Blue Heron

My husband is not keen on shellfish ... so when he is away I enjoy fixing something like steamed clams, shrimp, or crab. He also doesn't care for pizza or blackened salmon caesar salad, which are more of my favorites... so I always have plenty of options when he is away.

Jaymes signature: ""Good Taste" is greatly overrated. As for me, in life, as well as at large social functions, I just always try to be at the most fun table." Jaymes, I just read your signature (above)... and I have to say that I think any table you would be sitting at would be the *most fun* and that's the table I would want to be at, too. Your Seafood Gumbo sounds to die for delicious, too!

I also never get the timing right to have cilantro in my garden the same time as my tomatoes are ripe...arggg. This year I was very bad and didn't even have basil. It is really painful to have to *buy* basil when one is used to having it in the garden (or window sill), but that's what I've been doing. I hate that one has to buy it in a bag for $3+ when I really only want a few leaves at a time for my salads, and then it gets brown in the bag so quickly. I must get my act together better next year. I've been mostly eating my tomatoes like Colonel Klink... with some of Jim Dixon's olive oil, sea salt, and sometimes cracked black pepper & a touch of balsamic. This morning I made a Greek Salad by adding some sliced Walla Walla onions, cucumbers, Kalamata olives & crumbled Feta and a sprinkling of oregano. mmmm. I'm also making sun dried tomatoes. I have an American Harvest dehydrator that has worked well over the years. I slice my romas into slices and in about 24 hours they are done (or less depending on how dry you want them. I make mine really dry, because I then put them in baggies and pop them into the freezer for later on).

Klink, Today I spotted live crawdads/crawfish at Mutual Fish (2335 Rainier Avenue S. Seattle, WA 98144 --- Tel:(206)322-4368 ). They are $3.99/lb and there were plenty of them. I love that store... everything is so fresh and clean, and they have a great selection. They also had FRESH shrimp flown in from Georgia, yum! Lots of Japanese snacky items, too. I guess it's too late for crawdads for your gumbo this time around...but maybe next time. edit: their sashimi grade magura was $16/lb I think. This is also where Tom Douglas buys his fish.

No kidding!?! I've been there at least 3 or 4 times and I don't recall seeing them before. But then again, I wasn't looking for crawdads at the time, probably salmon and/or scallops. I was surprised to see them, too. It was last year's (2001) Father's Day that I remember seeing them at Wild Salmon Seafood after our lunch at Chinook's. They were alive in a bucket, not in the window case, but on the other side. I'm thinking they must come from Lake Washington.

Klink, I don't know if there is a particular crawdad season or not, but I've seen live crawdads for sale (last June) at: Wild Salmon Seafood Market (206) 283-3366 1900 W. Nickerson Street, Seattle, WA 98119 Open daily. Hours: 10 am-6 pm. They are next to Chinook's Restaurant at Fisherman's Terminal. I've also heard there are crawdads living in Lake Union and the houseboaters set traps for them (or at least used to).

Kathy, I'm envious. I've always thought it would be wonderful to dine up there, especially for the view, and to use the ladies room which is infamous. I've read that it is one stall in particular with the best view, so you will have to check out each and everyone of them. Let me know if you feel any swaying up there. I don't think it will be too bad. Hubby's company designed the bldg. and I even did some drafting on it (later renovations)... so you will be safe & sound up there, even (and especially) if the big one hits. The worst private club I've ever dined in before was the WAC (Washington Athletic Club). It was really horrible. I enjoyed better meals at The Harbor Club, The Women's Club, and the Rainier Club. I especially liked the Rainier Club. Nice historic photographs, fabulous fireplace room, and the smoked chicken luncheon was actually very tasty...I cleaned my plate. Please let us know how the food was. I think Tighe is probably right on target food-wise.

Klink, was the sushi place you went to on the same side of the street as Mashiko, or the one across the street? (West Seattle, for those who haven't been to Mashiko's yet). I've had sushi at the place across the street (Kamei) quite some time ago. They are next door to Lee's Asian, a great (non-sushi) place that we've already talked about on another thread. Kamei's sushi was smaller and cheaper, and I also thought the flavor was ok (however I didn't order anything fancy). I like the tempura shrimp there, and am more inclined to order that there, and the owner is also very nice. Azuma (or Azumi ?) is the place on the same side of the street as Mashiko's and I've never stopped in there. edit: getting back to Lee's Asian (and sorry to be briefly off topic), but given the choice between Lee's (no sushi) and Kamei next door, I prefer to go to Lees for lunch. They have some great lunch deals ($5-7) and the food is really good.

mamster, why do you call it the former Viet Hoa market? I'm pretty sure it was around 7th & Jackson I just saw them there 2 days ago. I was in the neighborhood and walked in as I hadn't seen that market before, just to check it out. Lots of frozen fish and other frozen items, as well as some fresh meat (I looked for brisket since someone on egullet had asked about it, but didn't see any). I don't recall seeing any produce though. It could be a different place, but I seem to recall the name was Viet Hoa.

Klink, I'm shocked to read that Mashiko's is closed for lunches now. I wonder what's going on? I guess it's been 2-3 months since I had lunch there, and it was maybe 1/3 full as I recall. At that time, I noticed a newer menu with higher prices which I thought was strange since many restaurants are hurting now and is not a good time to raise prices. I hope they don't go out of business. There are a couple other sushi places within 2 blocks, 1 of which (Azumi) I have not tried.

aaustin, Welcome. Please tell more about Monsoon. What do you like to order when you go there? It's a place I've really been wanting to try, as I love Vietnamese food, and I've read this is very upscale Vietnamese. Can't believe I haven't been. mamster, if you are reading this... didn't you say quite awhile ago that you were going to write an article on Monsoon? Did you write it and I missed it?

From the first sentance that it was the sky that made you hungry, I knew I was going to enjoy that post. It painted a great picture for a great meal. Do you ever go to the same restaurant twice during a trip? Probably not, but if you do, that one sounds worthy of a second visit.

Yes, razor clams are really yummy fried. I just fixed some over the weekend. Geoduck clam strips (pounded and breaded) are also really good fried. I love fried clams and know I would also love your New England fried whole belly clams, too.

As bad as the food situation can be at our stadiums (which I can't say first hand since I have not been in years), Steven Shaw has told us in another thread that things are much worse where he is in NY (I think he was complaining about Shea stadium). He's envious of our stadium food as I recall. gc - $7 for a bahn mi at the stadium? Yikes! tighe - glad to hear you and your wife got to try a banh mi! Now, are there any PNW egulleteers who still have not had one??

Steve, your review was a real pleasure to read. What was your favorite thing out of everthing you had? How did you like the duck vs. the chicken dish? Do you recall offhand any other entrees you've had in the past that you also liked very much? I'm thinking of going, but perhaps not ordering a tasting menu (due to time & money considerations, but still wanting to try the place if possible). I'm curious, about how long did the dinner last with all of those courses?

Kim, your birthday meal sounded heavenly! Was the K oyster Kumamoto? They are one of my favorites to eat on the half shell, and are grown in the NW.

Canlis: Agreed on all counts. Great setting, backed up by decades of mediocrity. I went about a year ago, and my impression was unchanged. Their wine list is criminal not only in its markups, but in its failure to be "smart" and offer unusual finds that deliver price/performance value. Don't bother. Steve Great info guys. If I liked Canlis, then it just goes to show that I really need to get out more often. I concede on Canlis. Looking forward to your next report...

Fantastic post Steve, and welcome! (Thanks nightscotsman for bringing our PNW group our very own Steve). I'm definitely looking forward to reading more of your posts and experiences in dining and wine.

And cold meatloaf sandwiches w/ ketchup, mayo and sliced pickles are sooo good the next day. Does the best recipe include a combo of ground beef, pork and veal? ...or just beef and pork? And in what percentages? And which is better... to add chopped sauted onions, or raw? (I sometimes put chopped spinach in mine).

TLS suggested we start a new thread on Hotel Dining in the Northwest (as I didn't get any responses to my query on the Olympic Four Seasons). So I will open the topic up to a broader scope... What have been your experiences (both good & bad) of dining in hotel restaurants in the Northwest? Any that stand out? Any to avoid? Are hotel restaurants getting better or worse? Also, I'm still curious if anyone has eaten at the Olympic Four Season's in downtown Seattle lately? ie. Georgian Room, Shuckers, or the Garden Court?

I took these photos rather quickly of some of the food I had on Holland America Line's Amsterdam ship... a lunch of clams, mussels, shrimp & halibut on top of fettuccine another lunch.. carpaccio appetizer twin lobster tail dinner osso bucco dinner desserts dessert & cheese cart

The article I linked to the 'Restaurants We Miss' thread should probably have been linked to this thread, because it also talks about Seattle's growing neighborhood restaurant scene as well as restaurant service in Seattle... so here it is Click Here

I came across an interesting article that talks about the history of cuisine & restaurants in Seattle (including some oldies but goodies like Rossellini's Other Place that foodchick2002 mentioned that are no longer around), including some interesting comments about restaurant service in Seattle. Click Here edit: actually, I think this article should have probably been linked to mamster's Seattle Restaurant Scene thread.

Yes, three cheers for Seattle bread! Can you even imagine the sorry state our bread would be in if Grand Central Bakery had not set the standard, what... maybe 10-12 years ago? It's only gotten better and better with all the additional bakeries that have followed suit. I will also say that the Dahlia makes a very delicious crusty house bread that can stand up to any bread in Seattle . However, it seems like he (Tom Douglas) needs to get off his book tours and travelling, etc. and get back in the kitchens of his restaurants, and work on his food again, eh?

When we go to Eastern WA, I always like to stop in Cle Elum at Glondo's Sausage Co. on the main street there. They have excellent beef jerky. Occasionally, we make a slight detour and go to Roslyn and stop for lunch (either Roslyn's Cafe or the place across the street). Most people know Roslyn as the little town they filmed tv show Northern Exposure at. If you go, don't miss the Brick Tavern. Built in 1889 it's the oldest saloon in WA, and has a 23 foot running water "spitoon" under the foot rail. I happen to know that the "spitoon" was used for more than just spitting in (before women were allowed in the tavern), as my great grandfather who was a coal miner in Roslyn's early days confirmed to us. Roslyn also has an incredible historic cemetary which is interesting, too. We haven't found any great places to eat in the Yakima area (although I had a wonderful gourmet dining experience once many years ago at Birchfield Manor, I have not been in a long time...has anyone been recently?). We also stopped at El Ranchito for mexican food...that place sure is popular! Covey Run winery in Zillah was very memorable to me. The grounds are beautiful, and they are set up the hill with a beautiful panoramic view of the valley (and a nice deck, too). There was a wine festival going on that weekend when we went with nice jazz music and lots of good nibbly things to eat while we were tasting wines. We also spent some time in Benton County and visited Seth Ryan and Kiona wineries, and I liked the wine at both of those places. They also had good nibbly things as part of the wine festival. I think it's nice to combine a trip with one of their wine festivals. If one heads out towards Walla Walla, don't miss the Woodward Canyon Winery in Lowden. It's a very small place off the side of the highway, and their cabernets are absolute tops. They are expensive, limited, and it's a real treat to sample them. malarkey, when you get back, please give us a report!