Schielke

Leschi Mart is fantastic. Very good prices all around too. I got all the wine for my wedding there.

I have a sneaking suspicion that Zig Zag would do it right too.

Seems as if this topic should be moved to a more general forum.

Interesting... The tax thing is suprising, but perhaps that is another standard gift certificate thing. I got mine yesterday too. The packaging was sort of strange. It was a large envelope with the paper certificate, but it also had a couple styrafoam spacers inside too for some reason. Ben

There are still a bunch of these left! Has anybody received theirs yet? I wonder if the Margaux ones could be used for their wine dinners?

Those little kids in their aprons and hairnets is the cutest thing I have seen all day. hehehehe

This is definitely on my list, but I could be on a business trip. I will know more when I get closer to the date. ben

Got Troiani and Margaux myself. Looks like El Gaucho is tomorrow!

I tried some C2 today and I do have to say it is much better than diet coke, but the metallic taste is offputting if you let it get warm. A friend of mine works for Coke and she reccommended drinking it cold for the best flavor. Ben

Cafe Besalu is in Ballard just north of Market Street on 24th. The coffee is good, but not the star of the show there. The star is the great pastries that can be had. In fact, I have been known to stop at Besalu and then make the drive to Vivace for my coffee.

I think you hit on two key points. I have heard complaints of overcooked fish with overpowering sauces on top... Your two special requests averted this result! Ben

Oh, also... Rent a car.

I am sure you already know that Hines coffee is relatively near your hotel. Vivace too.

Yes, Dilletante has really lost their quality.

Sorry, Miners is a burger joint that is virtually an institution in Yakima. The burgers are ginormous and quite good. They also make good milkshakes and fries (with awesome fry sauce). The place is almost always packed with locals, travelers, and high school sports teams. Ben

Miners all the way.

I can't say that I've ever tried Essential's chocolates, but I can't imagine they'd be anywhere near Fran's quality. I HAVE had Essential's breads & they're creditable breads, but not nearly of the quality of Dahlia Bakery's ficelle or Tallgrass's hominy. I view Essential as a B+ on the food scale, while I view Fran's as an A+. That seems a bit unfair...

It is all about thermal mass.

Coffee Cup = yes. Price's = yes. The Coffee Cup is a must for breakfast (country ham was my favorite) and lunch (the mac and cheese is awesome).

I have tried the salt caramels from the grocery store and they are quite good.

I find Essential's offerings to be very very good also. They are a little more subtle and delicate versus Fran's high quality decadance. I think that Essential's chocolates are a bit more cerebral and Fran's are more satisfying if that makes sense.

Man, I need to go again.

I think the flavor profile from chunk charcoal is much more pure and you have less ash which is nice. The big but though is that chunk charcoal burns much hotter and is more prone to temperature fluctuation so it is a bit tricky to use for a water based smoker such as a Weber Bullet. Also, you can certainly put wood chunks on top of your briquets for smoking. Ben

Fran's is indeed good. I am a sucker for her caramel filled chocolates with fleur de sel on top. Ben

The Spaghetti flavored ones are freaky. You can taste parmesan cheese! Earthworm tastes like a mixture of dirt and meat.