Peter Johnson

Anyone know what the story is with the fabled reopening of the Boat Street Cafe? Sad to hear about the Local--loved that place. What happened?

SRO?

Too bad. Wescott Bay on San Juan lets you do that--very cool, straight from the source!

Thanks again, all--the cooking-related response is particularly helpful! PJ

Thanks, all. Will try University Fish this afternoon. I appreciate the responses!

No, I'm not going to go firebomb any places. Respond privately if you wish, but what's the best source for the "raw material" in Seattle? I've got to try searing/grilling this myself, I'm going to go bankrupt if I keep ordering it out. I live near the Market--I wonder if DiLaurenti has it? Thanks in advance!

It seems that recommendations in the International District tend to be a bit time-sensitive, with places closing (other than the old school mainstays), changing hands, expanding, etc. etc. etc., so I thought it would be nice to have a new thread where folks could post their recent experiences. As for myself, I've had a couple of really smashing meals lately at Malay Satay Hut on 12th. Steamed Tilapia with black bean sauce the other week was incredible; my dining companion had an interesting chicken cashew dish that was served in somethng like a huge hollowed-out, deep-fried yam (sorry if this is a standard Malaysian dish that I'm butchering the description of). Great service as well. So let's hear 'em!

Thanks--that place looks terrific! Never heard of it! See you there on Saturday!

What is PFI? Thanks.

Correct. Yes and no. Everyone gets a menu. The menus are in fact distributed at 6:00. It's a cocktail hour. We had cocktails and chatted. There was no bread. Perhaps one could ask for bread, we did not. But then, we often have cocktails and chat for an hour before dinner. Come on, you guys, if you don't like the idea of the place, then DON'T GO. I happen to love it. Your mileage may vary! YMMV.

Was it quinoa? Your description of the evening sounds lovely. I am intrigued by this place but I think to pull of something "different" you need to do so in an environment that makes people feel safe. Obviously if you pass some unknown test Phred can do that. I'm afraid I might not pass the test. ← Yes, yes! Thank you! Quinoa! Yum! Seriously, I think there's just too much hand-wringing (no offense to you or anyone specifically) about it--Go! Enjoy! I should add an aside, though, in the interest of full disclosure, that I can see where one thing might be a problem. The menu lists no ingredients; literally, it says "Lamb", "Baked Salmon", "Parmesan Flan", etc. For my wife and I, neither of whom is a vegeterian and neither of whom has a food allergy or restriction, we can just go with the flow--"Yes! Please! I'll have the flan, canneloni, and lamb," not knowing (or caring!) what the ingredients are, trying to reverse engineer the dishes as we eat them. It could be tricky for someone who has more restrictions, and they might not feel comfortable asking about the components of each dish in which they were interested.

Arrived last night at 5:30. Plenty of space. Amazing food. Even more amazing wine pairings. Four hours worth of a brilliant culinary experience, $140 for two including wine and tip. We had the following: First course: Parmesan Flan with fennel salad; Artichoke "dip" with toasted bread. I say "dip" because it was really artichoke hearts sauteed in garlic and (probably) gruyere. Second course: Calamari canneloni (squid body filled with crab canneloni--completely amazing); goat cheese gnocchi with fiddleheads (mmm, fiddleheads, so earthy, so tasty, so _everywhere_ these days, but for a reason!). Third course: Lamb with little yukon golds; copper river salmon over (what is that grain that is similar to cous cous but has (bear with me) a little white "swirl" in each "bead"?). Both were simply prepared, and roasted; my wife, who doesn't eat lamb, loved my lamb. The red wine paired with my lamb deserves special note; the combination of flavors actually fooled me into thinking I was tasting mint (as in, old school put mint jelly on your lamb); how that happened I'll never know. Fourth course: cheese plate (can't remember the cheeses) with apples and two dates stuffed with pinenuts; vanilla risotto with rhubarb compote. Wine is paired for you (we ordered one "typical white" and one "typical red" dish for each course, and, looking like the "sharing types," we each got a half glass of each for each course). This was, hands down, the best meal I've ever had in Seattle. Sorry, we experienced none of the aforementioned "issues;" service was amazing, food was amazing, wine was amazing. Maybe we just "got it." Regardless--go. Relax (seems to be the key suggestion based on some posts above). Enjoy.

Oy, what's the trick to getting a response back from him?

The price seems to be dropping fast, everywhere! I like it when the market (power to the people!) decides things like this!

Down to 16.99/lb (Sockeye) and 24.99/lb (King) @ Pure Foods. Didn't check the price on steaks--filets only.

That's a start! See you there in the morning!

Fellow egulletteers: I'm interested in seeking out coffee shops with views--water, city, whatever. Just places to tuck into my Saturday/Sunday Times, a cuppa, and a good view for pondering. Any thoughts? Close to downtown is preferable! Thanks. PJ

Well, I won't hold back! $19.99/lb for sockeye and...wait for it...$27.99 for King at Pure Foods in the Market! Haven't checked anywhere else.

Well, yeah! I'd call Vision Pinot '99 at 17.99/bottle a bargain compared to the $49.99 list (if you could even find it!)

Ain't that the truth!!!

Some time ago (four years?) I read a cool article in the Sunday magazine that comes with the Seattle Times about a steak house in Central Oregon that is completely nondescript, in the middle of nowhere, perhaps on a ranch, and (then, anyway) served the best steak in the state. I can't remember anything about it other than that--and the fact that I've always wanted to figure out where it was and try it. Does this ring a bell with anybody?

Cool, thanks for the heads-up!

Thanks, Tess--that had occurred to me, but I haven't adjusted the temp down to see if that's what's going on. Maybe I'll try it...

Greetings! I'm hoping someone can help me with a skate cooking question. I was trying to pan-fry skate the other night (as described above: milk --> flour --> butter in pan); two minutes on one side, and when I flipped it...THE WHOLE THING CURLED UP INTO A TUBE! Unsalvageable (appearance-wise, anyway); so I rolled it around and ate it. Super tasty. But... What the heck happened and how can prevent it from happening in the future? Thanks!

I've just moved here from Philly (see companion thread about BYO's!). When I lived in Seattle before (1999-early 2001) I had terrific ceviche at Bandoleone. THat was when they were on Eastlake; now they've moved and haven't heard anything about them in a while. Even that did not completely stack up to Pasion, though.