dubkat

This was definitely a real treat. I had a few favorites but I am happy to report that there wasn't a thing that I wouldn't gladly order again. Soup corn with porcini crusted sea scallop. This was such a perfect combination with the delicate corn soup poured around the scallop which was cooked perfectly. Cheese Tomme de savoie (pasteurized cow's milk from Savoie) with frize salad, poached dates (what, I have forgotten) and raison walnut bread The combination of this cheese and the dates was perfect. I didn't eat any of the bread with it because I didn't want anything to interfere with it. The dates were prepared with white wine and vanilla. Dessert 2 vanilla panna cotta with roasted plumbs and basil syrup This was the most interesting flavor combo to me. The basil syrup was hardly sweet and very delicate and combined with the creamy panna cotta dreamily. I used the plums for contrast in between bites. I think all three together worked well too but the basil alone with the panna cotta was out of this world. I must agree that our service was excellent. We appreciated the extra treats that were offered to us as well. But I also must say that I don't think our server had glasses. My reciept says his name is Bradford and he had light hair and no accent. Thanks White Lotus for a great evening. It was my first trip to Union and I am glad I didn't miss it.

We used our Troiani gift certificate last night and it appears they will honor it for drinks/wine. We mentioned that we had a gift certificate and he said we were well on our way to spending it with the drinks we had ordered. We ended up going over the $100 dollars with our food orders but it did seem like they don't care what you spend your certificate on.

No, it was closed but I fell in with a crowd of Bham natives when I lived there and I think I have heard enough stories about the place to fake having been there myself. I even had a few friends who had table and stools from Speedy's in their kitchens. That place is good. I ate there a lot, but I forgot about it. Thanks for the the reminder. D’Anna’s Cafe Italiano was tasty too. I might check out Nimbus in the Bellingham Tower which has changed names and who knows what else and The Temple Bar which must be new since I wasted a lot of MY time in almost every bar in town. Thanks for the Bellingham's Best Places list, tighe.

Oh, also, thanks for the coffee info and coffee spot recommendations from all. I am still reading the coffee sites and doing more research. It seems like you have to get a degree to care about something in this complex world of ours. I did want to say one thing about Fair Trade or Organic certification. With all the confusion it’s a way that you can know for sure that you aren't supporting the wrong people with your purchase. The more I read about this the more I think getting certified simplifies things. It may not be perfect but some times a grey area is just too grey to have faith in.

I’m so excited! We are looking forward to the long working lunches/coffee breaks and of course DONUTS in our future. You will still have wi-fi at this location right? We were lamenting the loss of Rosanna’s since we would like to see more interesting businesses not less, but since she left I can’t think of a better replacement. As far as the demographic in Wedgwood there are all sorts here. (I should inform you that it’s spelled Wedgwood with no E. Something I just figured out yesterday after living here for 3 years.) There are a lot of seniors but there are a lot of families and younger people too. I definitely think you would be getting a lot of mom’s with and without their kids, small business people who work in the area, and 25-30 something singles/couples. This is kind of the clientele of Nana’s Soup Kitchen, PCC and Grateful Bread. PCC and Grateful Bread are a bit more on the granola side of course. I do think you would be in competition with Grateful Bread but I think you are probably on the winning side of that one and it would even out after the initial hit they would take. In our area everyone is competition because there is not a whole lot of choice. I have wanted to open a business on 35th and have pondered the demographic for the last few years. I eat out for lunch in this area almost daily (due to working out of our home while it is undergoing a remodel) but of course all of this is only my non-expert opinion. I would love to know what you (feaster) or other Wedgwoodites think.

YAY! where? when?

The Black Cat is mandatory for me. The food was always on the good side of doable but we went there for drinks consistently the entire time (5 years) I lived there. I have many great memories. The Colophon was always good for lunch. I am hoping that a few new places have whipped the scene into shape. The Fino wine bar shows promise. That’s funny that Buck’s is now Boundary Bay. It was Buck’s then the 3B then the Doublewide. We used to call it 3Buckswide. I guess that makes it 3Buckswide Bay now. I haven’t been back to B’ham at all in 4 years. It doesn’t look like anyone else ever goes there at all and I can’t complain since I know the place and I don’t go either. I guess I will have to be a pioneer and report back my findings in case anyone ever does end up going. Thanks for your response. I will eat a slice at Cicchitis for you.

If anybody ever treks up to Bellingham I would love to hear where you prefer to dine. I moved away in 2000 and haven't eaten there since. I was never that flush when I lived there but I think I tried just about everything they had to offer over the years and nothing is really calling me back. Most of the places I really loved closed before I left. (Except Cicchitti's Pizza which I hope still survives because I have been craving that for 3+ years) Things have changed up there and I want to know about it. I plan to be eating there when my husband and I go there in June on a weekend train getaway to celebrate our 1st anniversary.

I love Big Picture. I'ts definitely an enhanced movie experience. I'm glad they are showing this again because I have seen most of the movies that they have been showing lately. I kind of wish I had seen Paul Mackay speak though. It would have been interesting to hear what he had to say.

Laurel - Did you go? I couldn't make it but they are showing it again April 1st. I'm definitely going to go this time.

Yes, I think the best way would be to take some reservations and leave some room for walk-ins. (I was trying to be more generous in my second post on the subject but this really is the way to go.) With only a few reservations per night it may be hard to get one sometimes but you would have two much more appealing options: make reservations somewhere else or go in knowing you will have to wait. I would much prefer not going there than over a long wait or having to leave and go somewhere else.

Thanks I am glad to hear this news. I really appreciate businesses that pay attention to how their actions affect the world. I am on an almost all fairtrade/organic coffee diet now. The problem is that I don't have easy access to it where I live/work. So I am always on the lookout for new places so that no matter where I am in town I will be able to find a fair cup of joe. Excellent observation. :-) I was actually boycotting Top Pot for personal reasons until recently. I don't have a sweet tooth but I have always had this weekness for donuts. I did NOT want to get started. Now we'll see if I can manage my addiction. I agree that despite the hype not enough people are worried about this issue. Coffee is the third largest polluter in the world due to pesticides and herbicides (behind Cotton #1 and Tobacco #2). Growers are grossly underpaid. And many species in South America are being wiped out due to non-organic farming techniques used by growers trying to grow enough beans to survive. Three great reasons to ask for fairtrade/organic coffee. I suggest Café Ladro (excellent coffee) and now TopPot and Zeitgeist.

I have been thinking of this no rez thing and trying to figure out what I would do in Lark's shoes. If you open a restaurant that people are excited about (especially if it turns out to be worthy of it) your reservation book fills up fast and no one can get in when they want. You start out your restaurant's existence with people thinking it’s good but it’s hard to eat there. If you don’t take reservations people have to wait for 30-60 minutes for a table. But I think when the buzz dies down, which from the sounds of the place it might take a little while, the waits will get shorter and I will be glad (instead of whining) that there are no reservations because we (my husband and I) like to decide where and when to eat out about 45 minutes before we feel weak from hunger. Until then, if I head to Lark again I will be a trooper and wait patiently like the rest of you. I do think in the meantime the servers/hosts might want to try be patient/compassionate with patrons looking forward to a great meal and feeling a little disappointed when they have a long wait or have to go somewhere else. Even when it gets old after a long night.

Feaster - Do you know if the beans used for Zeitgeist coffee are Fair Trade/organic? It will help me decide if I am getting donuts or coffee and donuts next time? -thanks

My husband and I went to Lark for the first time tonight. Due to the no rez policy we arrived at 8:30ish and were told there would be a 30 plus minute wait. The first person (a server) who greeted us was nice said that the host would tell us how long of a wait and bring us drinks - the host with the bad news seemed like a person who had been telling people they were going to have to wait for 45 minutes for a table all night. Nothing close to apologetic. More like civil. I was more prepared for some waiting than my husband so I acted as if she were being more polite than she actually was but it didn’t really help. I would sure hate to have to tell people that all night so I felt some sympathy. Still, I expect a more friendly vibe from a host under what are, for them, normal circumstances. We decided that we would go elsewhere and she said she would take a swing around the floor and see if anything had changed. I thought that was nice and said we would wait while she did that and talk about where we would go if there was no change. She never came back but waved and shrugged when we left. It seems like a restaurant with a bar with only four or five seats would figure out how to take some reservations and leave some seats for walk-ins. We would have been able to sit on the couch in the waiting area but I'm sure that's not the case at 7:00. I was looking forward to Lark and I will go back (at 6:00, the hosts suggestion, or when I feel like a relaxing wait 8:30 or 9:00) because I really liked the feel of the place and the food sounds fab. But I am not so sure how I feel about the whole no rez thing. Okay, now that I have gone on and on I remember why I originally came in here to post. The host told us that they only take two tables a night for 6 or more (which is not news) but also that they are thinking about doing away with that too and making it completely no reservations. Thoughts?

Thanks! I have been reading threads over the last two days. I just discovered EG and now I am not sure how I could live without it. On the topic, I almost went back by TP on my way home tonight to get one more donut. Damn those evil things.

I’m at Top Pot on 5th right now (using their fab wy-fy and loving it, by the way.) It's my first visit and I really like the atmosphere, music, people who work here and I LOVE the location. It couldn’t be much more inconvenient for me unless it was in West Seattle but I used to walk by here every day on my way to work and I would dream about all the businesses I would open up in this space. I'm so happy that what I predicted didn't happen, which was that some nifty design firm would take it over and no one else would get to appreciate it. (I guess I wouldn't have minded if I was the one who opened the nifty design firm.) But now it's the perfect hangout spot. Of course most of this has been said before...but hey, I didn't get to say it! p.s. had the ham and Swiss and loved the bread. now I'm eating a glazed ring. anyone know if the beans for the coffee are fairtrade/organic?

Feaster - I really like this Wedgewood location idea you mentioned a few months ago. Are you still considering it? You could easily compete with Starbucks in this area in my opinion. Oh, and thanks for the heads up on the old Godfathers building. I have been meaning to find out what would replace that eye sore. Unfortunately a different eyesore. I do like to see more businesses coming into Wedgewood though. Where Starbucks goes others follow. I think it could possibly become a more interesting retail area. Or maybe I'm just hoping.