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girl chow

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  1. Coming out of SERIOUS lurk mode to reply to this. How is everyone? I haven't posted here in a year, or longer. Yikes. For Korean, you should really hit Federal Way or Tacoma. Those communities have more Korean, and it's really done well. On South Tacoma Way, there six or seven or so Korean restaurants betwen 80th and 100th or so. I like Palace BBQ (it's open really late, and has really interesting banchan). I also really like Cho Dang Tofu in the Pal Do World Korean grocery store. Also, there is a little place called Obok that is hole-in-the-wall good bbq. For grill-your-own-bbq at your own table, go to Honey Pig. Nice interior, really good meats.... and HUGE tables for spreading out all the dishes. I like that. In Federal Way, try the restaurants along 312th to 320th on Pacific Highway. A half dozen good restaurants. I like Akasaka, which is sushi and Korean. You can grill at the table at Akasaka. They have better banchan than some of the other restaurants in the same area (larger assortment; and also the quality is really impressive). Also, Kokiri (not sure of spelling) is good, but I have only been once, so can't say. Undercover tip: I like Hanabi around 314th, which is a Korean restaurant disguised as a sushi place. The banchan at the start of the meal is the give away that you're in a Korean restaurant, don't let the sushi menu fool you. It's just Korean with sushi is all (like lots of restaurants in the Korean restaurant areas in Federal Way and Tacoma. I can always tell when I'm in a Korean sushi restaurant when they bring that tray of banchan). Edit: to add a few more places
  2. The Food Network's Power of Food series of shorts (which you can watch online) features a Northwest vegetable garden in the front yard. (It's the one called "Front Yard Garden.") That video of Mamster and Iris is adorable! Cute! Cute! Cute! Click the link people.
  3. I have a shady back yard, so this year I planted my tomatoes in my sunny front yard with espalier trellises. I live in suburbia, so vegetable gardening in the front yard, despite the national edible estates trend, may be a bit controversial for my neighbors. I'm guessing the espalier will look pretty for a bit, until the end of the season when the vines grow like nuts. In theory, I'll cut all the suckers back and have a pretty tomato vine display, but I know by late August I'll get bored with that and let it become a hot tomato mess. My herb plants in my raised garden bed all made it through the winter and are going nuts. Love it! I am also thinking of planting a fig tree in my back yard, but the raccoons have been going nuts on my cherry tree, so I'm not sure if it's worth the effort. I have almost zero cherries this year thanks to the freakin' pests, which I'm really pissed about. By the way, raccoons hiss and squeal when you nail them in the ass with a pellet gun or a rock. Squirting them with a high-powered pressure washer does nothing. They seem to enjoy it, actually.
  4. Interesting. Maybe that's my good fortune. I've always planted my herbs next to my tomatoes
  5. Apologies I didn't see your post earlier. I don't really have any garden secrets beyond replacing my dirt every year with a solid mix of compost and a screened garden mix. I don't fertilize, but add compost as the season progresses. I've never been able to grow a basil plant in a pot. Are you growing yours in a pot? I know people who have, but I've always killed all my potted herbs (except for mint, that damn herb will grow just about anywhere).
  6. Oh! I've been wanting to post a crop report. I just started my harvest, which is my favorite time of summer. I moved to a new house last summer, so this is my first garden at this location. I think I built my raised bed in a bad place in my yard, so I'll be moving it next year to get more sun exposure. So far I've harvested a dozen yellow pear tomatoes and what looks like about 100 more are on the plant ready to ripen. YIKES! I also will be harvesting some black Russians, Early Girl and a Sweet 100 in a week or so. It's not a bumper crop like my tomato gardens in 2003 and 2004, but it's going to be a pretty good crop. My basil plant is HUGE. Rosemary and thyme and sage are a decent size. My 3-year-old mint plant (container) finally died. RIP. My squash (acorn, zucchini, butternut) has done absolutely nothing this year. A few flowers, no fruit. Darn.
  7. I'm in Pierce County and have a raised bed (about 12 inches), so my experience might be different from yours, but my starts are thriving in my garden bed. I put my tomato starts (manitoba, black russian and yellow pear) in the ground over the weekend and they are already growing and looking pretty dang awesome. I also already planted basil, thyme and rosemary starts and they're looking quite perky. You could always call the Master Gardener hotline in King County and get their expert opinion for your neighborhood in Burien They are the masters, after all.
  8. Good post! Lots of good places mentioned. For grocery shopping, I'd add Valley Harvest, with locations on the Kent East Hill and Kent West Hill (very easy to get to from Auburn). The one on the East Hill (by Paolo's, which is a really really really good Italian family joint) has a European style deli that's got lots of interesting stuff. And a pretty decent selection of condiments.
  9. Welcome to the South End (really, really South End). Not a lot of great restaurants in Auburn, but there are a few. Worth stopping by: The Rock: Lake Tapps/South Auburn/Lakeland Hills hood: Wood fired pizza joint, very loud, younger crowd, above average pizza. Sister restaurant to the one in downtown Tacoma (next door to The Swiss). Auguri: Downtown Auburn on Auburn Way South. Very decent Italian. Not your red sauce family Italian joint. Linen tablecloths and a decent wine list. Fresh flavors and daily specials from the grill. We had an eGullet outing to Auguri back in the summer of 2004. Spunky Monkey: Good sandwich joint with character. Grilled sandwiches, soups and salads. They make a mean fruit smoothie. Barrel of Monkeys (the game) on every table. Great place to take kids. Monkey Lounge upstairs. Just noticed that a Taqueria El Rinconsito opened a few months ago in Auburn on Auburn Way North. See previous posts here about TER tacos.
  10. For seafood in Ocean Shores, your best bet is to just buy fresh from the people who sell near/on the beach (just look for signs.. homemade "Crab $5" and signs like that). There is a really great guy who sells crabs over by the jetty (just ask for directions at the IGA, it's not far from there). His stuff is always fresh, but he's only there on weekends in the early morning (sold out by 11 a.m.) Or, get on the highway and follow the signs from Aberdeen to Westport. Once there, follow the signs for fresh crab and other treasures. If you want to go someplace interesting for oysters, you could pop by Brady's Oysters (Note: I like to watch their web cam from time to time) Sorry to report this, but there are few (if any?) quality restaurants in that entire area (if anyone knows otherwise, please post here). A few places you *could* try (but with caution): Alec's By the Sea (ok for breakfast) or Flipper's fish stand.
  11. He's baaaaaaaaack!! We've been wondering what happened to you -- it's so good to see you here. Please keep us posted on where you'll be chefing next! edit: for massive typos
  12. Wow, you sure must have eaten a lot of Korean food. There are dozens of little joints along that stretch. I've eaten a good handful of them, but I'm far from writing off the whole neighborhood.
  13. Ezell's had two locations in Tacoma until recently. The one I went to every few months or so was located on Pacific Avenue and 56th... kind of a seedy neighborhood and I don't think they did well in that location.. it didn't seem like it was open for too long. I can't remember exactly when it closed, but it's been in the last six months or so. They also had a location on South Steele Street inside the mall (??). I never went to that location and I don't know when that one closed, but it was probably within the last year or so? The Sixth Ave. location really seems a good fit for an Ezell's -- and yes, Sixth Avenue is our own little Wallingford, isn't it? It could potentially even become a Fremont. The only thing Sixth Avenue needs now is a Vietnamese joint and/or a banh mi shop, then it'd be perfect. Oh, and a place to buy Philly cheese steaks.
  14. Welcome CWB! There are most definitely cheesemakers here (tho not sure about the Oly Peninsula, but I'm in Tacoma.. which isn't too far away). You'll find a handful of threads on our cheesemaking adventures... there's a great thread from last February about making cheese at Laurel's apartment (soooo much fun and she is the best party host in the universe, of course). And here's another thread from about a year ago (or so) where lots of people posted advice for me on places to find cheesemaking supplies and milk. Placebo is a fountain of information (and will probably chime in on this thread). Placebo is a cheesemaker at Beecher's in Seattle, a great cheese factory/store/foodie mecca. Here is a thread on Beecher's. If you haven't visited there, you must! It's a great place for cheese addicts. You'll find that the best place to find cheesemaking supplies -- as in acids, starters, cheese salt and rennet (both veal and vegetarian) is Beecher's. They also have cheesemaking kits for sale at very reasonable prices (bought my first kit there). I also picked up a really handy book called "Home Cheese Making : Recipes for 75 Delicious Cheeses," by Ricki Carroll and Laura Werlin. This is a fantastic book for an introduction to making cheese. If you're too lazy to click over to the other links to find out where supplies can be found outside Seattle (hey, I can relate), I have a few tips for you on where to get milk down in the south sound area (I live in Pierce County on the other side of the bridge). I make my own mozzarella at least a few times a month and I get my milk in Tacoma at Faith Dairy just off of Canyon and 72ndish. They have a line of non homogenized milk that makes really good mozz called Creamline. Also, if Gig Harbor is closer to you than Seattle, a cheese cafe (fabulous place) called Isa Mira does stock a few cheesemaking supplies. They also have a pretty good selection of cheese there .. and a great view for snacking on cheese. Have you searched in the cooking forum for info on making cheese? There are many threads on the subject of cheesemaking.. and you have to read Placebo's cheese blog edit: stupid typos/fixing links, yada yada
  15. Welcome tkenney! It's good to have another Tacoman among us. I have not tried your restaurant yet, but now have a great excuse to. I just discovered a great new Thai place on 38th called Taste of Thai 38. Have you tried it? It's been open about a month. Small and interesting, ... and they seem really focused on balancing flavors just the way I like it (not too spicy, too sour, too salty or too sweet.. everything just melding all together in balance). I work near Sixth Avenue and eat along that neighborhood frequently, so I was so glad to see your post mentioning Primo and Gateway to India (the owners are just really sweet.. and make a mean mango lassie). I've also eaten more times than I can count at Southern Kitchen and It's Greek to Me on Sixth and I've had a few experiences with Silk Thai and Wild Orchid. I'm itching to try Ezell's, which just opened on Sixth.. or is about to?? (Ezell's has closed its other Tacoma locations). Have you been? Anyone else? I'm assuming the menu will be the same as the other locations, but you never know... I've tried Le Le too, but I think many of the dishes I've sampled have really lacked flavor, or it could be I've ordered things that aren't their specialty. For Vietnamese, I really prefer Wendy's II on Tacoma Mall Boulevard. Right now, they're my favorite (besides my favorite banh mi joints in the ID along 12th and Jackson.. the banh mi nexus of the universe). edit: typos, blabbing, yada yada.
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