seawakim

seawakim, could you tell us some breads that you've tried and are not what you want? Have you tasted the usual rustic breads, Grand Central, Essential, etc.? ←

I've been to a lot of German and European stores for bread, but I'm really more interested in fresh baked bread. I know Seattle has great bakeries - there must be one that carried a nice hearty loaf that's German style.

I'm on a hunt for good bread. Especially good German bread. Solid crust on the outside, hearty on the inside. I have family coming in from Germany and really need to find some of this bread somewhere if I plan to survive the holidays Can anyone help? I thank you in advance!

It's that time again.....or is it? How come I haven't seen anything about this for November? Please don't tell me I'm working up a ridiculous appetite for nothing

We'll be in Vancouver in October - staying right downtown (LeSoleil). We would love so recommendations on where to go to eat for great food. So far, we've been to Ouest and a couple of great tapas bars (Lickerish and Bin941) We enjoy Northwest, French, Seafood and great priced prix fixe menus whenever possible - Any suggestions?

We recently had dinner at El Gaucho and I'm sorry to say that I was very disappointed with the main courses. I agree that the portions are rather large, but I usually don't have any problem with that at all We had Steak Tartare to start (it was way too hot - tobasco?) We also had Oysters Rockefeller and fried Oysters - both very good, but FX McRory's makes the Rockefeller way better. We then moved on to Beefsteak Tomato Salad and French Onion Soup. The soup was fine, but nothing to write home about. Our main courses were Ostrich and troll caught Salmon. The Ostrich was so oversalted that one could hardly taste the meat. It was sad. The Scalloped Potatoes were too hot (again - tobasco?) The Salmon was an excellent piece of meat - too bad it was covered in char! The polenta was also too hot I asked my tablemates about the unusual experience with most of the food and they agreed that things were just oversalted and too hot. The service was EXCELLENT! And the tableside preparations were wonderful. I especially enjoyed the skewers lit on fire. The fruit , nuts and cheese plate was a really nice touch. I would love to go back for the atmosphere and that fruit plate

Yesssssssss! I love it! Finally a nice consolidated list of Happy Hours!

I had some sort of bruschetta and a few other things I don't remember. It was all pretty good.

I went to SeeSound Lounge located directly next to Mistral. They have a happy hour menu and the food comes from Mistral. Very limited menu but pretty good food.

We have become regulars at Brasa - we love the 1/2 price menu. We're looking for some other places that may be interesting to try. What other restaurants offer this? Any suggestions?

Ms. Ramsy, thanks for the clarification on the restrictions! When I asked Kati at KIRO if there were any restrictions at all (such as not good on weekends, or must be accompanied by a full-paying customer, etc.) I distinctly remember her saying "they treat it just as if you had walked into the restaurant and bought a gift certificate, there are no restrictions." At that point, I think that I was the one that said "So, they treat it just like cash, then?" to which she responded "Yes." Technically, treating it "like cash" is not a direct quote from her, but, after asking her 4 times in different ways during the call if there were any restrictions, I think she should have mentioned the state law piece about wine. I didn't know anything about that until you just told me. I'm glad you caught that!

Yee haw! We bought 'em anyway. :) I just talked to Katie, Promotion Director of KIRO 710AM, who confirmed that KIRO was standing behind this offer, and it was fully legitimate. She told me that you receive an actual Gift Certificate just as if you had walked into the restaurant and purchased one. Therefore, there are NO restrictions of any kind -- it is treated like cash. She said that some of the restaurants were also printing the KIRO logo on it, merely for tracking reasons. It costs $28.50 after "handling" charges, but ordering online was extremely easy. We bought one for Brasserie Margaux, and also for Axis (the site said they have a $19.95 3-course meal daily 5p-7p, and we haven't eaten there yet.) Wish us luck!

I second that. Bin 941 is one of my favorite tapas places in Vancouver.

Thank you very much for your recommendations! The dinner party went perfectly. By request, here is the menu that we served... Wasabi Lime Crab Salad as an Amuse bouche Baby Spinach Salad with Roquefort, Cranberries, Walnut vinaigrette Paired to sparkling pear cider Shrimp Bisque with Tarragon and Brandy Paired to Sauvignon Blanc, Quivira 2001 Lemon Sorbet with lemon zest Filet Mingon with cognac, cream and green peppercorn sauce Paired with Shiraz, Lindemans 2002 Gianduja Mousse Tarts in a Chocolate Hazelnut Crust, served with crème anglaise and raspberry coulis (We have a picture of this dessert, but don't know how to post it.) As I mentioned before, I don't drink wine. I liked the white with the bisque. It had a nice palate-cleansing effect. Thanks again!

Those are awesome recommendations. I'm going to follow your advice -- heading off to Trader Joe's

I don't drink wine, so I don't know anything about wine! I'm having a dinner party tomorrow night and just found out that one of the people coming is very well versed in wine. I need to run out and purchase some wine now (preferably reasonably priced or Trader Joe's, etc.) I will be serving a Spinach Salad, French Mussel Soup (white wine & cream based), a Filet Mignon with a creamy peppercorn sauce. What kind of wine(s) should I serve? Please help! Thank you very much for any input.

Geez Kim! If it really bothered you so much how I leave food on my plate so often when we eat out together, you could have just said someting, not start a whole thread about it!..... LOL, believe me, fellow sauce lovers like yourself are excluded from this habit, as we tend to clean our plates extensively to feed our endless cravings for more sauce.

Boy, do I wish this was customary at some of my favorite restaurants!

The more I dine out, the more I notice some habitual "manners" people have conformed to. The most annoying one of these I've found to be the "leaving a bite on the plate". My question is obvious: WHY? As a foodie I feel that this is plain wrong! Is it to show some kind of polite restraint? What is the reason behind this nonsense?

I would highly recommend the Waterfront Seafood Grill Not only is the food outstanding, the service great, but the location is excellent. It is located at the end of a pier and has great views. Don't miss out on a side of Truffle Risotto and their tableside desserts that literally set your tablecloth on fire - it's unlike any other flambe I've ever seen.

Thank you very much for your detailed answers. This sounds like a decent value for all the food.

I did not get to go last year but have a coule of questions about this event. I don't drink wine - is it worth it for a non drinking foodie? Does the ticket price cover all 3 days or just one? Which day is the best day to go? Are there only samples of food or are the portions good? Are the lines for food long and is it just a big crowded mess?

I am SOOOO EXCITED! I wonder if we should make the reservations for sooner than that - wouldn't want the restaurant to change their mind or anything....

Congratulations! We're very happy for you. The Bellagio is very lucky to have you

Great! March 25th works for us. We're in and very excited to try this place!