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Bread with corn baked into it sounds good and all, but I just finished reading about a bakery in Paris, where I'm off to tomorrow, that makes a bread with lardons (bacon) bacon baked into it. Dahlia needs to get on this one I think....

Kimo, thanks for the post, this sounds very intriguing. My only question is why hasn't girl chow, our south-end dining oracle told us about this place before?? Slacker! I will make an effort to get there sometime this fall.

You gotta admire a new eGulleteer that throws out a very inflammatory topic for their second post, congrat & welcome chadum... Althought I've talked plenty of smack about chain restaurants, the fact is that the issue usually gets argued from a bass-ackwards point of view, at least in my opinion. The idea that national chains, be they restaurants or retailers, "push out" local independent business is an economic fallacy. What pushes them out is local consumers deciding that low prices and large quantities are more important to them than higher quality and more interesting food. These chains are successful because of consumer tastes, nothing more, nothing less. All that being said, national chain doesn't necessarily equal bad food either. I've been known to eat at Claim Jumper from time to time (THE HOR-ROR!!) and the fact is that they have some things on their menu that are quite good, by any measure. Elsewhere on eG I know some have said that PF Changs offers some good things too, so I would probably be inclined to give it a try. With that, let the flogging of chain restaurants begin!!......

I'm surprised, but I think this is a testament to how much good sushi is now available in town at relatively modest prices. I used to go to Nikko from time to time before I found Nishino, but then never went back. I still think it is one of the coolest restaurant interiors in town.

I've been to one wedding in the Chinese Room and thought it was a cool space. I've also been to events at the top of the Columbia Tower, where the Chinese Room is not, which was also nice, but in a completely different way at a much higher price.

Thanks for the feedback, it may have sounded like I was looking for a comparison, but I realize that they are completely different animals. As it turns out, I'll be going to both on consecutive nights, so it should provide for an interesting contrast. Edit to add: does anyone have a particular favorite among the handful of traditional bistros in the 7th that are open on Monday nights? (Florimond, P'tit Troquet, Clos des Gourmets, Chez l'ami Jean, etc.)

The catering company Ravishing Radish now has a facility on Lake Union. I've had their food a few times and find it well above standard catered fare.

Not IF, it's WHEN you need linens....

Good news...I stayed up late last night and played the redial lottery and was able to get a reservation at L'Astrance for Sept. 3. I also found out that although every source I've seen says that they're closed Monday's only, it sounds like they're now closed on Sunday's as well. I have to say that I feel incredibly fortunate in that I haven't had even the slightest problem getting reservations at any place I've called. I even found out that Robuchon's L'Atelier takes reservations for the first seating at lunch and dinner despite their widely publisized 'no-reservation policy'.

Congrats on taking the plunge! You may want to get in touch with scrat as she was in the wedding planning biz in town for several years and has the 411 on many facilities and caterers. Of course you'll be wanting linens for the even....right??

I recently had dinner at Noodle Boat (NB), a restaurant in Issaquah that some Thai classmates of mine had recommended a couple of years ago. If you’d asked me before my visit to NB whether or not I liked Thai food, I would have said, “yes, I love it,” but the truth is it was a narrow and ignorant kind of love, based primarily on phad thai and the occasional curry dish. Believing that I might be about to experience the real thing and not wanting to miss it if I was, I asked mamster for a Thai cuisine tutorial. He responded with a thoughtful and thorough discussion of some particular dishes to look for, regional specialties that might be available and some notes on what the flavor profiles should be. I ended up boiling down this shared wisdom to “look for dishes with green papaya or mango, try the fried fish salad if they have it and get the people running the place to reveal what they like best on the menu.” (Sorry mamster, I know there was a lot more there, but my wee little brain can only reliably retain but so much information for immediate recall and application.) We started with Som Tam, a salad of green papaya (check), pickled (I think) green beans and tomatoes and peanuts with a dried shrimp/lime juice dressing. If green has a flavor, this is what I think it would taste like. Very fresh but sour at the same time; it would have benefited from more heat. This was a problem throughout the dinner actually. NB has a ‘four chili-pepper’ heat scale. I kept ordering three chilies (hot) and the waiter kept writing down two (medium). I couldn’t stop myself from imagining his inner dialogue as being, “you want the heat?, you can’t HANDLE the heat!” Our other starter was called Cotton Fish on the menu, although I’m sure there’s a Thai name for it. It was described as ‘deep-fried ground fish with mango salad (check, check). The fish was like a pillow or cloud of minute bits of deep-fried fish held together by a light batter. Airy, crispy with a powerful fish taste, but no discernable pieces of fish. By itself I think I could have only eaten a small amount of it because of the strong fish flavor, but the pungent mango salad wiped my palate clean after every bite, leaving me wanting more of the crispy fish to balance the astringency of the salad. As you can see, a potentially endless spiral (at least down to the bottom of the plate). For our two entrees we asked the waiter to tell us what two things off the menu he would order for himself. This took a little convincing that we were up for anything and the fact that we had ordered the Cotton Fish on our own seemed to carry some weight. We ended up with Phad Pan Sian, stir-fired beef with vegetables and lemon grass in a ‘special sauce’ and covered with deep-fried basil leaves plus Young Coconut Green Curry, chicken balls, shrimp, scallops, chicken and pork with young coconut, green beans, bell peppers and basil. The two dishes balanced each other nicely with the stir-fry being rich and savory while the curry was light and clean. Interestingly, the basil in them set off both dishes. In general, I’m not a big fan of coconut curries, but the young coconut has such a subtle flavor that it didn’t overwhelm the other ingredients. One benefit of the curry not being as hot as I might have liked was that the full flavor of it came through, certainly the best I’ve had. My saying that this was the best Thai food I’ve had lacks some gravitas given my opening statement, and I would really like to get the impressions of those who are well-versed in Thai food. I can confidently say that even for us city-folk, the trek to Issaquah to give NB a try is warranted.

Must be the Fat Guy discount. When my wife and I had a comparable tasting menu at West, it was, as Coop says, around $95 CDN. One of the truly great dining values I've ever experienced.

Recommending places that one hasn't been is often a mistake, but I've had a couple people tell me that Sans Souci in the Hyatt is quite good. As with Cafe Juanita, I'm not sure if it would qualify as "outrageously expensive" or not. The menu I have shows pasta dishes at the low end at about $14 up to rack of lamb at $28. If you go (or if anyone else has been for that matter) I'd love to hear how it was.

I like Vivace a lot, although I don't make it there as often as I should considering I work just down the street. If avatars ever come back, I may have to use one of their pictures for mine.

Let the trashing of Starbucks, SBC, Tully's and any other company with more than two locations begin!! I love coffee, but generally think the quality differences between various coffee shops and better restaurants is exagerated. I did have a killer cup of extremely bold coffee at Porta last time I was there. They have a coffee shop attached to the restaurant, so I assume its an in-house product.

I was curious about the rating because of how amazing the two dinners I had there were. The first time I went I had a seven course tasting menu that made me weep - literally. If there are enough other restaurants in Italy that are so good that Amorosa isn't really on the radar as far as ratings go, the I really need to spend a lot more time in Italy.... I appreciate you taking the time to check for me, marcus & Craig.

OK, so this sounds like a place that I'd really like to try, but I need to know the name?....please?....

If someone with the guide would be willing to indulge my curiosity, I'd love to know how the restaurant at Locanda dell'Amorosa (Le Coccole dell'Amorosa) was rated? It is without doubt the best restaurant I went to in Italy, but then again, my experience was quite limited. In general I think that ratings of restaurants can be useful if you also can gain some insight into the criteria that the raters are using. Otherwise, you have no way to know how well these ratings are likely to mesh with your own preferences. For example, I find Zagat's basically useless because it is a composite of a myriad of individuals applying a myriad of different criteria to their experiences.

The one time I had dinner at Dahlia in their new space I thought it was excellent. A velvety cauliflower soup, some crispy, porky pot stickers and homemade donuts stand out in my memory. Many PNW eG'ers are big fans of the bakery there.

If you look just a little ways down the board, there's an entire thread on 'Pierre Gagnaire vs. Guy Savoy', two obvious candidates.

No, not right, it means left....

I finally got my copy today, and here's the recommended places for andouillette and boudin (though not boudin noir specifically). Andouillette: Anjou-Normandie, 11th Les Bacchantes, 9th Le Ferme des Mathurins, 8th L'Opportun, 14th Le Passage, 11th Le Rubis, 1st La Taverne de L'Arbre Sec, 1st Le Vieux Bistro, 4th Terminus Balard, 15th Boudin: Aux Chapentiers, 6th Fermette du Sud-Ouest, 1st Le Rhone, 13th Chez Henri, 6th Chez Yvette, 15th Chez Prune, 10th In the final analysis, I have to say it was a grave mistake for me to purchase this book at this stage of the game. Don't get me wrong, its a great book but my already overly long list of places to consider has now officially passed the point of becoming rediculous.

When I lived in the CD, I sometimes shopped at the Red Apple Market on MLK. They carried every part of the pig that I could possibly imagine, so I'd be very surprised if they didn't have jows available. OK...so I just called them and they carry smoked hog jowls and can order fresh ones...

Yes Jamin, and a number of other well thought-of places, are close by. Le Pre Catelan, which I mentioned in my initial post, is in the middle of the Bois de Bologne. I've read a little about the M. Marmottan and will make a point of going. For being "out of the way" the 16th has quite a few interesting sights. I'm particularly looking forward to seeing Hector Guimarens' Art Nouveau buildings which are concentrated in the area around my hotel. I'm something of an architecture buff. I definitely plan on a written report, but not so sure about the photo part. I suspect the French would find it very gauche to photograph one's food at dinner, especially at the higher end places. Hell, many people in the US find it gauche for that matter....

I'm staying at a place called Hotel Exelmans in the 16th. I ended up there because of the air fare/hotel package I got a good deal on. It looks reasonably nice. I know its out of the way, but in some ways I like that...