LaurieA-B

Yes, I have used this crust for making the Chocolate Cream Pie in Baking Illustrated (the pie is fabulous). The headnote says they tried Famous Wafers, but "we didn't care for the flavor of these crusts unbaked and found them somewhat tough baked." With Oreos "we hoped that the creaminess of the centers would lend flavor and softness to the finished crust." It's extremely easy because you just pulverize the cookies in the food processor. These quantities are for a 9-inch pie shell.

It's not exactly the view you're looking for--the Supercuts across the street figures prominently--but I love sitting next to one of the big windows at Red Line (Denny and Summit) looking out over the Capitol Hill traffic and towards downtown. Red Line is my favorite coffeehouse on Capitol Hill, for many reasons, including the wonderful light-filled room.

Yes, the Godfather's space is finally getting filled, but not a restaurant: US Bank (the branch at Broadway and Olive is moving). Matthew learned today that the former Simply Thai space on Broadway will be the second location of Pho Cyclo, which sounded great in recent reviews.

Matthew and I enjoyed two pizzas at VT last week. I had dinner there with my sister in March; we shared a caprese salad and a Primavera, I think, pizza (tomatoes, mozz, arugula). Everything was very delicious. My sister has lived in Italy and she said it was very much like pizza she ate there, floppy in the middle, knife and fork. I'd never had pizza like that before and I thought it was delicious. Matthew and I shared the same pizza and one with salame. Both were good but the latter quite greasy; for me at least, lightweight toppings work best on this style of pizza. They now give takeout, which I think is appalling. How could this pizza not be inedible after even ten minutes out of the oven? While I think it is definitely NOT a good place to take kids (it's small, crowded, adult-oriented), evidently other parents judge differently as on both visits I was disappointed to run into small children. (I love small children, except when I'm having a rare adult evening out without my child.) I recommend NOT taking children there. Both dinners, we arrived between 5 and 5:30 and were seated immediately, but every table was filled soon after. We peeked in at the back room with the group table--gorgeous and definitely a fun place for a party.

Answering my own questions after a visit to TJ's last week: the Total with honey is $1.89 there. They also had larger containers of lowfat and regular Total. Along with a couple of honey, I bought the TJ brand Greek-style strawberry. It was good (not too sweet), but not great. It had a slightly gritty texture, not the amazing smoothness of Total, perhaps because of the strawberries. I also bought an Italian yogurt, Spega La Natura, lowfat Cinnamon and Ginger (they also had Mixed Berries). It was OK, but I wouldn't buy it again (unless I crave the cute little glass pots). The yogurt tasted very lowfat and there wasn't a strong ginger flavor. Iris now loves Total too. It's all my fault. At least she's not old enough to demand it by name (yet). Actually she eats yogurt for breakfast almost every morning: Brown Cow fullfat plain, with cinnamon and Gerber fruit puree (pear or peach) stirred in. It's very good.

Finally visited Cupcake Royale over the weekend, the Ballard location. I've eaten the cupcakes before; a year ago when I was home being a new mother, my mother-in-law brought CR to my door with an assortment from the Madrona bakery. And I've occasionally picked one up at Espresso Vivace. But for me it's all about seeing rows upon rows of frosted cupcakes, with sprinkles, and this visit satisfied that longing. I ended up with vanilla/lemon frosting, and it was delicious. As was discussed over on this thread, not everyone will like CR, but I think it's a great birthday party-style cupcake. At first I was a bit puzzled by the overhanging edges (I don't remember seeing that on other bakery cupcakes, like the infamous Magnolia Bakery version), but now I've come to enjoy the frosting:cake ratio of the edges. I'm such a pastry slut that we went to Cafe Besalu for croissants, then CR for a cupcake consumed later that day (and it's a good thing I had witnesses with me, or it would have been a cupcake there and one for the road). Cupcake Royale Oh, but this isn't just about CR. While checking the Grand Central Bakery website for info about their new location on Eastlake, I noted that Sunset named them "one of the five great cupcake shops in the Northwest." Does someone have the March issue to post what the other four are? I haven't tried GCB's cupcakes yet. I found the April issue, which recommended a spot called Cupcakes in Vancouver BC.

Picked up Total with strawberry at DeLaurenti's. It's good, of course, but I think I prefer the honey since it has a more exotic, distinctive flavor. How much does Total cost at TJ's? It's $2.99 at DeLaurenti's. And has anyone tried the strawberry Greek yogurt that was advertised in the last Fearless Flyer?

Who are these people who find Broadway intimidating? I walk it about six times a day, and have been hanging out on Broadway with my daughter since she was born. This "general perception" is just bizarre. I hope it's a good market for those near Madison. We'll definitely hit the new Broadway farmers market on Sundays, thought I expect we'll still go to U-District since it's a fun Saturday morning outing.

This issue is just out and if the restaurants seem familiar, perhaps it's because some names on the panel are familiar: Judy Amster, Matthew Amster-Burton, Jon Bonne, Bruce Burger... (did I miss anyone?) Cafe Lago gets some good press (Best Neighborhood Italian, best pizza second to Via Tribunali); congratulations to their pizza chef! A few other highlights, Best New: Lark, Best I-District: Seven Stars Pepper, Best Latino: La Carta de Oaxaca, Best French Fries: Frites.

DeLaurenti today had Total, the yogurt with honey and a container of just yogurt, each $2.99.

They are open Sundays; I was just there today. (Don and Joe's, the butcher, is closed on Sundays.) I've enjoyed the sandwiches too.

Iris and I visited the Capitol Hill "Winter Farmers Market" on Saturday. It moved to a new location, on 10th between Pike and Pine. There were more vendors than the last time I was there, but few farmers. That said, it was nice and didn't have that flea-market vibe, though there were several craft sellers there. I think there were a couple of stands selling apples etc., and one person selling bags of frozen berries. Several bakers (including Little Prague, the strudel lady). Most notably, several cheesemakers. I tasted some really good goat cheese and bought some delicious sheep cheese from a man whose sign said Les Fromages d'Anne-Marie. He had many regular customers picking up their favorites. Edit to add it's 11-3 on Saturdays, and continuing at that location at least through the end of March.

While this won't challenge your culinary skills, I have to tell you what pleased us girls most when I lived in a women's dorm: Rice Krispie Treats. The days when they were served at lunch, word quickly got around. Thanks for sharing your week with us.

Matthew and I were there too, arrived around 10:15. We were in the far room (not the one with the bar). Everything was good, particularly the oeufs en meurette.

The tea cozy--it's not a funny hat! Upton Tea Imports I can't link directly to the cosies, but look under Accessories-- Teapots. (I have a Chatsford teapot that is very nice too.)

Kitchen Basics is NOT out of business. It is newly remodeled and much nicer looking (less cluttered, more room to walk around, and generally more attractive). They continue to sell a large selection of Fiestaware, and various cooking utensils. I observed all this after enjoying a delicious brunch at Cafe Campagne this morning with Matthew.

pgtips, you ate there recently? How was your food?

That's funny, Matthew and I were just talking about our different view of New York pizza. We ate some fantastic pizza at the best places, but had a lot of crummy slices (including disgusting canned mushrooms) at the holes in the wall. None of the places we tried around Columbia, where we lived, were nearly as good as Pagliacci (our neighborhood spot in Seattle). (Though I know Matthew did return fairly often to that place on Broadway with the humorously huge slices; I'm blanking on the name right now.)

Apizza Scholls on Hawthorne I happened to read rave Chowhound reviews of this new restaurant, and when someone mentioned it's near JaCiva's, wondered, could it be in the former Compass Bistro space? A moment of research revealed that yes, 4741 SE Hawthorne was previously Surabaya, previously Compass World Bistro (originally named Compass Cafe). Why was I interested? Matthew and I were married inside the Compass Cafe in 1996. Apizza Scholls sounds great, and you can get LOW BBQ there on Monday evenings. Matthew's raved about LOW ever since he tasted it at the farmers market last summer.

Well, we took care of four slices for dinner tonight (Iris chewed on my crusts). I wasn't so sure when I saw how much stuff was on it--I was expecting a purer salami slice--but it was GREAT. My favorite topping was the fennel, really smooth and delicious. The Mama Lil's peppers were hot, the salami was peppery, and it came together as a delicious mouthful. I didn't think the ricotta added much, but it didn't detract either. Great work, pie-ers.

As Cameron said, it's really a different style of American Thai restaurant. But I like them both and they're both "authentic" in different ways. What may be pertinent for you, tighe, is that Noodle Boat is the one that's a family restaurant (there were little kids there, including girl chow's son on one visit, every time I ate there), while May is really for adults.

A co-worker asked about what I think is the Italian place that BH mentions here. Beach Cafe? She said that it closed very abruptly. She had been dining there for years, liked the food, liked the owner, and is curious about what happened. Anyone have details?

I think either Cafe Lago or Osteria La Spiga would be great for this group. I'm sure someone who's been to Lago more recently than me will speak up for it. La Spiga has delicious food for both the adventurous and non-adventurous, prices are reasonable, and they have tables that will seat seven.

When were you last here? A number of great new restaurants opened during 2004, so knowing when you visited and where you ate then would be helpful. For new places specifically you might also browse the Farewell and Welcome thread. A new (in the last year) place I would really like to try is La Carta de Oaxaca in Ballard (18 bus from downtown) and there are several other new restaurants in that neighborhood. I'm also longing to check out Via Tribunali on Capitol Hill.

I enjoyed cassoulet at an egulleter's home on New Year's Day, and so did my one-year-old daughter. Turns out cassoulet is ideal baby food. Tender, flavorful meats and soft beans. She's eaten beans and duck separately often during the last few months, and could hardly get enough of the cassoulet. So, if you have small children, cassoulet is the way to go. And while the baby wouldn't be ready to eat it yet, I think cassoulet or just duck confit would be an excellent food gift to new parents.