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.

vietnomnomnom.

this friday marked the 23rd anniversary of my lovely roomie m's birth! to celebrate, we put a wonderful group together and ventured to the highly recommended tamarind tree in the international district.
everyone seemed to have heard of this place but me...but i was excited to sample some vietnamese cuisine--as all i have had in the past is pho [which is always a win]. now, when i say that this place is tucked away, i really mean it. we had to poke our heads into a little 99cent shop to even figure out how to get there. upon arrival, however, it was definitely worth the hunt. take my advice, fellow foodies, when you make a reservation at the tamarind tree [and you should make one, especially on a weekend] try to do so on the patio. the covered area bosts a beautiful waterfall, lush bamboo and greenery, and is heated if need be. on this sunny friday evening, i couldn't ask for a better ambiance.
please, if you are a fan of cocktails--get a list. between the 10 of us we had lemongrass, kumquat, tamarind, and green tea martinis as well as a juicy pineapple mojito. the boys all manned up and had tsingtao--but i could see the hidden looks of envy as us girls swilled equal parts strong, fruity, and unique cocktails.
for starters, we split up some chicken satay and some amazing spring rolls. if i would have had it my way, i probably would have sat and munched on the spring rolls all meal. they were deliciously paired with peanut sauce, and sizably portioned. i, however, had to perform a minor ricepaper surgery on mine in order to extract a silly prawn. my neighboor in dining, the lovely roomie a, was happy to take it on.
now, i didn't get to sample every dish, but raves came all around for the coconut curry prawns and chili beef lemongrass. i sampled a new food, however, and went with the lotus root salad. at first, the lotus root was tangy, acidic, and a really intriguing flavor. but, after 3 or 4 pieces, i grew weary and found my chopsticks wandering to far away plates...
the star appeared to be roomie a's tamarind tree crepe. with the appearance of a large omlette or oversized taco and served with a pho-like platter of mint, lettuce and other greenery, the dish was daunting. the combination of a rice batter and coconut milk shell with the fillings of bean sprout, shiitake mushrooms, and mung beans was completely delictable. and while a had the dish riddled with sea creatures, i will probably opt for the vegetarian version on my next trip to the tamarind tree.
dessert was a personal sized ginger mousse with a candle in it especially for the birthday girl. i [of course] snuck a more-than-tiny nibble, and it was pretty perfect. i can't wait for my next visit!