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December 19, 2005

She ate her way through Seattle

April 16, 2006 09:26 PM EDT (Updated: May 07, 2006 05:07 PM EDT)

views: 413 | rating: 9.8/10 (11 votes) | comments: 27

We returned yesterday from Seattle - oh, what a trip! We went to visit my brother, who's a Seattle firefighter. This was, indeed, the best vacation we've ever had - a combination of great company, good weather (heck, we even loved the rain!), Seattle highlights, and the best food around. My brother is a master planner, and had a notebook of all the food and activity choices we might do. This was invaluable, as well as brilliant. We saw many great things in Seattle - the aquarium, Pike Place Market, beaches, islands, the troll under the bridge, shopping, theater, the new central library, the Ballard locks, and even had planned a day-long sailing trip on Puget Sound, since Ed loves sailing large boats (alas, we got rained out). But the food was the best.

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I'm sure there are a million great places to eat in Seattle - here are a few. Every meal was excellent...and each one topped the previous meal.

Upon arrival, after 12 hours of travelling, we headed straight to Dick's Drive-in. This is a Seattle institution, and there are several locations - we chose the Queen Anne location, because it has inside seating. A few Dick's deluxes, chocolate milkshakes, many ketchup containers (5 cents each), and fries Seattle-style (soggy)...that set us right again!

We grabbed a few Japanese snacks (rice crackers and hello pandas) and headed to Golden Gardens beach. The rain soon cleared and we enjoyed being by the water. The sound of the waves was music to my ears. I long for water, I live for water, it is the essence of my being. Yes, food comes a close second. But just Being by Water - well, it soothed my soul. The jangling claims of life and travel disintegrated, washed away by the waves and the salty breeze. Lillie played on the swings and slides with Ed and Ben, while I soaked it all in. Dark clouds obscured the horizon, while bright sun shone through and made jewels out of the sailboats heading home.

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Later, for dinner, we stopped at two restaurants for takeout. For Ed, the Fu Man Dumpling House was the answer to his many expeditions, nationwide, to find Chinese potstickers as good as those at the Golden Dumpling in NYC. The dipping sauce was extra-garlicky (as the newspaper review called it, a three-Altoid alarm - although Ed thought it was closer to a 10-Altoid alarm), and he loved it. Many repeat trips were made by Ed to this new Seattle dumpling house. Ignore the owner's surly attitude - they can sure cook! We got 24 dumplings, 12 potstickers, and 5 steamed bao. It wasn't enough. Ben, Lillie, and I stopped at an amazing and highly-recommended Japanese restaurant, called Toyoda Sushi. You know it is perfect when you walk in and it feels like you're back in Japan. The owner, Helen Toyoda, was more than kind to us and recommended the newly-arrived wild albacore and yellowtail. These were perfect additions to our sushi selection. She talked with us while we waited for the two sushi masters to prepare our food, and told us about her sushi clocks (yes, I want one, as well as the sushi rug - and bacon bandaids - at Archie McPhee's), and a new Japanese store called Daiso, up in Alderwood. We later went there and stocked up on $1.50 everything - pottery dishes, daruma-chans, lucky racoons, origami paper, bags, slippers, teapots...but I digress. The entryway of Toyoda was plastered on both sides with letters, christmas cards, and photos from happy Toyoda customers/friends. I'll send my own to her, this December. I hated to leave Toyoda - the ambiance was so inviting - but it had been a very long day and we needed to get home (and eat!). She was so generous as to give us some extra yellowtail and albacore, some udon/apple salad, and a cup of miso soup for Ed. Delicious. THIS is why I love to eat in Seattle.

The next day, we headed up the block to Mae's Phinney Ridge Cafe. They really make a treat out of breakfast. The chicken fried steak breakfast with eggs over-easy, crispy potatoes, and hot steaming coffee for Ben and I (with biscuits on the side, since I can't resist a biscuit), a chock-filled ham and veggie omelette for Ed, and scrambled eggs for Lillie, had us rolling out the door, replete and happy. In the afternoon, we stopped by my favorite grocery store in the U.S. - a Japanese mega-market called Uwajimaya. They have everything - including a food court with various Asian restaurants, and a bookstore from Japan called Kinokuniya. We picked up lots of goodies for a picnic - Mongolian beef and Vietnamese meatloaf sandwiches, potato salad with Chinese bbq pork, mochi, yakitori (chicken), sushi, spring rolls, wakame seaweed salad, inari, fried tofu with green onions in their special sauce, hello panda chocolate snacks, rice crackers, wasabi peas, pea crackers, etc., and headed off to catch the ferry to Vashon island. Once there, we drove to Maury Island and had a spectacular picnic at Point Robinson - just the quiet lapping of the waves, the imposing presence of the lighthouse, the enormous jumbles of driftwood, the seagulls, and us. Once again, Lillie picked up a million shells and rocks. Could our luggage get any heavier? Yes, I did some heavy culling of the beach reapings. Sitting on driftwood logs, looking across the calmly lapping water - I couldn't imagine a more enjoyable picnic! Afterwards, we drove to the Vashon Theater to see Ice Age 2 - Lillie's favorite movie. We got a tour of the projection booth, since the owners are Ben's captain and his wife, Gordy and Eileen. It was so interesting to actually see and learn about the movies and how to run them. But you should have heard Lillie laughing at Scrat, the squirrel. She was so funny and her laughter pealed throughout the theater, amusing everyone.

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A new day - we rose early and took Ben to his Seattle firefighters pipes and drums practice. It was held at a fire station in the SoDo warehouse district - several people wandered over to enjoy the music. After practice, we drove Ben to his fire station for work, and got the grand tour. It smelled so good there - bbq pork for their lunch. It made us hungry, so for our lunch, we stopped at Mr. Gyros for another recommended meal - yes, it was the best gyros I've ever eaten. This is another small restaurant with only a few tables, and danceable Egyptian music in the background. The owner was very personable and really enjoyed joking with Lillie. The hummous was so smooth, the salad was crispy with just the right amount of fantastic dressing. He shaved enormous slices of gyros meat off the spit, tossed it into a pan, and heated it up with panache over his open flame grill. Try the french fries, which are hot, crispy, and sprinkled with feta and Greek seasoning (including sumac, I believe). Yum! Ed got dumplings again from the Fu Man Dumpling House, but I exclaimed so much with every bite of my gyros plate that he got some later for dinner, while Lillie and I ate some of the many Japanese groceries we'd gotten.

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Lunch the next day was at Thai Tom, in the U district. This is a true hole-in-the-wall joint, with two waitresses that sidle between the 5 tables and the few stools at the counter. The main attraction (besides the amazing food) is the rock star chef - his fluidity and moves with the woks on the open fire stove were something to behold. The decor was truly authentic Thai, with dark wood walls and gorgeous wooden carvings scattered around. I got pad thai (zero flames), while others got the swimming rama (with spinach), spicy chicken, and spicy noodles. The food was served in oblong banana-leaf dishes, heaped and steaming. Amazing! We also got a spring roll appetizer, with their special dipping sauce - golden fried, cruncy, yet tender and moist on the inside. Even Lillie ate several of these with her chopsticks. We walked out happy, and made room for others -standing in line to be seated.

For a snack later (are you wondering why we're always hungry?), we stopped at Cupcake Royale in Ballard. How could you resist the lavender frosting with real lavender flowers in it? Lillie got a chocolate mini-cupcake with chocolate frosting, while Ed got a carrot cake cupcake. Yum. That night, we dined at Kau Kau in the International District (renowned for its bbq pork) - and felt again like we were in NYC's Chinatown. We ordered their awesome roasted pork with noodles, soy sauce chicken, garlic sauce chicken, more dumplings, and the largest bowl of steaming hot and sour soup I've ever seen. The lazy susan in the middle of the table saw lots of rotation, with all of us helping ourselves until we were full (and the food ran out). There's a Huge Fish in the window tank - a Pacu named Swish - from the children's hospital. They're raising money to get him a new tank. I was glad that they weren't waiting for someone to order him!

Next day, after stocking up on some yummy Asian ingredients at Central Market - a regular grocery store with *3* extended aisles of Asian food! - we made some yakisoba, with fresh noodles, fresh (made daily!) tofu, organic chicken, baby bok choy, and other vegetables. Delicious! Even Lillie had thirds...but we tried not to eat too much, to save room for the big dinner that night. Once we were hungry again, we headed to a Brazilian steak house downtown, called Ipanema. Oh, yum. It felt like Thanksgiving, only with red meat. There is a variety of over 15 salads at a time (60 salads total) to choose from. My favorite was a carrot and onion salad, with a vinaigrette and lots of fresh basil. The waitress brought freshly fried plantain, rice, beans, and a bacon/breadcrumb mix to put on top. Then the meat guys appeared with huge skewers of all sorts of meat - beef, lamb, pork, sausages - marinated and grilled in a variety of ways. There were garlic beef medallions, bacon-wrapped beef steak, tri-tip, flank steak, succulent beef ribs, juicy pork ribs, pork spicy sausages, filet mignon, etc. Each diner has little tongs to grab the meat as the servers slice it off the skewer...don't laugh, it takes practice! Luckily, you get lots of practice. The Brazilian music was a nice background - Lillie danced, when she wasn't eating. The decor included bright colors, dark wood, and grass huts, along with great views out the large picture windows. The servers were so kind, bringing us different meats we loved and requested. One server, when asked, told us that at first he'd loved the meat, but after two years of working there, on his off days he'd choose Chinese. We made room for the finale - grilled pineapple, sprinkled with bubbling cinnamon. We stumbled out to the car and drove home to lie down. Uff da.

There are a few small authentic grocery stores to make sure you don't miss. An Italian one, called Big John's PFI, is located near Uwajimaya, at the back of an old brick building. With hardly any signage, you have no idea the treasures that await you inside - 30 kinds/mixes of olives, cheese from all over the world, salami likewise, as well as dried, frozen, and canned imported goodies - pasta, sauces, teas, fruits, etc. They also have rows and rows of bulk items - herbs, legumes, spices, mixes, and the like. It was glorious to lift the lids and smell (especially the dark cocoa). South of town in the middle of a bunch of warehouses, Maruta Shoten is a working man's Uwajimaya - smaller and more homey, with lower prices and the same authentic goods. A whole cooler was devoted to the raw ingredients for sushi. Lillie was entranced by the octopus arms, complete with tentacles, coiled up on styrofoam trays. One younger man, mid-twenties, loomed over us as we were exclaiming over the many large containers of miso. He told us that after 5pm, all the bento items (prepared dinners) were "half-price - a bachelor's dream." What a hoot. We weren't so hungry (are you surprised?), so just settled on some Calpis (a yogurt beverage) for the drive.

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When we were hungry, we went to Smokin' Pete's BBQ, which was just delicious. We got tasty, juicy pulled pork and brisket, with sides (macaroni and cheese, greens, baked beans, coleslaw, and corn muffins). The funniest part was the rack of bones (for dogs) by the door. Mailman thigh bones were $10 each. What a deal.

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Later, we snacked on incredible gelato from Bottega Italiana, near Pike Market. There were amazing fruit flavors such as pear, pineapple, strawberry, raspberry, lemon, lime, and orange. Sometimes they have honey rose, and they always have vanilla and chocolate. Ed got a takeout container (the inside bowls weren't big enough) of lemon, strawberry, and orange. Lillie got strawberry (and shared a few bites with Uncle Ben, who always jokes about "stealing her food"). Ben got caramel and straciatella, while I got panna cotta, pineapple, and coconut - with some Italian hot chocolate poured on top. Oh, my yes. So velvety. So smooth. The gelato guy had an Italian accent and was hilariously responsive to our many requests for small sample tastes before we decided. He was so funny and really made the experience enjoyable - laughing and joking with us. He laughed quite a bit at my blissful sampling of the hot chocolate - and then he really poured it on, when I ordered it atop my gelato. As we left, Lillie exclaimed loudly, "Mama, that was SO GOOD!" A couple walking by looked at her, laughed with us, and did a u-turn into the gelateria.

For our last meal the night before we left, we stopped at Dick's (for Ed, since the dumpling place was closed that day, alas) and Hana, a Japanese sushi and udon shop – well-recommended and cheap. We got takeout, and dined by sunset at Volunteer Park by the Seattle Asian Art Museum. The sky, with the space needle at the forefront - was just gorgeous, with purples, yellows, oranges, and blues glowing softly. The food - delicious! Ben got crispy, juicy tonkatsu with plenty of thick tonkatsu sauce, salad and some gyoza. I got teriyaki chicken, with crisp salad, 3 california rolls (wasabi just right), sauced veggies, rice, tofu...yes, we were all full!

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On the way to the airport, we stopped again by Uwajimaya for some travel food (too bad we didn't have an extra suitcase for just food). We bought some chilled mugicha (buckwheat tea that we drink at home all the time), spring rolls, sandwiches for Ed, hello pandas, inari sushi, sushi...and just about cried as we were pulling away. I loved the plethora of incredible eating options in Seattle - both in restaurants and in the stores, allowing you to eat so very well at home. I wish that we could be there today. I wish we'd had more time to try other restaurants and stores. I wish, I wish.

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