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Technorati Tags: American, capitol hill, fremont, Northwest, Pan-Asian, Sandwich, seattle, seattle foodster, Vegetarian

American, Asian, Northwest, Sandwich, Vegetarian American, capitol hill, fremont, Northwest, Pan-Asian, Sandwich, seattle, seattle foodster, Vegetarian

Formerly Sam’s Steakhouse, Eastlake Bar and Grill is one of three lakeside restaurants owned by brothers John and James Schmidt.  Although each of their three bar and grill restaurants serve similar food and offer up amazing views I believe that it is their Eastlake location that might be the most popular.  Although it wasn’t their original (opened in 2004) the Eastlake location offers panoramic views of South Lake Union.

I recently went to Eastlake on one of the first nice Seattle sunny days of the year.  Knowing how fickle Seattle weather can be, my girlfriend and I took full advantage of the restaurant’s large outdoor deck facing the water.  The deck was packed and although our server graced us with her presence ten minutes later than what would be normal for most restaurants after you’ve been seated, we decided to brush it off.

The Eastlake Bar and Grill offers the Sunset Dinner which is comprised of a soup or salad, one of twelve entrees and a dessert for $12.95.  Knowing that hot soup was the one thing I did not want I started with a Caesar Salad.  I know that Caesar’s aren’t that complicated to make but I’m starting to realize that I’m sort of a Caesar Salad connoisseur.  It was recently brought to my attention by a friend that I eat approximately five Caesars a week, never changing to a different salad choice.  Knowing this, you can understand why I was pleased that the Caesar at Eastlake was fresh and crisp and not drowning in dressing.

My girlfriend chose Alaskan Cod and Chips as her entrée.  Although we remarked about how cute the crinkle-cut fries were we both noticed that her fried fish tasted sort of soapy.  Yet another example of why I stay clear of fish and chips.  I decided to try the Blackened Fish Tacos.  Although the item title was “taco” and the description said that it was “two flour tortillas” I was still surprised when a Blackened Fish Burrito was served.  The fresh slaw and tilapia fish looked refreshing so I figured it would be a waste of time to talk about the dissimilarities between taco and burrito.  For as large and heavy as the fish tacos looked they were surprisingly light.  The tilapia had a good seasoning to it and the slaw and mango salsa had a cooling effect on this hot day.

For desert I kept it simple; ice cream sundae for me and my girlfriend went with key lime pie.  I don’t like key lime pie very much and I found their version too creamy for my taste.  My ice cream was served in what I can only describe as a melted state of being. I’m pretty sure this occurred because the weather was hot or perhaps because the ice cream bowl was served on top of a steaming hot plate.

I think the food at Eastlake Bar and Grill is more in the category of upscale bar food as opposed to high end grilled cuisine.  While the food was pretty solid there were definitely some aspects that could have easily been fixed.  Despite any of these negatives I know that come the next sunny Seattle day I’m going to consider sitting on the outside deck at this restaurant… I just won’t order the ice cream

Technorati Tags: American, Bar, bar and grill, eastlake, Northwest, Sandwich, Seafood, seattlefoodster

American, Bar, Northwest, Sandwich, Seafood American, Bar, bar and grill, eastlake, Northwest, Sandwich, Seafood, seattlefoodster

seattlefoodster.com apologizes for the quality of the photographs in this article.  The lights in the restaurant were dim and any flash would have washed out the food. 

Friends have asked me what type of intrinsic benefits are there when writing for a food review site which receives millions of hits monthly (actual hits may be slightly lower).  My simple answer, which has never changed is that I enjoy being able to write about food.  I am passionate about eating it and passionate about talking food so writing about it just seemed to be the next step.  And, as an added perk, every now and then I have the chance to dine at a restaurant before it opens to the public, sometimes even for free.  Trust me when I say that whether a restaurant “comps” my meal or not it will never determine the outcome of my review.

In light of sometimes being able to get a sneak peek at a soon-to-open restaurant, I had the wonderful opportunity to dine at Seattle’s newest steakhouse, The Capital Grille, located downtown underneath the historic Cobb Building.  The décor is typical old world steakhouse, black and white or sepia photographs, wood paneling adorned by mounted animal heads watching over the dinner crowd.  The service, however, is characteristically Seattle; over-polite and generally down to earth.  Much of the historic charm is carried through with the service of the staff.  Once seated you and your dinner party will be asked if you prefer a black or white linen napkin.  Also worth noting is if a woman leaves her seat to use the restroom she’ll be escorted.  Once she is on her journey to the restroom another employee quickly gathers up and refolds her napkin. It would be difficult to be more courteous than that!

Although the menu was pre-fixe, I believe The Capital Grille put some of its best selections on for display.  For my appetizer I started with the Lobster Bisque.  If you enjoy the creaminess of bisque you are in for a lovely surprise.  I must admit that although I have never had sherry drizzled on top of bisque before it had the ability to highlight many other, subtle flavors. True to its name the bisque was loaded with lumps of lobster meat.  I was disappointed that the Pan Fried Calamari with Hot Cherry Peppers was not on the menu as I was told it is their featured appetizer.

It seems that I have this assumption that when food is served a la carte then each item must prove its own worth.  I was highly tempted to order the Porcini Rubbed Delmonico steak with an eight year old aged balsamic, however my server swayed me with the passionate way he described the dry aged Porterhouse steak.  An important side note for all those steak lovers is that all of the dry aged steaks have been dried in-house by the restaurant.

Normally I try to order my steak according to how the chef would prefer to prepare it.  It turns out the chef likes the porterhouse rare, warm in the center and I was happy to oblige.  To say that this porterhouse melted in my mouth is an understatement.  With only a hint of seasoning you’ll find the grilled outer layer of the steak perfectly sealed in every morsel of flavor.

My date was kind enough to share with me her filet mignon served with lobster in a lobster butter-cream sauce.  Aside from the steak and lobster being decadent, I believe that lobster sauce could be wonderfully paired with any type of food.

Much to my surprise appreciated the simplicity of their menu.  You’ll find the wine list is exponentially longer than the food menu.  After leaving the posh ambiance of this place, full and quite possibly smitten by my rediscovered love of red meat, I must say that The Capital Grille makes a bold statement and will be a worthy challenger to all other Seattle steakhouses.

Technorati Tags: American, food, Northwest, Seafood, seattle foodster, seattlefoodster.com, Steakhouse, the capital grille

American, Northwest, Steakhouse American, food, Northwest, Seafood, seattle foodster, seattlefoodster.com, Steakhouse, the capital grille

The Frontier Room is a bit of an oddity when it comes to BBQ restaurants.  Sure, it sells some tasty high-end BBQ fixings but it also functions as a hip Bell Town bar.  If the sight of seeing young Seattle yuppie hipsters at a BBQ joint disturbs you, I share your sentiment.  A few co-workers and myself decided to go down to the Frontier Room to see if this fancy BBQ favorite could stand up to the greasy napkin, rolled-up-sleeves style restaurants. 

Yours truly chose the Beef Brisket Sandwich, served with Snappy Coleslaw and a side of Hush Puppies.    The first thing I noticed about my Beef Brisket Sandwich was that it was not covered in a lot of BBQ sauce.  I’ve become a bit more educated in the world of BBQ and have learned that many times a pepper and vinegar sauce is used in lieu of the BBQ sauce most people are used to.  I took the liberty of dashing some of the pepper and vinegar sauce from the table on to my sandwich.

I was pleasantly surprised by the tart flavor of the sauce which complimented the brisket.  Also, the bread was nice and thick so there was no sauce dripping through.  This must be part of the reason you can dress so nicely at the Frontier Room and not leave with stains on your shirt.  My disappointment centered on the size of the sandwich. Perhaps due to the large plate it was served on, this thing looked kind of puny and was not filling enough for me.

The Hush Puppies, on the other hand, did fill me up.  You may know Hush Puppies as Corn Fitters or simply as deep fried corn bread.  They’re served along side a ranch-like sauce and a regular order should be shared with others.  The outside of the Hush Puppies were a golden brown with a crispy crust.  The inside was a soft corn filing with red and green peppers with little bits of corn.

I was very impressed that such a trendy bar could serve good BBQ.  When you enter the Frontier Room you get the sense that they might have been more concerned about making the restaurant trendy as opposed to concentrating on the flavor of the food.  However, the kitchen offers a well-rounded and diverse selection of BBQ.  Also worth mentioning is the Beef Brisket Specialty, Frontier Mac’n Cheese, Bacon-Wrapped Prawns and the Frontier Room Gumbo.

Technorati Tags: American, Bar, BBQ, downtown, Sandwich, seattle, seattle foodster, seattlefoodster.com, Southern

American, BBQ, Bar, Sandwich, Southern American, Bar, BBQ, downtown, Sandwich, seattle, seattle foodster, seattlefoodster.com, Southern

I’m a meat eater. I have nothing against vegetarians or even vegetables for that matter. In fact I’m trying to find a way to prove the cuter the animal the better the meat. I also think that a cow would try to eat me if she had the chance so I’m really doing my part in helping to protect humanity.

Needless to say I was a little embarrassed when I showed up at Café Flora in Madison Park and realized that it is an all vegetarian menu. I’ll be honest, lots of the items looked and sounded delicious, plus I’ve heard a lot of good things about this restaurant. I was just kind of shocked that I’d be eating in my first vegetarian restaurant.

Cautiously, I tip-toed into the vegetarian world, sampling two of the restaurant’s salads. The Caesar Salad was typical fare, in that it had romaine, parmesan cheese, and croutons. However, it was a different Caesar because of its light and refreshing dressing with fried capers. Caesar salads usually have a pretty salty flavor, however since this dressing was so light the fried capers did a great job of adding extra flavor.

The Organic Wild Greens and Lettuces salad followed the same light refreshing recipe with its crisp herbed balsamic vinaigrette. Topped with a carrot twirl you will find that this salad looks a little plain but had quite an uplifting taste. Also this dish is Vegan and Gluten free.

There are few things more embarrassing when you’re a food critic and you cannot pronounce a menu item correctly. The Oaxaca Tacos (according to the menu pronounced wa-ha-ka) are roasted corn tortillas filled with mashed potatoes, cheddar and smoke mozzarella cheeses with lime crème fraiche and topped with feta cheese. Black beans and pico de gallo are served on the side. I always associate vegetarian foods with healthy foods. Not to say that the Oaxaca Tacos are unhealthy but damn were they cheesy. The mashed potatoes and lime crème fraiche was very tantalizing to the tongue.

Are you catching a trend here? Refreshing, uplifting, tantalizing? Towards the end of my meal I realized that this is what Café Flora’s is all about, very fresh and light but tasty food. If you’re a vegetarian then you probably already know about Café Flora. If you don’t know about it then go and give it a try. If you’re a carnivore willing to take a break from the usual fare, want a light meal and are willing to give vegetables and other non-meat dishes a try, then I definitely recommend you visit Café Flora.

Technorati Tags: American, food, madison park, Northwest, seattle, seattle foodster, seattlefoodster.com, Vegetarian

American, Northwest, Vegetarian American, food, madison park, Northwest, seattle, seattle foodster, seattlefoodster.com, Vegetarian

I finally met “The Man” at Dixie’s. Even though the name of this place is Dixie’s BBQ/Porter Automotive, I’m fairly certain that no one is going to bring their car in for a tune up any time soon. Upon rolling in the parking lot I exclaimed, “Holy Cow.” Only it wasn’t “cow” it was the other thing. I knew that Dixie’s was not the typical restaurant but I was shocked to see the converted garage turned Seattle BBQ legend.There are a couple of things to keep in mind when dining at Dixie’s. First, the staff knows that their food is good and that’s why the menu is so small. Second, ask for anything that isn’t on the menu (hung up on the wall) and you’ll probably be made fun of for not reading said menu.Although there are tables inside, it’s the outdoor seating that is packed on a sunny day. I parked myself on an empty concrete table and bench and began to check out my 520 Special (pulled pork with a hot link) and pasta salad. Before I began to eat I wondered if I would be disappointed. For years I’ve heard about Dixie’s and “The Man.” I worried that it wouldn’t stand up to its deeply entrenched, Eastside reputation. All sandwiches are served overflowing on Hoagie rolls. I recommend grabbing a fork and eating some of the meat before attempting to pick up the enormous sandwich. As for the BBQ sauce it was good but not the best I’ve had; very tomato based, but pleasantly sweet. The pork, I must say, was fantastic. It was very tender and tasty, and although it took in some of the BBQ sauce it still had its own unique flavoring. The hot link was also a tad disappointing. I was expecting a hot link of sausage, but this reminded me more of a routine baseball stadium hotdog. I also liked the pasta salad as a side dish. It was very creamy with chunks of cheddar cheese. Although I didn’t try it myself, I heard fellow lunch goers raving about the corn bread. What about “The Man”? I can safely and happily say that I didn’t try this legendary concoction during this visit. I have tried it a couple of times before, thanks to some “friends” who brought it home. I can honestly say it’s the spiciest hot sauce I’ve ever tried. I love hot sauces but I didn’t appreciate that “The Man” almost brought me to tears.What I liked most about Dixie’s was the portions. I’ve been eating at a few BBQ restaurants lately and have been really bummed out by the size of the sandwiches. This is BBQ after all…isn’t it supposed to be messy and big? Despite some people’s belief that Dixie’s is the best BBQ joint on the planet, I will have to say it is very good, but what makes it fun and quite different is its natural quirkiness and individuality. And for me, that’s a good enough reason to stop by now and again to get some filling and reliable BBQ.

Technorati Tags: American, BBQ, bellevue, man sauce, sandwish, seattle foodster, seattlefoodster.com, souther

American, BBQ, Sandwich American, BBQ, bellevue, man sauce, sandwish, seattle foodster, seattlefoodster.com, souther