Baguette Box
October 7th, 2009
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Posts Tagged ‘seattle’
5 Spot
February 3rd, 2009
The 5 Spot in Queen Anne is diverse as a restaurant can be, hipster Seattle eatery and friendly family dining that supports philanthropic contributors. The 5 Spot has a “roaming” menu, and at the time I ate there was currently focused on the Big Easy. In fact, you were able to buy the New Orleans theme art that decorates the restaurant and the proceeds will go to help Katrina victims.
I’ve been to the 5 Spot twice; once for dinner and once for lunch. Both times it was loud and both times my servers were a bit more focused on being hip than actually concentrating on the customers seated at their tables. The kitchen was loud, and the crowd was a mix of families, and also Seattleites who spent way too much time partying from the night before.
My fiance tried the soup and salad combo. The side Caesar salad, although fresh, was underdressed and not crunchy. The bean soup had a nice, savory touch to it with a little kick but nothing to worry about.
I was feeling a little more adventurous and decided to try the Shrimp Po-Boy. I once had an Oyster Po-Boy at another Seattle restaurant and spent most of the night hugging my toilet. Honestly, I wasn’t happy with this sandwich… but at least I didn’t get sick. The Gulf shrimp would have been nice as an appetizer, but in the sandwich they seemed to find a way to constantly fall out and onto the plate. The toasted bread was too dry and I had no choice but to drown the disappointing meal in hot sauce in an attempt to salvage it.
It’s difficult to give a bad or mean review to the 5 Spot. After all, they do challenge themselves by having a changing menu and even go as far to incorporate current events into their restaurant themes. I appreciate that and commend them for their effort, but that doesn’t mean I have to like their food or their service.
I admit that I saw a lot of people enjoying plates of breakfast food, so maybe that is the foundation on which the 5 Spot has built its reputation. I plan to eventually go back and give breakfast a try. In the meantime, I’ll just have to live with the fact that the 5 Spot is a trendy Queen Anne diner where your meal might be a hit or a miss.
Union
September 1st, 2008
Oh, how I have longed to try Chef Ethan Stowell’s Union restaurant (the same Ethan Stowell involved in Tavolata and How to Cook a Wolf). The main reason I had not tried Union sooner was mainly due to my fiancée, who up until a year ago was a very finicky eater. However, when you’re going to marry the Seattle Foodster you are compelled to become a more adventurous diner. This dinner was also special because the Seattle Foodster will be going to law school soon; suffice it to say this was a perfect gift from a wonderful fiancée.
We chose to dine from the tasting menu which allowed us to choose an appetizer, pasta, entrée and dessert. I consider myself an adventurous eater; granted I won’t search out the type of food that will get me my own TV show but, if given the opportunity, I will try most foods that are reasonably appealing to the eye and, of course, the taste buds Given this philosophy, I knew I had to start with Union’s version of steak tartare, Carne Cruda, mixed with anchovy, garlic, lemon, topped with an uncooked quail egg and served along tortilla strip chip.
Honestly I approached my raw, ground starter with some trepidation. The first bite startled my palate as I ran my tongue around the meat. I suppose I was steadying myself for an awkward taste of raw red meat, but instead was greeted with the pleasant taste of the beef accompanied by the tanginess of the other ingredients. The first slow taste quickly led to more reassured bites allowing me to fully appreciate this simple yet elegant dish.
The pasta I ordered was the tagliatelli with beef shortrib sugo, English peas and marjoram. The sugo sauce was enchanting as it formed a glue-like covering around the pasta. The shortrib meat was pulled and tender, in fact I wondered how it would taste served tartare. I advise eating this dish one strand of tagliatelli at a time that way you can maximize the amount of flavor consumed.
The beef striploin entrée is served with English peas, spring onion and potato puree in a red wine sauce. While the beef, which is recommended to be served as medium rare, was quite good it was too simple when considering the depth of the menu. I was quite fond of the creaminess and smoothness of the potato puree.
Unfortunately there were a couple of negative points worth mentioning concerning my experience at Union. After we initially placed our orders for the three courses our waiter returned to inform me the restaurant was out of my original entrée choice which was rabbit loin. No biggie I thought, however a minute later the waiter returned and confessed to my fiancée that her pasta choice was also sold out. This occurred at around 8pm, just three hours into dinner service. Sadly, these were two of the dishes we were looking forward to most. Lastly, which is not necessarily a negative, is that dinner will take you a long, long time. Our dinner ran just shy of three and a half hours, so if you are running short on time keep this in mind.
Overall I was highly impressed with the level of creativity and intensity exhibited by the food at Union. Since the menu portions are smaller I encourage you to order the tasting menu. Sure, four courses may seem like a lot but I assure you that by the time the dessert hits your table you’ll be able to find room for a little bit more.
Il Terrazzo Carmine
December 10th, 2007
I have heard that Il Terrazzo Carmine is arguably Seattle’s best Italian restaurant. In my never-ending quest to find the best Italian food in this great city I can safely say that Il Terrazzo is up there in the rankings and makes it a point to pay great attention to detail not only in their menu but in the entire ambiance and dining experience. To achieve that effect, Il Terrazzo specializes in high-end Italian cuisine. Traditional spaghetti and meatballs will find no home on this menu.
Finding Il Terrazzo Carmine is something of a find itself. Nestled between the many bars of Pioneer Square and almost on the way to Safeco and Qwest Field you’ll find it in an understated office building. The restaurant itself is anything but plain. White linen-topped tables are dressed with beautiful dinnerware and overseen by servers in white jackets. I must also point out that you’ll find educated wait staff here. Not only will they correctly pronounce the Italian words, they possess a vast knowledge of the large wine selection.
Our first appetizer was actually a special, sautéed mushrooms (mostly chanterelles) in a light oil. This dish was even enjoyed by a member at our table who is a hard and fast non-mushroom eater. The mushrooms were meaty yet melted away in their buttery, oily sauce.
The second appetizer we sampled was Calamari Affogati. This dish is for the true lovers of calamari as you’ll find no fried squid accompanied by spicy marinara. The non-breaded calamari rings are sautéed with garlic, tomatoes, olives and capers. Feel free to take some bread and dip it in the broth. Only complaint here is that the calamari with the tentacles vastly overshadowed the calamari rings.
I chose an entrée that I simply don’t order enough, Cannelloni Fiorentina. Large pasta tubes are filled with veal, ricotta, and spinach and covered with a red sauce and parmesan cheese. Similar in style to an enchilada, this was the most appealing meal of the night. I made sure each bite I took was small so that I could savor the flavor as long as possible. With each bite I could taste the ground veal and creamy ricotta balanced with the blandness (used in a positive sense) of spinach.
Another dish worth notable mention was Capelline Di Mare. Capelline (thin) pasta is tossed in a light red sauce with prawns, mussels and clams. If you enjoy fresh seafood (and if you’re living in the Northwest you’ve got it made), then this is a spectacular dish for you.
Given that I’m generally very traditional in my tastes, I feel it’s necessary to first judge an Italian restaurant by the pasta it serves. I think things get too confusing when more exotic meats and various accompanying ingredients are thrown into the mix, burying the simplicity that is the foundation of most really good Italian meals. In the case of Il Terrazzo, they have achieved excellence in serving traditional pastas as well as creating more adventures entrees.
In closing, remember that quality comes with a price, and Il Terrazzo Carmine is no exception. Expect a hefty tab, especially if you order a bottle of good wine, cocktails, appetizers and a dessert. However, it’s worth the price because as soon as you leave you’ll be planning your return to this oasis for fine Italian cuisine.
Frontier Room
November 27th, 2007
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.
Marazul
November 27th, 2007
Marazul was the first restaurant to open in the 2200 Westlake Condominium. Executive Chef Bruce Dillon takes the concept of fusion to heart. The food is supposed to be inspired by the Pax Brittanica era. I’m not a history buff but I do understand that you’ll find influences of Cuba, the Caribbean and the Indo-Asian territories in that type of cuisine. Simply put, it’s an Asian Latino menu with an obsessive Rhum Bar with roughly 40 varieties.
I had heard and read mixed reviews regarding Marazul, which made me that much more excited to try it. The first thing you’ll probably notice is the restaurant is very, very cool looking. Whether it’s the waterfall in the entrance or all the wonderful curves, you’re in for some interior decorating eye-candy.
Also, I want to get this off my chest… I found the “small plates” much more flavorful and inspired than the entrees. Alright, that feels better. The first appetizer my girlfriend and I tried was the Crab Sushi. This was definitely the most beautiful dish of the evening and the most inventive. A soft and warm plantain (type of banana) is wrapped around rice and topped with shredded fresh crab. What was the easiest way to eat this? Take the crab off the top and break the sushi roll in half, and then take a bite of sushi and a bite of your roll. The plantain is warm and firm but not crunchy and is a sweet compliment to the fresh seafood.
The next dish was the Jerk Port Pot-stickers. Although they appear to look like traditional pot-stickers — gyoza, dumplings, etc — these pack a highly Caribbean taste. The pork inside the pot-sticker is ground very thin and is served with a guava plum dipping sauce. The unexpected flavor made this dish quite satisfying.
While the Havana Style Pad Thai was tasty there was not much substance to it as compared to the previous dishes. Also, the menu mentioned that it contained coconut curry sauce and you should be aware this sauce is nothing like the pad Thai you’re used to. The curry sauce caused a clumping effect with the noodles.
The Churrasco Skirt Steak scored points for creativity and presentation. Pieces of skirt steak were served on top of bok choy surrounded by a Latin Hash (think small cut up potatoes with spicy herbs). Also, the steak was topped with chimichurri — I’m not sure exactly what that is but it was delicious and made the steak’s flavor pop. Even so, I didn’t like a couple of things about this plate. The first was I found the three chunks of steak a bit odd and hard to manage on the plate. I would have much preferred one whole skirt steak. And second, the bok choy didn’t add anything to the dish. The bitter flavor of this veggie took away the spiciness and tang of the steak.
I did have a very refreshing cocktail called Nelson’s Blood. This was made up of white rum, cranberry, orange and pineapple juices, lime nutmeg and a cinnamon stick. Sure, it looked a bit girly with its pinkish color and cinnamon stick but it was quite uplifting and energizing on the hot day that it was.
The next time I go to Marazul I’m going to stick strictly to the small plates. Another great thing about them is, besides their flavor, none of them are more than $10. I would advise you to grab a few friends and head over for a relaxing drink, a few small plates and enjoy the evening.
Chillies Paste
November 26th, 2007
When I think back on the year that I lived in Fremont I can’t help but recall being surrounded by Thai restaurants. There is already a surplus of Thai restaurants in Seattle, but Fremont must be the capitol of Thai food in this city. Believe it or not, the entire year I lived there I never once made it to Chillies Paste. It was only when an ill-planned grocery store trip brought me back to the Fremont area that I gave Chillies Paste a shot.
The first thing I noticed when walking inside the house-converted-to-restaurant was not the striking orange walls but the beautiful pictures of the food. I’m considering firing myself as the seattlefoodster.com photographer and hiring their guy or gal.
I started off with Kong Kra-bok, shrimp wrapped with a thin wonton wrapper deep fried and served along side a sweet chili sauce. The presentation was on point, however I found these delicate starters difficult to eat for a couple of reasons. The first is that they are piping hot and the second is that the tails are still connected to the shrimp so you cannot really tell where the shrimp ends and the tail begins beneath the wrapper.
The next dish was the Pork Garlic Fried Rice. Although it looks slightly plain you’ll be pleasantly surprised to find tons of flavor and, of course, garlic in this dish. The only complaint here was that there was cilantro mixed throughout the dish and it was a tad hard to pick out.
The last dish up for tasting was a Thai favorite of mine, Pad See-Eew. This consists of wide stir-fired noodles with meat and veggies in a soy sauce. Unfortunately, I was disappointed with this dish. The noodles, meat and sauce were very bland and lacked flavor. The veggies, although they looked fresh, tasted a bit stale and overly starchy.
I really like the décor and style of Chilles Paste but the lackluster Pad See-Eew may force me to think twice before returning. The main problem for me is that while I really enjoyed two of the dishes, the third one was awful. All that said, I’m fairly certain I will give it one more shot and probably try something new and different to gauge the quality of their dishes.
Washington is a great place to visit, and Seattle is one of its nicest cities (advertisement)
October 25th, 2007
If you plan on visiting the great State of Washington there are plenty of things to see and do and there are some amazing buildings in some of the larger cities in Washington State. One of the nicest places to visit in Washington is the city of Seattle, where there are many great attractions you can visit and there are many wonderful Seattle restaurants that you can enjoy dining at from casual to more dressy establishments. There are also some wonderful tourist attractions that can be seen in Seattle such as the world famous space needle, at the space needle you can actually eat a meal high above the city. Seattle is definitely a city that everyone should visit at least once in their lives. If you are there on a business trip and need a place to stay there are many great Seattle hotels you can choose from, and you can find nice ones on any budget.
Another city in Washington that many people visit is Spokane, which is another of the larger cities in the state and a place where you may find yourself in some day for business or leisure. If you have family out there and are considering moving there than you can find Spokane employment agencies that will help you find a job before you arrive. Spokane also has many great restaurants where you can find a top notch meal and all you have to do is look for whatever you might need with a great online business directory where you can find anything you need in most major cities worldwide. Traveling is always an experience and sometimes the hardest thing to do is finding where the good restaurants and other services you may need are, and without someone that knows the area your best bet is using the internet before you even go so you can have everything planned out.
Cafe Flora
September 20th, 2007
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.
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