girl chow

Thanks Tsquare for the menu 411. Vivanda is out. Brasa is in. That menu looks *good*

Thanks for the link Mr. Toast. I love this promotion. Argh, after seeing Malarkey's post about the promotion running only Sun-Thurs (love that fine print), Mr. GC and I are going to eat at Vivanda on Sun. Nov. 9. Anyone who has this restaurant on their list, please join us! edit: because I'm a bonehead and didn't notice the promotion runs on weeknights only. duh.

Yes, I really appreciate that tip about the Oakville Grocery. We could have gone in many directions in Oakville's cheese bin, so we were glad to have the Red Hawk suggestion. We wound up bringing home a round of it on ice in our luggage (shhhh, don't tell the cheese police). We flew in late, so we spent the night at my sister's house. The cheese didn't even make it to midnight... hubby and I and sister and the rest of the family ate the whole wheel standing over the kitchen island with a loaf of Acme sourdough. It was a great moment.

I've never had sourdough in Seattle like Acme's sourdough. Next time you're in SF, pick up a loaf. Perfect texture and flavor. I think it was the slightly more pronounced sourness of the bread that I appreciated -- it just tasted quite different from the sourdough I've eaten here. Not that I'm an expert on the matter, but when I bit into a slice of Acme sourdough, it tasted like what I imagine a sourdough *should* taste like. I suppose it wouldn't be the same if Acme shipped its bread to Costco (or elsewhere up here in the PNW). Just as it probably wouldn't translate well (in quality anyway) if the Essential Bakery shipped its lush tarts and pastries down south to California. My waiter at Chez Panisse claimed that the owner of Acme started as a busboy at Chez Panisse and then went on to open his own bakery (I'm imagining there was some kitchen experience in between those two jobs...and he didn't go straight from busboy to bread baker, although that would be a really cool story....). The factory is located in Berkeley. I'd love it if others here could fill in the blanks.

I just had a chance to scope out his new book (thanks to a friend). The intro is captivating and tells a very textured story about the big dinners he enjoyed as a kid growing up with a giganto family. It's a great guide for people who really like to entertain. I'm already trying to figure out who I can invite over to make the "Chinook Salmon Roast" dinner menu. The book basically is separated into menus for "big dinner parties," complete with side dish suggestions and outstanding wine notes. I'm loving the book. It's too bad he won't be at Bookfest, I'd love to sit in on his session. Bummer.

I am so lame that I haven't posted until now, but I just wanted to revisit this thread... and say THANK YOU!!!!! to everyone who gave us recommendations. After getting so many suggestions, we changed a lot of our meals and I'm really glad we did. The Bay Area is a great place for eating and we will be returning for sure!! And you all provided us with suggestions that were fantastic. Here's where we ate: Wednesday, Sept. 24. Originally, we were going to eat lunch at the Wharf, but we wound up drinking lunch on the plane instead (I love vacations). We got some nibbles at the wharf and checked out the sea lions, then took a long walk in preparation for a late dinner. Dinner: Zuniturned out to be a great suggestion. We were so happy with our meal, even though we were practically sitting on top of the table next to us (why are the tables so da,mn close?). We started with the Caesar salad and then ordered preserved tuna with copious amounts of garlic, lemon zest and olives. It was a stellar start. For dinner, I had grilled King salmon with a tarragon butter sauce that was sooooo velvety rich. Mr. GirlChow loved his grilled pork tenderloin with housemade fennel sausage. The charred Early Girl tomatoes were perfect. Zuni was our first introduction to Acme bread. It would come back to visit us thorughout our trip. We want to live at the Acme bread factory. That bread is wonderful. After dinner, we wandered into a crazy place called Julie's Supper Club in the Folsom neighborhood. It was quite by accident that we found Julie's. We were looking for some random bar Mr. Girl Chow had seen on "Insomniac," but the place he was looking for had changed owners and is now a lounge called Cherry. Alas, Cherry was closed, but Julie's -- a few blocks down -- turned out to be a lot of fun. People even bought us drinks. That was pretty damn friendly. Thursday, Sept. 25 We were going to eat at the CIA Greystone, but we took the advice of a few different people who posted... we stopped at the Oakville Grocery to buy a picnic lunch before visiting three wineries (Niebaum Coppolla, Mumm and Rutherford Hill). We picked up a loaf of Acme sourdough, a wheel of Red Hawk cheese, some marinated salami and fresh mozzarella. Then, after NC and Mumm (we went there to see the Ansel Adams collection... it was amazing) we did the obligatory tasting at Rutherford Hill and made ourselves comfortable at a picnic bench overlooking the valley. A BEAUTIFUL DAY!!! It probably helped that we had a pretty good buzz going from all the wine. It was one of the best moments of our trip! dinner: Delfina. There was a lot to like about this restaurant, but we overbooked ourselves with a night tour of Alcatraz and didn't have time to give Delfina a proper try. We definitely will go back. We loved our meal there, but we needed more time. We started with the grilled fresh calamari with the white bean salad.. and it really was a well-executed dish. The fresh-stretched mozzarella was "10 minutes old," our waitress told us.. it was fantastic with the roasted peppers. I had halibut with a fantstic fennel confit. Mr. Girl Chow ordered the flatiron steak and loved, loved, loved it (the fried sage leaves were the best I've had yet). Again, we enjoyed the Acme bread. You are lucky to have it! The night tour at Alcatraz was extremely creepy. A good time was had by all. Friday, Sept. 26 We woke up late and had a very relaxed day. We went to the wharf and ate lunch at In-n-Out, which I think is a great burger joint (although I'm sure there are better in SF, but we just love In-n-Out and don't have them in Seattle). Dinner: Chez Panisse. This was a great time! We definitely will go back. We loved the casual attitude and the beautiful setting and had a great time perusing the cheese shop across the street (the line for pizza was out the door). We did have a few small problems with our meal at Chez Panisse... the shellfish stew we ordered came to the table overcooked! The big problem was with the halibut, which was so dry, it was terrible. I was going to send it back to the kitchen, but our waiter disappeared for what seemed like forever and a busboy swooped in and took the plate, even though the halibut was pretty much untouched and just sitting there. I should have spoken up and I'm kicking myself for not mentioning it to our waiter or the staff. Errrrr. It didn't spoil our meal, but we weren't expecting such a definite misstep from the kitchen. The rest of our meal was lovely. I ordered King salmon and it was perfectly prepared (I was holding my breath after the shellfish stew). Mr. Girl Chow loved his hand-cut noodles with a slow-cooked pork ragu, but I thought the pork was a touch dry. He didn't agree and ate the whole thing. We finished with a trio of cheeses, which were divine (although all European.. I was hoping for a local cheesemaker to be represented?). The cheeses were from Portugal and France. All very good and went very well with the Acme bread (again, I love the Acme bread!). After dinner, we headed back to San Francisco to check out a cigar bar. We wandered around Chinatown (the adjacent neighborhood), then wandered into the 850 Cigar Bar. It was loud and smoky, just like you might imagine of a cigar bar that features live Latin Jazz. It was lively.. very cool crowd.. although too loud for us to even have a conversation. So we just nodded our heads to the music and blew smoke rings. A good time was had by all. On Saturday, we wound up wandering into the Mission District and eating at El Farolita. It really reminded me of a place called Taqueria Guaymas here in Seattle. The tacos were cheap and sloppy like a good taco should be ... and devilishly hot. We split a burrito that was the size of a small sedan. We left San Francisco stuffed and happy. Thanks again for all your advice! We'll definitely be coming back! Can someone FedEx me some Acme bread?

Thanks for bringing up my neck of the woods tomatonator...woohooo for Kent!! Ok, here's an old thread about Indian stores where I mention Punjab, as well as the other great Indian stores/restaurants in that particular neighborhood in Kent. Some information may have changed since then... this is an older thread. Thought it might still be useful for others though. Kent actually has decent food people! (And there's a new restaurant in Covington called Portabella Road that I'll be trying next week.. I'll give a report-- I wonder if Ye-Ye Girl has tried it yet??). And if you're in South King County people, don't forget to get a drink at the Spunky Monkey in Auburn (tiki lounge upstairs) and a great dinner at Auguri Ristorante on Main Street (my South King County plug of the day).. Old thread with Indian store addresses/info edited: to add South King County propoganda

How strange we were just discussing this, but I just heard that Johnathan Sundstrom is leaving Earth and Ocean to open his own restaurant. Maria Hines, who previously worked there with Sundstrom?, will be the new chef. He's opening something on Capitol Hill. Anyone know the rest of the story?

Have you discovered Bukhara yet? It's in Gilman Village. They serve, mostly, Northern Indian food. The garlic naan rocks. They take extra care with the presentation, which I appreciate. Click here for directions: Bukhara I drove by Udupi the other night and they seemed to be doing good business. I sure do miss Golkonda though.

As far as I recall, I think Mr. Big Dawg has been/still is an operating/owning partner of some kind, but hasn't spent much time in the kitchen since in opened. I believe he was there for the Mardi Gras party this year, so I'm assuming he's still behind the scenes.

Sazerac, in the Hotel Monaco, has consistently been good every time I've been there.. even after Kevin Davis jumped ship to Oceanaire (which I STILL haven't tried). Otherwise I ditto Tighe's comments... and add that when the corporations that own hotels are watching the bottom line, this cannot translate well for some hotel restaurants. Budget cutting=mediocre menu with cheap ingredients like chowder.

Thanks for the info Tsquare! I'm going to follow your link to the Time article now... from what I've read, he's got the title of owner AND Exec Chef... of course this could mean he designed the menu, but isn't executing it. I'm curious to know what kind of food background he has. Not that you necessarily have to have a culinary pedigree to open a great restaurant, of course!

Yum... yum... YUM! This is a great Thai restaurant! We had dinner last Tuesday and loved every dish we tried. We took my mom, who has never really eaten Thai before, and she did ok (at least I think she did!). We ordered the cotton fish (fantastic) and the Talay seafood platter, which was an assortment of prawns, scallops and squid. I didn't get a prawn (!! I was too slow !!), but the scallops were perfectly cooked. The squid was a touch overdone, but the scallops made up for that. Mamster, Laurie AB and MrHeyJude ordered my favorite dish: the larb! YUM!! It was the perfect mix of spicy and sour. If only I could cook like this at home.... I can never get the balance of Thai food quite right. The young coconut curry was outstanding as well. The flavor of the curry broth was amazing. I am by no means a Thai food expert, but after eating at more than three dozen Thai spots around the area over the last decade, I think Noodle Boat is at the top of my list for all-time best Thai meals. It's right up there my other favorite Thai joint, Indochine in Federal Way Thanks Tighe/Mamster et al for telling us about this great spot.

Yeow - they are busting butt there - hanging art today, arranging furniture and washing windows. People in cheffies in the kitchen. Maybe they are opening this week? The opening party is tomorrow (Tuesday) at 6 p.m. It's a benefit dinner, so not sure if it's open to the public. If someone stops by there this week, please report back! I don't know much about Ethan Stowell (owner/chef) and would love to hear about the food!

DARN!! Sorry we will miss you MsR!! You will have a blast at Rocky Horror! I went on Thursday and it was completely righteous. Remember your feather boa! To keep this food centered, I went to Palomino before Rocky Horror last Thursday. I don't know if it was because it was packed w/theater peeps or what, but the staff seemed completely overwhelmed and less than attentive. I'll have to go back and check it out on a less frantic night, but I wasn't very impressed. We actually had to leave our table and go to the bar to get a drink. Ugh. Ok, back to Noodle Boat! Mamster/Laurie/HeyJude, et al... if you all want to meet us, Mr. GC and I are planning on eating there at about 6:15-6:30. Post here if you can make it (or PM). I'll check in a few times tomorrow. I'm officially on vacation, so I won't be online much tomorrow

Woohoo! Mr. GC and I will be eating here Tuesday (tomorrow) for dinner Are ya in? PM or post here and pick a time if you so desire. (A note to MsRamsey.. if you can make it, don't forget that the premiere of a certain show is at 8 p.m. .... don't forget to set the vcr)

Larry, thanks for your report! It was fun to read. Click here for plank information: mmmmmm..... salmon I have John Howie's plank and I love it. For anyone curious, there are a few things you need to know about plank cooking.. don't oil the plank too much or the oil can cause serious smoking in your oven. Also, I've found it's better to soak my plank for about an hour before using (and this also helps the plank from catching on fire in your oven!!) I've also used Howie's disposable planks on the barbecue, but I've found the traditional method of using wood pieces in a smoker box on the barbecue works better (and is MUCH cheaper) than the disposable planks.

Thanks for the feedback! I hate being one of *those* people who come into a nice restaurant packing the kid along. Glad to hear Noodle Boat is a family joint. That's why I love Thai places. They're extremely kid friendly, to the point of almost being an amusement park for tots (as are most ethnic/Asian restaurants). With the exception of Typhoon (which *could* be kid friendly if it wanted to be), I've never been to a Thai restaurant that gave the evil eyeball to families packing the kids along for the ride. Besides, kids love Thai food. Noodles are the perfect device to keep kids busy for at least 11 consecutive minutes I've never experienced sticker shock at a Thai restaurant, so glad to hear that Noodle Boat is as cheap as all the rest of the Thai restaurants around here. I love Thai restaurants I'm on vacation next week and before I head to SF (woohoo!), my game plan is to eat at Matt's in the Market for lunch and Noodle Boat for dinner. How's that for a day of eating?

I'm planning to eat here, of course, after hearing such lavish praise A few questions... How kid friendly is this place? Would my active toddler be welcome? Is it a more upscale Thai joint or a typical family friendly Thai atmo kind of place? Is there linen on the table? That's usually my key to not bring the child along. Also, the dishes sound pretty high quality... does that translate into higher prices? If so, how much higher than the average $7.95-$12.95 typical Thai price?

Feaster, just out of curiousity, do you work for Top Pot or a related restaurant? Not that it's a big deal because lots of local industry folks post/lurk here. Just curious. If you are a worker/partner there, please give us the inside scoop

this just in.... " SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 10, 2003--Cascadia Restaurant's Gourmet Mini Burgers, as prepared by owner and chef Kerry Sear, highlighted the menu at President Bush's August 22nd, 2003 re-election campaign luncheon in Bellevue, Wash.< President Bush and approximately 900 guests consumed over 2,000 Mini Burgers at the event held at the home of cellular phone pioneer, Craig McCaw. The bite-sized burgers are made of seasoned beef tenderloin and topped with shallots, pickles, tomatoes, lettuce, and sea salt.< "

This just in from the folks at Seattle Rep: "It's that same old story: Due to city permit hold-ups, the opening of Top Pot Doughnut's 5th Avenue flagship café has been postponed a week. The official opening is now September 12th." Of course, this is old news by now that the opening is the 12th, but I still think it's totally cool that Top Pot donuts will be served at The Rep. So Mamster (or anyone else who loves donuts), will you be doing an early report on Friday? Mmmmmmm.... donuts!

Hmmmm.... donuts and theater. I'm so there. A press release from the Seattle Rep: "TOP POT MEETS TOPDOG Doughnuts to Debut at Seattle Repertory Theatre Seattle, WA - One day prior to the September 5 grand opening of their new flagship store downtown at 5th and Lenora, Seattle's beloved Top Pot Doughnuts - along with their Zeitgeist Bakery brethren - will make their "theatrical debut," appearing for the first time in Seattle Repertory Theatre's regular concessions line-up, during the west coast premiere run of "Topdog/Underdog." Following a rigorous taste-test, Seattle Rep audience services manager Rob Bean announced that "we couldn't be more delighted to offer the amazing Top Pot Doughnuts, as well as a wide array of other Zeitgeist Bakery pastries, to our audiences this season. And what could be a more appropriate time to unveil Top Pot Doughnuts at the Rep than when we're bringing the curtain up on our season-opener, 'Topdog/Underdog'!" Michael Klebeck, Mark Klebeck and Joel Radin's coffee-and-pastry empire was born in 1992 with the birth of Bauhaus Books and Coffee on Capitol Hill. That venture was followed by Gold Cup Espresso at the UW Bookstore (established 1995) and the Zeitgeist Bakery at the Elliott Bay Café (1999). Seeing the need for a decadent, old-fashioned doughnut, they then opened Top Pot Doughnuts on Summit Avenue; the coffee-and-doughnut shop has been passionately embraced by its Capitol Hill neighborhood. In December, 2002, Klebeck, Klebeck and Radin announced the formation of Zeitgeist Coffee Roasters, and now produce their own blends of espresso, drip and decaf. Top Pot Doughnuts Fifth Avenue (2124 Fifth Ave.) will include a vintage design coffee café with a floating stairway to the mezzanine seating area. The new flagship store will be roasting Zeitgeist Coffee and making Top Pot Doughnuts on site. The opening date is September 5, just in time for those rabid fans camping out across the street at the Cinerama to be the first in line for the next Lord of the Rings. "A theatre is the perfect venue for some of our doughnuts, which have a slightly more, oh, how shall I say it, 'artistic flair' than your standard national-chain fare," commented Michael Klebeck. "We are very proud to be a part of the Rep team this year!" The 2002 Pulitzer Prize-winning comic drama "Topdog/Underdog" begins with a Pay-What-You-Can preview performance on Thursday, September 4, and runs through September 27 in the Bagley Wright Theatre at Seattle Center. (Opening night is Monday, September 8.) Tickets are on sale seven days a week through the Seattle Rep box office, (206) 443-2222 or toll-free at (877) 900-9285. Tickets are also available online at www.seattlerep.org . Top Pot Doughnuts may be purchased in the lobby beginning 75 minutes before curtain and at intermission. Seattle Repertory Theatre, founded in 1963, is led by artistic director Sharon Ott and managing director Benjamin Moore. One of America's premier non-profit resident theatres, Seattle Repertory Theatre has achieved international renown for its consistently high production and artistic standards, and was awarded the 1990 Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre. With an emphasis on entertaining plays of true dramatic and literary worth, Seattle Rep produces a season of six plays along with educational programs and new play workshops."

I can't believe this, but I don't think I've ever eaten in Gig Harbor. This will explain it: I avoid Hwy 16/Tacoma Narrows Bridge like the plague. It's a traffic nightmare. I prefer to just stay in Tacoma and avoid the nightmare that is westbound to GH. Oh, lately, I've been eating my way up and down "Koreatown" on South Tacoma Way. That area rocks.

I got curious and went looking (to make sure I wasn't going nuts). The Chinese Room is in the Smith Tower. Here be a link: Chinese Room