Chef Deb

Beautiful blog Abra! Too bad about the Pinot Noir.

In WA state, we can only buy beer and wine at Trader Joe's. I am a gin drinker and while there are several that I like, I really am partial to Bombay, I like both the regular and Sapphire. I also like Boodles. Tangueray and Beefeater are all good but if I had to choose just one, it would be Bombay Sapphire. Why mess with a good thing? I can't do cheap gin. It's like drinking cheap wine, too sharp and nasty. It needs to be smooth if you are doing a martini or something like a tonic mixer. If you are adding juices and syrups, who cares what kind you use as you won't taste it anyway!

My very favorite is Rover's in Madison Park - it's pricy but worth it. Some Bellevue restaurants that I enjoy are Sea Star - Chef John Howie's seafood and raw bar - the 3 tiered appetizer platter is great! For a more casual, but hearty and delicious flavors is the Mediterranean Kitchen. I think there is one in Seattle also. Lebanese, Turkish with lots of garlic and the prices are around $12-15 for 3 courses which you always have lunch and then some for the next day also. Have fun! Debra

I ate at Mary McCranks years ago on the way to Portland. What I remember other than the quaint country decor and gift shop was their excellent house dressing- celery seed if I remember correctly. They also had some amazing cobbler for dessert. They had a cookbook of their recipes which I purchased as a gift to my MIL. Definitely not fine dining, but good food in an out of the way place. Debra