dandelion

I visited Victoria last weekend on just a short trip from Seattle on the Clipper. What a lovely city. It’s pretty amazing how a truly cosmopolitan feeling can get packed into such a small space, with great architecture, green spaces, shops, and of course food. I’ve been reading this thread (and others) for a couple of weeks to pick up tips on where to eat, so I wanted to report back on my findings. Lunch the first day was at The Noodle Box (the downtown location). It looked good, and I’d read good things, but we were really convinced by the rave review given by a man delivering produce to the restaurant. We weren’t disappointed. I had the tom yum soup with tofu, and my friend had the chili plum noodle box. We both ordered medium spicy—man was it hot! I normally order my spiciness on the higher end of the scale, but like Fahrenheit to Celsius, the scale in Canada must be completely different. HOT! And huge… I couldn’t finish my soup, but it was very, very good. We sat at the bar looking into the kitchen, where we got to watch the chefs throwing ingredients around and tossing them into the woks, with the big flames and the great smells, it was a great show. After walking around downtown, antique row, Beacon Hill Park, and the waterfront, we ended up back by The Empress, and very thirsty. In Seattle, someone had said that getting a drink at the Bengal Room was quite a scene, so we though we’d give it a shot. At 5pm, the wait (for non-hotel guests) was 20 minutes. The room looked cool, but for us the wait wasn’t worth it, so we set out walking north. Eventually we would up at SYN Bar on Yates, which was rather disappointing. Someone had told me that this place was pretty cool, but it was completely empty and not particularly fun. Maybe it was too early. The bartender was both friendly and hospitable, but my goodness; he poured the weakest drink I have ever had. With higher hopes for dinner, we went back to the hotel and got cleaned up, and went around the corner to Temple for dinner. No reservations, but we our timing must have been just right. We were seated immediately, but a line started to form after that, around 7pm. I really like the décor. Despite all of the white and glass, it’s actually rather cozy with the fireplace and banquette seating along one wall. Starting with drinks, my friend had a Hoegaarden (my favorite beer, and it was on tap), and I had the Surly Temple cocktail, mainly because I’ve never had absinthe and I wanted to try it. The drink was absinthe, vodka and burnt orange peel, and only filled up about half of a martini glass. All I could taste was the anise flavor, and I didn’t go crazy or anything, but I did get pretty buzzed for it being such a tiny drink. We started with the beet and arugula salad (salty, but the beets were good), and our entrees were one of the roasted chicken, and one of the wild mushroom polenta. The presentation was really artistic, with sauces, garnishes and everything all stacked up. Portions were rather small, and I thought “Oh boy, it’s one of those places,” but I actually wasn’t hungry at the end of the meal. The chicken was partially wrapped in bacon, with dijon mashed potatoes: d’lish. The polenta had a whole bulb of roasted garlic on top, which really enhanced out the flavor. The cabernet that the waitress recommended to go with it was perfect. For dessert we split an artfully presented pumpkin cheesecake. There was something going on with the texture of the pastry crust that I really liked, although again, the whole thing was too salty. The meal was around $90 before tip, not bad at all. I’d recommend it, although the “salty” theme was a little annoying. The next day, Sunday, we tried to heed the recommendations on this board and that of our taxi driver and have brunch at John’s Place. Unfortunately, the wait for two people was 45 minutes. So we took a short walk, and found Demitasse. There was no wait for a table here. The food was really great, the service was extremely friendly, and the table we had it the back was quiet and warm. We each had a benedict, one with back bacon and one with spinach and tomatoes. I usually like my poached eggs to be pretty soft, but aside from that the food was fantastic. Each meal came with a side of roasted Yukon Gold potatoes the size of my head, and the hollandaise sauce was terrific. HIGHLY recommended. Victoria... yum. I’ll be back.

Senso Unico took the old Torrefazione space at 622 Olive Way. I don't think they have a website yet, but it's run by the Caffe Umbria guys.

Caffe Senso Unico is now open on Olive. They've fixed up the space nicely, with a new color palette and nicer furniture. They're serving Umbria coffee (which is good), and the pastries are from Macrina Bakery. They're still working out some kinks (it's cash only -- no credit cards) and the layout of the seating and condiment areas don't seem quite right, but it's only day one. I'll be back in the morning to check it out again.

At the Ballard market, they were all $10/lb, except for the vendor I bought from. Luckily, I only needed 8 oz. for my recipe.

Okay, I'll bite. <img src="http://www.216colors.com/images/food/IMG_1003.jpg"> I picked up some chanterelles at the farmers market in Ballard on Sunday. I was planning on making a pasta dish with them, but I've been feeling a little sick for the past couple of days, so I felt like having soup instead. It's a pretty basic recipe based on one by my buddy Jamie. Sauteed the mushrooms in olive oil, added garlic, onion and thyme, simmered and then pureed. Finished with some cream, parsley and more sliced mushrooms. Has anyone seen a price lower than $8/pound on chanterelles?

If you just want something good and basic, how about the Seattle Restaurant Store on Aurora in Shoreline? http://www.seattlerestaurantstore.com/

HA! Well, I should have said, only suckers eat the fixed menu downstairs in "The Restaurant" at £60 per person. I ate in the Trattoria on the main level, and that's what I'd recommend to all. Right then, back to topic....

Mmmmm, Fifteen! Hype or no, I had an amazing dinner when I ate there last November. And a damn fine bottle of wine as well. An event down the steet from me with Matt Skinner? I'm SO there! Thanks for the heads up.

Do they have their menu posted?

Market Spice has black mustard seeds. For the soy granules... maybe Whole Foods or PCC?

Coming soon... Caffe Senso Unico.

Here's some more info: Torrefazione's ex-owners open new cafe in Pioneer Square As of the printing of that article, it looks like the plan was for just one store, but Bizzarri was there at the Olive Way cafe this morning making plans and chatting with the regulars. As far as the name... I wish I could remember. He said he'd probably have a sign up in the window on Friday announcing it, so I'll let you guys know then.

The Torrefazione Italia on Olive Way is slated to re-open on October 1st as a new Italian coffee shop. The gentleman who started the TI cafes 19 years ago has signed a lease on the space (not sure if it's just this location, or others as well). The new name (in Italian, I didn't quite catch it) transaltes to "one way" or "the only way." HOORAY!

That bene sure looks pretty, if unfortunately not very tasty.... I enjoy the veggie benedict at the Deluxe on Broadway. It has spinach (but not too much), plus tomatoes and mushrooms, all in good proportions. The hollandaise has a nice tangy flavor, without overpowering everything else. It could be a little thicker, but hey, this is no gourmet restaurant. Eggs have the right amount of runniness. As an added bonus, the bloody mary at the Deluxe is really tasty, especially if you squeeze in the lime wedge.

The facade of Veil looks nearly complete, and they're definitely getting serious about the interior... the drywall is finally up! Peeking in the windows, there's still quite a lot of work left to be done for them to be opening in less than a month and a half! Also, parking in this neighborhood is very limited -- I wonder if they've thought about that? All in all, however, I'm excited about this place, and hope they do well. I can't wait to check it out.

I know I've seen signs in Noah's Bagels asking that you don't bring in outside food because they are kosher. This was awhile ago, and perhaps only at the couple of locations that I used to go to, but it was definitely a rule.

I've heard September 22 for the Olive Way store... it seems like they're spreading them out. I guess the demolition team can only do one store per day. Sigh...

I've eaten at both locations, and I concur.... 3rd & Pine is much, much better.

It's now available at Metropolitan Market!

Welcome to Seattle, Peter. Yes, this is the place. The food is great, the service is great, and the murals on the walls will keep you entertained if you're eating alone and forget to bring a book. If you wait until after the lunch rush (say 1:30 or later), you'll find that the food is even better because they'll have a little more time to put everything together for you. I love the little details in their food, especially when it comes to the garnishes. The falafel has a lot more to it than the generic lettuce, tomato and hummus of every other place in Seattle. (I'm an extra-spicy girl myself, but I'd definitely recommend working up to that.) Even a bowl of lentil soup isn't just that -- they jazz it up with hot sauce, parsley and lemon juice before serving it. Yum.

I tried Zak's two weekends ago. I suppose it's very much like Kidd Valley, and when I was there (starving before seeing a movie) it really hit the spot. Fries are nice and crispy, burgers were fine, and they have beer. Also, if you have any vintage Seattle, or particularly Ballard memorabilia and are willing to part with it to help decorate their walls, you might get a free burger.

Fried onions.... very, very caramelized and crunchy. Beets would be good though... mmmmm.....

Just checked in at the Pike Place Market Creamery. They have raw goat's milk from a dairy in Duvall, WA for $5 a quart. Raw cow's milk is coming soon... they have a supplier on Vashon, but no way to get it delivered yet. I'm on a list to get notified when they have it -- I'll report back here when I do.

Metro Market now has Pence peaches both at both the Queen Anne and West Seattle locations, but I've got to say that they're just not good this year. At both locations, the peaches are still hard, even though they look pretty and ripe. The one I tried just wasn't sweet at all. These might be good for baking, but not for biting into and eating fresh. The Peach-O-Rama just doesn't have that festive feeling of the past years! Also, they don't give the Brix values for all of the different peaches anymore... I miss that.

Hooray!