girl chow

I don't know why, but they decidedly do -- especially Milky Way and Three Musketeers. I don't even eat those bars at room temperature anymore. For that matter, fudge also should be eaten frozen (I am officially in holiday candy making mode right now). I put it directly in the freezer after cooling and cutting it. An added benefit of this is the post holiday discovery of a container of fudge. Nothing like a good piece of frozen fudge in March.

Hey, go check it out and give us a full food report. 40 kinds of sushi? Sounds like my kind of place. It does sound too good to be true. And, while you're there, pop your head into Ruby's and let us know if the atmo really is as truly cool as it's described (total retro diner) or if it's just another burger joint with a stupid pseudo diner motif :)

Wow.... so many great suggestions!! I knew I came to the right place. I think I'll go with the Zoo-lunch for the family with all the kids (great idea!). I think maybe Red Mill Burgers near the zoo would be a good place to feed a gaggle on a budget. As for the others, I'm thinking BOB-Giggles is the winner, although I know they all love Thai and sending my conservative family members to Capitol Hill is a delicious thought .... DECISIONS!! Feel free to post other suggestions. I need a list for next year too :)

I need a "night out" gift certificate combo for a holiday gift that cannot exceed โ. Dilemma: strict family rules on pricing and venues. I need to give gift certificates that are dinner and activity centered -- such as a restaurant-movie combo. The rules: the restaurant and activity must be in close proximity to one another (like the same city) and the pair cannot cost more than โ total (yikes!). Help! The last two years -- out of desperation -- I've done Red Robin--movie theater combos (ำ and ฟ respectively). This year, I'd like to support our locally owned businesses and introduce my otherwise conservative family members to new places to eat/play. Anyone have thoughts? Cool, cheap restaurants near cool, cheap movie houses/gaming places/comedy clubs/pool places? As for locale, Seattle is just fine, but I'm open to Renton/Eastside suggestions because that's where most of my family lives. Any thoughts my fellow (three) posters?

Well, this post might be too late for this year's Thanksgiving, but .... <p>In lieu of the standard cloying sweet potatoes, a few years ago I started making roasted sweet potatoes with garlic and rosemary.<p>Despite the name, I usually wind up making these with yams because it seems I can always find better yams than sweet potatoes :)<p>I slice the yams diagonally and place in a glass casserole dish, season, then drizzle with olive oil, and add 5 or 6 cloves of garlic that have been halved (don't mince or chop, the garlic will burn while cooking) and then add fresh, chopped rosemary. I roast at about 425 degrees until half cooked, then flip the yams and stir them around and cook until the yams begin to caramelize. The garlic cloves should have a roasted, caramelized quality. <p>Mamster, what's your recipe for homemade potsticker filling? :)

Hey PapaChef, you're right! We are the sole four ;) Hey Blue Heron, why don't you give PapaChef's place a try? He's in Northish Seattle, although just a bit south of where you'll be. I highly recommend his eats. I've only eaten there for dinner, but I've seen his lunch menu and it looks delish. I was so inspired by PapaChef's blue salad concoction that I tried recreating it at home. It's better at the Blue Onion Bistro. :) Address: 5801 Roosevelt, digits: 206-729-0579 Also, PapaChef, I visited Seattle Exotic Meats (it's at 176th and Aurora; 206-546-4922) for a work assignment on game meats back in 1998. If I recall correctly, I was offered some ostrich and alligator jerky (or it might have been buffalo). Both were chewy. They had lots of weird meat, but nothing as odd as what you'll find in Montana. On my last visit there, I ate a bull testicle at the Rocky Mountain Oyster Festival in Deer Lodge, Montana. It also was chewy.

Well, it may not be open for lunch or even a desireable place to have lunch, but one of the wackiest dining experiences I've ever had was in North Seattle at the Aurora Cinema Grill. As the name suggests, it's on Aurora Ave and it's in the Shoreline area at about 130th. It's a movie theater that also serves food. Have you heard of it? Or been there? It's a total experience. The menu is mostly sandwiches, pizza and such, but the good news is that they serve booze (great champagne concoctions). The food is ok for what it is. If you order a sandwich, make sure you check to see if the bread is grilled or toasted or request a bun. Their fillings sometimes overpower the soggy bread. Prices also were decent and you thankfully won't find movie house markups. Sandwiches are in the ŭ-Ű range. Focaccia pizzas are around บ. They even have cheese plates in the Ů-Ű neighborhood. The seating arrangement works very well. Tiered levels have rows of tables with roll-away chairs (excellent touch). The lights are dimmed, but the theater is not completely dark. I didn't find that too distracting. Servers are very good about appearing during appropriate parts of the movie. The movies are second run, but not so old that you can get them on video/dvd :) Anyone else been to the Aurora Cinema Grill? What did you think? Other recs in North Seattle: Burrito Loco on Holman Road (just west of about 100th and Aurora). This is a fantastic little mom and pop Mexican restaurant with about the best halibut ceviche I've ever had. The kind of place that won't serve it if it isn't exactly right. BL is one of few local restaurants that serves tortas. Cheap. 9211 Holman Rd., 206-783-0719. Cyndy's Pancake House: Also on Aurora at about 100th. Diner-rific. Excellent pancakes, old school breakfasts served all day. A bit smoky, but otherwise good. Cheap. 10507 Aurora Ave. N., 206-522-5100. In Greenwood, a little south, I really like a vegetarian restaurant called Carmelita. It's a very unusual restaurant with fantastic seasonally focused veg food. Not sure if it's open for lunch, but if it is, it's worth checking out. 7314 Greenwood, 206-706-9916. I think the Enat Ethiopian restaurant is somewhere up there, although I've never been there. I hear it's very good. It's on my to do list. Let me know if you try any. (Edited by girl chow at 8:55 pm on Nov. 20, 2001)

Hope this thread doesn't duplicate any others on this topic, but I just had to ask what others thought of the Iron Chef USA debut Friday night. Did anybody else see it? I don't know what I was expecting, but certainly not William Shatner wearing sequins. Egads! It was, uh, interesting, but not as cool as the real thing. The focus seemed heavy on action (ie: how many ways can we spear/filet/crack/kill this Dungness crab?) and very heavily centered on audience shots (our signs spelling out the name of our chef are bigger than yours!!). Very little attention was paid to the actual food preparation, save for several stupid shots of an ice cream maker churning away a very odd sounding sorbet. I kept wanting them to turn the camera on the prep areas so we could see what they were concocting -- or let us listen in on their strategy planning. Instead, the views mostly were centered around the stovetop action and execution. One good thing is that it seems to be a show that would appeal to a broad range of food lovers. It has the frenetic pace of a WWF "Smackdown" episode, which ought to appeal to a lot of men (at least my hubby was digging it). And although it was campy in its own right, just as the original is, sometimes it got really really unbearably cheesy. At one point, the commentators were discussing sea urchin "gonads." Uck. Thanks for the technicolor description boys. And Sissy Biggers, oh my, what is up with her? Yeah, I've got my criticisms, but you bet your butt I'll be watching when the next one airs. I saw no mention of it on the UPN site. Anyone know when the next one will be on?

Hey Blue Heron, the Barking Frog is right next door to the Redhook property. Just look for the signs that say "Willows Lodge." The Herbfarm restaurant also is located on site there. I have eaten there under Stephane Desgaches' watch, but not since Tom Black took over the kitchen last month (anyone know where Desgaches went?). I thought the food fine, but overpriced. They pass off the experience as casual and then charge fine dining prices. It's a colliding concept -- if I'm going to shell out in the high ฤs to low ฮs for an entree, I want linen on my table (dammit!), a server who is old enough to drink liquor and a sommelier to answer my wine questions. On my visits, the service was so bad, it was offensive and all my food and wine questions went unanswered -- every one of them. Things are sure to get better under Black's reign, but my experiences left a really bad taste. I may revise this post after a future visit. It ain't in the budget now. Mamster, I've never been to Osteria La Spiga. What's the pricing like? Any recs come to mind? My bday is in two weeks and hubby wants a list of where to go. Is it birthday worthy?

Ok, well, since you asked.... here are a few others I would recommend taking my out-of-town pals: Of course Blue Onion Bistro (aka BOB), how the #### could I have left it off my list? PapaChef rules at making outstanding comfort food. Plus he's assembled one of the kitschiest dining rooms in all of Seattle -- especially the monkey buddha statue :) Bites I really liked while there last: the blue salad with lots of blue cheese, smoked chicken and apples (great flavor combo) and Roosevelt red pasta. Frankly, everything PapaChef makes is good. On a personal note, my fave guitar store, Trading Musician, is across the street. Forecasters Pub at the Redhook Brewery in Woodinville. You could couple this trip with a visit to the Barking Frog. Although the Barking Frog is ok, it's a little spendy for what you get and the help is pretty green for a fine dining spot. You could eat apps and wine at the Barking Frog (the wine list is a BOOK -- literally), then head to Forecasters next door for more noshing on good pub food and some microbrews (free blues Fri and Sat nights). Le Pichet. This is not NW, but rather a French bistro, but it's such a cool little place. It definitely fits the low budget theme. Entrees are under ฟ. I had a very good pork dish the last time I was there paired with white beans scented with rosemary -- very good. Yum. Have that with the charcuterie platter and a cheese platter. Don't forget to have a few sips of pernod before calling it a night :) I agree with all that PapaChef said about Tom Douglas restaurants, which are a little pricier than the others I've mentioned here. I like the Dahlia Lounge, but I would have a late lunch there and avoid the crowds. The last time I lunched there, I had a fantastic duck soup. Also, another budget trip to take your tourist pals is for a fish and chips run to Alki Beach. Hands down, Sunfish has the best. My rec is to order the fish and chips and if the weather is nice, find a bench or spot along the waterfront to eat. Alki is beautiful, even on stormy days. Ok, now I'm seriously getting hungry. I might have to head to the BOB for some smoked chicken pot pie :)

Well, it ain't cheap, but I've always liked Palisade as a cool NW restaurant to take out of towners. Actually, I've always liked John Howie's food more than anything (Confession: I own one of his cedar salmon planks). The menu is really eclectic and Howie changes things often, but I'd be surprised if there weren't a good selection of seafood on the menu at all times. Warning, though, it's as spendy as Ray's, if not more. The view is fantastic. For low budget dining, have you ever considered someplace "cozy" and kind of out of the way like Matt's in the Market? They've got great oysters, daily fresh fish specials and a very seasonal NW menu. And it's in the primo Seattle tourist locale. The food is very good. It's not a Salty's or Ray's experience, but it's a cool NW experience, I think. One drawback: closed Mondays and they don't take reservations. And the place is really, really small. But it just feels like a cool NW place, I think. Also, if you want a cool NW experience south of the city, I'm partial to The Lobster Shop at Dash Point, which is west of Federal Way. Entrees will set you back in the low ฤs, but the view is something else. Ask for a table upstairs if they're not catering an event. The view is of Poverty Bay and Vashon Island. After dinner, you can walk on the pier before you amble to your car. I've celebrated a few anniversaries there and hubby and I always leave stuffed and happy. And one final thought on where to take tourists: have you ever been to the salmon bake at Tillicum Village? The company I used to work for took us one year and I have to say, it rocked. You take a small ferry from the Seattle waterfront to Tillicum Island. After a nice walk to the long house, the real fun starts: an authentic salmon bake. They bake the salmon on long cedar planks and it is absolutley magnificent with a sweet, smoky scent from the cedar. There also was a great seafood chowder and a fabulous presentation of steamed clams. After the meal, tribal members entertain with traditional drumming and dancing. It dumped rain the whole time we were there, so we didn't explore the island much, but that's part of the experience if you want (bring an umbrella). It was a fantastic time and well priced at ๑ a head. I would do it again if I ever had friends who came and visited and wanted to do somethign other than spend their entire trip swilling beer at the local brewpubs. Hope these help with your guests :) I have a lot of other suggestions, but I didn't want anyone's eyes to glaze over. (Edited by girl chow at 8:44 pm on Nov. 15, 2001)

I'm wondering where to get the best burgers in the Northwest -- from Centralia to Bellingham. Anyone want to weigh in with their faves beyond the usual suspects --- Dick's, Kidd Valley and Red Mill. Of course, if you really really dig those burgs, tell us why!

Thanks Mamster! I won't be making a trip to B.C. soon, but if I head that way, I'll think about a detour to Vancouver for some durian i.c. And, really, you don't think durian has a very strong, odd scent? I remember being sort of shocked by the scent (I wasn't expecting it). But thinking back, my opinion of durian may be horrible skewed simply because my first whiff was during my first trimester of pregnancy (the memory lingers to this day). Not a good time to be smelling anything new -- or anything strong. I still can't think about or smell bratwurst without getting sick. Ack!

Hey PapaChef, I think the Far Far's in Issaquah has become indpendent of the chain (at least that's what someone at work told me). Not sure if the ice cream is the same as the joint in Arizona, but I think the stuff is at least a couple steps above what you can get locally .. mostly I'm impressed that they have durian ice cream. I know the Honey Moon tea court and ice cream place at Uwajimaya doesn't have durian and I haven't found it on any of the dessert menus in the ID or the Great Wall Shopping Mall. So they score serious durian points with me. ;p

Hey Papa Chef, I know you're not an Eastsider, but there are a few ice cream joints in Issaquah that are better than B and R at least. One is FarFar's, on Front Street in Issaquah. It's called FarFar's Danish Ice Cream. They've got several unusual Asian ice cream flavors, including durian (the fruit that stinks, but tastes great). Their stuff ranks high for unusual, for sure. I also like the Cone Company and Gnashery in Gilman Village, if anything because they've got great outdoor seating. The ice cream ain't bad either. The bonus: both are small and locally owned and operated (nudge, nudge). For all you non NWestern folks wondering about this Issaquah place... it's pronounced Iss-ah-qwa and it's a suburb about 20 minutes (or 1 hour in I-90 traffic) east of Seattle. Papa Chef, tell us more about the special sugar! (without giving away all your secrets, of course!)