Altura

617 Broadway E
Seattle, WA 98102

Occasion: Friday night fine dining in Seattle. We both decided to pick a restaurant of our choice to dine at.  Friday night was up to me and I did some research online and on yelp and came to the conclusion of choosing this relatively new spot to dine at. We opted for the chef's tasting menu. 08.31.12

Complimentary shots

We got to sit right at the bar and watched the chef and sou chefs prepare meals.  It was definitely a different experience; something that we enjoyed. A lot of times, we don't get the opportunity to appreciate the art and the work that a chef puts into our dishes.  I'm definitely glad we got to sit at the bar.

Amuse bouche:

Sweet corn Panna cotta with green olive oil and cured salmon

How do you not like complimentary dishes. The light creamy panna cotta went surprisingly well with the cured salmon. There's definitely a good balance of flavors there.

Complimentary bread

Peach and melon salad

Tomato two ways

Tomato with burratta

Reminded me almost of a caprese salad

Tomato bisque

Tagliatelle

Probably my favorite dish of the night! Chunks of crab meat! Soft pasta. Cripsy guanciale(?); which reminded me of bacon but a lot thinner. The sauce was delicious and the cherry tomatoes were super sweet.

Risotto

Creamy with flavorful speck and mussel

Ravioli

stuffed with veal and procini with sweetbread picked onion and lemon reserve

Lamb: Two ways! Loved it seared

Steak: truffles orange and delicious! Crispy fried rice like things. Puree was sweet and great compliment

Foie Gras

I think the chef overheard that we were from California and our reminiscing of the banned luxury good, so he prepared this foie gras torchon for us. It was amazingly delicious. The acidity of the variety of fruit chunks helped lighten the richness of the foie gras and complemented it very well.  Not only was the presentation itself a pretty sight, but the flavors were there too. Thank you for preparing this dish for us!

Cheese plate

Since Henry is not a fan of cheeses, I basically devoured most of this.  There was definitely a bleu cheese in there that had a distinct smell that made it unbearable for him.  How can you not like cheese?

And then, there was dessert. By this dish, I regretted going with the chef's tasting menu and wished that we just chose what we wanted. Don't get me wrong, I love desserts, but when I go fine dining, I like to save all my appetite for the food.  It wasn't anything extraordinary...even though I did almost finished everything. #fatgirlproblems

Beecher's Handmade Cheese

1600 Pike Pl
(between Post Alley and Pine St)
Seattle, WA 98101

Occasion: After happy hour at Lola's we decided to walk back to the pike's place market which is a block away from where we were staying. We probably had about 15 minutes between Lola's and this next destination. As if we didn't eat enough already...we stumbled upon beecher's, known for their house made cheeses 08.30.12

World's Best Mac and Cheese

Let me just say one thing. It is definitely NOT the best mac n cheese I've had.  The cheese wasn't all that creamy and it was honestly lacking some flavors. Perhaps I'm spoiled by all the wining and dining at restaurants in San Francisco, where some of the best chefs work.  In my opinion, I don't think it was that great.

Lola

2000 4th Ave

Seattle, WA 98121

Occasion: After a whole morning of being tourists we decided to try some of Giada's favorite eats in Seattle. As featured on The Food network's Best thing I've ever eaten: we ordered their donuts. We called in an order, but when we picked it up, it was happy hour so we decided to sit down and have a drink. 08.30.12

Doughnuts

They're made to order and served with vanilla mascarpone and house made apricot jam.  I can totally see why it's on Giada's best things she's ever eaten list.  I mean what isn't good when it's fresh out the oven, warm and fluffy?  What did it for me were not the donuts itself, but the pairing with mascarpone and their absolutely delicious apricot jam.  I love how they're bite sized.  

Drinks were about 4-5 dollars during happy hour and it got me pretty buzzed.  What a great mid day snack and drink session.  The doughnuts were so good that we placed an order to go.

Tilikum Place Cafe

407 Cedar St
Seattle, WA 9812

Occasion: Lunch after Pacific Science Center, Experience Music Project and the Space Needle. 08.30.12

Avgolemono soup

It reminded me of a chicken noodle soup type of broth, where it was light, but still full of flavors.  It was and light and not too overwhelming; just what we wanted.

Salmon Sandwich

I actually did not expect it to come out the way it did, not to say I was disappointed or anything.  It reminded me of a tuna salad sandwich and I was expecting some kind of seared piece of salmon.  It was light and perfect for what we wanted. 

Dutch Baby

We opted for a savory dutch baby with bell pepper and chorizo.  It's a baked pancake that puffs up and not flat like a regular pancake.  It's not your typical pancake and it's a lot fluffier and soft.  I love the idea of a savory pancake filled with chunks of chorizo and pepper.  You still get the eggy taste of pancake with a breakfast feel that reminds me of an omelet.

Portage Bay Cafe

391 Terry Ave N
Seattle, WA 98109

Occasion: Breakfast before we explore Seattle as tourists. On our list of places to try. 08.30.12

Harmony Chai Latte

Lemon Curd French Toast

Three slices of organic country white bread French toast, homemade lemony ricotta cheese, tart lemon curd sauce, organic blueberries 

Everything organic definitely tastes healthier.  The bread wasn't as fluffly as I'd wanted it to be.  It was decent, but it wasn't spectacular.  I suppose I haven't exactly learned how to appreciate the taste of organic food?

Dungeness Crab Cake Benedicts

Dungeness crab cakes, sauteed organic spinach, poached eggs and homemade hollandaise

Not your typical benedict.  Instead of english muffin or some starchy bread to support the poached egg, the crab cake acted as the bottom layer.  I love the idea of this healthier alternative, though the BF on the other hand did not feel the same.  I liked the idea and thought it was pretty good.

Tavern Law

1406 12th Ave
Seattle, WA 98122

Occasion: For a city that's known for their gastropubs, we just had to check this one out after dining at Quinn's which was a few blocks away.  Absolutely cute little pub/lounge that makes unique and amazing drinks. 08.29.12

His Moscow Mule and my English Fizz

OMG their drinks are delicious here!  My first time trying a moscow mule and I love it.  It's a better version of a dark and stormy where they use a white liquor instead of a dark liquor. It's made with vodka, lime and ginger beer. Refreshingly good.  I was also very very pleased with my English fizz which was made with an earl grey gin, lemon, honey and soda.  I love earl grey everything and anything and this was definitely the perfect drink for me to end the night with.

Quinn's

1001 E Pike St
Seattle, WA 98122

Occasion: Our first meal after landing in Seattle.  It was late and we were hungry and this was on our list of places to hit up. 08.29.12

Some kind of citrusy cocktail for him and a Dark and Stormy for me.  I love any mixed drink with ginger beer, so the first thing I asked for was a dark and stormy.  It's not quite what I expected; there's something missing from what I'm normally used to.  Perhaps there was too much rum.  Boy was it a strong drink.

SCOTCH EGG

Soft-Boiled Egg, Housemade Sausage, Brussel Sprouts, Mustard Crea

I love eggs and I've always wanted to try a scotch egg.  When I saw this on the menu I just knew I had to try it.  You definitely got to appreciate the way it's made; wrapped with homemade sausage and then deep fried.  Since I have nothing to compare it to, it was pretty good. Now I need to go to Wexler back in San Francisco to compare.

WILD BOAR SLOPPY JOE
Fried Onion & Sage, Grilled Fresno Pepper, Brioche Bun 

Something very unique on the menu that I had to order. No worries, it didn't taste like any sort of wild gamey meat.  The sloppy joe was not overly greasy and pretty tasty.  One thing that turned me off was how spicy it was. The BF loved it though.

CRISPY SKIN HALF CHICKEN

Toasted Brioche, Oyster Mushrooms, Spinach, Chicken Liver Mousse, Madeira Jus 

By the time we landed and checked in to our hotel we were starving. The BF needed to have some meat to satisfy his hunger.  I wouldn't normally order chicken as I've mentioned in previous posts, but I'm so glad we did.  It was so freaking delicious.  The skin was slightly crispy yet the meat inside was tender and juicy.  The sweet madeira jus was the perfect sauce to complement the meat. In my opinion, a very well executed chicken dish.

ROASTED BONE MARROW 

Marrow Bones, red onion marmalade, French Baguette, Parsley Salad 

I love love love bone marrows so I had to get this.  I've had my fair share of bone marrows and I don't think I've ever tried bone marrow from a place that I wasn't happy with. I think this is the first place I had it with the sweet yet tangy pickled red onion marmalade.  It balanced out the richness of the marrow and toned it down a bit.  I thought it was good. 

Absinthe Brasserie & Bar

398 Hayes St
San Francisco, CA 94102

Occasion: Girls dinner to celebrate another birthday for Ella.  Congrats on turning another year older! Hope this year is better than the last! 08.25.12!

Spicy fried chickpeas

with berbere spice and parsley

The aroma of these chickpeas definitely persuaded us to order this.  It smelled like some Indian inspired flavors.  It definitely smelled better than it tasted, as it was overly salty.  It's nice to snack on while waiting for our appetizers and main entree, but not something I'd want to order again. 

Mixed local greens

with red grapes, brioche crisp, goat cheese mousse and orange-almond vinaigrette

Love the fluffy goat cheese mousse and the added touch of almond slices.  

1) EL TRIGAL MANCHEGO 

white wine-poached apricots, raw sheep milk, firm, sharp, citrus notes

Corcuera Family, La Mancha, Spain

2) GREAT HILL BLUE 

honeycomb, raw cow milk, sharp, caramel flavors, rich

Great Hill Dairy,Marion, Massachusetts

3) MT TAM marcona almonds, Fuji apples

cow milk, soft, bloomy rind, buttery, tangy

Cowgirl Creamery, Point Reyes Station, California

PEI MUSSELS & MANILA CLAMS

andouille sausage, roasted bell peppers, lemon-chardonnay sauce, potato crisps

A combination of mussels and clams in a sweet tangy sauce. I liked the idea that there are chunks of andnouille sausage mixed in there as it adds more flavor to the mussels and clams.

BEEF TARTARE

violet mustard, green apple, red onion, cornichons, quail egg yolk, crostini

spread it on a piece of toasted crostini and it's perfect.  Love ordering this at restaurants and I'm glad the birthday girl does too.  

10oz RIB EYE STEAK

served with arugula & roasted garlic-whipped potatoes, grilled corn, peppercorn jus

I don't usually crave meat, but this just sounded really appetizing. I loved the roasted garlic whipped potatoes with the grilled corn kernels.  Though it's not the thickest piece of rib eye steak I've eaten, it was still pretty delicious.

MASAMI FARMS PORK TENDERLOIN & CRISPY BELLY

maple-Bourbon yam purèe, mustard greens, grain mustard jus

I love the sweetness of the yam puree.  It complements very well with the fatty richness of the pork tenderloin and belly.

Sing Sing Sandwich Shop

309 Hyde St
San Francisco, CA 94109

Occasion: Lunch after errands and some shopping downtown. 08.25.12

Combination Banh Mi

It's been a place that I've been wanting to try for awhile now.  But due to the location of this place, it's always steered us away.  After hearing about how amazing these sandwiches are, we finally had the opportunity to give this place a try.  The bread is toasted perfectly and the seasoning that they use in their sandwich is unforgettable.  I love that they don't smear a thick layer of mayonnaise like spread on the bread because that grosses me out just a little bit.  My one complaint would be that they don't have enough filling in their sandwiches.  The meat slices are super thin and not as generous, otherwise it would be my top spot in the city for Vietnamese sandwiches.

Naan N Curry

642 Irving St

San Francisco, CA 94122

Occasion: After the Academy of Sciences for Sheena's bday, Tiff and I needed food.  This was one of the few places that was still open for us to fill our famished stomachs. Love reasonably priced late night eats. 08.23.12

Chicken Tikka Masala

Probably my favorite thing to order at an Indian Restaurant.  Creamy curry sauce with flavorful chunks of chicken.  Sweet with a hint of spice that was absolutely bearable for my taste buds.

Prawn Masala
Tiger prawns cooked Punjabi style in curry sauce
Not as good as the the Chicken Tikka Masala, but still delicious.

You can't have indian food without some nan.  I don't think I've ever had nan that I did not like.  It's always the perfect thing to dip into the sauce.  I got the garlic nan, while tiff got the plain nan.  It's flavorful, fluffly and filling. An absolute must.

SusieCakes Bakery

2109 Chestnut St
San Francisco, CA 94123

Occasion: Cupcakes to celebrate my coworker's birthday! 08.22.12

Red velvet, Vanilla, Coconut, Chocolate banana,  Chocolate Vanilla and Lemon

My favorite has to be just the simple vanilla with vanilla frosting.  It's moist and simple. Their special the chocolate banana reminded me of a banana cake except in a fluffier form.  Over all we thoroughly enjoyed each of the cupcakes.  Luckily we cut each cupcake into six pieces each so we could all get a taste of everything.

Plouf

40 Belden Pl
San Francisco, CA 9410

Occasion: AJ's going away party with the office.  Since she's going away to France, this was the perfect restaurant for our farewell party.  Cute little french place in Belden Lane with outdoor seating.  That's exactly how I imagine it to be in France. Super cute non superficial place with delicious food. 08.16.12

Plouf Mussels

The broth was sweet and creamy and it seemed to have a touch of coconut milk in it.  Definitely one of the better places where I've had mussels.  This is probably one of my favorite dishes of the night.  Like usual, I love dipping bread into mussel broth.  This place has pretty legit broth!

coq au vin aka Chicken

roasted fingerling potatoes, pearl onions, baby carrots, natural jus 

I'm usually not a big fan of chicken as I've had some bad experiences ordering chicken at restaurants.  They sometimes end up too dry, but nope not here.  The meat was juicy and moist and the tasty.

Seared Duck Breast

 sweet potato hash, pancetta, sweet & sour red cabbage, vincotto

Pork Chop

It was one of the specials of the day and one of the best dishes we had.  The meat was juicy and full of flavor.

sauteed salmon 

cannellini beans, roasted summer squach, chorizo broth, aioli

Vanilla Bean Creme Brulee

warm crepes filled with orange marmalade & mascarpone cheese

grand marnier reduction vanilla ice cream