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girl chow

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Everything posted by girl chow

  1. I went with my mother-in-law once to Top Gun in the ID and thought it was great, but I am by no means a dim sum expert. I am, however, a big fan of humboe and thought theirs was super. And, being a south ender, of course I love the Imperial Garden at the Great Wall Shopping Mall for dim sum. They've got great lobster dumplings and humboe. On a visit last spring, the chef had shaped the dumplings into little chicks, they were almost too adorable to eat. They also do great fresh fish preparations (plucked right out of the fish tanks in the dining room). One drawback to IG: it's quite a drive to Kent. You could always make a trip out of it and spend some time at the mall, which has a fantastic supermarket called the 99 Ranch that is very similar to Uwajimaya. As for Saigon Bistro, are you talking about the Saigon Bistro in Uwajamiya Village? I'm pretty sure that's the name of the place I tried in UV. If that's the one, I think they've got great pho, but I was really disappointed in pretty much everything else (including the sandwiches).
  2. Hey -- thanks for those tips! I'm going to start reading now so I'll be ready by spring. I'm off now to go see if I can find some Ed Hume seeds at Home Depot :)
  3. I can see their traps from our upstairs windows... they're these very shallow, white plastic discs about the size of a dinner plate. I'm not sure what kind of beer they use. I better find out today... they sold their house and just closed. They were the only neighbors whose names we knew. I guess we need to make new friends if we ever want to get on "Trading Spaces" (a crazy TLC show in which neighbors redecorate each other's homes). Blue Heron, where is the best local store to buy seeds (hopefully with multiple branches for our spread out demographic) ... and where is the best online place to buy seeds?
  4. Does beer work to trap slugs? My neighbors swear by that method and they always have a beautiful lettuce crop... so they must be doing something right! Thanks for all those great tips. I'm on my way to amazon.com to check out that book :)
  5. CSA=Community Supported Agriculture. But all this talk about growing tomatoes has got me thinking about starting a garden in the spring -- forget buying a share in a local CSA farm. Blue Heron, why don't you conduct a mini class for us all on growing tomatoes. Also, anyone have experience with lettuces? I've heard they can be tricky, but the payoff is fresh salad for weeks :)
  6. Uh, is there any other kind of food? Hahaha. I refuse to eat it unless it is 1)unhealthy and 2) comforting. Tell us more about that New Year's deal!
  7. And I still haven't tried Tosoni's yet. It is now on my to-eat list :) Mamster, just looking inside Bizarro once (it was too busy to get a table), I think it would be really welcoming for kids. At least it has the elements of a kid-friendly place. For 1-year-olds, the telling point would be whether they have high chairs. Never attempt to eat at a restaurant with a baby without a high chair. It's ugly.
  8. I have no excuse for not having a vegetable garden. I live on .40 of an acre, have great soil... but every year I never get around to it. I also shudder to think what my two very large dogs (lab mixes) would do to anything edible I planted in the backyard. They've dug up some of my favorite plants. Err. It's a good thing they're adorable dogs. Hubby and I have talked about doing some raised beds in the back that might lend themselves well to veggie gardens (and keep the dogs out). I guess we'll have to see how motivated we are between now and the planting season :) And, Blue Heron, if you have any trouble getting rid of your tomatoes during the next season, I'd be happy to take them off your hands :) I got a lot this year from friends and family, but it didn't seem a very good year for tomatoes.
  9. I've heard fantastic things about Puget Sound area Community Supported Agriculture farms and have a friend who has bought a "share" with one local farm. He says every week during the summer growing season, he gets a big box of fresh produce that is amazing. He pays a flat fee for the "share" and picks up his box every week from a drop site. The produce he gets is selected by the farm and includes whatever is in season at the time. Has anyone else ever bought a share in a Seattle area CSA farm? What did you think? Was it worth it? I'm considering buying a share for next summer, but it's a steep investment (about 跌-躔 depending on the farm). I might even consider splitting the cost with another family, but I'd like to hear if anyone has experience with any local CSA farms first :) For more information on CSA farms (if you're curious), go to: www.seattletilth.org They have a whole list of farms that offer shares.
  10. And I might add that the rave is well deserved. :) Way to go PapaChef!
  11. I have not seen the most recent issue and thus cannot confirm this, but I just heard from a friend that the Blue Onion Bistro was mentioned in the most recent issue of Bon Appetit as the restaurant with the best value in Seattle. Is it true? I'll try to find a copy and confirm this, but has anyone else seen/heard this? PapaChef, I don't want to start any wild rumors if my source was mistaken, but I just want to say CONGRATULATIONS! That is fantastic news for your restaurant PapaChef.
  12. Dammit. I keep spelling Uwajimaya wrong. My apologies if you went searching for it on qwestdex.com and couldn't find it thanks to my spelling woes. Anyway, the correct spelling is: Uwajimaya. There. This is why my nickname is The Typo Queen. :) And here is a link to their web site: http://www.uwajimaya.com/retailstores_seattle.html
  13. Hey Mr. Vigs, I totally agree with your words about Tulio's, which is a really reliably good restaurant. I don't know why the local food press hasn't made Walter Pisano more of a media darling. Or maybe it's a good thing they haven't :) I'd like to add Assaggio to the list too (206-441-1399; 2010 Fourth.. across the street and a few doors up from the Dahlia Lounge). I've only been once or twice since Don Curtiss left for Prego (in the Madison Renaissance Hotel). They've got a braised lamb shank that I've actually had dreams about. For the Italian restaurants I'd most like to try, but haven't yet, I'd vote for: 1) Mamster's fave, Osteria La Spiga AND 2) Bizarro (I think that's what it's called.) PapaChef (I think) recommended this restaurant to me once. PapaChef, tell us more! Can't wait to read what else you all will recommend :)
  14. This is a continuation of a thread from the kabob-slash-Todoi threads. Tell us fellow Northwest gulletarians... where are your favorite sushi places? Mine: I Love Sushi Bellevue: 11818 N.E. 8th Bellevue, 425-454-5706. Low tech atmosphere, but reliable sushi. Uijamaya Deli: 600 Fifth Ave. S., Seattle; 206-624-6248. The deli has good prepackages sushi combos. They also make to order if you don't see what you want (if you ask them nicely). I also really like the Thai place in the Village (the same people who own Racha Noodles). Zen Sushi: 10720 S.E. Carr Rd, Renton; 425-254-1177. This is up the hill from Valley Medical Center (a few miles east of Ikea). Very nicely decorated little place with a sushi counter. Very nice people run the place. I am not an eater who needs a swanky Belltown atmo to eat my sushi, but I wouldn't be opposed to hear about your fave swank sushi joint :)
  15. I too like fresh salmon and yellow tail and the standard California roll always does me just fine (plus it's reliably good at almost every sushi joint). I haven't been adventurous enough to try eel yet. But I certainly wouldn't be opposed to it if it was offered. Some of my favorite places for sushi: I Love Sushi in Bellevue (I haven't yet been to the Seattle one), the Uijamaya Village deli (they've got prepackaged sushi in the deli that's quite good) and this little place in north Renton called Zen Sushi (they know me there, so I always get the best product :) And their tempura is very good). I've even tried making a California roll at home, but have never liked the results. Maybe I'll post on the egullet cooking board and ask for a good sushi recipe :) I'd love to hear about any other favorite sushi joints you all might have. In fact, I'm going to start a new PNW thread asking that very question :)
  16. Hello Mr. Vigs. Welcome to egullet. We're always glad to have another NW poster aboard as there are too few of us here. Tell your friends! First bite reports are always very much appreciated if you do stop in and give a new place a try. And has anyone gone to Todoi yet? I may have to go just to satisfy my curiousity about a buffet offering 40 kinds of sushi.
  17. Woohoo for the ukelele!! Long live Fluffy Kitten!! Can't wait to hear those MP3s. Do you have a fan club yet? I can totally see those T-shirts.... Ok, now it is safe to resume our regularly broadcasted talk about Pac NW restaurant food. :) Sorry our fellow chowsers for boring you to tears off topic.
  18. Yes, agreed, this thread has gone very far adrift. But because there are only four of us here, nobody else will know and/or care! Mamster, you are the best host! But I will fold food into the discussion by listing what we like to eat on jam nights :) I am a VERY amateur musician. I started my musical career in the third grade playing the recorder. I rocked. I could play 20 songs on that thing. I still have it somewhere. By the time I hit college, I distanced myself totally from my high school marching band days (I played the ever-so-cool French horn and mellophone) and blacked out my annual pictures of me in a band uniform. After college, I decided to turn to a less dorky musical medium: guitar playing. A few years ago, one of my best pals and I formed a "band," although it's basically 3 chicks and numerous groupies and a drummer who never shows (which is why I'm learning drums). I do rhythm guitar, she plays lead and sings (with minimal backup from me). We have changed our name several times: Not Quite Right (except everyone thought I was saying "Not Quiet Riot," which was very unsettling), The Sunday Drivers and most recently I have been calling us 50 Bucks. We both have jam rooms at our houses and that's where we spend many, many Saturday nights (thus far we only have performed for close friends and not yet in public, but I won't rule that out in the future). If you want to know about our sound, well, it's probably a cross between something weird like Flaming Lips and something righteous like Liz Phair. We basically suck, but we have a stellar time discovering chords that neither of us know the names of. We both are Gretsch devotees. I have a super Hawaiian jumbo (emphasis on the "super") and she has a classic Gretsch reissue. Oh, and back to food. Our favorite foods to eat on jam nights: anything Italian, chips and homemade salsa made by my band partner's husband and anything with goat cheese (last weekend was a green salad with goat cheese and pine nuts). We also stock up on bottled water and sometimes beer so long as our hubbies watch the babies for us (mine is 11 months, hers is 9 months). Our favorite place to eat on band nights has been Thai Thai in Burien (near their house in White Center/West Seattle). Address: 11205 16th S.W., 206-246-2246. Also, sometimes we stop off at Taqueria Guyamas in White Center for a burrito and some tripe soup (the soup is only available on weekends!). Their address: 1622 S.W. Roxbury, 206-767-4026. They also have locations in West Seattle, Lynnwood, Capitol Hill, Renton and elsewhere. I have to say that the White Center, West Seattle and Renton branches are far better than their other counterparts (some of the chain is called Tacos Guaymas, by the way). White Center has great food! Ok, Mamster, now it's your turn to spill our your musical addiction! And, most importantly, what do you like to eat during jam sessions?
  19. Yes, they are open Mondays for dinner and lunch. My schedule is better at lunch because I have drum lessons Monday nights, but I could possibly reschedule with my teacher if I give him enough notice. Now all we have to do is come up with a mutually agreeable Monday. ;) Le Pichet, look out.
  20. Thanks for the bday wishes! So far it has been grand. My day started with chocolate, someone put a big smiley face balloon in my pod at work and I got a fabulous e-mail card from PapaChef that was too funny. And it's not even 9 a.m. yet. I'd like to give a big woohoo for birthdays. We think we have settled on a bday restaurant: The Black Diamond Dinner House. It's a helluva drive for you Seattleites, but I live south of Enumclaw, so it's in my hood. If you haven't heard of it, it's a beautiful little restored 1920s era house (and unbelievably was formerly a biker bar hangout in the 70s). The menu is Northwest eclectic and the staff is always gracious. If you ever plan a trip to Mt. Rainier, it's a nice place to stop on your way back to civilization if your return trip is around dinner time. As for a trip to Le Pichet, I'm in!! Maybe we could make it an early afternoon thing so that PapaChef could meet us in between his lunch and dinner rushes? PapaChef, what do you say? And I vote for doing this after the holidays as my eating schedule is very full the next three weeks and I've already gained 3 pounds this month and it's only December 4. AAAGGHHHH!!!
  21. Well, it's my birthday tomorrow (the big 3-2), so how convenient that you mentioned that as a place for birthday dinner. ;) I'm being very non commital about where I want to have my celebration meal. Hubby is threatening me because it is Monday and I still haven't decided where I want to go. And now Todai is on my list. Hahaha. Still, I don't know about going to a buffet for my birthday. It goes against all my gulletarian sensibilities! I tend to think of buffets as something to try so long as you have a backup nearby ;) I wish someone could give us their educated opinion of Todai, like, today! I have a feeling I'll end up at Matt's in the Market (maybe). But, then again, Mamster's suggestion of Osteria La Spiga sounded pretty interesting too. Oh, and speaking of Mamster, have you made it to Le Pichet yet Mamster? Your fellow e-gullitarians may have to take you on a field trip there if you don't go soon. :)
  22. And I thought deep fried pickles were bizarre. But pizza too? Yikes. Of course, people probably used to think that battered and deep fried jalapenos were strange too. On the subject of deep frying, maybe someone should start a thread asking what the weirdest thing anyone has ever deep fried. Mine would probably be an entire pack of bubble gum, but that was quite by accident. I no longer place my fry daddy directly underneath the kitchen cupboards.
  23. The thought of deep fried candy bars was too tempting not to research. I did a search on Google and found articles AND recipes. As for cooking the bars, the consensus seems to be to chill the candy bars, then dip in a beer (??) or milk-based batter and fry away. I even found this article about deep fried candy bars at the Minnesota State Fair. Chef Rodney from Wisconsin gives his take on 'em (hope this link works): http://www.channel4000.com/news/stories/news-92316420010817-100833.html I am still trying to stop laughing.
  24. For me, frozen treats are all about the texture. I like it either cold and creamy rich or solid frozen (such as with my frozen Three Musketeers fetish). Funny, I've never had a problem with my teeth chomping into frozen nouget. Perhaps I have bionic woman teeth. I'm very curious now about the texture/flavor of chilled soft cheeses.... thanks for the thought Wilfrid. And deep fried candy bars? Who knew? Any thoughts on the method for that?
  25. Dinner at home for us is at least 5 nights a week. Typically, 3 of those 5 meals are well executed (at least in theory) complete dinners. At least two nights a week (usually my deadline days) are a quick noodle or pasta dish -- such as rice noodles with a phad thai jar sauce (a staple in my fridge) and some veggies or pasta with a quick white sauce with a sprinkle of parmesan. (That's what we've had so far this week.) We do dinner out once a week and takeout another day. We used to eat out a lot more before our son was born 11 months ago (he's in a stage now where he thinks throwing food is funny, but I doubt many diners would find it cute). Before the "recession," I also used to have a fantastic expense account for weekly restaurant dinners. Miss that. Lunch is leftovers, yogurt or something from the emergency freezer stash (right now: crab cakes). Breakfast is yogurt or toast or whatever our son is throwing at us that morning :) Weekend breakfasts I like to spend in a diner.
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