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al Boccalino

I am spoiled forever.
I am ruined for sub-par restaurants. It's not that I can't appreciate a greasy spoon or a meal made in a converted bus, either. What gets my goat is the restaurant that everyone thinks is good because it is located on Lake Union/Lake Washington/The Waterfront and serves chowder that costs $5.95 for a cup. (Don't get me started about the overpriced menu, over-coached service, and mediocre food at Duke's on Lake Union.) Maybe I should know better. These establishments are the tiniest step above T.G.I. Fridays or the like and are set up to serve tourists and business lunches on a get em in, fill em up, get em out scale. It does bother me that people actually think the food is good because in my experience it very definitely is not. Having worked in places like this, I can assure you that most of the people preparing and serving your food are not all that interested in your gastronomic adventure. They are working for the shift drink and untaxed tips that come with every soul-sucking lunch and dinner rush. Of course, I'm generalizing. I'm sure the chef at Duke's really cares about the chowder. It's just that the person on pantry quit last week so the dishwasher has been suddenly promoted and is trying to stretch the batch he made on Monday so he doesn't have to make another cauldron of your creamy seafood surprise. Gross.
I think one thing I've been slow to catch on to, but that is painfully obvious, is that just because a restaurant charges a lot for a meal in a very well appointed setting, doesn't guarantee that the food will be good. Duh. The most obvious example is that heavenly pointing beacon north of downtown that has come to stand for Seattle like a giant exclamation point SEATTLE! the Space Needle. Or SpaceBoss. (per B.log.) The good view=bad food equation is so cliche that it is almost postmodern to really have a good view and bad food. Is the Space Needle Restaurant actually an incredible piece of performance art?! If it is, sadly I will never know, because I will probably never dine there again.
I did recently dine at al Boccalino, the tiny Pioneer Square Italian restaurant just next to the viaduct on Yesler. It's small but pretty cute inside: The dining room was light and airy despite the small space. The service was friendly and personable. We were six for lunch and I arrived first. The waiter quickly brought water, bread and olives and offered me a beverage. The glass of red wine he chose was not that great and everything pretty much went downhill from there. Not that anything was terrible, in fact it all looked good on the surface. But I found when I lifted up my menu a big orange stain on the folded napkin at my placesetting. The bread was dry. My salmon was overcooked.

And the promise of the fish accompanied by vegetables and roasted potatoes resulted in one lousy half of a red potato. Did I mention that the salmon was overcooked? The linguine bolognese next to me looked pretty good. And it was a huge portion. Everyone with me thought it was all very good. I'm just ruined I guess.

Thaiku

Thaiku's website has the following haiku:

desire food with fire
where taste and poetry make
culinary zen

I like that. Here is my visual haiku for Thaiku:







Yes, and I have invented a new drink. Don't bother telling me you've already had it and it's call blah-blah, either. I INVENTED IT. Tuesday night. It's Malibu Rum with Limonata. Or it would be, if Thaiku actually had Malibu Rum. Instead it's Absolut Citron with Limonata. It's good. You should try it. If I was bartending, I would garnish with a twist of lime. Who does that? Twist of lime? NOBODY. I'm a genius. Well, maybe some bars already do that and I'm just forgetting that right now. Anyway, I think I'd name my first invention "Malibu Stacy"®. My second invention would be called "Lemony Snicket"®

Should I ramble on about Kao Soy? Since it's late I'll be brief: Hot, spicy, yellow curry noodle love with bits of pickled mustard greens and topped with crispy bits, a drizzle of roasted chili oil and a squeeze please of lime. If you've never had this northern Thai delight I urge you to go immediately to Thaiku where they make the best one I've had at a restaurant.

el greco

Brunch is one of those meals for which I am continually searching for the ultimate experience. Take one of the more popular breakfast joints around town: Glo's on East Olive Way. The last time I went to Glo's I had a 45 minute wait to be seated, a 30 minute wait for my meal and the waiter forgot several items throughout the service. It's a diner, but the prices are boutique. And the quality has been slowly sliding into the deep fat fryer for the last few years. The hash browns kept me coming back again and again. But now I know that I'm not guaranteed the perfectly browned on the outside, hot and buttery on the inside, just the right balance of salt and grease plate of potato perfection that I had come to rely on. And when are they going to change those 80's menu's with the colorful little bits of confetti?? Or the specials? On the positive side, they have a yummy veggie biscuits & gravy, they serve you coffee while you are waiting to get a table and the staff is genuinely friendly. I just think that overall Glo's is overrated and over priced.
Then there's Coastal Kitchen. Again, the wait. Again, the server is hung-over, has a double section to cover because someone called in sick, the food is uninspired and you feel like cattle being herded to and from the trough. Mae's Phinney Ridge Cafe in Greenwood and the Hi Spot Cafe in Madrona have the ubiquitous wait, but they are fairly consistent in the quality of their food and service. Another favorite of mine is the Dish, where the two owners serve up diner fare from a tiny kitchen that is hot, fresh and plentiful. They have a big menu full of options and everything I've tried has been satisfying.

Maybe I just need to get away from the diner-style brunch. More on that to come. (I'll need a separate post to sing the praises of Le Pichet.) For now let's talk El Greco:



It took me a long time to try this cozy little nook up in the "Alley" on Broadway. I've heard good things about their dinners and I have a lunch punch card in my wallet with one stamp on it, but it's their brunch offerings that draw me there on weekends. The East Coast could have been invented with me in mind: cream cheese spread on grilled bread, topped with dilled scrambled eggs, smoked salmon, capers and red onions. The potatoes are consistently crisp on the outside and creamy on the inside.

The boyfriend wanted eggs benedict, and although the Greco Benedict can only loosely be associated with the traditional version, it was still tasty: potato cakes formed the base for poached eggs, smoked gouda and Canadian bacon. The mushroom sauce is tomato based which is not indicated on the menu, but again, pretty good.

I think that Caffe Vita has hit upon an excellent marketing gimmick: provide restaurants that serve their coffee these mugs:

With every sip, you are reminded that they have a website. How modern.

pho good - Than Brothers

I discovered pho soup at the end of a horrid relationship. When we broke up, we listed the places we thought we might run into each other: Hollywood Video (replaced by Netflix, thank god,) Fred Meyer on Broadway (replaced by a giant new multi-level QFC,) and Pho Than Brothers' (still there.) It took 2 years for it to happen, but when it did it was a full on, in your face, no avoiding contact kind of run into. We both approached the cashier at the same moment. I had about 2 seconds to look at him before he turned his head and saw me standing there, mouth agape. In those 2 seconds my brain struggled to verify the information my optic nerve was feeding it, accessing memory files, checking and double-checking systems, preparing for fight or flight. The look that crossed his face upon seeing me revealed that he was suffering a similar systems crash. We said some non-commital things. Then the cashier took his attention and while he payed for his take out order I slipped away to the bathroom. There wasn't anything else to say. When I came out he was gone and I was free again. As I walked home with my belly full of soup, I realized with some surprise that I had avoided feigning interest in how he might be doing or apologizing for not attempting to contact him. He had done the same. I think it may have been one of our truest moments together and a fitting reunion for two people so wrong for each other.

Soup heals.
Than Brothers has soup only, in sizes from small to extra large (I DARE you!) and from veggie to tripe and tendon. Since I've sworn off beef I can't attest to numbers C1 to C14. I love the mushrooms that come in the Veggie but I love the chicken broth. So it's a small chicken w/mushrooms for me. The small is $3.85 and for my mushrooms I shell out an additional 65 cents.

After you've been pointed to a numbered table, be ready to order when the waiter arrives a moment later with the plate of add-ins (thai basil, bean sprouts, lime wedges and sliced jalepenos,) and the Banh Choux a la cream (cream puffs.) DON'T EAT THEM YET!! GOD! If you aren't ready to order, you may have to wait until some other waiter takes pity on you and comes over. That first guy probably isn't coming back. Well, maybe he will. Don't chance it. Order the number 11 coffee. Do it. Hopefully the waiter will return with your coffee set up right away: a glass of ice with a long spoon and a small diner style juice glass with a half inch of condensed milk at the bottom and a small silver dispenser filled with coffee grounds in hot water placed on top. This will drip hot coffee into the condensed milk while you are eating your meal.
After the coffee arrives, say to your dining partner, "My god, what's taking so long?!" at which point your soup will arrive. Total elapsed time from entry into the restaurant: 4 minutes.
If you planned in advance you will already have your napkins, chopsticks, spoon and spoon rest at the ready. When the hot steaming bowl is placed in front of you, begin by adding your basil, sprouts, lime and jalepenos as you like. Don't forget your condiment caddy. Here you will find chili oil - not as hot as you might think, try it, hoisin sauce, Sriracha (cock sauce,) and salt and pepper. Try starting with small amounts of each and go nuts as you figure out what you like. WHATEVER YOU DO, DO NOT EAT YOUR SOUP PLAIN OR MY FRIEND NAOMI CAMPBELL WILL KICK YOUR ASS. She's a mean bitch when you don't spice up your soup. She's the photographer, not the supermodel, by the way.

After a few minutes of slurping and sipping, you may find a spice buzz overtakes you. Go with it. Sweat out all that pent up stress. When you've had your fill of soup, prepare your coffee by stirring the mixture in the small glass and pouring it into the glass of ice. Okay, now you're ready to cool down with your iced coffee and puff. Yes, now you eat the puff.

Baguette Box

Yesterday was the kind of Seattle summer day I wish I could send to far away friends via email. Not a day to stay indoors. (Once your wage earning ass is out of work, anyway.) After my work, I went straight to my intro yoga class. How did it take me so long to find this exercise? It feels like I'm splurging on myself even though it's hard as hell. The boyfriend has band practice on Tuesday nights, so feeling floaty after class I headed over to the Baguette Box on Pine to treat myself to my new bad habit: truffle fries. I have to say, I considered the idea of getting two orders of truffle fries, one after the other. But these are the kind of internal arguments I have all day with myself. This was easy to settle by opting for the wine braised pork shoulder sandwich and a Limonada instead of the second cup of deliciousness. The sandwich was perfect, the baguette softening through the meal from the juicy meat, the perfect amount of crunch added by a few red onion slices and the fresh taste of cilantro accenting the incredibly tender pork. The fries were delicious, but not up to their usual standards. I think the best fry of the bunch was the one that hit the floor as the server carried them over to me. He offered me the 10-second rule when I seemed disappointed at this loss. I declined. There were too many small & thin pieces (all crunch, no interior,) and the serving size was small. (well, not too small, but kinda small.) I guess I'll just have to go back soon and see how the next serving compares.

Vivace

There is nothing like it. Really. Vivace's espresso has a flavor that's like warm blankets and fluffy pillows with morning sun coming thru the blinds on a Saturday morning when you don't have anywhere to go and your kitty is curled up next to you purring. It's smooth and buttery and rich. And I don't feel like a sucker getting played when I give them my dollars like I do at larger coffee chains associated with Seattle. (Although, when traveling, the single seater bathrooms at Starbucks can be quite a blessing, just ask Betsy.) If you are in Seattle you have no excuse not to drink good coffee, especially with places like Vivace around.

So, everyone I know has a favorite drink at Vivace. Here's the one Robyn introduced me to:
It's a Cafe Nico and involves a good deal of orange flavor and cinnamon. It's a tasty little cup for sure.

What's your favorite? Did they name it after you? Lay it on me.

Here's the boyfriend with an iced mocha:
He looks kinda mean, huh? He's actually a big sweetie, but don't tell anyone.

A bit about me...

Cause it's my blog, dammit. Here's my morning joe. I put a bit of cinnamon in with the grounds. (I wonder if they really do that in Mexico?)


I'm a new foodie. A foodie in training. I've always loved to eat, but I wouldn't say I learned anything about cooking at my mothers knee. She was a perpetually broke single mother living a 70's brand of vegetarianism and had little time for culinary explorations. But her food was simple and nutritious. If I learned anything it was that you don't need meat to anchor a meal. (seems obvious now, but it really was radical at the time.) I guess I also learned to use a minimal amount of pre-made or processed food. Here are some mom dishes:

•Zucchini cut into rounds and fried in her cast iron pan on both sides. She would then put a tiny cube of cheese on each round and cover the pan until the cheese melted. I thought it was the bomb.
•Vegetarian lasagna: for special occasions. She never did the straight up vegetarian = spinach thing. She would put whatever was in the vegetable drawer in there: carrots, onion, celery, mushrooms, summer squash, cabbage, whatever.
•Iced herb tea: oh my god! My mom would send me outside (we lived on what had been a dairy farm before I was born,) to pick fresh mint. There were three patches around the farmhouse, I don't remember what they were, but my favorite was the tall fuzzy leafed variety. She would brew the mint in hot water, sweeten it with honey, add lemon juice and pour it into a gallon glass jar with cold water. Poured over ice, it was heavenly.

My introduction to good food really started in the middle of my waitressing years. But first a story about my first job ever:
Donuts Delite, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania: I learned to fry a burger on a flat grill, wake up a bum by pounding the napkin holder on the counter, and how, on a ten minute break, to smoke a cigarette, drink a 16 oz. coffee, eat a doughnut (1 free per shift) and call my friends from the pay phone. My favorite flavors were blueberry cake and glazed cruller. I wore a brown & white checkered dress with a built-in apron and a brown hat that snapped in the front.

Well, writing a food history is obviously going to take more than one post. Let's call this to be continued...

The first post

Fork this is up and running! Look out! Stay tuned! Adventures in food, photography, seattle and coming next month, the big road trip. It's gonna be a blast! Here's the kitty: