rockdoggydog

Went and tried Spur on Thursday night, the late menu is currently kind of small but interesting, the good news is they serve food until 130. The space has gone through quite a change since it's Mistral days. The bar is run by Dave Nelson formerly of Union and Campagne. He pours a good drink and the bar selection is pretty good, especially for Belltown. Ethan Evans from Union and Tavolata runs the front and keeps things humming along and kept us all very well informed of what we getting. Regular Menu Cocktail Menu Late Menu - everything here is from the regular menu Housemade Cornuts - a really great bar snack while you decide and wait, crunchy salty goodness Chicken Confit - think buffalo wings evolved, the chicken was tender and very nicely spiced, I just wish there was more of the blue cheese creme fraiche to dip it in Pork Belly Sliders - a bit messy, but damn they are good Smoked Salmon Crostini - it was beautiful, and the flavour combo was good, the problem I had with it was that the big chunk of salmon was a bit much texturally. The same amount of salmon but sliced thinly and laid on would have been much more pleasant, it it is it's just a bit too much mushiness in the mouth. Overall, Spur is a solid hit and I am glad to see it join the Belltown scene, I would be more than glad to meet anyone there any night for drinks and munchies. Rocky

I absolutely love the sweetbreads and think that they really need no sauce at all. Rocky

Got an email from Union:

Besides Art of the Table, Boat St would be a good option as well as they have a small private dining space. Rocky

There's only the two TVs and you can't see them from the booths, but I guess it's kind of a one or the other thing then isn't it? Rocky

Attention poutine lovers, get thee to West Seattle! Stopped by Shadowland last night and had a very nice meal. The chef there used to cook at Union and the attention to detail shows. We had the poutine, mac and cheese, hummus, and tortilla, they very graciously sent out some clams with chorizo, some mini duck sandwiches, and some dessert. The poutine was everything it should be, good fries, good gravy, and nicely melted cheese curds. The hummus had a pleasant zing to it and was served with naan instead of pita which I thought was a nice touch. The mac and cheese was more than solid, just a good simple cheddar and béchamel version with bread crumb topping. The tortilla was the only thing that didn't make much of an impression, it was fairly well executed and nicely presented in a small cast iron skillet but didn't stand out, it just was. The clams were excellent and the chorizo added a spicy bite to it, the duck sandwiches were good with a slice of what I think was Tallegio over the top melted on and holding it all together. Dessert was a olive oil cake with a fig compote between layers making a sort of fig newton sort of thing, there was also this chocolate thing that would cure any and all craving for chocolate in about a bite and a half. Cocktails were decent, a nice wine list, and an extensive beer selection rounded out the offerings. Portions are huge by the way, two of us ordered four small plates and really we could have just ordered one each. Why can't I get a place like this in my neighbourhood!? Any time I'm in West Seattle or craving poutine I'm definitely heading here. Rocky

We have also been to Art of the Table and found it to be great! ← Totally second Art of the Table, I've had some really wonderful and fun meals there. Rocky

I'm big on Chinese on New Year's Day. Rocky

Just in case no one noticed, How to Cook a Wolf on Queen Anne is now open. Rocky

There are plenty of restaurants worth trying and of course all of the wine. There are also some really great B&Bs to stay at as well. Rocky

Would you be interested in taking a day or two out of SF and hitting the Willamette Valley on your way back up? Rocky

Kacy at Zig Zag, Jamie at Vessel, and Keith at Union off the top of my head all make some bitters. Rocky

Are you looking for minced fine corned beef or more rustic larger hash? Rocky

Union would actually be great for this then, or if you could get the mezzanine at Tavolata that would work great as well. Boat St Cafe has a room that you could use as well and they just put in a full bar. I'll post more if I think of them. Rocky

How many people are you planning this for? Rocky

On the first day I would go to Green Leaf next door to Szechuan Noodle Bowl and grab some apps - especially the spring rolls, and then get your noodle on, although the noodles at Green Leaf are great too. Second the different place for brunch idea, since you'll be going to a Tom Douglas place already for dinner. If you have time, after Spanish Table stop by Zig Zag for a cocktail, since you'll be close by and maybe pick up a tamale or two from El Puerco Lloron next door to Zig Zag to add to your picnic, and maybe stop by De Laurenti to pick up some more stuff to picnic on including Salumi meats and some pastas from Tavolata to make the next day. Have fun. Rocky

They've increased the number of pasta dishes but have actually increased the number of entrees as well. Pretty much what happened with the menu is that they combined the firsts and seconds into an app section and gave pasta it's own section of the menu, going from two to four pastas a night to five or six now. The pastas are very different from those at Tavolata though, and the overall read of the menu is still very definitely Union. Rocky

You can sometimes find smoked eel at PFI and at the British Pantry in Redmond. I saw smoked cod at Uwajimaya last week. Rocky

Second that, Art of the Table is wonderful. I went about a month or so ago with a few other eGulleteers and thoroughly enjoyed myself. Rocky

I sometimes see it at the various Eastern European speciality stores. Rocky

I can kind of see the Vietnamese and French thing going together on one menu. With the French colonial influence on Southeast Asia I would not be surprised if there were not quite a few chefs from that region or from France who are steeped in both traditions. I think it's just a matter of balance in assembling a menu. Rocky

Try the QFC down at U-Village, Central Market also has a pretty decent deli counter. Easy access on the 44 is Ballard Market and perhaps the Other Coast Cafe will sell you just meat and cheese. Rocky

I buy the vast majority of my steaks at the super market and have no problems with them at all. Only when I want a really special steak do I go to a butcher. I find that by just stopping for a minute to look at and feel the meat I can get consistently good steaks with no problems. Rocky

Shelby that looks beautiful! LMF, do you mean Pure Fish and not Fresh Fish in the Market? Rocky

I recently mixed together harissa, honey, dijon mustard, and salt and pepper, made a wonderful glaze and sauce. Rocky