Bruce Burger

What's the best restaurant for great, creative food in a nice (but not overly stuffy) atmosphere that's open on Sunday? I'm looking for creative/modern British or Continental cuisine, not traditional British or French (not that there's anything wrong with those; I just prefer something more unusual). The best I've found is Gordon Ramsay at Claridge's, but that seems like a shame since RHR sounds better and I could go during the week. But Sunday is my only chance to dine with my wife. Thanks! Bruce (from Seattle)

From its address it appears that the Cellar Bistro is a couple of doors south of the former Cassis.

These look like great dinners and I wish I could join you! In addition to loving these chefs, I'm a big fan of FareStart and a volunteer board member there -- they provide a helping hand for people who need one and are working incredibly hard to turn their lives around. Unfortunately, I will be in Italy during those two weeks (well, not really unfortunately, but you know what I mean). Anyway, I'll ask Megan, our fabulous executive director, to stop by your tables and say hi. Have a great time... Bruce

If crayons and paper and books and toys entertain your child, why limit yourself to restaurants that supply them? Bring them yourself. Also, some kids are entranced by their favorite music on a Walkman.

I hadn't realized they had new owners, but in any case, the chef (Leonard Rede) hasn't changed.

Funny, I would consider Lark and Harvest Vine fine for reasonably well-behaved kids. Johnathan Sundstrom became a father a few weeks after he opened Lark, and I've seen his baby there. And both places, while offering superb food, are friendly and not especially quiet. Also, both places specialize in small plates, so if one parent can divert the kids while the other starts ordering quickly, you can be eating some items in a few minutes. Just ask for everything as soon as it's ready. I love taking kids to buffets so they can try small tastes of foods that they otherwise might shy away from. Also, you can start eating immediately. Unfortunately, good buffets are rare (and well-documented on this board). Dim sum is good for the same reason. Marjorie in Belltown has an eclectic menu -- in my experience, the execution varies, but I love them for trying -- and is super-friendly to adults and kids alike.

In July our family will drive up from our home in Seattle to the Gulf Islands for the first time. Two questions: 1) Where should we have an early dinner before our ferry leaves from Tsawwassen? If time allows, we'll go to Top Gun in Richmond, which we love. But if traffic prevents this, what's good in Tsawwassen? On the web I see sushi, Chinese, and Indian places -- any recommendations? 2) Any dining tips for Mayne, Pender, or Saltspring Islands? We'll be with our kids (ages 5 & 6), so we don't want any place that's elegant in a hush-hush way, but we can handle most nice restaurants. I realize the options are limited on the first two of these islands, but I'd still appreciate any advice. Thanks! Bruce

The food snob in me expected little from Bonefish Grill. It's a chain, it's mostly in the southeast, and it's owned by the Outback Steakhouse people (their next door neighbors, a block east of Beppo). Three big strikes. On the positive side, they sent me a $45 certificate. I figured that would mean a free dinner for my 2 kids and me. Maybe even a doggie bag for my wife. The highlight was a perfectly cooked, perfectly delicious, large, thick fillet of Copper River king salmon. It was on the special sheet for $26 (they had less famous salmon for around $17). Fortunately, I remembered to ask for it rare, because the waitress said they normally do fish medium-well. That would be tragic. But they did mine beautifully (and the waitress checked with me to make sure). All their fish comes with a choice of the same 4 or 5 sauces. To their credit, they recommended that I get the sauce on the side with the CRK so it didn't overwhelm the great fish. Of course, there are appropriate subtle accents that could be added to this fish, but I don't think they're found at Bonefish. Their thick, sweet "Pan-Asian" sauce was best in tiny quantities. Their children's setup was similarly lacking in imagination. I was sure they would at least have a kids' version of fish & chips, but there is no seafood whatsoever among their 4 kids' meals (just $4). Nor do they have another seafood item that many kids love, clam chowder (their only soup is corn chowder!). However, our extremely accommodating waitress offered to do a half piece of fish. Instead, we all shared a fried calamari starter and my daughter shared the salmon with me. They were good with the usual kid touches (crayons, puzzle books, cups with lids, etc). The appetizers, salads, sides, and desserts that we had were fairly standard but pretty good. Service was very friendly in a youthful, inexperienced way. So I am left a bit confused. I had one of the best pieces of fish I've eaten in recent years, with friendly service for a reasonable price (even without the coupon). However, nothing was unusual or creative. In other words, it was as good as a chain could be. I'll probably return with the kids, but without kids, there are many places in town with much more variety and complexity for not much more money. Has anyone else tried this place? I'm curious if their regular salmon, and other fish, is half this good. Bruce

I too am very sad to see Cassis go. It was a wonderful, friendly slice of France in an unlikely spot. I have always liked it, but it has become extra-special since my daughter started attending kindergarten a block away. Just last week she and I had a wonderful dinner there. At that dinner, I discovered they have a brilliant ice cream selection -- that night they had malt, walnut (or almond -- I forget), strawberry creme fraiche, and honey truffle (we're talking truffle oil, not chocolate truffles). All were superb. I talked with the chef about the malt ice cream, which I wanted to replicate, and he generously emailed the recipe to me that night. While I don't know the financial details, I suspect that if Cassis were solidly profitable, it would somehow remain operating. It was probably muddling along like a lot of excellent but not trendy restaurants in Seattle during the past few years. It sounds like Cassis's customers are pleading with the owner to stay, so we can always hope for a miracle. Barring that, let's hope that Cassis's fine staff finds other ways to share their talents with us, and that its closure (and Figaro Bistro's last year) help concentrate business at remaining French bistros like Cafe Campagne and Le Pichet. -Bruce

I've now used my Sili Brush a few times to brush oil on a waffle iron. I'd rate its performance as fair. It has only about a dozen pieces of silicon, so it takes longer than a regular pastry brush to get the oil on. On the other hand, I don't have to pick stray hairs off the waffle iron afterward. I haven't yet used it for anything else, but I'm guessing it might perform somewhat better for brushing milk on pie crust or sauce on meat. Just a guess. I'll report when I try it. It did fine in the dishwasher and, from the looks of it, I expect it to last for a long time. Bruce

I've always been very happy with Sosio's -- especially the morels (NOW!) and the heirloom tomatoes in summer. Very friendly and helpful. But it sounds like I'll have to try Frank's.

The CR king salmon fillets were $22.99/lb yesterday at PureFish (or is it PureFood?) at Pike Place Market yesterday. Delicious, of course...

I just called A&J Meats on Queen Anne. They said they decided to wait to carry Copper River salmon until it gets more reasonable in price in a week or so.

I've been unimpressed with a few pieces I've had at Neuhaus -- too sweet and not fresh -- but I haven't exhaustively sampled them or their competition. I did easily find a lot of serious-looking marzipan sources on the web, but I haven't got around to ordering any yet.

An upscale restaurant serving Royal Thai cuisine and regional Thai dishes rather than the standard Thai menu that every place in town has. But would there be enough interest? Beats me.

I've consistently loved the South Indian lunch buffet at Udupi Palace in Crossroads Mall in Redmond. South Indian food has no meat but features lots of goodies not normally found on Indian menus in the US. Udupi Palace is actually a chain, though it doesn't seem to be very big or to emphasize its chain-ness. The service tends to be disaffected but the food is excellent. Bruce

You can get good coffees, desserts, and casual lunches and dinners (and weekend breakfasts) at B&O Espresso at Belmont & Olive. Great atmosphere. For a fabulous dinner go to Lark, at 12th & Madison, a few blocks east of Broadway. The place has been well-documented on this board.

Can anyone offer a first-hand comparison of Sketch (the Lecture Room) and Pierre Gagnaire in Paris? My dinner at Pierre Gagnaire 2 years ago was a thrilling adventure through creative, delicious taste combinations. Once the food started coming, I quickly gave up on trying to figure out what was in each dish, and just floated ecstatically through the courses. (Can you tell that I left happy?) Should I expect as much from Sketch? -Bruce (in Seattle)

Through google I found the manufacturer's page for this product: Sili Brush It sounded so good that I've already ordered one. We'll see...

The Sili Brush looks good. Have you run it through the dishwasher? By the way, I'm looking for a brush to baste meat, brush oil on a waffle iron, brush milk on pastry, etc., etc. -- not just for pastry. I haven't found any characteristics of a brush that make it better suited to one or another of those applications.

This sounds like a simple question, but it's stumped me. Do you have a pastry brush that is really dishwasher-safe? I have one that has survived perhaps a hundred dishwasher washings but is finally getting old, and it has no identifiable brand markings. I've tried 2 new ones, one of which is supposedly dishwasher-safe, but they both lose lots of hairs every time I use them. I'm looking for a brush that's about an inch wide, but it can be a little more or less. Any recommendations? The challenge is not just to find one, but to find one that I can order on the web (or phone, of course). Thanks in advance! Bruce