tighe

Really?!?! Isn't it named after Julius Ceasar??

Did it list an actual date? (As in, when is "next month"? That's like small shops saying "back in 15 minutes" but you have no clue when they posted it! And 15 minutes can be a lot longer...) Seems like progress hasn't happened in a long time - I was wondering if they gave up after Bandol quit? ← It actually said 'December', and there was another sign out saying that they were hiring for all positions. The bartender at Collins also said she understood they would be opening in December. It does seem like it's been a work in progress for quite a while.

I went to Collins Pub the other night (great burger with boursin and sauteed morels) and noticed that the Ibiza Dinner Club next door has a sign out saying they're opening next month. Peered through a hole in the obligatory brown paper, cool space though there's still a lot of work to be done. Stupid question: does anyone know if this place is going to be Spanish? For those who don't know, both are located on 2nd Ave in the building next to the Smith Tower. Hopefully their luck (or planning) will be better than Bandol's (space still vacant, BTW).

La Spiga at Broadway & Union is a good option for authentic Italian food.

Uhhhh, what exactly does that shirt that Margaret is holding up say!?!?!

So did anyone go out with Tony afterwards?...

Mad Pizza has gone into quality free-fall. Five or six years ago, I liked their pizza quite a bit, then a couple years ago it was not as good but still OK for a quick cheap lunch near my office, now it inhabits the 5th circle of hell and I'm not going back. I should amend my original Pags rant to say that it is certainly better than the current state of Mad Pizza.

Actually I would guess that WELL over half of Seattleites have absolutely no idea who Scott Carsberg is.... Everything I've heard of late is that he's toned way down in the last few years...

Yes, it's a 6-course menu, Sunday thru Thursday....

Uh, well, ya see what happened was..., well... OK, so I really haven't liked Pagliacci the couple times I've had it over the past few years, but since there aren't any near where I live, I can't say I've given it a truly fair shot either. Some of it is probably personal taste, since, unlike elswinger, I do like the "Greek style" of pizza and count Pegasus and Olympia among my favs. If anyone is looking for delivery pizza in the south end, I've recently discovered Pizza Gallery in Burien which I like a lot. Definitely more along the lines of Pegasus rather than Pagliacci style-wise. My other standard rec for pizza is Stellar Pizza in Georgetown. Careful, their tomato sauce is spicy...

I really don't want to start a Pagliacci's flame war here, but maybe you (or another fan) could explain to me what the appeal is? I used to eat it when I was in high school because it was convenient and I didn't know any better. It is hands-down the worst non-national chain pizza I've eaten in the last few years. I find the crust particularly offensive.

I've walked by this place a few times and it looks like it's going to be nice. I'm bummed that they're not open for lunch.

Probably for the same reason that someone like Robuchon and many other French chefs are trying to incorporate Asian techniques and flavors into their cuisine.

There are a couple shops in the Great Wall Mall in Renton/Kent (near Ikea) that carry a selection of inexpensive Asian wares, including teapots. It might be worth the trip and you can always have lunch or dinner at Imperial Garden while you're down there.

This weekend my wife and I joined the throng of Americans heading north in search of flu shots. We toyed with the idea of making it an overnight trip to Vancouver, or at least staying for dinner, however the logistics of either, with a 3-month-old in tow, seemed too daunting. Despite my fears of interminable waits, getting the flu shot was a non-event: ten minutes at a small travel clinic in White Rock and we were on our way, and it was lunchtime. The nurse said there were many lunch options along the “beach” so we headed that direction to peruse. The restaurant that caught my eye first was Pearl, a contemporary, bistro-y looking place with a tasty sounding menu. As with so many restaurants, the most tantalizing options were the starters, so we settled on a selection of four to make up a nice light meal. The first was a dozen oysters, six Kumamotos and six whose name I’m forgetting, but that came from Cortes Island. Both were sparkling fresh and provided an interesting contrast. Kumamotos were creamy and mild while the other were briny in extremis, I loved both. The other three dishes arrive together. The best of the other three was called a ‘Black and White Bowl; a mix of mussels and clams in the one of those sauces that just kills you. Tossed with a generous amount of chorizo and artichoke hearts, then finished with cream, this one had us polishing the bowl with bread. It was impossible to divine the exact ingredients of the sauce, all our server would let on is that it included cranberry and orange juice, yet it tasted of neither. Ever so lightly breaded, the calamari had a quality similar to sautéed squid instead of the ubiquitous crispy version. To a great extent, the ‘breading’ consisted of dill, which harmonized with the creamy tzaziki sauce served on the side. Lastly, and least successfully, were roasted tomatoes with brie and pancetta. There was an inadequate amount of pancetta to balance of the sweetness of the tomatoes and the brie, instead of providing needed creaminess, were two disks of nearly burnt cheese on top of the tomatoes. Only open six months, Pearl is quite a find in my book; I don’t foresee passing White Rock without a visit and next time I stay at Semiahmoo, it will be great to have another quality dining option. I liked White Rock quite a bit and among the array of restaurants along the waterfront, there were a handful that intrigued me.

I don't think non-seafood eaters would do particularly well at Matt's....

If your brother likes French, Maximilien would be a good choice. All the hotel restaurants (727 Pine, Brasserie Margaux, Earth & Ocean, etc.) would also be open.

Why were they closed? I haven't been in ages, but I loved Sostanza for a long time.

Union x 4

The folks at Union have said they'll be doing a 6 (or 5?) course menu for $25 this time around.

Thanks for the report YYG, always good to get south end news (girl chow has been slacking off recently if you ask me ). Do you think this is a place where one could show up with a baby in tow?

FWIW, there was a pretty good discussion of Tutta Bella here, some of it not positive.

I like Piecora's on Capital Hill, but I've heard varying accounts of how it measures up to the real thing.

I don't know if its any more or less reliable, but Cityvox provides a list of completely non-smoking restaurants in Paris.

The chef at Pre Catelan, Frederic Anton, is a former pupil of Robuchon and unless he's left, I don't imaging the food has changed significantly. I read many conflicting reviews before my trip and after my meal there concluded that those who panned it were probably looking for food that is more inventive and complex. I'm something of a fan of simple food done very well, so it worked for me. The dish that stands out most clearly for me, maybe out of my whole time in Paris, was a large single, perfect, thick slice of tomato dressed with vanilla caviar, lime zest and walnut oil. The cheese cart at Pre Catelan is epic. As for other places, people I know who've been to Le Meurice recently are consistent in their praise or you might consider Astrance, though I wouldn't consider it particularly 'romantic'.