kieran

As far as I know, her recipes are only available in blog form rather than in print, but I really like the voice of fellow Seattleite Molly at orangette. Both the cooking and the writing share center stage. I don't actually know her, but I feel like I do. Her narrative approach to food and cooking really works for me. (And Molly, if you're reading this, you ought to assemble some of your greatest hits for a print volume! I think it would be really successful.)

A bona fide bread and bagel snob, I grew up a a heartbeat from NYC and I was a convert to Montreal bagels the first time I tried them. I firmly believe that Montreal is the best bagel city in the world. You're not going to find anything nearly as good here. That being said, the best I've found around here is the place on 15th in Capitol Hill. But honestly, I've just gotten used to living without bagels in Seattle unless I make them myself (and that's more work than I usually want). It's sad, but what I lack in bagels I make up for in sushi.

Where is this new food court of which you speak? I've flown a couple of times in the last month, but I must have been flying out of the wrong terminal, as I haven't spotted it. Waiting in various airports recently, I started wondering why more airports don't provide better options for food. I understand why there's a customer base that will always support McDonalds, etc, but I think there's room for a good vendor to do really well. Even if you look at big fast-food franchises, I'm mystified why more of the better ones aren't really present at airports. Think how well a Baja Fresh could do, for instance.

Okay, people. it's settled. Husband and I are finally going to try Le Pichet in the very near-term future. Will report back. Should we make a reservation?

Oh man, the Broadway Grill is to be avoided on all accounts. The food is horrible and I find the ambience very unpleasant. We used to play bar trivia there once a week, but stopped because we couldn't countenance eating there on such a regular basis. It wasn't just that the food tasted bad. We had serious reservations about the sanitation practices of their kitchen based on some of the unexpected organic matter multiple friends of ours found in their food.

Where else is on your list to try? I'm not a big eggs benedict afficianado, but I'm partial to the way they make it at Glo's -- I really like the way they do the hollandaise. I really like these exhaustive searches for the best burgers/eggs/pizza whatever that people around these parts engage in. It makes for some tasty reading (to say nothing of eating)!

I second this suggestion. My sister and friends had my bridal shower there a few weeks ago and it was great. We did a small plates tasting menu with each course (there were five) paired with wine. I'd actually only eaten there once before, about three and a half years ago when I first moved to Seattle. At the time I thought it was good, but not great. Well, the bridal shower menu (both food and wine) was great. Everything about the experience was positive. On another note, if you're not wedded to Italian, you might consider Vios. We took about 12 people there on my wedding weekend itself this past weekend and we had a terrific time. Nice selection, including options for vegetarians and pescatarians, really good food. And I love the decor in that place. [edited to add Vios rec]

I'd move Elizabeth's to breakfast rather than lunch -- the lines can get very long if you don't get there early. The day I ate at Elizabeth's for breakfast and Jacques-Imo's for dinner (didn't need lunch!) may be the single best eating day of my life. Two meals in my top ten ever. Commander's Palace is IMO overrated. Have a great time!

We finally tried A New York Pizza Place on Sunday night, the place in Roosevelt at 83rd and 5th. We ordered the Mickey Mantle, which has pepperoni, sausage, red onion, and olives. All in all I was pretty impressed. Loved the crust, which I think is the most authentically New York of any place's I've tried in the area. I think that next time -- and there will definitely be a next time -- I'll order something with fewer toppings, as the toppings were spread with a bit of a heavy hand for my taste (but for some people, this would be an asset, as people's preferences really vary on this and I've had great pizza that's heavy on toppings and great pizza that's light on toppings). The pizza had just the right grease factor, neither too much nor too little. When we were there around 7 on a Sunday night the place was pretty quiet. I enjoyed the divey neighborhood feel of the place -- not an ambience-heavy meal out, but it had the laid back style I associate with grabbing a pizza. Seems like it could be a chill place to watch a baseball game and have a pie and a drink with friends. We'll be returning for further investigation soon.

Okay, so basically all of us were there at 4:00, and no one said hi! Must have been too busy with those meatballs.

So who went to this Mario cookfest/book signing today? Fiance and I head over for the 4:00 slot with a couple of friends. The cramped quarters of Salumi didn't exactly work for how they had it set up -- which was a standing room only grazing arrangement -- but the food was darn good. Highlights included bruchetta with goat cheese, basil, and salumi; turkey meatballs in ragu; this fava bean and chicory side dish that was both light and savory; a very flavorful sausage and broccoli rabe dish; and finally, this moist anise biscotti-like cookie that was both light and decadent at the same time. All washed down with some lovely Masi. I wish we'd brought the camera, because this food was beautiful. As part of the event everyone received Mario's new cookbook autographed, which he was willing to personalize for anyone interested. I chatted with him for a few minutes about the question I asked him when he did his online chat on egullet a few months back about where besides Salumi he likes to eat when he visits his family in Seattle. He looked wiped out -- book tours and cooking nonstop must take their toll -- but he was very gracious and friendly and willing to chat about his food. All in all it was a wonderful event even given the cramped quarters, well worth the price of admission. For the two friends that went with us it was their first visit to Salumi, and they'll definitely be back. Did anyone else go? What did you think?

Is this the Japanese place that's there now? The fusion thing is interesting, and it's part of what caused me to ask the initial question (and the reflections on Seattle food history are interesting too!). My theory is that the places that endure are those places that either don't buy into trends and just serve good, classically prepared food or the places that are really good at keeping a finger on the pulse of trend and rolling with the punches. And I bet more of the former endure than the latter.

Whoa, there was a Dairy Queen on Broadway? Where was it?

I've only been in Seattle for a few years, so I wanted other people's take on this. We've got a thread on restaurant openings and closings, which started me thinking about longer-term trends in the area. What used to be around that you really miss? Restaurants, vendors, whatever. Places come and go -- it's just the way of things -- but what do you wish were still around? I'll start. I wish the Blue Onion Bistro were still around in its original incarnation. That was some darn good comfort food. Others?

Unfortunately, these aren't even close to Pasion!, which is really, really wonderful. I was fortunate to eat there a number of times when I lived in Philly. I haven't found any comparable ceviche here yet, but there must be some. Maybe someplace featuring it as a semi-regular special, so that Amazon's menu search wouldn't pick it up?

This is a great articulation of how I feel about pizza that's not from the area where I grew up (right outside NYC). Occasionally I find myself craving Chicago-style deep dish, but for me it's a craving unto itself and it's separate from what I consider a pizza craving. Good deep dish is damn good in its own right, but for me, it's not pizza. Because pizza is the best exemplar of the pizza I grew up with, which is NYC-Philly pizza.

Finally made it in to try this place this week. We went on Wednesday night around 7:30 without a reservation and waited about 30 minutes to sit down. Place is getting a lot of buzz! Obligatory complaint first: as some others have noted, the pizza was darn near impossible to cut with the knives we were given. It was a but of a nuisance. My dining partner and I started with the house salad, which was tasty and not overdressed in the way that a lot of restaurant salads tend to be. I had the quattro stagioni and my friend had the prosciutto and funghi. They were both good but I think hers was better. There are a few others on the menu that I'd like to go back and try. All in all the place was good but didn't blow me away. It's definitely a place to which I'll return if I'm in the neighborhood to see a band or something, but I don't know that I'll seek it out as a destination in itself. For my money I'd rather go to Cafe Lago. (I know it's apples and oranges, but they satsify the same kind of craving for me.)

And???? ← Ha! I said yes. I think his ulterior motive in asking me at Nishino was ensuring that we have to go back there regularly to celebrate. Now I just need to figure out where to have the wedding...

Wow, this is definitely more than I bargained for when I asked the question. Congratulations, and definitely let us know how it's going as you dive in! Related: I like the notion of skipping mediocre, convenient places entirely. It's not always possible -- after all, sometimes what you get from a meal is the company, and people have different preferences -- but when I have some autonomy over my restaurant choice, I try to make sure that every meal is a meal I really want to be eating. Life's too short! We rung in the new year with an omakase meal at Nishino on New Year's Eve. Is there anything better? I really think there is not... especially since my boyfriend proposed right before the dessert course.

Sounds like you guys have some pretty fun food plans ahead. One other thing we've been doing lately is cooking more with our neighbors -- just putting on a big ol' pot of whatever for whoever happens to be around (and between the two of us, the three guys next door, the one downstairs, and occasional significant others who happen to be around, we're talking a lot of food). Sometimes we cook and sometimes other people do, but we usually end up cooking communally like that at least once or twice a week. So one other thing I'm working on is finding fun, new recipes that I can scale up for the hungry masses. Keep 'em coming, folks. I love hearing what y'all are up to.

Last year my quasi- New Year's resolution was to make sure that my s.o. and I had some new food-related experience about once a week: new recipe, new restaurant, new ingredient, etc. A year later I'm feeling pretty good about how it went. I feel like we've tried lots of new things, found some new favorites, and pulled ourselves out of some food ruts. It went well enough that I'm thinking about my new food-related goals for the coming year. In particular, I want to enjoy more local seafood in the coming year. I feel like I really underutilize what's around. How about you guys? Any fun food-related goals for the coming year? New ingredients you want to work with / restaurants you're dying to try / dinner parties you're planning to throw / etc ? Happy New Year! (edited for -- what else? typo.)

When I moved from Philly to Seattle (less drastic than moving to Europe) I tried to focus on distinctly Philly food -- or at least food that my new town wasn't going to be as good at (Italian in my case, though not in yours, and also Jewish deli fare) -- before I left. I get back once or twice a year now and it's always a race to fit everything in. I agree that I'd definitely spend my last Saturday -- and did spend my last Saturday, and spend some day every time I return -- eating my way around Reading Terminal. I also agree that Mexican/Latin American food is not generally well done in Europe, so that'd be something to get before you leave. How about La Tierra Colombiana? I also made sure to go to Carman's, Standard Tap, and Taconelli's, not because you can't get stuff like that elsewhere, but because they're so darn good. That said, I never went to Lacroix before moving, but I went there for a celebration meal on a trip back, and it sure was good.

I have two sisters. One is about to be 23, and the other is 7. The 23-year-old doesn't know how to cook much, is newly living on her own, and is very busy in law school without a lot of time to cook, so last year I gave her a mini food processor (she likes to make things like hummus and other legume purees) and wrote her a cookbook of simple and easy things that she would be able to make. Some of the recipes are my own and some I got from other sources. Mainly I just picked things that are simple and won't take her more than 30 minutes to make. It was a big hit. The 7-year-old loves to cook -- she and my stepmother are taking a cooking class right now and she's always calling me with recipes to try -- and last year I gave her a few kids' cookbooks, including one by Arlette Braman called something like Kids Around the World Cook that featured a range of recipes from different areas of the world. Very cool book. This year I'm writing her a cookbook of her own (she was a bit jealous of the other sister's gift last year), again devising some recipes myself and taking some from other sources, and I'll probably give it to her with some of her own cooking utensils. It's a bit time-consuming to put together, but it's really fun, and a nice way to add a personal touch if you live far away and can't spend as much time together as you'd like.

Dude if you ever head back to Philly make Taconelli's a priority. Best pizza I've ever had anywhere, and I've spent a lot of time in New York. I think of Philly pizza as more topping-driven than NYC pizza, but I don't know why.

Piecora's is the best NY-style pizza I've found in the area; it's good, but not great. Pizza is one of those foods I gorge on every time I visit my family. Maybe it's the water, maybe it's the visit home, maybe it's something else, but even mediocre pizza there tastes like heaven to me.