Deborah

Thanks for letting us know that your website has changed--I've got the new one bookmarked. Beautiful cakes! You really are very talented!

Wow! Those look fabulous! How fun for the kids and adults too!

I miss Buongusto's on Queen Anne. Mostly for sentimental reasons--I used to go there for special occasions with my hubby(who was my boyfriend at the time) when I lived on Queen Anne. I loved the feel of the place--quiet and romantic and close to home.

Thank you! I've heard great things about them and plan on trying them on our next trip to Portland.

A friend of mine who recently moved to Hawaii from Washington still uses Italian Meringue Buttercream w/o problems. Due to humidity problems, I know she did have to change her gumpaste recipe and wants to try Albert Usters (sp?) fondant which is supposed to be less prone to moisture problems.

Oh man! Here I was looking forward to some fabulous pizza. Maybe you should go house hunting...or become President of the condo association and quickly vote in some changes?!!!!

Wow--that pizza looks fabulous! Hmmmmmm how about building one at your new house??? I'll bring dessert!

HOORAY!!!!!! Another place to try! We will give them a try and I'll post photo's and finding here. I am excited!

Hi Jeanne! Sorry, I just saw this thread. I'm in the same spot as you. I used to buy Bride to Be Wedding Cakes and Modern Wedding Cakes and Chocolates every year from Sugar Bouquets before she closed. I really miss her amazing products and there are many molds and lace presses that I wish I had-sigh. You can buy Bride to Be Wedding Cakes from www.earlenescakes.com. Go to her online store and look under books. She has the most recent issue which I believe is Volume #8. Can you please share the contact information on ordering the Modern Wedding Cakes and Chocolates? Thanks.

Well mine is a combination of gifts for Christmas and then my birthday(today the 27th): a couple of cake decorating books, gumpaste flower cutters, and some molds from the now closed SugarBouquets. So I'm very happy and wanting to play with all of my goodies! Gotta love new toys!

I would say no, but then we were there on a Saturday night. I suppose it would depend on your kids. It's tight quarters, not a lot of room for jumping around and such, and the decor typical Pike/Pine Corridor place... dark, funky, edgy. ~Anita ← Thanks Anita. Guess we will have to wait for a night when we have a sitter.

Quick question is this place child friendly? Since they don't do carry out I would need to take my children (Kindergarten and preschool age) and we would likely go early before the main dinner crowd. I really want to try them and my children do love pizza!

Hi Deborah! I use Pettinice brand fondant and it handles and tastes great. Personally, I would stay away from Wilton's fondant since I don't care for the taste of it. You really should try a practice cake to get a feel for the fondant. Once you get the hang of it, fondant is very easy to use and gives a beautiful porcelain smooth finish. As Jeanne mentioned make sure your icing underneath is smooth. I think the biggest problem most beginners have with fondant is pleats (folds) at the bottom of the cake. Here's how I avoid pleats. Once you have placed your fondant on top of your cake start smoothing it down the sides starting from the top and working your way down. If you notice you are going to have a pleat, gently lift and then cup the fondant down with your hand(as if you were gently fluffing the skirt of a dress). Continue to do this as you work your way down the side of the cake. This works really well for me and results in no pleats. Also, I would recommend purchasing some fondant smoothers to give a once over after the fondant is completely applied. HTH!

We went to Piecora's again this week and I thought the crust was better last time. The crust really reminds me of toasted french bread--somewhat dry, crunchy, and airy. Last time it had some of these qualities but still had some chew to it.

Well I decided to send Peter Reinhart, author of American Pie, My Search for the Perfect Pizza, an email and asked if he could enlighten me on the difference between NY Style Pizza and Neopolitan. Thank you again Peter for responding to my inquiry and for your willingness to share your response. Peter’s response: "Hi Deborah, I think of NY pizza as the kind you get at Ray's and all the pseudo-Rays--big slices, bready crust, lots of cheese and sauce--a meal in a slice. True Neapolitan, or Napoletana, is smaller, thin flopy crust, almost like ciabatta around the edges, not overly top heavy, and baked hot and fast. Neo-neapolitan, like Lombardi's and Totonno's is thin and crisp (but not cracker-like), charred on the edges, and irresistable when done right. We make our own distinctions when we give them such names and others might identify these styles differently. The pizzeria on the University of Wash. campus, I forget the name, is NY Style (and not bad). There's a new place in town doing authentic, DOC (certified) Napoletana pizza (I just blanked on the name but I'm sure you can find it). Nobody that I know of is doing true Neo-Neapolitan style in Seattle. Let me know if you find one. Hope this helps. Feel free to share this with others. Best Regards, Peter " So based on Peter’s response the NY Style pizza I had in NYC was more the Neo-Neapolitan style. So this opens the door on my quest!

elswinger looks like you've been busy eating pizza! Hi-Life looks good but wow that pizza from Pazzo's looks FABULOUS! I'll have to try it. I've had their calzones which are great but never their pizza. Thanks for the photos.

elswinger looks like you've been busy eating pizza! Hi-Life looks good but wow that pizza from Pazzo's looks FABULOUS! Thanks for the photos.

You know I'm not sure of the differences, if any, either. If someone knows I'd appreciate it. I'm not a fan of really loud places so I wonder if the dining experience is better on the weekdays. Wine in tumblers--ugh well at least it wasn't mason jars(never understood why anyone would serve a beverage in a jar)! Your pizza does sound really good. I am looking forward to trying their pizza but since they don't do carry out it will have to wait for now. Thanks for the review.

Thank you so much Really Nice for a great recommendation! Last night we ate at Fridas and the food and the service were both great! Here's what we had: Chips and salsa: These were not your standard fare. A trio of salsas was presented with the chips and a few slices of soft bread. A sweet fruit salsa, a spicy red salsa(YUM) and then a fabulous cream cheese salsa that was more of a spread. Appetizer: Camerones de coco (Coconut prawns). These were nice and big and had a great flavor to them. Served with a dipping sauce made with chipolte chiles, mayo and sour cream--oh it was so good. We happily scrapped up any left over sauce on to our tortilla chips. I could have had a larger platter of these for dinner and would have been in heaven. Entrees: Steak Fajitas for my husband. I had a bite and it was really good. Tortillas nice and soft and the meat was done to perfection. Chuletas de Bustamante for me: pieces of pork in a sauce made up of a trio of peppers(red, yello and green), white wine, olive oil, chiles, and onions. Flavor was really good although the pork was a tad tough. I also ordered one of the chicken tamales on the side and it was fabulous! Served in an open corn husk, It was moist and really flavorful and covered with an incredible creamy sauce. Fabulous! Dessert: Chocolate covered cream puff. Not bad. Not great. Drinks: Negro Modelo for my husband and a margarita for me which I only drank about 1/2 because it was really strong! Here's a link that has their menu for anyone who is interested. Frida's Menu I would absolutely go again and would recommend this place to others. I really liked the flavor of their dishes and the fact they everything had a bit of a kick (some heat) to it. Many other things I would want to try. So thanks again! Can't wait to try the other recommendations too!

Thanks for the recommendation! A few new places to try

Hey how did you know our drink choices! I read the review and it sounds really good. Thanks for the suggestion. I grew up in Tucson, Arizona and have yet to find really good Mexican food here. Thanks again!

Wohoo! My husband and I have childcare for a few hours tonight so we are going out for dinner! I have a craving for Mexican food...any good places that you recommend in either Bothell, Redmond, Woodinville, Kirkland or Bellevue? We need to stay Eastside because of traffic and we'd rather not travel too far so that we can relax and have plenty of time to eat. If there aren't any good Mexican restaurants any other suggestions. We like to go somewhere with moderately priced entrees ie $20 and under. Thanks!

Well the plan was my husband was going to get pizza from Via Tribunali tonight on his way home from school BUT they don't do take out. So if someone else goes please post pictures.

This years meal was a roast turkey with garlic, rosemary and prosciutto(yummy!). So besides several sandwiches I made a cheese tortellini with a cheese sauce and chopped up turkey and prosciutto and put in in the sauce and it was really good! Served with garlic bread and red wine. Ahhhhhhh post turkey day bliss!

Those look yummy!