Dining lists

[thelastsupper]

So, where are people itching to go lately?

I have been killing myself to try to get to Harvest Vine and somehow I always end up with free time and $ on the day when they are closed. Also Au Bouchon . . . bouillabaise . . .ah.

[mamster]

Hmm.  I am itching to go to Earth & Ocean, Oceanaire, and the new Malay Satay Hut.  I'm also looking forward to Salumi tomorrow.  I think today I'm going to have lunch at Monsoon, because I need some of their sour shrimp soup.  (It's for an article I'm working on, but also I haven't had it in a while and it rules.)

Incidentally, Laurie and I had a really good meal at Thaiku in Ballard the other night.  It's the place that used to be the Fremont Noodle House.  We had miang kham (the appetizer wherein the diner fills up a betel leaf with various flavorful bits) grilled chicken with sticky rice and papaya salad;  and a bowl of Chiang Mai curry noodles (kao soi), one of my favorite foods and done really well here, although they put a few too many fried noodles on top.  They put sichuan preserved vegetables in their kao soi, which is a really smart thing that I haven't seen done elsewhere.  Highly recommended.

[MsRamsey]

I *love* miang kham!

I'm dying to go to Salumi, so I'm really glad I get to go tomorrow with other like-minded folks.

As I said before, I must try those truffle fries at Earth & Ocean, not to mention the desserts.  And a rousing "me too" to lastsupper on Harvest Vine.  I resolve to go sometime in the next two weeks and be there right when they open.  So hey lastsupper, if you're game...

Places I really want to try that come to mind (there are many more):

*Place Pigalle

*Le Gourmand

*Blue Onion Bistro

*Shilla (the big Korean place on Denny)

*Sichuanese Cuisine (the one in Bellevue)

*Deux Tamales in Columbia City

*El Gouge-o, I mean El Gaucho, for the steak tartare

*French Laundry (will take some doing, but I will get there someday!)

I would very much like to get back to Matt's in the Market, Kingfish, and Jones BBQ.

Kathy

[mamster]

Oh, you can put Le Gourmand (and French Laundry) on my list, too.  And Genoa in Portland.

Shilla was a favorite family vacation stop when we would come up from Portland when I was a kid.  We kids loved the bulgogi.  I was there recently and was afraid that I wouldn't like it anymore, but my unagi donburi (eel and rice) was perfectly acceptable.  It's still a nice place.

[col klink]

Yup, Le Gourmand is on my list as well as Herb Garden and Nishino. I also want to try Le Pichet, Salumi and whatever suhi restaurant I haven't tried.

Lucky for me, I'm going to Mashiko's tonight in between viewings of the new Star Wars movie. Man, I love sushi.

[Blue Heron]

Lucky for me, I'm going to Mashiko's tonight in between viewings of the new Star Wars movie. Man, I love sushi.

You're going to be at Mashiko's tonight?  what time?  ah,ha...remember when you gave us their website which also includes a webcam of their sushi bar? Click here

so now we can all watch you on the webcam      Don't forget to wave to us.   Just kidding, we won't watch you eat     It sounds kind of voyeuristic.    What would be really funny would be to link this thread to a topic in the general forum so everyone at eGullet can watch you on the webcam tonight.... I'm having such a fun time just thinking about it.   NO, I'm not going to do it, but it does sound fun  

[thelastsupper]

Yeah, Le Gourmand is just one of those places, huh? You go once, begin looking forward to the next visit on the way out the door. I wonder if nettle soup is on the menu now . . .

I must admit strong curiousity about E and O also. If nothing else, I've heard that their Pastry Chef does wild things with sugar.

CK, it's a crime that you haven't been to Pichet! If for no other reason than to stop by for a glass of wine and perfect, perfect chicken liver terrine. Go, just go. (Before the other stuff.)

[Blue Heron]

After watching chef Johnathan Sundstrom from Earth & Ocean last night on Food Nation (w/Bobby Flay), I'm also adding E&O to the list of places I would like to visit.  He prepared several delectable dishes, with an emphasis on local ingredients:  1. Mussels with Bacon, Shallots, and (Carmelized) Apple.  He added a touch of cream, and they looked absolutely heavenly, 2. Alder Roasted King Salmon with Wild Fennel Pollen, cooked Indian style on a plank over coals, (there you go girlchow, & it looked fabulous), and  3. Oyster and Clam Pan Roast with Turnip, Truffle, and Thyme, which he might have substituted fresh Morel Mushrooms, as I definitely saw those being used, and he also added wild nettles (leaves) and something else wild which I can't remember (and is not listed in the recipe).  The recipes for these can be found: Here   He also showed off some Dungeness Crab w/ green onions, simply steamed.  The dessert by his pastry chef, which was a berry something that Bobby said looked like a jewel box (it did) looked beautiful & delicous.  I think the show repeats on June 1.

Another highlight from the show was Bobby Flay's tour of Uwajimaya Asian Grocery store in the Int'l district.  Afterwards, the owner prepared a delicious looking Sukiyaki with ingredients from her store.  Her recipes are also on the link above.

Bobby also took an interesting tour through Taylor Shellfish farm in Shelton, WA, who are the largest producers of clams in the nation, I believe, and stopped at Pike Place Market.

[Blue Heron]

For anyone interested in viewing Seattle Restaurant menus online (as well as menus for 5 other major cities), below is a cut & paste of a post I made on the General board earlier today.  I checked a few, and Seattle has a good start on this.  Today I've been busy perusing menus of Earth & Ocean, Salumi, Au Bouchon, Kingfish, Le Pichet, Le Gourmand and more.  Papachef, I didn't see the Blue Onion Bistro on there...please give them your updated menu if you get a chance.

*******

I don't know if this has already been mentioned on eGullet (apologies if it has), but Amazon.com has a beta test going on for a new feature, a restaurant menu service, which at the moment includes scanned online Restaurant Menus for 6 select cities (NY, Seattle, Wash DC, Boston, San Francisco, Chicago), with more to follow.  In addition to viewing hundreds of menus online, one will eventually be able to make reservations & place take out orders through their site.  They are encouraging feedback to their site regarding this new feature, so if you want to see your city or restaurant featured, let them know .  Click here to view menus

[mamster]

BH, I didn't know about this, and it's amazing--thanks for mentioning it.

Of course, this is going to cause problems for restaurants when they change their menu.  I mean, even bigger problems than before.

[Blue Heron]

Yes.  Menus quickly get out of date, and I hope they will have a way to keep on top of this problem.  In the meantime, one can get a general flavor or ingredient style for a particular restaurant, as well a general feel for pricing.  It appears they are asking restaurants or customers to mail them a hard copy of their menu in order to scan it.

Another handy feature is one can do a search for "menu item" ie. pork cheeks (which is something I've been interested in trying), or whatever one has a taste for, and all the menus with that item on it will pop up (ie. 8 Seattle menus popped up w/ pork cheeks, including Salumi & Mashiko).

[col klink]

BH, you're too cool for words, great find. I can't believe they have so many menus. I was going to say, "I can't believe they have so many menus for Seattle," but then I remembered that Amazon is based in Seatte. It still is alarming how many menus they do have though.

[mamster]

BH, I haven't seen this new Amazon feature mentioned on any of the main boards.  Maybe you should post about it on General--since it covers quite a few cities, probably most users would like to know about it.

[col klink]

She already did. In fact, she posted it in General before she posted it here. Currently it's about half down so that's probably why you missed it.

[Blue Heron]

I posted it yesterday on the General board, but it got a lukewarm reception over there.   I think it's pretty neat, actually, but I love reading menus.

mamster, maybe you might want to consider working it into one of your upcoming restaurant reviews, since Seattle is so well represented, and it might be of interest to your Times readers.  It appears it is a free service from Amazon.com, and looks like it will eventually be a site where one posts reviews (perhaps in the manner of a citysearch.com), makes reservations and places take out orders.  It will be interesting to see how it pans out.  They are seeking suggestions/input during this beta test period.

[MsRamsey]

I wasn't sure whether to start a new topic or not, but decided to shoehorn this in here:  Has anyone been to the new Capitol Hill digs Julia's or La Tienda Cadiz?  Husband unit and I did go to Julia's, but only for a cocktail.  It's pretty, but the Liza Minnelli theme is ill advised.  The dinner entrees were yawn-inducing at best:  3 chicken dishes, 1 duck dish, and 2 pork dishes I think.  How's the execution?

La Tienda Cadiz (on 15th) really intrigues me.  Anyone have anything to report?

I hope everyone has a fabulous 3-day weekend!

Kathy

[mamster]

I reviewed La Tienda Cádiz for the Times.  I like it, but I recently went for lunch on my own nickel, and I'd advise going for dinner:  at lunch there's no table service, but the prices are the same, and it's cheap but not $6 cheap.  It's a good place to shop, and they sell a really good port for $17.

Laurie and I went to Julia's for breakfast a couple weeks ago.  I enjoyed the Hobo Breakfast, which was a scramble of eggs, bacon, green pepper, onion, and potatoes.  There's nothing inventive or brilliant about their breakfast, but they open early and with Minnie's out of commission, it's nice to have a breakfast place other than the Broadway Grill.

Haven't tried Julia's lunch or dinner yet.

[MsRamsey]

As for Capitol Hill breakfast, I highly recommend El Greco, but they don't open until 9 AM.  I always look at those suckers waiting in line at Glo's (I live practically across the street) and wonder "why don't they just go to El Greco...")  Not that Glo's isn't good, but I don't have 3 hours to spare in the morning just for the whole breakfast experience.  And try getting a refill of water, _especially_ from Glo herself.  Urgh.

I'm surprised that you miss Minnie's, mamster!  Was the fact that it opened early a big plus for you?

My plans for Agua Verde this weekend fell through.  However, I did go to Cactus for the first time on Saturday night.  The fact that it was Memorial Day weekend made for a slow Saturday night.  People have been raving about this place to me for years, so my expectations were too high.  The waiter convinced me to order the chicken relleno, claiming that it was better than the chile relleno.  I said okay for some unknown reason -- I hardly ever order chicken in a restaurant.  I think I fixated on the "cornmeal crust" in his description.  (I love anything having to do with cornmeal, polenta, grits, etc.)  The dish was okay, but the combination of the relleno, beans, and rice made for a very DRY meal.  The house Cactus Margarita, apparently made with a splash of Cointreau, was really nothing special.  They make a far better margarita at Jack's Roadhouse (Olive Way).

[mamster]

I don't actually miss Minnie's--I just miss the sourdough pancakes.  But given the overpriced side dishes and the surly help, well, I can make my own pancakes or go to Julia's.

[thelastsupper]

Hey, so what is the deal with these truffle fries? I checked out the E&O menu on Amazon (thanks BH), and they are a whopping $12! I figured, when folks were talking about them before, that they were fries tossed in white truffle oil. Yum. But for that kind of cash . . .?  I dunno. Maybe getting a little too precious. Any comments from the folks who've been there? Not just truffle fries . . . this intriguing lobster salad . . .

Maybe this should be a new topic. (Then again, maybe I should swing by the bar sometime and check them out)

[MsRamsey]

I think I'd try 'em first before complaining about the price.  I'm more than willing to try them for many reasons.  First, I can't make really good fries at home.  The smoke alarm goes off when I boil water, so deep frying anything is right out.  Second, I'm willing to bet they're using quality ingredients rather than the usual Sysco restaurant supply fries you'll get in most places.  Third, I'm willing to bet that they're using high quality truffle oil and sea salt (both of which can be expensive).  Fourth, you're paying for the atmosphere.

$12 for a snack split between a couple of friends at a bar is not outrageous.

[tsquare]

Has anyone tried the black or white truffle oil from Trader Joe's? Pretty low price - but I don't know what it should taste like, so I wouldn't know if it were good if I bought it...

[Blue Heron]

Hey papachef and everyone.... I was just cruisin' thru Amazon's online menus this evening and came across the Blue Onion Bistro's new menu... check it out when you get a chance, as it wasn't there when I first looked earlier in the week.  Great to see Amazon's adding more and more menus.

[tsquare]

This seems like a good thread to restart with this question:

East Coasters (Mother and 16 year old daughter) coming for a short visit. Which one or two dinner places do you recommend? They mentioned 727 and Flying Fish. Had to tell them 727's chef just left/is leaving...I suggested Brasa, Eva, or Matt's in the Market. Have no additional knowledge of their tastes. Give it a shot - or let me know if there is another thread to check out. Thanks all.

[MsRamsey]

I have to admit that I've never eaten at Flying Fish.  It just looks like a yuppie singles bar to me!  I hope someone can give more specifics about this place.  I would recommend Le Pichet; it is a Seattle treasure.  I resoundingly second Matt's in the Market.  I've heard wonderful things about Cascadia.  I really like Palace Kitchen.  Of course this is all very downtown-centric.