Bruce Burger

I agree that Americans are too stingy about paying for great Chinese food (and other great Asian food for that matter). That said, you yourself gave one reason why they are willing to pay more for great western cuisines: authentic Chinese restaurants place less emphasis on decor (and service for that matter). And aren't those things a major cost component at top-rated restaurants?

I went yesterday and thought it was very good. Amost everything on the menu was tempting although I'm not sure when I've seen a menu with so many words that I didn't understand. (The service was excellent and I'm sure our servers would have explained any of the terms, but the mystery words were mostly adjectives that didn't affect my decision.) Trendy ingredients, tall presentation. The food and atmosphere seemed very similar to Crush although the menu was shorter and perhaps slightly less ambitious and the place wasn't as crowded (although the snow may have scared some people away) nor the average guest as beautiful (I say this kiddingly as we were well below average in this respect).

Yes. They've raised most of the $8 million needed to purchase and renovate the building so they can double the size of their restaurant, their contract meals businesses, and their training programs for homeless men and women. The plan is to start construction soon and finish late in 2006. In the meantime they continue to serve daily lunch and weekly guest chef dinners at their Belltown restaurant. More info including the guest chef lineup is on the FareStart website.

I'm all for convenience, but really, it's ridiculously easy to roast your own chicken. If you brine it and know how to tell when it's done, you can easily outdo any supermarket.

In my one visit I found the welcome and service friendly, and I love the personal nature of the place. However, while we had just a short wait (on a weeknight around 8:30), I would generally be deterred by the possibility of a long wait. Unlike some places that don't take reservations, Essential doesn't seem to answer the phone, so you can't even call to ask how long the wait will be. The menu was very appealing and the food was good, though not amazing. Overall I'd say Food=B, Service=A, Wine=A, Price=A, Hassle=D.

I second mamster's advice. But if you do pan-roast, get a cast-iron pan or, if using a nonstick pan, keep the oven to more like 400. A temp of 500 will do bad things to your nonstick pan, and even if you don't care about the pan, the fumes can't do anything good for the salmon or you, not to mention any household pets. I used to have trouble making salmon come out right on the BBQ. I'm amused by people who wrap it in foil and then BBQ it -- what's the point of the BBQ there (besides the primal feeling of playing with fire outdoors)? But I have had great luck cooking salmon on a wood plank on the BBQ, because the plank keeps the salmon intact and moist and (if this isn't just my imagination) adds flavor. When I don't feel like bothering with that, pan-roasting is my standard technique. Bruce

Metropolitan Market has them, or at least the Queen Anne store did a few months ago.

I got some Taku River Salmon last week from Wild Salmon, the seafood merchant that shares space with A&J Meats in Queen Anne. It was the first time I'd ever heard of it, but boy was I glad I tried it -- it was superb, as good as any salmon I can recall tasting.

Lots of sushi is cooked. My daughter's first sushi love was unagi -- cooked, soft, sweet. Ebi (shrimp) is also cooked. Sushi restaurants also have kid-friendly non-sushi dishes, including miso soup, edamame, and tofu.

One more thought: It is reasonable for waiting customers to feel frustrated that diners are lingering over coffee. It is their job as mature adults to hide those feelings.

The "proper" answer is that you are entitled to stay as long as you wish, and the people who harassed you were entirely out of line. A more realistic answer in 21st century America, in my personal opinion, is that if you finish all your food and drinks and don't plan to order more, and there are people waiting, it's considerate to try to leave within a reasonable time, say a half hour or so. But even in that case, neither the servers nor the waiting custoemrs should harass you. It sounds like you were acting appropriately by either standard.

I assume this reservation policy (the same as Lark's) is intended to keep their tables occupied while eliminating the need to manage a lot of reservations. They make an exception for large parties because they know that large parties, who tend to run up profitable bar bills, won't come without the certainty of a table and because it's hard to set up a large table in a smallish restaurant without advance notice. Personally I hate this policy. They are putting their needs ahead of mine. I put up with it at Lark because the food and service are fabulous, and by avoiding peak hours I've not yet had a long wait. Bruce

Lark has so many great veggie and seafood dishes. And the staff is incredibly accommodating, so if some dishes are made with meat, I imagine the staff could tell you that and omit the offending ingredients if at all possible.

Kaspar's and Ponti Seafood Grill have excellent, interesting food, great private rooms, and reasonable prices. Neither is walking distance to a hotel, although you could weigh the short taxi ride for the out-of-towners against the easier/cheaper parking for the locals.

Great food, a fascinatingly varied menu, ridiculously low prices, and fine service in my one visit. But even if the service were as haphazard as some report, it wouldn't keep me away from this gem.

I cooked a turducken on Christmas and it was a hit. I must admit that I mail-ordered it rather than debone and assemble the birds myself. I figured my energies were better devoted to the side dishes. Perhaps my experience can help others who choose to mail-order. I found 7 websites offering turduckens, and all sound similar (a 14-16 lb. turducken with cornbread sausage stuffing for $110-140 including shipping). So I emailed each one asking why theirs was the best, and I've attached their replies below. I ended up choosing Hebert's based on these replies. Then, after all that, they told me they were sold out (this was 2 weeks before Christmas). So I ordered from Tabasco, whose turduckens are supplied by Hebert's (who had set aside enough for them). Then they shipped it before they were supposed to, so it sat out spoiling while I was out of town. Fortunately, they readily agreed to ship another one at no charge. Despite the problems, the turducken was delicious; I can't imagine how it could have been better. I'll order from Hebert's (or Tabasco) again sometime. As for the emails below ... Of course these are just claims, not an objective comparison. Better marketing doesn’t mean a better product. And the companies that didn’t respond by email might give great answers if you called them. Nonetheless, I found this a helpful starting point. I don’t know whether it matters where the companies are located. The idea was born in Louisiana, but that doesn’t mean turduckens have to be made there, and anyway, the location of a company’s office isn’t necessarily where their turduckens are made, especially with a big company like Hickory Farms. But for the record, 3 of these companies are headquartered in Louisiana; I’ve indicated the headquaters state of the other 4 after their names. cajungourmetfoods.com – No reply. Not surprising as it is almost impossible to find an email address or comment page on their website. cajungrocer.com – “We can't say that our products are better than our competitors since we do not know what our competitors taste like. We focus only on our products. To say ours is better than the competition, then I would be lying. Our shipping is very attractive since we offer all levels. We ship with dry ice so that you package arrives in good condition. Select GROUND when checking out and specify that you want 3 DAY FedEX. We'll still charge you GROUND prices but will ship it 3 DAY air. Enjoy your order!” (Note: I specifically asked about shipping because their website, unlike all the others, allows you to order a turducken with ground shipping, which makes them the low-cost option.) cajunspecialtymeats.com (FL) – “We feel our reputation (8 years of selling Turduckens to thousands of happy customers) of putting out quality products at reasonable prices, coupled with the fact that we are the producer and the retailer (unlike the many resellers that have popped up recently selling product from one mass producer who does not sell their product direct). It's hard to speak to their quality because we haven't tried their Turduckens. We would love to get the chance to earn your business and prove to you we have the best products available. Thank you for your interest in our products. We look forward to hearing from you soon.” cajunstuff.com (TX) – No reply. countrystore.tabasco.com – “I am sure there are plenty of good Turduckens out there. Our Turducken is produced by "Hebert's Specialty Meats". The Hebert team is made up of REAL Cajuns and use the finest products available. The timely combination of cooking and seasonings creates the authentic Cajun flavor, which until now, was found only in South Louisiana. The special Cajun Seasoning sprinkled over and into the entire product and vacuum sealed forces the seasoning into the product, enhancing flavors and freshness. I definitely think you will agree, that this Turducken will meet your expectations.” hebertsmeats.com (OK) – “Our turduckens are different in that we make everything fresh at our location. Everything is homemade from the cornbread for the cornbread dressing to the grinding of the meats for the pork sausage. We also use our own blend of spices that just make it awesome. No one else uses our seasoning. You just have to taste it to believe.”. hickoryfarms.com (OH) – “The reason that sets us apart from other companies is the preparation.”

This is, sadly, a typical Seattle restaurant review. The real question is why they bother reviewing a mediocre restaurant. A serious reviewer would review a mediocre place only if there were extenuating factors (former greatness, dramatic location, etc.) that made people curious. But that's my bias -- maybe this is what their readers want?

The announcement a couple of months ago said the complex will include a Pan Pacific 5-star hotel (not a BestWestern).

... try to inject a marinade into a raw chicken, and when I can't push the plunger down, figure I just need to press a little harder ... and harder ... and harder ... ... until the end of the injector pops off and marinade bounces off the raw chicken and all over the kitchen. I learned that little grains of powdered spices will clog the needle, so you need to blend the marinade before injecting.

Aren't these both goals of the promotion? I think most of the participating restaurants (at least their owners, if not their servers) welcome both categories of diners. Of course they prefer drinkers, but if they wanted only drinkers, they could deter nondrinkers by charging more for the food and less for the drink. No problem. Next time you dine, just ask to be seated in the non-ascetic section so you needn't be offended by people ordering just what they consider worthwhile.

Are you saying that when you decide to take a restaurant up on a heavily marketed promotion, you have a moral obligation to buy something else that you don't want to buy? I think your only obligation is to tip generously -- if service is good I tip on the normal value of the meal. Buy drinks if you want them, as always. Bruce

Are you saying that when you decide to take a restaurant up on a heavily marketed promotion, you have a moral obligation to buy something else that you don't want to buy? I think your only obligation is to tip generously -- if service is good I tip on the normal value of the meal. Buy drinks if you want them, as always. Bruce

I remember a good view of the sound from at least one of Kaspars' private dining rooms at their current location. I'm not sure whether there's a view from the main dining room -- I think there is, but it might be worth a check (or at least a phone call).

How about drinks atop the Space Needle followed by dinner at Zoe or Flying Fish? We had an awesome mainly-seafood dinner at Zoe last night. They have great non-seafood things as well, but chef Scott Staples became known originally at Kirkland's Third Floor Fish Cafe, and that shows. We had a grilled octopus starter as well as sea scallops and halibut -- all very flavorful and perfectly prepared. The best seafood with a view is at Ponti and Kaspar's. I've always had excellent food at both, and both have fairly creative menus and nice atmospheres. But Zoe and Flying Fish are more creative and edgy. Waterfront, Palisade, and Ray's are fine restaurants, but these other places are much more interesting. Bruce

By the way, places I've checked that are closed on Sunday are Gordon Ramsay RHR, Sketch, St. John, and Rhodes in the Square.