmark is known for exporting havarti, but I think the generic cheese in the grocery stores is kind of like it, but it is just called "cutting cheese" (doesn't mean the same thing there, I guess) or danish cheese, and in the cheese shops, they seem to just call it "old and "really old", depending on strength. Now I'm curious about the filmjölk and can't wait to try some next time I'm in the region. Tak for the report!

My swedish is of the "squint and think in funny german" variety, but I am pretty sure the paragraph at the top of the burger section says all burgers are "vegetariska" mince made from quorn. Oddly, it also says they are seasoned with smoked bacon for juiciness. ← I think a nötfarburgar is a regular ground beef burger. (Nöt is something about cattle.) I believe the first line under "famous burgers" is that any of them can be ordered as a vegetarian burger made, as Behemoth said, of grain (corn, quorn, I like the q and might just start spelling it that way all the time). And I assume they leave the bacon off the veggie burgers.... I've had people recommend Den Gronne Kaelder, Pilestræde 48 for vegetarian, but I've never been there. Spiseloppen and cafes inside Christiania have vegetarian dishes and nothing says authentic Copenhagen like Christiania. For authentic, inexpensive danish food, it might be best to have a picnic with take-out smørrebrød from a butcher or from a take-out place like Centrum Smørrebrød, Vesterbrogade 6. This time of year everyone is outdoors as much as possible along Langlinie or Amelienborg, or take the train north to the Louisiana Museum, which has a terrific outdoor sculpture park or south to Arken Museum, which is right on Ishøj strand (beach). Danes, as YKL said, eat a lot of pølser hot dogs from the street stands. For a real scandinavian experience, buy salty licorice from a kiosk or candy store. Blue Jeans is the gateway licorice; Super Piratos and Tyrkisk Peber are the hard stuff. If you like baked goodies, Reinh van Hauen has good bread and what I think are fairly traditional pastries. The Carlsberg brewery tour ends with free samples and is near Frederiksberg Have, a large public park with cafes/bars and take-out places along its perimeter, especially Smallegade and Vesterbrogade. Nørrebro Bryghus is a hot new brew pub, recommended for beer and for food, although it might be a bit expensive (pris fixe menu of 3 dishes for $60) but they have bar food for about $8-15 per plate. Other than that, the actual danes I know like to go out for sushi and french and thai and american burgers, so I guess that's the new authentic experience! Have fun, this is the best time of year to go!

Farewell, Beecher's cultured butter! (They don't make it anymore).

I'm not completely sad about this....it always smelled great outside that place! But the two times I ate there, I was disappointed. Anyone have any idea what is moving in? Was it another victim of Fremont Bridge construction? Chris

In the space of one week here in Denmark and Norway, I had sürstromming, the Swedish fermented herring mentioned earlier in this thread; rakørred, the Norwegian version, which is fermented trout; fried bee larvae; and smala hove, which is a Norwegian smoked-dried-boiled whole sheep head. Sürstromming smelled, literally, like s..., with the intensity level of dead skunk. The taste was pure salt, with the experience of having the smell right under your nose. Rakørred was much milder in smell, but this allowed the rotten taste to stand out, along with the slightly gluey texture. The bee larvae were not unpleasant, kind of like bitty soggy cheetoes, or those tiny fried shrimps that are mostly dough, with a little off-meat taste. The smallehoved tasted like very fatty bacon and was absolutely disgusting to look at and dissect, but a fabulous macho experience, if you want to play gustatory one-up-manship with your dining partner -- an eye for an eye, if you will. I wouldn't go out of my way to eat any of these again, but it was fun to share these experiences with other people! And what doesn't kill you makes you stronger, right? Chris

Please, say it's true! I live a few blocks from Peets in Fremont and I would be so happy to have a Baguette Box there! But I'm out of town and I can't quite tell from Google Earth what is at this address. Is it replacing that little home furnishings store just west of Peet's? Or elbowing aside a few bike racks at PCC? Chris

it's a chain, and not a very good one. i ← Thanks for the warning, cupcakequeen. I have to admit the logo reminded me uncomfortably of the King's Table buffet my grandparents took us to when we were little, because it was all-you-can-eat and gave a solid senior discount. I have happy memories of King's Table, but it's probably not the image Six Tables is going for...

Has anyone heard of Six Tables, in Kirkland? It appears to have, literally, six tables, and only one seating each night. There's a very traditional prix fixe menu (chateaubriand, rack of lamb) in the window, but with no "prix". The owner is Cameron Kee. It's close to my sister and brother-in-law's house, so it might make a special gift for them, if the food is nice and the cost not astronomical. Anyone know about it? Chris