get with it, girl.

ok, so i've seriously been the worst blogger in history lately. i've tried lots of foods, none of them fish, and not written about a single one. while sitting at home on a friday night i'm trying to think of something delicious that i've eaten in the past month or so to write about.

then it comes to me!

have you been to nettletown???
because you totally should go. come to think of it, i should totally go again. and again and again.

when i first arrived i couldn't quite figure out what the overall "point" of nettletown was. the location looks better suited for a laundromat. the menu is a mish-mash of all sorts of cuisines and offerings, the decor looks like it could potentially be the children's section of a library (see above photo), and the waitress was adorably dressed in a hand sewn, hand embroidered apron. it didn't really seem to come together until i looked at the menu. underneath the name of the restaurant it just says simply: yummy food. and that's really what we want, isn't it. yummy food. who cares about the way stuff looks and if it all goes together? that fluff is just fall back for non-yummy food, as far as i'm concerned.

so, let's get down to business. what yummy fishless nibbles did i indulge in? on recommendation of the friend who referred me to nettletown in the first place, i tried the knoepfli, a swiss noodley/bready/dumplingy type treat with leeks, cabbage, and herbs. i also added a perfectly poached egg to the top (if you've been paying attention, friend, you know that this gal can't say no to a poached egg). you can also add bacon or bratwurst if you're into that sorta thing. i was really impressed with how addictively delicious my plate of food was. it didn't look like fine dining, but by golly was it tasty. i found the dish just buttery enough, and could have handled even MORE poached egg. i even packed up the second half of it to take home and it made an absolutely perfect breakfast before work the next morning. yum.

my partner in crime for the evening, the lovely e, had the nettletown noodles with tofu. the noodles were good, and the broth was good...but nothing i haven't tasted before. the tofu was the star of this dish, it was rich and had lots and lots of flavor. i would definitely recommend the knoepfli over the noodles if you want to get your carb on at nettletown.

the most interesting part of the meal for me was our starter, which e and i split. chef christina choi (the mastermind behing nettletown) has a background in foraging, and a lot of the veg used at nettletown is foraged. needless to say, e and i had to try the foraged vegetable pickles which rotate based on what's available in the woods. pretty cool. our offering during our visit included sea beans (tiny, skinny, and crunchy) and fiddleheads (asparagus like, twisty, and tart). we got wayyyy more veggies that we thought we would for $3 and were definitely impressed by the quality. come on! you can't even get a hotdog for $3 these days! let alone some delicious pickled foraged ferns. a steal to say the least.

nettletown didn't deliver on dessert for me, though. i'm not one to say no to a dessert, but unless the menu has changed since my visit, you're better off stepping into the mini mart next door for a snickers or something. the options were granola (whaaaaaa?) cookies and milk (meh) or this silly little cup of weirdness called "mile high berry crunch pie". now, lemme tell you about this deceitful dessert. first of all, mile high it is not. it is approximately 4 inches high. second, it is certainly not a pie. at all. more like a flash frozen yogurt parfait layered with nutty, brown sugary, crumbly bits. thirdly, it's kinda gross. according to our waitress (who i could sense kinda agreed with me) it is a family recipe of choi's and either you love it or you hate it. mark two down for hate, please.

all in all, if you skip dessert (or, better yet head to molly moon's or peak's frozen custard for an ice cream nightcap) you'll really enjoy your time at nettletown. it's extremely unique, affordable, and delicious and boasts a really friendly staff. i'm definitely going to make a trip back for one of the piled high baguette sandwiches i saw being devoured at the table next to me!

the wannabe foodie's dreamland.

recently, i attended (by way of working at)seattle weekly's voracious tasting. this spectacular sold-out event was probably one of the coolest things this foodie has ever seen.

seattle weekly rents out the historic paramount theater and turns it into a tasting extravaganza that is bustling, elegant, and [most imporantly] DELICIOUS. the entire floor level of the theater is filled with tables offering tasty samplings from some of seattle's hottest restaurants and bars. tables this year included: bastille, luc, joule, emmer&rye, and toulouse petit, along with many other fine dining establishments. the floor was crowded with excited guests aiming to sample just about everything within their reach, most with a full wine glass conveniently clipped into their bamboo tasting plate as well as a few shot-sized cocktails from such buzzed-about bars as tavern law, liberty, and knee high stocking co.

the vibe in the room as absolutely amazing, and the guests were all getting one of the best food deals i have ever seen in my life. groupon, eat your heart out...these lucky diners were chowing down on treats from over 20 restaurants, drinks from more than 10 bars, and were drinking from a 100% open bar for only $35 general admission and $75 VIP (one hour earlier entry and a gift bag that held swag worth WELL over the cost of the ticket.) my mind was blown.

on top of all of this commotion, a treasure awaited the guests in the upper level of the theater lobby. this entire floor was set aside for DESSERTS. from a beautiful woman wearing a dress with dozens and dozens of cupcakes on each tier (from seattle cupcake staple trophy cupcakes), to made-to-order organic molten chocolate cakes with a choice of gourmet sauce toppings (from hot cakes confections), to miniature waffles topped with strawberry rhubarb compote and candied pistacios (from sweet iron waffles) there were sweets coming at me from every angle. and, let me tell you, i sampled every. single. one. my personal favorite dessert, a turtle (chocolate with caramel and pecan) flavored frozen custard from peaks frozen custard, led to an immediate visit within the week of the voracious tasting to share the wonder of frozen custard with others. you can bet there will be a blog to follow after i sample a few more of their constantly rotating signature flavors.

ok, i can tell i'm just upsetting those of you who either didn't know about the voracious tasting or were too silly to buy tickets this year. i don't want to upset you anymore, so i will just encourage you to keep your ears open for news of next year's tasting. this year's tasting was only the second annual, so i can assure you that it is just going to get better, and better, and better.

bridal party brunch.

let's take a little break from food talk (i promise i'll put plenty of foodie bits in here!!!) and talk about my personal life. my roomie [m] and i went to high school together and roomed together our freshman year of college. in extremely close quarters that could have driven even the best of friends to loathing--we flourished. pardon my emotion, but i found a sister in that tiny dorm room. i think anyone who has ever had a roommate (or two, or more!) can agree that even the most unlikely of pairs can be amazing roommates and the seemingly perfect pair can be a disaster under one roof. well, m is my "it just works" and i'm about to give her up to e, her fiance and mate of 5 years. it's sad to see her go and to know that i'm on the hunt for my perfect roommate match again. but at the same time, i'm beyond thrilled for her to start this new chapter of her life, especially since watching it unfold over the last couple of years. and (drum roll please) i get to be a BRIDESMAID! i've never been one before, and being asked is one of the most touching conversations to happen in a friendship. i'm so excited to be a part of her big day.

ok, you've got the mushy back story. now, being a bridesmaid comes with lots of fun trips and tasks: trying on dresses, looking at tons of internet pictures, deciding on make-up, endless talk of shoes, crafting wedding decor. all of this is right up my alley, but you can guess from the title of this blog that i may just be jazzed about any excuse to have BRUNCH! there are three other bridesmaids. m's younger and older sisters and our friend n who we met in college as well. n lives in new york now, so when she was in seattle to visit family we hopped on the opportunity to try on some dresses and catch up over the greatest meal known to modern man.

m's sister chose the spot, and the tilikum place cafe was the perfect place for us gals to meet, dote on the bride-to-be, and (most importantly) have some awesome food. tilikum is the perfect reason to visit belltown by day and boasts an extremely impressive brunch selection. bloody marys and americanos lined the table and us ladies enjoyed some serious brunch munching.

i was super happy with my choice (which was matched by the mother of the bride) of the baked eggs. served in a mini cast iron skillet and garnished with sage cream, the eggs were baked in a hot oven with spaghetti squash and greens and seasoned perfectly. despite the rich cream on top, the dish felt light and satisfying. everyone around the table definitely snuck a little taste of a completely unique dish. the bride and n had versions of a proper english breakfast which included tomatoes, breakfast meats, eggs, toast, and baked beans. YES. baked beans for breakfast. i learned about this delightful little addition to a morning meal while visiting my boyfriend in england, and it is quite possibly the greatest culinary gift the english have given us. try it. i swear it's good.

next time i go back to tilikum for brunch, which i hope is sooner rather than later, i will most definitely try one of their dutch babies. this should-be breakfast standby is an eggier, denser version of a classic pancake that comes baked in the same skillet that my eggs came baked in (and is pictured as the photographic star of this entry). tilikum offers a sweet and savory version which seem to cater to what they have on hand and what is seasonal. whatever the accent ingredient, i think a dutch baby would be delicious with just about anything on top (baked beans, anyone???) and everyone looked at the maid of honor's dish with envying eyes.

also on the menu are pancake specials (still baffled that none of us succumbed to the lemon poppy seed that were beckoning to us from the daily specials board), quiche, and warm bread with nutella is available a la carte. yes please. this brunch definitely celebrated my acquired sister amazingly, and any return i have in the future will always give me great memories.

simple, comfortable, and friendly.

these are words that could describe lots of things. a living room, perhaps. a neighborhood bar or coffee house. maybe even the giant, reliable station wagon that your grandma drove when you were a kid. these words, however, don't often come together so harmoniously for upscale diners. restaurants can be stiff, pretentious, or even boring...and everyone who has worked in the service industry knows that each and every interaction with a patron can tip the scale in one direction or the other. restaurateurs are always trying to toe the line between simple and sophisticated, between friendly and overzealous. i've just had my first experience where these descriptors came together seamlessly, and i'm happy to recommend stumbling goat bistro to all of you.

first off, the service was impeccable. when my mama and i arrived about 5 minutes early for our 6:45pm reservation we were greeted by a dressed down woman with a cute pair of horn rimmed glasses. she let us know that they had planned to seat us in a middle table (and gestured toward it) but asked if would we like to wait about 3 minutes as the couple cleared out of the window table? DUH. it doesn't take a food critic to know that everyone wants to sit by the window at any restaurant...even denny's! so we thanked her flexibility and kindly waited for the window table, which was wiped down and re-watered and ready for us in the 3 minutes promised. it felt good that she had gone above and beyond to make our dining experience delightful.

this visit took place during dine around seattle, so my mom and i were both definitely going to order from the prix fixe prepared menu. we were checking it out when our super friendly waiter (dressed to my liking in a blue floral button-down) let us know that there were specials for the night that were included on the dine around seattle menu. in my experience, this has never happened before. if anything, a waiter will inform you that they are not making the dish that you read about online and salivated over and are instead making another dish (which i'm sure is just as good, but has none of the build-up!). in this case, our waiter shared with us a whole other option for each course...leading me to change my mind about what i had intended to order. keep in mind, most other restaurants offer 3 choices for each course standard and stumbling goat was already offering 4-5. i was giddy with the choices and high on options. always a good start to a meal.

you know what else is a good start to a meal? COCKTAILS! and my mama and i love to try different one's when we go out to eat together. this time i had a muddled basil and pomegranate number that was nice and strong but not too sweet. my mom had a blood orange and grapefruit vodka cocktail that was super strong and tangy to boot. these were sipping drinks, and lasted both of us through our entire meal.

appetizers came out quickly, delivered to us by someone other than our waiter, who was equally friendly. we both went with soups. my mama (the vegetarian) had the cream of parsnip soup (which went amazing with the left over bread on the table) and i had a corona bean and pork jowl soup that was one of the specials for the day. my soup was rich and hearty but didn't feel to heavy. it came with a little cheesy biscuit on the side which i would have loved to see more of!

we both went with vegetarian options so that we could preform our favorite dining act: the mid-meal plate switch. mom had the vegetarian heirloom bean cassoulet and i had the truffle risotto (another special!). a cassoulet is a rich stew or casserole that is typically some combination of beans and meats. it is a french dish that is generally slow cooked. i get the impression that it's totally peasant food. but, peasant food is commonly nutritious and delicious. my mom's cassoulet came with beans (mostly chickpeas) and veggies galore. it was hearty and gave the impression of slow cooking. my risotto was plate licking fabulous. i don't normally order risottos because there is only one thing to eat on your plate...but it just sounded so good i couldn't pass it up. i was thrilled with the texture, delighted by the subtle truffle flavor, and my mom was super happy when it came time for plate switching!

for our dessert course we were stuffed full, but ready to go for it with our desserts. this is another point i will commend stumbling goat on. sometimes, restaurants give you such ridiculous portions you can't even think about really enjoying your dessert. this was not the case. we were satiated, but not past the point of indulging in something sweet. i had the brown sugar panna cotta with rhubarb compote. you may remember from previous posts that if you put rhubarb on something i will order it. this was no different and i was really happy with my choice. the brown sugar flavors came through, but were a supporting act to the star of the rhubarb. bravo. the cocoa nib brownie with fresh mint ice cream that arrived on my mother's plate was super average in looks, but definitely not in taste!! the cocoa nibs were peppered through the brownie, giving it fun texture and great crunch. the mint ice cream tasted nothing like that bright green mint chocolate chip you get at the grocery store. it was like biting into a sprig of fresh mint, and was very refreshing with the chocolate. all and all, we were happy with our choices and would love to return to stumbling goat again soon!!!

dine around seattle is BACK!

making upscale dining affordable to the downtrodden with well-trained palates, dine around seattle comes but once a year and offers three course meals for an amazing 30 dollars. i love this for three reasons:

1. i'm pushed to try restaurants that i've been leaving alone because they're "too expensive."
2. if you bring the right two friends with you, you can sample and enjoy three different appetizers, three different entrees, and three different desserts. now that, my friends, is bang for your buck.
3. you are pretty much forced into getting dessert! who can say no to a dessert INCLUDED in the price. that would just be wasteful, silly. and that friend of yours who always passes on dessert and sneakily insists on "trying" a huge bit of yours...with this deal she is losing money by not getting her own. it's beautiful.

i'm planning on at visiting at least two of the restaurants included in this year's lineup (you can peep the choices here). the first tour included a trip with my roomie (a) and her coworker (l) to lecosho.

nestled on downtown's harbor steps, lecosho is well-known for its meats and delivers on the promise printed across the banner of their website: "food we like." and i did, i really liked the food at lecosho. i didn't LOVE it. hey, they can't all be a homerun, and we should still celebrate a triple.

during dine around seattle, you are given a menu with three appetizer, three entree, and three dessert options. my dining companions and i all selected a different appetizer. i proclaimed that i could choose the cheesiest one (duh) and went with the manchego stuffed dates, a had the house green salad, and l had the lamb sausage-stuffed grape leaves. the lamb sausage was a standout, and the dates were pretty scrumptious as well. the salad was pretty standard. the soft boiled egg on top WAS perfectly cooked, though, and i do love me a perfectly cooked egg with a nice soft yolk.

the main course offered pasta, pork or quail. no one really wanted to waste this opportunity on pasta. two of us chose the pork and one the quail. the pork chop was HUGE and served over a delicious potato and parsnip puree and some delicious beets. being the recovering vegetarian that i am, big ol' pieces of meat sometimes prove too much for me. if it were my dish, i would have doubled the amount of garnish and halved the chop. i like to assemble juicy little bites including a little of everything on the plate, and i was out of sides about halfway through my pork...and i was being very conservative! a's quail was so little comparatively, it felt rude to have that much meat in front of her. her sides, of corona beans and arugula salad were in desired portioning and completely delicious. if you've never had a corona bean before, it's bigger than a butter bean, and more firm. they were cooked to perfection for a's plate and i borrowed more than a few over to mine.

for dessert, none of us could pass off on the completely unique semolina custard cake. that was all the menu said, but it was also served with a hefty scoop of fresh whipped cream and some sort of a compote (my guess was huckleberry with a port wine, probably should have asked the waitress). the cake was moist and not-too-sweet, and had the texture of the most sumptuous cornbread you could imagine. the ratio of whipped cream to cake was way off and myself and l both left at least half of ours on our plates.

i don't think i need to return to lecosho for dinner, but i do want to try some of their more casual stabs at cuisine at lunch time, where they offer very reasonably priced gourmet salads and sandwiches. the restaurant also boasts a late night happy hour (10 to 1 on weekdays and 11 to 1 on friday and saturday) with some tasty little morsels to offer and a $4 wine, $3 beer, and $5 cocktail special.

anchovies need not apply.

you know what food hardly EVER has fish on it??? pizza. pizza is a safe food for us fish haters, i would say. i can't remember the last time i asked someone what they wanted on their pizza and listened to them proclaim "scallops!" "shrimp!" or the most probable possibility: "anchovies!"

seattle isn't known for its pizza like chicago or new york. but my recent experience at veraci pizza makes me think it should be. the small eatery, located on market street in ballard is cozy, quick, simple, and churns out some of the tastiest pizza i have ever tasted. the pizza powerhouse started out as a travelling wood-fired pizza oven and has permanent locations in portland, spokane, bend, and couer d'alene.

if you're like me when it comes to my pizza--it's all about the crust and the cheese. i'm definitely a thin crust type of gal and veraci seriously delivers a seriously thin crust. it's crispy yet chewy and has just the right amount of large slice fold-ability. and the cheese, my friends, is to die for. there is just the right amount of meltiness, but without the pesky slippery factor that some thin crust pizzas have.

the menu is pretty standard, but there is specials that pop up different every day. whether pepperoni, veggie, or margherita is your thing--you'll find it ready for you at veraci. on my visit i had the special, called the salumi mole. a delicious spicy salami, green onion, and an herbed beecher's flagship cheese rounded out the cast on quite a delicious pie. i suggest you get your fishless self over there sometime soon or visit the woodfire grill itself at the ballard sunday farmer's market!

oh, yeah, and you can also get salad. but, come on, with that pizza slice staring at you it might be a little hard to finish it.

a musical meal.

photo is of me and my main squeeze enjoying some tunes and foods at the triple door.
have any of you ever ventured to see a concert at the triple door? well, if you haven't it's a one-of-a-kind viewing/dining/drinking/social experience. i never feel like i wasted my money after visiting the triple door as i sometimes do as i walk into the cold arms of the hotdog vendor's cart outside the showbox. why do i love thee, triple door??? let me count the ways.

1. reserved seating.
now, i know that a lot of the amazingness in the seattle music is spontaneity. which is why i enjoy a good old fashioned sardine packed crocodile cafe show just as much as the next guy in a flannel. but doesn't it get tiring trying not to bump into the sweaty guy next to you during every concert??? the triple door gives me the opportunity to relax, take a seat, and not have to worry about squirming my way back up to it if i (gasp!) must use the ladies room. and, for those of you who cringe at the idea of advanced purchase...you can always attend a non-sold-out show and enjoy the standing room. but, methinks if there's a table/seat available, you'll sit in it.

2. drink service.
the most annoying part about seeing a show at a bar is having to push your way to said bar in order to order. at the triple door, a nice chap or gal will swing by your table in an extremely timely fashion (i'd say once every 1/2-3/4 of a drink, depending on your swilling technique) to check and see if you'd like some more. then, this same delightful human will bring you your tab during the encore...before the lights come up. what, you ask??? you mean i don't have to stand in the ridiculous line of folks waiting to close their tab before i leave? no, my friend, it's taken care of. and guess what? you've spent about the same amount on your ticket as you would have at the moore, the showbox, and less than the paramount. kudos to you.

3. food while you wait.
this is where this whole 'food blog reviewing a venue' part comes in. if you're like me you are generally early for a concert. you want to have a decent place to view from, you love the hit/miss/jewel in the rough aspect of a supporting act, and you sometimes get a little bored waiting for the music to finally start. fear no more, because the triple door gives you the option to come in up to 2 hours before the show and eat a delicious meal prepared by nextdoor neighbor wild ginger. if you're not familiar with wild ginger, it's a pretty popular seattle asian-fusion place that seems to always have a tremendous wait for a table. vegetarian and fishless options are readily available on the menu and delivered directly to your spot in the triple door lounge while you and your companion(s) await some sweet sweet music.
the menu is definitely carnivore driven, but there are a few veg options (good luck to you if eggplant isn't your thing. but, then again, if your a vegetarian...being picky about your vegetables probably isn't a good plan). a personal favorite is the thai passion tofu, a tofu and eggplant mixture with a ton of kafir lime and basil leaves in a sweet/tangy soy sauce. i will admit, though, that this dish isn't one you'd like to make an entire meal of. so, hopefully you and your partners in concert dining can do like me and mine did and share a little bit of everything around the table. so, do like i do, and consult what everyone is getting. if you're lucky, it won't be that darn 'princess prawns' and seem to pass by on just about every waiter's tray. seafood is gross enough, thank you, i certainly don't need to look it in the eye.


special tip: a big, comfy, high backed booth can be reserved (for the same price as any other ticket in the house) when you have a group of four, along with the option to pre-pay for food when you purchase your ticket. so, think about getting a group together, going on a double date, or taking your parents and sibling out for a night of great music, comfy seating, drinks delivered to your table, and delicious asian fusion cuisine. even if a few notes fall flat, you'll still be happy you went.