tsquare

What staffing changes at the Market Grill? ← Shane left town this fall - more sunshine, Mark quit as of New Year's Day....he's selling vegetables and fruits at Franks for now.

5 of us had lunch at 94 Stewart. All were happy and full. The lamb cassoulet wasn't typical, but it was very tasty. Skinny lamb sausages, lots of white beans, pancetta, and mixed braised greens. The salads are huge, the crab mac n cheese looked very rich, and they have a crab sandwich too. I am looking forward to the opening of Steelhead Diner - February 1? With Matt's closed for the expansion and staffing changes at Market Grill, I had to branch out.

They have peanut butter cookies and chocolate chip cookies. Also saw a chocolate banana muffin (I think?). The scones looked of interest - cinnamon sugar... Thye have sandwiches and quiche too.

Sorrentino, 2128 Queen Anne Ave. N., Seattle 206-694-0055 Anyone been? Same folks as La Vita e Bella, Mondello, and DiVino. More elegant. A new empire!

See post 1380. But another plug is okay too. Did you sample the NZ chocolate? Some great flavors.

This one had a nice chicken and sausage jambalaya!

It may be gone - but Trader Joe's is quite good - I liked the tart cranberries and golden raisins better than most dried fruit versions. The crumb was shreddy as I prefer as well. Maybe $6.95 for a big loaf!

I know, but the ham and pineapple needed some colour. BTW, "Hawaiian" pizza was my favourite kind of pizza as a kid...one local place served it with BBQ sauce instead of tomato sauce. What a treat... judiu: I didn't serve SPAM, but I also did a French project at school where you were supposed to make up a new, exciting club and try to recruit your fellow classmates. I set up a "SPAM carving" club and carved sports cars and even a human head out of SPAM...such a weird idea now when I think back on it, but my teacher loved it! ← Do you know about Seattle's annual SPAM carving festival? (I think it still exists.)

Sorry you alredy awarded the winner. I was at an event with lots of restaurants offering fabulous bites. I kept seeing this cotton candy like confection, but couldn't get my hands on any. Finally, as I wsa ready to leave, I found their table (Seattle diners might be able to figure out who's highly regarded place this was). I discovered it was fois gras wrapped in homemade spun sugar. Uhm, well, I gave it a try. The center was cold. I ate it, but looked for something to wash the flavor out of my mouth. This was a really bad food idea.

Hope you tried their "snowball" while you were there. Wonderful, and I'm afraid to ask if it a seasonal treat.

Hasn't Copper Gate been there forever? Is this new owners? ← Old tavern, new lounge/owners. Hip.

Been to the factory and samples most of them. Some great flavors. Bars and finished candy. Great mouth feel.

44 and I 'm not even English, but I may be pompous.

Has anyone stopped into Copper Gate yet? It's on 24th NW, up from Besalu. I believe the Thaiku guy is behind it - new Scandinavian lounge. Dan Braun (Oliver's Twist) consulting (?), Eric C, late of Matt's in the Market, lending a hand...

Robert (and all), You will enjoy "3400 Phinney" from Seattle (they also make Theo Chocolates.) Or is it Theo Chocolate and the bars are 3400 Phinney? That is also their address. Confusing, but great (and organic.)

Just a quick note on De-Ra at Clay and Western (across from the new Sculpture park - fabulous spot!) The place has a great buzz - you can tell the owners have a lot of friends, personal and professional, and they are already enjoying the warmth and comfort of the new restaurant. Look for Italian with a Sicilian slant - a bit sweet and sour in a lot of dishes - and a solid (Italian) wine list. Small bar, soft lighting, valet parking (at least sometimes?) and the ceiling has acoustical tiles though the space has little else to absorb sound. You can hear your dining partner as well as the cheer of others. There is an area south of the bar that can be set up for private parties apart from the main room, or tables in the dining room can be pushed together to seat 12 +/-. Lots of booths, including one hidden from view if you need a private spot (!)

This is a friend's new place. I have tasted the cheesecake, and it is amazingly good! ←

Gelatiamo and Columbia City Bakery. But I really like the Italian imports better - the truffle place in the Market has some fine examples - Buono Tavola?

[Moderator note: This is part of an extended topic that became too large for our servers to handle efficiently, so we've divided it into shorter segment; the preceding part of this discussion is here: [seattle] Farewell & Welcome: Closings, Transformations. Openings (Part 2)] One of the high stalls in the Market is selling dried pasta -$8.50 a pound! That must be some special stuff. It's this stuff: on line too Also, a new shop - Confectionery - selling cheesecake and chocolate.

I agree, maybe food is not exactly the highlight but Guatemala is a great place to take a vacation! Do you mean you had tortillas with black beans in them? ← Nope, they were a special corn - maybe a dark blue rather than black, but...unfortunately, I didn't write down the name of the place.

Belmont Shore is a neighborhood, located in the east part of Long Beach. And that is on the Pacific Ocean and Alamitos (sp?) Bay. Even Naples is part of Long Beach...but I don't know about chocolate there...

She has more than one show...so she can go everywhere.

India Bistro in Ballard, Il Bistro, Szmania

If you have a non-drinker to dine with, would this ruin the overall experience?

I wonder if Lark would give you a curtained off table for two. I think my first meal there (the day they opened as it happened) may have been my most memorable. I bet John could pull off a great special dinner. Lampreia is also a great special occassion place, but there is something a little off about the whole experience. Dated, though with whiffs of brilliance.