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Since Cassis seems to be on many minds - they are hosting the Evening at Boomtown in August - 3rd Wednesday, reservations required. $20 for a three course meal (one entree, plus vegetarian option). All proceeds to charity. Last month, Tom Douglas did a fantastic job with this (even gave out host favors!) It may not be the best way to judge a restaurant, but it is a good way to help out and get a sample of the host restaurant's style. www.Boomtowncafe.org

I had a crepe at 611 a few years back. It was okay, didn't rush back. I had lunch at Rosebud - same reaction - years ago. Have heard excellent reports on El Greco from a couple of reliable eaters. Had dinner once at Karam's. Bad energy and I got tired of the garlic. Felt like I needed a shower after, from both. Had a great tapas and dessert dinner at Tango, but haven't been back. Don't know why. Not cheap. And doesn't have the rep of Harvest Vine (still on my list.)

Not great recommendations (except maybe the pointer to San Pedro - I don't know anything about the place.) Having grown up in Long Beach, but not there for years - I'd suggest something in East Long Beach - Belmont Shore (2nd Street) or Naples. Used to be lots of independent places. Also, scattered ethnic restaurants between downtown and there. There used to be a great Yugoslavian seafood place in San Pedro, as well as a plate-throwing Greek place. Sorry I can't be more help - that was along time ago. Good luck.

LaurieA-B, PCC has upped their committment in the last year or two to stocking artisan breads (yes, they carry Grand Central), cheeses (includes lots of small imported lines), and local produce, mostly organic. Occassionally, I think I should shop elsewhere for variety or price, but find I rarely buy anything, or anything cheaper, than I would have at PCC (includes QFC, Thirftway, and Whole Foods). It helps that it is walking distance to my home. I do shop Trader Joe's for limited items, specialty places like Spanish Table or Chef Shop, and Pike Place Market and farmer's markets. Just stay away from the groddy "health food" substitutes, and PCC is fine. Oh, I rarely buy meat or seafood, so I don't know about those in comparison. Deli stuff varies by location, but they have some good items - a real Frenchman I am acquainted with highly recommends the desserts from the purveyor they currently stock at the Greenlake store. Oh, they carry Cucina Fresca pasta. I think it is the best for purchased fresh pasta. (That should start some debate.) Give the store a try - maybe this should be a new thread?

link: http://www.pccnaturalmarkets.com/about/kirkland.html I found it by accident - awful intersection, but an interesting restaurant within the sea of parking lots - Shamiana's. May be some other stuff there worth finding as well. Good luck.

Or one of many artisan loaves on the shelves at PCC (Kirkland) - they should have Essential, maybe Tall Grass too. Get with the program LA-B (and everyone else) and shy away from the mainstream grocery recommendations. Support local, and innovative, retailers and restaurants.

I hear Hoffman's Bakery in Kirkland is supposed to be good, but for pastry/cake. Bread...hmmm, a good question!

Blue Heron, Congrats on making it to Matt's. But, a table? Hope you took note of the open "kitchen". Hasn't been mentioned in awhile, if at all, how incredible it is that they produce meals such as you described, on two portable burners and with one oven. Cooking can be part of the show, and the counter seats give you an opportunity to catch the snide comments. Of course, on a hot day, those open windows could be appealing. Thankfully, the place got air conditioning last year.

Downtown, you could also try Saito's for sushi. It is newer, has a great sushi and hot Japanese food menu. This is where the Japanese fans of our esteemed baseball players go - and the players. Also, some of Seattle's other men in blue (cops at lunch) for whatever that is worth. Cafe Juanita is a great call on the eastside, as is Matt's in the Market for the fresh nw seafood experience.

We ended up at Flying Fish. It doesn't feel like a yuppie singles bar to me at all. Lots of groups of friends, couples, a few singles...we had a cozy booth under the mezzanine. The food is the thing. Nice wine list too. We shared 4 appetizers - avocado soup, spring rolls, calamari, and soft shelled crab, a "large platter" of saucy lobster in shell, and two desserts. Everything was quite tasty, especially the lobster and the grappa brownie. (The other dessert was a lemon tart.) No one rushed us, service was good, cutlery well supplied. The place was pretty full for a Monday night, but not jammed. Try it MsRamsey and let us know what you think.

In most things with variable factors, sometimes one or another weighs in most heavily. A good patio and a cold drink on a summer evening may be more important than the food. A place that can accommodate a squirrely two year...someplace close to your entertainment venue... For TPD, I had a great plate of pasta in the past, haven't been lately. Don't recall the make-up of the dish, but do recall the service being less than stellar. tighe: None of your places are downtown or at the Market. Where do you eat downtown? I'm embarrassed - of your fav's, I'm only been to Ponti! Not for lack of trying - the others are high on my want to try list. Thanks for the reminder.

Matt's in THe Market - only 23 seats. A challenge to find and worth it. Seafood-centric. Lunch and dinner. Harvest Vine - not downtown, but close. Very small, and crowded. Tapas. Market Street Grill - Ballard neighborhood good and friendly. Eva - another neighborhood place - Wallingford. Brasa - full dinner house - eat in the bar off the shorter (and less expensive) menu, and pretend it is a bistro. Salumi - lunch only, short hours and menu. Cafe Campagne - I agree, better for lunch.

This seems like a good thread to restart with this question: East Coasters (Mother and 16 year old daughter) coming for a short visit. Which one or two dinner places do you recommend? They mentioned 727 and Flying Fish. Had to tell them 727's chef just left/is leaving...I suggested Brasa, Eva, or Matt's in the Market. Have no additional knowledge of their tastes. Give it a shot - or let me know if there is another thread to check out. Thanks all.

Reopening an old thread - but I have to! I had some leftover pancetta from Salumi. Fried it up for breakfast. Oh yeah, put that on your "best" list. Not cheap, but a little goes along way.

Cracked a tooth on a thick tortilla chip - resuting in my first crown! Plenty of tongue/cheek bites, rare finger bites. Recently attempted to smell the aroma of a cup of herbal tea while walking. One of those sippy cup tops from a coffee store. The extremely hot tea water splifted up and out to the underside of my nose, scalding the tip, skin was gone in a couple of minutes.

There are many "live" food devotees - but they are not speaking of things animal. What is the definition of live? Are sprouts live?

Very happy that they have expanded the section. Layout: I'm not fond of stories from the back page continuing on earlier pages, but I imagine advertisers love it. It does make some sense to have a second front page to run the wine articles. Content: Not much new on food in there...could use some fresh writing (and I don't mean delish!) and ideas. Thanks for asking.

Jim, The ants are probably there because you have aphids. They like the sticky dew. Use Safer soap spray or home made soap spray to get rid of the aphids and the ants should go too. Just remember that a little soap goes along way in the digestive system (ie, don't ingest.)

Has anyone tried the black or white truffle oil from Trader Joe's? Pretty low price - but I don't know what it should taste like, so I wouldn't know if it were good if I bought it...

hell of a town we eat in! Rainier cherries for lunch yesterday. Pork cheek sandwich at Salumi today. Residue on my fingers downright sticky. Happy there was a seat available - 'round 1:30 - as this was one messy and delicious sandwich. Sadly, no gnocci left, but did pick up some prosciutto and pancetta for weekend cooking. Not like I needed it, but after eating much meat, I tend to crave a bit of sweet. Stopped at Walter's Waffles, on James between First and Second, for a small chocolate chip...waffle. Cruchy, quick bite. Girl Chow - you asked about the bread - I forgot to ask, but it looks like Ciro's (Panzanella, up on the hill) to me.

Just read The Stranger's review of Agua Verde. Reminded me that it would be a great destination for a salad break - lots of flavors to mix, inexpensive, festive, and on the water. Unfortunately, I'm downtown - and the Market, with all that produce isn't so great for salads...

Graffeo - are you all talking about the sweetest little place in North Beach, San Francisco? The best way to get it is to go to the store itself - a pilgrimage. I hadn't been for around 15 years, and when I stumbled in again, it was every bit as good as I remembered!

Here's what I'll have growing this year (tomato stuff - the rest is in the kitchen garden thread): Principe Borghese (Territorial Seeds), sauce/drying - grew this years ago and recall liking them Tiger Like (T.S) - heirloom, small striped, great flavor and prolific, short plant - prize winner at taste-off 2000 Costoluto Genovese (T.S.) - heirloom, great flavor, hard to peel as the skin is ruffled - another prize winner 2000 Jubilee (Solly's Choice) - yellow (end of old seeds) Oregon Spring (Ed Hume and Seeds West) - because I have them and they are reliable Red and Yellow Pear (Renee's Garden) - terrible growing conditions last year, yet they still produced Camp Joy (Shephard's Seeds) - cherry, clusters - they were great last year Isis Candy - start, yellow cherry, new to me Yellow Brandywine - start, heirloom, no production last year Master Caruso - start, I know nothing about it Tomatillo - Toma Verde (Renee's Garden) - easy and prolific In case anyone doesn't know, Shephard's Seeds was sold to a big distributor (White Flower Farms?) and Renee Shephard started back up as Renee's Garden. At least that is my understanding. The fun thing about Renee's Garden is they mix in a couple of color coded varieties in a packet (tomatoes, squash, etc), so you can get more variation in a single year.

Blue Heron and all, I'll post my tomatoes on the tomato thread, here's the beans and eggplant info: Pole beans - zebra, helda and musica (romano's), and painted lady (runner) - all Territorial Seed and new to me this year. Bush - black coco (T.S., new) and saved seed of cannellini and dragon tongue. I like 'em all. My saved scarlet runners stopped germinating. I used to plant purple podded and yellow wax, easier to see at dusk for harvesting and fun for looks. Unfortunately, purple podded turn green when cooked. Eggplant - short tom (T.S.), long purple (Lilly Miller), italian white (Seeds of Change), and turkish orange (Seeds of Change). The orange are inedible, but I understand if I pick them earlier they might be better. I grow all these from seeds, some years I get no eggplants, so there is alot of luck involved. I'm not terribly precise in my growing strategies. Forgot to mention, I also have a bay tree, currently flushed with new leaves.

Uh oh, don't get me started! In the lovely Pacific NW, we have some seasonal challenges, but my small (300 sf?) vegetable garden is planted with peas - shell, snap, and snow (and sweet) - planted late February, potatoes (various colors), onions (also various), mixed salad greens (includes arugula), mixed chinese greens (mustards and choi), black kale, rainbow chard (hmm, a theme?), beets, and spinach. Setting fruit currently is a great strawberry patch, as well as a small fig tree. I have a ton of lovage (what am I to do with it?), angelica which I am allowing to flower for the first time - awesome, many varieties of lavendar, thymes, mints, coriander, oregano, parsley, sage, rosemary, lemon balm, raspberries, blueberries, sorrel, feverfew, and a few leeks. Ready to plant are starts of tomatoes (embarrassing quantity - 10 varieties?), corn, peppers, eggplants, cauliflower, cukes, basil, lemon grass, a stevia plant, lemon verbena, and a tarragon. Somehow, I'll find room for carrots (maybe not - they have been infested the past few years), winter and summer squash, and a few more things I must be forgetting (oh yeah, I put in some beans (at least 6 types) but bet I'll need to reseed in about a month - too cold this spring). Picked my first artichoke this season. I give away a lot of produce each summer - and find eating out a challenge. Who needs a fine tomato/basil salad for $ when I can't keep up with the fresh picked garden produce? Best seeds for around here - Territorial Seeds. Great variety too.