seacrotty

We've been watching them do construction and wondering. Madison Valley is going to become the Rue Francaise. There's a sign up promising a "bistrot" where Gitano used to be (ding, dong, the witch is dead!) c

A word of caution on Ray's: depending on the night, it can be a real scene, which can be offputting, if you're not used to dealing with the noise and the crowd. Personally, I've had some issues with inconsistency at Ray's: I've had some of the best seafood of my life there, and some of the worst. c

This definitely seems like a restaurant that's still ironing out the kinks. We did breakfast there Saturday and it wasn't stellar, but it was good value. I had the crab omelete, and Anita had the eggs benedict. Competent, but not earth-shattering. I'd try dinner, though. c

Anita and I just did our maiden voyage at the Fevre today for cheesesteaks. OMG. They should be classified as Schedule 1 narcotics. Soopa-delish. c

Actually, Lago does use stemware, which I wholeheartedly applaud. It's cheapie restaurant stuff, but it does the job. I have a long rant about being served even moderately nice wine in a f-&*%$-ing juice glass, but 1) I'm not [sTUMBLING] naming [GOAT] names and 2) that's another thread. I dunno -- it's possible that we got a screaming deal on our wine, but the math seems squirrelly to me. We certainly liked the place enough that it wasn't a super big issue. c Edited for clarity. You'd think that I'd read these things before I post them.

My $.02... Anita and I visited Cafe Lago earlier this week and had a great dinner. I had the caesar salad and fettucine amatriciana, Anita had the insalada misto and the lasagne. We split a lemon tart afterward. I was impressed by the pasta textures. The fettucine was obviously handmade and had a nice, delicate tooth, and the sauce was spicy and yummy. The lasagne could have been served as a dessert -- it was that light, fluffy, and composed, if that word makes any sense in this context to anyone but myself. The caesar salad was not a by-the-book rendition, but it was tasty. The misto was unremarkable. The lemon tart was actually tart, not sickly-sweet, which instantly won points with us. The wines by the glass were good, and kudos to whoever wrote their wine menu -- I really felt like I knew something about how the wine was going to taste before I ordered it, and the reality generally matched the descriptions. This was especially welcome as I am shamefully ignorant about Italian wine beyond the most basic varietals. The by-the-bottle pricing is a little odd, though: $35 for a bottle that goes for $7/glass either means that you're getting a steal if you order by the glass, or practically no discount if you order by the bottle. Given the quality of the wines we ordered (and Washington alcohol prices in general), I suspect the latter. Can anyone confirm or deny? Service was attentive and professional. The waiter won points after serving Anita a glass from a newly-opened bottle that had gone off. We called him over and explained that something didn't smell right; he took one whiff and said, "Yep. That's corked. Would you like this one or something else?" She had a fresh glass within seconds. Nothing heroic, mind you, but nice to see the proper response without a lot of histrionics. Definitely a noisy, open space, but not uncomfortable. However, I can see how someone expecting a cozy leetle Italiano joint would be put off. This is not that restaurant! Anyway, the price was reasonable: salads, entrees, dessert, four glasses of wine and a fat tip for our server came in just under $100 if memory serves. We'll return, I'm sure. c edited for typo. arg. i is an english major.

"Whatcha in the mood for?" I ask. "Cheap Chinese or Indian," Anita says, "Something bad for me with lots of white rice." "I vote for cheap Chinese," and I'm off to eGullet to find someplace close to home (we're five minutes from the ID, fertheluvvapete) to slake the craving. Thank you, all. We're now converts at the den of love known variously as Lo Sichuan, Sichuanese Chinese Restaurant, and That Szechuan Place on Jackson at 12th in the Strip Mall Across the Street from Bahn Mi 88. Anita has the tea and her eybrows go up. "Hey, this is good." She's right -- there's actually a floral, nice-tea scent, instead of the classic Microwaved Lipton Flavor. We start with hot and sour soup, plenty spicy with lotsa white pepper zing, and even better after I tap in a few drops of black vinegar from the jar on the table because I like it like that. The next dishes come in quick succession -- absolutely smoking -- out of the kitchen. The soup is hot (temperature) enough to peel paint, and not a plate lands on our table that isn't steaming. I snag a bit of plain rice, and it's worth eating all by its lonesome. Next up is mongolian beef made sweeter than I like but still the real, garlicky deal with tons of dried, seared, chiles lying in ambush among slices of floppy (in a good way) beef. Mandarin spicy chicken (thanks, MsRamsey) is in the same league as the dry fried chicken at our fave joint in SF: sweet, spicy, and just a little crunchy. The same dried peppers abound -- oh happy day. Finally, the dry cooked beans appear, and they're perfectly cooked (soft, with just a hint of snap left) and a bit nutty. 35 bucks and we have enough left for lunch for two for Friday and Saturday. Oh yeah. We'll be back. c

...and I'll come to the defense of the Pac NW brewers. I've never been invited to be a tasting judge, but I've got no small experience with beer: tasting tours in several countries, plenty of trips to microbreweries during a 10-year stint in the SF Bay area, and hands-on brewing experience. The breadth of beer styles and varieties available in the bottle and on tap in the Pacific NW, especially in Seattle and Portland, is simply breathtaking. Beer is appreciated like wine here, and that is one of the most pleasant discoveries that I've made since moving here. It's true that brewers on the US west coast and the Pac NW tend to brew heavier, sweeter, hoppier beers. If you're a fan of pilsner to the exception of all else, you will have to search a bit for something local that will please your palate. I recommend starting with some of the local "blonde" beers -- Hales Drawbridge Blonde is my current favorite. I think that Red Hook makes one also. Hales also makes an absolutely spectacular cream ale that may be to your liking -- worth seeking out on tap. I'm a bit confused, though, as you profess to dislike hops and prefer malt flavors, as pilsners are typically characterized by a strong hop taste and little if any sweetness. Pilsner Urquell is a widely-available brand that's a good example of the standard. You may enjoy the selection of German beer on tap at Prost (7311 Greenwood Ave.) in the Phinney Ridge neighborhood. Lots of sweet, unhoppy suds. cameron p.s. I guess that this thread isn't really about the Herbfarm anymore. Post edited to add that last meta-realization.

Bacon-wrapped, chevre-stuffed, grilled jalapenos at Cactus.

Anita and I and a couple of friends tried to "Lark" on Sunday night. I called on Saturday to try and get a table, but they only take reservations for parties of six or more. We arrived at ~8p at the suggestion of the phone host, hoping to avoid the bulk of the rush...only to be told that we'd have a 45 minute wait. We passed. eGulleters so far have seemed okay with the wait, but I gotta say that I was pretty peeved. It's one thing to maintain a majority of your tables for walk-ins, but expecting that a significant percentage of your customers are going wait 30-45 minutes for a table seems to me the height of hubris -- or at least not very hospitable. Maybe I'd feel differently if I hadn't been able to call Zoe and have a table for four waiting for us minutes after we left Lark. I also expect that things will get easier once the novelty fades. At the very least, knowing what to expect will help. Anyway, three cheers for new, good, Seattle food and bully for Lark for having the hot hand. But, c'mon guys -- would it kill ya to have a little book by the phone? cameron

The Essential Bakery Cafe in Madison Valley (on Madison) is now open. Counter service with quiches, croissants, pastries, etc., plus soup/salad/sandwiches at lunch. Coffee and a couple of beer taps! Kitchen only open until 4:30p, tho (at least on the Sunday we stopped in).

Will do. Missed your comment about the kid-friendly Madrona Eatery in my rush to get the post up. <blush>. Yeah, if I had kids (or plans), I'd be stoked about that place as well. c

Having recently purchased a house in Madison Valley (moving Friday, aieee!), we've just started seriously exploring Madrona food in the last couple of weeks. Here's what we've got so far: St. Cloud's Dinner once and brunch once. Dinner with friends varied from not-so-good to yummy. The atmosphere was great: very cozy, although a bit *too* warm -- we were seated in one of the booths next to a window and were happy to open the window a crack to get some air. Dinner was a mixed bag. The salads were competent but unremarkable. Appetizers of hot wings (tasty and spicy, although the rub tasted like Shake 'N' Bake) and calamari (breading a bit underdone/gluey) were good. My main was a "Saffron-Fennel Seafood Stew": boulliabase in all but name and good. Anita had BBQ ribs w/greens and cornbread. The ribs were good. The cornbread had been made (or more likely finished on the griddle) with what had to be rancid oil. The greens were very sour and uncomfortably spicy -- and we're both registered Friends of the Capsicum. Our dining companions ordered the Parmigiano-crusted pork tenderloin which was crazy good and worth returning for. Dessert was ice cream in various flavors -- very good. Brunch is definitely worth coming back for. I had house-made corned-beef hash, which was pulled in long strips and cooked with red and yellow peppers and thin wedges of potato. Mmmm! Maybe a bit too "pickly", (tasting of vinegar and pickling spices), but that's a picky, personal opinion. Anita won that morning with soopa-yummy chicken fried steak with bacon gravy. It tasted every bit as good as it sounds, with crunchy, well-seasoned batter, delicious gravy, and even good-tasting meat. Coffee (latte) was good and plentiful. ***Madrona Eatery & Ale House*** Somebody needs to take the Tabasco bottle away from the chef. Nearly everything that we ate there at dinner had that unmistakeable vinegar/red chile zing, including Anita's spaghetti bolognese (complete with nearly a pound of meat in a single serving), AND the bleu cheese dressing on her salad. My french onion soup was passable, although I could have used less thyme. Service was friendly and low-key. BE WARNED -- the Eatery is aggressively kid-friendly. If you go for dinner during prime time (6-8), you run a fair risk of eating dinner in the midst of a full complement of screaming, running rugrats. Total Romper Room. We're aiming for Dulces next, hopefully this week, although you never know with the moving schedule. cameron