Seattle...A Foodies' Delight!
Seattle… a Foodies' Delight!
I love visiting Seattle! My daughter lives here so I get to experience the city of Seattle at least a couple times a year too! The food is amazing… many world renowned chefs’ restaurants are found in all the neighborhoods which satisfy all palates as well. Seems like this visit we ate a lot of Asian cuisine…
Why is my first stop in Seattle usually the Market? The atmosphere is amazing! Venders, locals, tourists, free samples… need I say more? Of course the food in the area is my favorite stop too.
We arrived in downtown around lunch so opted for Happy Hour at Japonessa… not just drinks but super cheap sushi too for most of the day! This spot serves some of Seattle’s best sushi but with a Latin flair. We always start with edamame… and then sushi. Way too many choices so we opted for a mix of raw & tempura. The Seattle Crunch roll with tuna, salmon, avocado and cream cheese drizzled with a sweet chili/ soy glaze was amazing. As was the California Crunch… similar but with a snow crab mix. I always gravitate to a Spicy Salmon or tuna roll and this salmon roll was exceptional. A glass of bubbly was the perfect accompaniment too!
Sunday lunch required a trip to Din Tai Fung Dumpling House! The hour and a half wait was well worth it! I have been to the Bellevue location a few times, but had not eaten at the University location… not a disappointment. We were hungry so ordered a ton… matter of fact we had more than a table of five next to us! First course, Hot and Sour Soup and Pork Xiao Long Bao steamed dumplings filled with broth. Dipping the dumplings in a mix of soy sauce, fresh ginger, black vinegar blend and chili sauce creates the most amazing flavor. I think we ate more dipping sauce than recommended… not exactly dipped, more like submerged!
The dishes kept coming and we kept dipping! The Chicken Dumplings and Shrimp Pork Shao Mai were excellent. The shrimp are delicately chopped and place on top and look like a smoke stack filled with yummy pork. Added a little nutrition to our meal with Sautéed String Beans with garlic and Chicken Fried Brown Rice. If you don't like vegetables, you will certainly change your mind with these yummy, garlicky wonders! To finish the meal off the Shrimp and Pork Wonton with Spicy sauce was AMAZING! I know I keep saying amazing and yummy, but OMG… they were. If I wasn't stuffed to the gills I probably would have ordered seconds. We rolled out of there and didn't eat the rest of the day.
Of course, we woke up the next morning starving! I had just posted biscuits and pot pie so we were in the mood for biscuits! Morsel is a small, quaint café in the University neighborhood that features everything Biscuits! The windows were steamed up from the fresh baked goods and the smell grabbed us and pulled us in the door! Definitely the biggest biscuit sandwich I have ever seen, less eaten. Our sample of the days special, Garlic Arugula, was a welcome surprise and helped shape my sandwich selection. The Fast Break, consisting of bacon, egg, cheddar and roasted tomato jam on a garlic arugula biscuit = so yummy! Best breakfast sandwich for $7 I've ever had! Definitely my breakfast and lunch… making dinner at home tonight.
Toulouse Petit was calling our name… Breakfast Happy Hour! Seattle is the king of Happy Hour… cheaper prices for meals during low peak meal times…ingenious marketing Chicago should consider. Toulouse has been awarded with Fifth Most Popular Restaurant in the US by Trip Advisor and Tenth Most Popular in the World by Travelers Choice! My Bayou Fisherman's Breakfast was full of shrimp, pacific trout, crawfish, Tasso ham and a zesty creole sauce poured over cheesy grits with poached eggs. The dish was so visually appealing and delicious! My daughter had Buttermilk Biscuits & Creole Sausage gravy… also, scrumptious!
Last time I came to Seattle we grabbed croissants at the Dahlia Bakery before venturing on a hike to Discovery Park. This time it was a birthday celebration for my son in law at Dahlia Lounge! Dahlia is the flagship restaurant in Belltown for Tom Douglas opened in 1989. Loving the Market, I was drawn to the Asian-infused Pacific Northwest cuisine featuring tastes from the Market. I am a seafood LOVER… I was not disappointed! The past weekend was Penn Cove Mussel festival on Widbey Island which we missed, so I gravitated to the menu selection featuring Black Cod, Pen Cove Mussels, leeks, spinach, sautéed in saffron butter and topped with spicy bread crumbs. My daughter ordered my second choice, Dungeness Crab Cakes served with fingerling potatoes, dill sour cream, served over a green olive, fennel-radish salad.
My son-in-law loves a good, lean steak, so his choice of course the Wood Grilled Petit Tender Steak with potato purée, salsify, fried Walla Walla onions, with a red wine cherry reduction sauce. All was amazing and the perfect portions leaving room for the renowned Coconut Cream Pie! We shared a slice.. definitely the best buttery crust and filling I have ever eaten! Now to visit the other 12 Tom Douglas restaurants in the city… bucket list!
Of course we are back to the Market on my last morning! Beautiful morning of blue skies after a very rainy prior day. I love the Market before it opens and tourists descend after 9 am. Morning highlights of fresh fruit, Chukar cherries, flower markets and fish counters are only a few. It amazes me that the vendors often come from hours away to set up their booths every day and sell their wares.
My favorite breakfast is from Piroshky’s, a Bakery which opened in 1992 blending traditional Russian/ Eastern European pastries with Pacific Northwest flavors. Normally the lines are so long it's almost ridiculous, but if you get there early it's a great quick choice. Piroshkys are a hand held pastry, filled with savory or sweet ingredients. My pick is always the Smoked Salmon Pate shaped like a fish. Today I also grabbed a Poppyseed Cinnamon Roll for my flight home. My daughter’s favorite Market pastry is the Pain au Chocolat from Le Panier, which happens to be on the same block. Always wind up buying macaroons as well… not for breakfast…of course!
After our purchases we meander down to the View Café stools to eat and enjoy the view of the Peugeot Sound. Nothing quite like it… even on a rainy day!
Our last food stop was lunch at Sam Choy’s Poke’ – To the Max… a small Columbia City spot outside downtown that expands his famous food truck to a restaurant atmosphere. Serving Hawaiian classics such as poke’, loco moco, rice bowls, seaweed salad and much more! So many choices of poke’ made the selection difficult but we weathered through. So what is poke’? A big sign as we entered explained it all. I have had Poke’ before in Seattle and Hawaii… I loved all the different varieties here making it possible to eat every day and not have the same thing twice! My Chili Mango poke bowl contained salmon, mango, lomi-lomi, jalapeños, and chili spices served with scoops of mixed grain rice and seaweed salad. I really enjoyed the pickled flavored with the spicy additions! Mouth full of yum… and fish! My daughter enjoyed the Garlic Fried Chicken topped with green onions and served with mixed grain rice and mac salad… also delish. All was tremendous, especially when garnished with extra soy and sriracha sauce! Next time I have to try one of the Spam menu items too…
Well...Back to Chicago! Anyone been to Tac Quick Thai on Irving Park? Pretty tasty Panang Curry, sweet peanut curry with chicken, assorted fresh peppers, dried peppers, jalapeños, and rice… Sauvignon blanc to boot too! Have to come back soon…