shanty cafe

i went to brunch on saturday at the shanty cafe on elliott. i've always been curious about this place because it looks pretty shady--especially with the location of it too. however, if you check out the reviews on yelp, it's clearly a popular spot. since it's only 3 blocks away, i decided it was time to check it out.

it is definitely a family owned and operated joint which i liked. and soon after we got there, it started to get packed! i ordered the eggs benedict because the waitress recommended it...and when do i not want eggs benedict?! haha. well--it was ok. the sauce wasn't as runny as i thought it would be, and it could have been more flavorful. the english muffin must've been a little burnt because i had a hell of a time trying to cut through it with my knife. and then the hashbrowns were just a little undercooked.

i'm still convinced that they can do better so i'm going to have to go back again and try something else.

i know, the picture doesn't look all that appetizing...haha

restaurant week: luc

sorry for being a little behind on this post, but the last adventure i had for restaurant week was at luc, in madison valley. i was so excited to go to luc because of an article i read about the place in seattle met. i'm also a frenchie at heart so naturally i was very excited to go!

the restaurant has a great ambiance and amazing service!! for my appetizer, i got the chicken terrine liver. it was so. much. food. they had an apple compote of some sort on top of the liver and i think it paired together really nicely. i had tried the liver from stumbling goat which had a cherry gelee and i think that this worked much better. the bread was also thing and grilled just perfectly. i could've probably eaten that for an entire meal!

then for my entree, i had boeuf bourguignon! when i lived in france, my host mom made it for me and it was amazing so i was so excited to have it again! and after seeing julie and julia, i had been really wanting to eat it. the dish was great! i think i had higher hopes for it but the sauce was great and they had these little onions that were bursting with flavor. the only thing that was a little disappointing was the beef wasn't as tender as i would've expected. perhaps it was the cut of meat they used, but for a hearty stew like that, i'd expect the meat to just melt in your mouth. instead it was just a bit tough.

with the little room i had left, i got the apple crumble with calvados cream for dessert. it was SO GOOD. just out of the oven and extremely hot. the crust was good and the apples were very tasty. unfortunately i could only eat a few bites because i was ready to be rolled out of the restaurant!

luc is actually not too expensive in general so it is definitely worth visiting even if it's not restaurant week :)

restaurant week: tilth

i may have just found my favorite restaurant of ALL TIME!! so this is my third outing for restaurant week...just one more left after last night. tilth is an organic restaurant opened by chef maria hines. she's been on iron chef before...and WON! for all you foodies out there--you know how rare that is.

anyway, there was a little bit of a wait and then we got sat down. tilth is similar to crush in that the actual establishment is a house that's renovated into a restaurant type setting. as soon as we sat down, we were each brought a flute of champagne for our patience! how nice is that? the champaign was a sparkling rose wine from the bourgogne region of france.

for my appetizer, i got the pumpkin harvest soup which was perfect! not too heavy but not too light. they also had this great creme fraiche and pumpkin seeds that added a nice little crunch to it. there was some hummus in it too but i couldn't taste it too much. the pics aren't the best :(

then the entree---oh boy. wild boar bolognese with epazote and parmesan. i could literally eat this for the rest of my life. it was perfection. the bucatini was cooked perfectly and the sauce was so hearty but not so rich that i couldn't eat every single bite because i definitely did! and then may have had some bread to soak up some of the sauce too, hehe. i like it when vegetables are incorporated into pasta dishes too--always makes you feel just a teensy bit healthier.

the dessert was really not much to write home about being that i'm a savory girl but it wasn't bad. i had the almond butter cake with cream, plum compote and fresh pluot. the cake was a little dry so you had to get some cream with every bite. i couldn't finish too much of it because i went to town on the wild boar ;)

flank steak

for dinner tonight, cat, brian and i tackled a recipe i found in my fitness magazine from last month: pepper crusted grilled flank steak (http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/recipes/quick-recipes/dinner/five-ingredient-supper-recipes/?page=7). it was actually fairly simple and turned out great! cat tackled the sweet potatoes while brian did the sauce and i handled the steak!

i always stress out when it comes to grilling steak because nobody likes something that's too well-done. i just followed the directions and just flipped the steak after 5 minutes and it worked perfectly! i suppose i should follow instructions more often. the sauce was also pretty tasty! the only change we did was add a bit of worcestershire sauce. try it out!

lasagna rolls!!

i have been craving lasagna lately so i decided this afternoon would be perfect seeing as it was pouring and windy outside. nicely done, seattle.

i found this recipe on the food network's site (thanks giada--http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/lasagna-rolls-recipe/index.html) but made some changes to amp it up. i added caramelized onions with some sweet italian sausage and left out the proscuitto.

the recipe turned out really well! i think i like the lasagna rolls more than regular lasagna because it's easier to dish up. i've never added bechamel sauce to lasagna before so this was a first and i think it adds good flavor to it--and the sauce is so easy to make too! i do think that it is just a little dry so next time i will need to add more sauce. i took some pictures of the process, and then some of my kitchen because it looked like a war zone when i was done! haha.

restaurant week: crush

last thursday was my second round of restaurant week! i headed to crush with stephanie and aj. crush is in a random looking house on capital hill. it's neat because as soon as you walk in the door, you can see the kitchen which is open on the right. blake talked up crush a lot so i thought i'd give it a shot.

for my appetizer, i got the pork belly. O.M.G. it was one of the best things i've ever eaten. the pork belly was crispy on the outside and the fat made it even better. it was also served with these lentils. it was just so good--i could've eaten four plates of them.

for my entree i ordered the skate wing! apparently it is a fish because i had never heard of it before. the fish was really good--cooked well but a little stringy. they put a rub on it which was a little smoky but i didn't mind it. paired with that was a couscous that had mint in it (really yummy touch) and then the whole dish was topped with a pepper romesco sauce. i think my favorite part of the dish was the couscous.

then for my dessert, i had the salted caramel ice cream sundae with the blondie brownie. oh my! this was another dish that was just amazing. i had never had salted caramel ice cream (i feel like everyone is obsessed with it) so that was nice to try. i ended up not being able to eat all of the brownie but you can bet all the ice cream was gone!

restaurant week: stumbling goat bistro

restaurant week is upon us!! it is probably one of my favorite times of the year. for those who don't know about it--tons of restaurants in seattle offer 3 course dinners for only $25! some places also have lunch for $15.

with that said, i've made four reservations because that's all i can really afford, haha. last tuesday, i headed to stumbling goat in phinney ridge with cat, will, brian and angela. i would go definitely go there again. the food was cooked so well, and it has a cute atmosphere.

for my appetizer, i got duck liver!! i know, probably sounds gross to most people but not this little asian. it really just tastes a lot like pate. the liver came in a jar and they had a cherry 'gelee' on top which i could've done without. then they also had stoneground mustard and and apricot spread on the side too. i liked it a lot but there was a LOT of it and with what i still had coming, i could only eat about half of it.

for my entree, i ordered the hanger steak (medium rare, of course) and it was PERFECTION! the meat was so tender and it paired really nicely with the mashed potatoes and kale. you can also never go wrong with caramelized onions. i feel like not very many places pair kale with steak so this was a nice surprise.

for my dessert, i got the flourless chocolate cake and that was also great! a little rich (obviously since there was no flour), but they also had a scoop of homemade ice cream on top and then a raspberry coulis surrounding it. the perfect ending to a great meal!

the met

on tuesday, i went to the met with a publisher for a work lunch. the met is a popular spot for razorfishies to dine at because it is right across the street from work. uber convenient! since it was a tuesday, i was able to order the tomato bisque which is absolutely amazing!! they probably put tons of cream in the soup but it is thick and so flavorful that it doesn't even matter. the basil was a nice touch but kind of got awkward to eat cause it was stringy.

for an entree i ordered the almond crusted scallops (an appetizer) with a side of mashed potatoes. the scallops were not quite as delicious as i had hoped they would be. there wasn't too much flavor to them, and i just felt so heavy eating them. i'm still glad i ordered it because everytime i go to the met, i'm tempted. not the most successful trip i've had there, but the tomato bisque made up for it!

pesos

i had a lovely little spa day today with emily and stephanie and we headed over to pesos before for brunch. since i always rave about everyone else's biscuits and gravy, i decided it was time for me to order it!

being that we were at pesos, they threw a little mexican twist in with the sauce and it was quite tasty. the potatoes were good (though you can't see them in the picture), but i didn't really eat them because i was focused on the main entree that took up lik 95% of my plate. i could only eat one biscuit and then i was SO stuffed. i dont know what they put in there but it was by far the most filling breakfast i've had in my life. it might have to do with the egg. i appreciate that they include eggs with it becuase i feel like most places don't. it justifies the meal more, haha.

nicely done, pesos. i am just now getting hungry again and that was six hours ago...

chicken pot pie!

last night, my cousin (angela) and i decided to attempt chicken pot pie from scratch. with the weather becoming incredibly chilly in the last few days, this seemed like it would hit the spot.

we decided to make everything from scratch--yes, that includes the crust. have i ever made crust before? of course not (though if you ever need a good recipe--use this one: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/melissa-darabian/potato-bacon-torte-recipe/index.html). after going to the store then back to ang's we realized that she definitely did NOT have enough flour. we were oh...two cups short and too lazy to go back to the store or my apt (which was about 3 blocks away...haha). so instead, we decided to add in some multigrain pancake mix. i mean, it's a mixture of flours afterall, right? haha.

so then we ran into a second problem. turns out angela did NOT have a food processor. so we thought maybe the blender might work...but not so much. i ended up having to knead it by hand and it was so so sticky. i was a little worried because i've never made crust from scratch before but after we threw it in the fridge to set, it turned out good! the filling was spot on and the crust was intact and crust-like! i was so proud of us :)

pancake mix--you are a lifesaver.

columbus day!

thanks to mr. christopher columbus, i got the day off this last monday! i didn't even know until the previous week when someone at work mentioned it haha. obviously this meant i would have to take advantage of toulouse petit's breakfast happy hour yet again!

this time around i had the 'eggs hussarde' ham benedict with a veal shallot sauce. i couldn't tell you what 'eggs hussarde' means but i can tell you it tastes delicious! i think they make their own english muffins there because they are really good but a little smaller than your usual. the egg was poached perfectly and the potatoes were cajun spiced and very tasty too. i couldn't really taste the veal sauce amongst everything but it sure didn't hurt.

i can't wait to go back again!!

pdx (pambiche + saburo's)

i headed down to pdx this last weekend to visit some friends i haven't seen in a while. naturally this also involved eating food i hadn't eaten in a while. on saturday, johannah and i went to pambiche in the northeast neighborhood. pambiche is a cuban restaurant (and also very colorfully decorated).

i ordered the picadillo cua-cua which is essentially cuban hash. it was SO good but SO much beef for brunch! the beef hash was cooked with mediterranean herbs and green olives which were delicious. the dish also came with rice and fresh avocado which was great to eat with all that beef. there were also some fried plantains which were alright--i prefer my bananas au naturel. i didn't really care for the fruit cup because papaya isn't really my cup of tea either.



one nice thing that pambiche does is they give you a little basket of miniature baked goods while you're waiting for your food. they incorporated some interesting ingredients like papaya into a muffin and some rum soaked cake. i had a little but didn't want to stuff myself before the main meal came. i wouldn't mind hitting that place up again for brunch next time i'm in pdx :)



then for dinner that night, we hit up one of my favorite sushi places ever saburo's (located in sellwood)!!! this place is equivalent to the soup nazi in seinfeld. no reservations, you wait there for at least an hour (we waited closer to an hour and half) before getting seated. oh, and you get to order once.

i was able to convince several others to meet up which is key because you have to be able to get variety. the reason why people to come saburo's is because the sushi is HUGE. the nigiri pieces are very generous and the prices are not bad at all. the only issue is sometimes after waiting for so long, your judgment is shot and you end up ordering way more than you can eat--which is exactly what we did haha. we got an assortment of everything but my favorite was probably the salmon belly (with green onion on top) and creamy scallops. SO GOOD although i'm a little sushi'ed out for the time being.

please note the two plates were for five people...hehe.

herb farm

I was extremely lucky and enjoyed a wonderful dinner at the herb farm last thursday. I know, ive had a streak of eating at delicious restaurants lately we went there for a work function (naturally) because otherwise I could not afford to pay the prices myself. :)

Herb farm is a restaurant out in Woodinville that grows their own produce and has a fixed menu every night. Everyone dines at 7pm and enjoys a 9 course meal that will last you until about 11:30ish. They also do wine pairings with the dishes so that is really cool too. these dishes are presented like you would see on iron chef or top chef. Smaller portions that are plated very beautifully. The head chef also just turned 24 haha wish I could say I was that accomplished at the age of 24...

Anywho since there are a LOT of dishes, I’m posting the pictures in the order we ate them with the description that the menu provided. I will say that my favorites were the tuna appetizer with the amazing cannoli, the cod dish, the pierogie, and pumpkin desert. My least favs were the pork dish, the squab and also the blue cheese/corn polenta combo. Just because they were not favorites doesn’t mean they weren’t good or cooked well—just didn’t jump out at my tastebuds just as much. If you ever have a special occasion to celebrate, this is definitely the place to go. Now onto the dishes...

this was our fancy place setting...look at all the wine glasses!!

dish#1: down to the sea again

farm potato & leek with british Columbian scallop & Yellowstone paddlefish caviar

albacore tuna confit with Oregon truffle-celery root cannoli (AMAZING)& shaved bottarga

fresh dutch harbor king crab grape leaf with Olympic peninsula saffron aioli

fennel salad with lavander-smoked mussel filled with fennel jam

(they churn their own butter and it was to DIE for)

dish#2: cod piece & warm oyster (very creative name,I know)

housemade miso-glazed black cod and lopez island oyster tempura with watermelon radish, wild matstake pudding and lemon thyme

dish#3: fall:field&farm

wood-roasted autumn boletes and seared duck foie grason parsley root puree with spinach pierogi and boletus-maple reduction

dish#4: a rare bird

squab breast from the blue smoke rotisserie & juniper squab ragu (squab was a little rare for my liking) with caramelized brown butter kohlrabi, delicate Squash, hazelnut spaetzle, braised red cabbage and walla walla onion-rye granola

dish#5: hey,hay

tamworth pork shoulder sausage and grilled loin and fresh hay sauce (sausage was not very uniform)...

chard croquette

roasted chanterelles and cranberry bean ragu with fines herbes

dish#6: baby blue and corny

estrella wynoochee river blue on farm fresh corn polenta house-cured mangalitsa coppa, baby frisee & rosemary honey crystals

dish#7: bout them apples

granny smith apple sorbet (extremely sour)

apple chip

apple froth with sour garden sorrel and gem mint

dish #8: pig 'n' pumpkin pie
fire-roasted pie pumpkin (so so so good) with butter-fried cedar bough ice cream
old fashioned butterscotch pudding, crispy pie dough and proscuitto

dish #9: coffees, teas & native beverages, a selection of autumn flavors

i suppose this is referring to the tea i had which....i can't remember what it was called because by that point, i had already had several glasses of wine...however, they did serve with the beverages the cutest little deserts which were a perfect way to end the evening.

blogspot is being VERY special right now and i'm ready to throw my laptop against the wall so that's why formatting is effed up. grrr.