Blue Heron

girl chow... don't forget to tell the kids there is also a baby (1 year old) western lowland gorilla named Naku to see at the zoo. There was an adorable picture of her in the Wed. Seattle Times.

Did any of you see the ad in last Friday's Seattle Time's advertising the grand opening on Nov. 30 of a new restaurant called Todai All-You-Can-Eat Japanese Seafood Buffet at the Redmond Town Center? I am usually not a fan of all you can eat places, but this place has caught my interest. They are advertising all you can eat Lobster, snow crab legs, half shell scallop, 40 kinds of sushi, shrimp tempura, shrimp cocktail, mussels, and much more. Sounds too good to be true, I guess it's just my skeptical nature. One can always hope, though.

I've tasted some delicious wines in the B.C. Okanagan area. The wine names and tastes were unlike those I've had in the States. I would think those are particular to Canada? At anyrate, I enjoyed them very much and look forward to another wine tasting trip there.

I'm just a housewife 'chef', but I've used my 8" Chef's Victorinox Fibrox almost every day for the last several years, and am very happy with it. And my small serrated Victorinox is great for slicing tomatoes. I also have a set of cutco knives that have served me pretty well over the last 28 years, and are still going strong, if you can believe it. I aso use my 4" fancy German brand (can't read the name anymore) knife often. Last year during a cooking class I asked chef Christine Keff of Flying Fish & Fandango in Seattle what is her favorite knife, and she said she likes Global, and that's what she was using.

another suggestion... broadway market movie tickets coupled w/ dinner at one of the Thai places such as Thai Garden, or Siam, both on Broadway; or w/dinner at Galleria's Mexican on Broadway.

Would it have to be dinner, or could it be a lunch/activity combo? First thing that came to mind was a cerfiticate at our famous local Papa Chef's Blue Onion Bistro combined with maybe a nearby movie house (seven gables, varsity or other nearby movie place). Or maybe lunch combined w/tickets to the Woodland Park Zoo to see the baby elephant? If Giggles is still open, that would also be in that neighborhood. I'll think somemore about other ideas, too. How fun...I sure wish someone was getting me a gift certificate for lunch or dinner/activity combo.

I was up in the north end this weekend, and hubby and I stopped at Doong Kong Lau for lunch (thanks for the tip, mamster). We liked this place. We shared a bowl of 'Roasted Duck in Soup Noodle', which was good, especially the nice large pieces of roast duck. We also ordered a couple of things from the cart that came by. One was a side dish of gai lan w/oyster sauce and the other was an adventuresome plate of small whole fish (anchovies) fried with peppers and garlic. We realized after we ordered that the specialties of this restaurant are the Hakka cuisine items, so we will return to try some of those, ie. Hakka Salt Bake Chicken, or Prawns in shell, or the Tofu Seafood Hotpot, which is also supposed to be really good. The service at this family run business was friendly and good. Papa Chef...I looked for the Pho Bang and Teriyaki Way places in the phone book to get an address to check them out incase we drove by, and didn't find either one listed. Maybe they are gone now? I look forward to trying some of girlchow's suggestions, and of course Papa Chef's place, too.

Any recommendations for lunch spots in North Seattle, say from Northgate to Shorline, or up along Aurora Ave? These can be Ethnic, holes in the walls, burgers, Pizza, mom & pop, etc. as long as the food is good. I'm meeting a friend up there for lunch in December, and we'll probably stay in that general area if possible.

No, I haven't tried that beer yet, but it's one on my list to try, especially now that you have recommended it. I guess maybe it's time for me to introduce myself...I'll head over to the member bio's page and see you there.

OK, now I'm starting to think great minds think alike. Sunfish is also my favorite fish 'n chips place! I go there often. Their fries are not 100% consistent, but pretty darn good. I like to order the prawns 'n chips, too, or the calamari & chips sometimes, or the combo in the winter (when I know oysters are prime). I've tried just about everything there. I also like the Redhook Brewery (see Girl Chow post). I go at least a couple of times a year. My favorite bite is their smoked salmon sampler plate. I've also had a couple of their gourmet sandwich/burger offerings that were pretty good, too. A friend of mine always orders their Greek plate. I didn't know the Barking Frog was near there...thanks. We sometimes stop at the Chateau St. Michelle winery first for a wine tasting, and then head over across the street to Redhook for pub grub and beer. I enjoyed hearing about the Osteria La Spiga, which I had never even heard of before. I love hearing about new places.

Hi B Edulis, I love that name! I've never eaten a puff ball, but I can hardly imagine a five pounder, wow! I think our mushrooming is just about over for the year, the mushrooms are getting kind of soggy now with all the rain we've had. I, like you, am also looking forward to the morels next year....

I'm part Irish, so here goes...(sorry it's a little long, but cute)... An Irishman walks into a bar in Dublin, orders three pints of Guinness and sits in the back of the room, drinking a sip out of each one in turn. When he finishes them, he comes back to the bar and orders three more. The bartender asks him, "You know, a pint goes flat after I draw it; it would taste better if you bought one at a time." The Irishman replies, "Well, you see, I have two brothers. One is in America, the other in Australia, and I'm here in Dublin. When we all left home, we promised that we'd drink this way to remember the days when we drank together." The bartender admits that this is a nice custom, and leaves it there. The Irishman becomes a regular in the bar, and always drinks the same way: He orders three pints and drinks them in turn. One day, he comes in and orders two pints. All the other regulars notice and fall silent. When he comes back to the bar for the second round, the bartender says, "I don't want to intrude on your grief, but I wanted to offer my condolences on your great loss." The Irishman looks confused for a moment, then a light dawns in his eye and he says. "Oh, no, everyone's fine. I've just quit drinking."

Papa Chef, I will definitely come to your restaurant sometime, and I'm looking forward to it. Heh, too bad you weren't there back in the mid-80's, as I lived on NE 67th & Roosevelt then, and your place would have been a hop skip and jump. As it was, I hopped across the street in those days to the Scarlet Tree, actually just for b-fast sometimes. And thank you for the updated new favorite place recommendations! girl chow....I love your rec's. Please tell us more if you know them. Don't hold back....The more the better! Thanks!

I'm looking for restaurant recommendations of where to take out of town visitors in Seattle for the northwest eating experience. It can be plain or fancy, but the food should be good. In the past, I've taken guests to some of the ususal suspects like Ray's Boathouse, Salty's, Ivars Salmon House on Northlake. While these might not be my first choice for locals, I've tended to gravitate towards these "northwest experience" type of places. I'd like to find some new places that preferably would still have a northwest influence or view, but the food would be really good as well, and also maybe reasonably priced (for people hit with the slowing economy). Any ideas for some new favorite places? Thanks!

2 seasonal beers that I'm really enjoying now are Pyramid Snow Cap Ale, and Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale, both in the bottle. They are absolutely wonderful. For non seasonals, I like Anchor Steam and Alaskan Amber, as well as Samuel Adams. I have to admit I am no beer expert, but I'm learning as I go. Hopefully, someday I will be able to describe the intracasies of the maltiness, bitterness, etc., but for now I will just say they are darn good! From the previous posts, it looks like I will have to check out some Belgian beers, too.

We recently joined a mycological society in the Pacific Northwest. It's such a fun hobby, although I must admit, I'm not as adventuresome as my Husband when it comes to eating "wild" mushrooms. The nice thing about being in the club is one can go on hunts with the real pro's. If your mushrooms pass their inspection you can feel pretty safe eating them. They also offer courses and other interesting events. One thing learned in class & on the net is that some people get a stomach ache when eating shaggy manes if they have alcohol either 48 hours before or after eating those mushrooms. It sure is a pleasure finding chantrelles and boletes in local woods. BTW, I'd love to come across a patch of matsutakes some time!