Yummy comfort food...meatloaf and mac n cheese at the Harmon Hub!

Japonessa - Seattle

So my daughter had been watching a little too much Anthony Bourdain (I know...not really possible) and had a craving for some fresh seafood, so we planned a shopping trip to Seattle followed by dinner.  I did a little research and found Japonessa. It's a newer restaurant opened by Executive Chef/Owner Billy Beach of Umi Sake House which I love so I decided this had to be good.  Japonessa is billed as a sushi cocina..sushi with a latin twist, again this sounded like a lovely thing! The location is great for exploring Seattle and then having dinner, it's on 1st Ave just across from the market and on the opposite corner from the Seattle Art Museum.  That being said, parking isn't really easy but my recommendation is just park at SAM, it's a little more money but worth the convenience.  The chic vibe in this restaurant really lets you know that you are having a night out in downtown Seattle.   We had reservations (which are recommended) and were seated promptly.  One of my pet peeves is when you have reservations and they make you wait a half hour, but if you would have been a half hour late they would have given your table away.  I would have to say that if you have a choice do not sit at the tables along the back wall.  It's a long bench with tables and chairs that are WAY too close to each other.  The couple next to us was on their first date and I could tell you their names, favorite wine, food and dating history.  If you needed to get up from the table you had be strategic in order to not point your derriere inches away from your fellow diners.  Okay, enough with the boring logistics and on to food.
This gorgeous restaurant has an amazingly huge happy hour that lasts pratically all day from 11:30 - 6:30 in the restaurant and from 6:30 to 8 in the bar.  We had bowls of Edamame for only $1!  We started out with sushi of course.  The Sushi Set Deluxe off of the happy hour menu is tuna, salmon, yellowtail, albacore, eel and shrimp rolls for only $8.  There are tons of rolls in the $4 and $5 range and not just ordinary ones either.   

My daughter had the Dragon Scallops as her entree (only $8) and she thought they were too salty but the greens were flavorful and added a great freshness.  I had the Spicy King Crab soup which was also $8 and it was light, delicious and spicy, the perfect thing on a rainy night! 

As you can see you can sample all kinds of interesting flavors and not go broke in this swanky restaurant.  The best thing is that it's sushi prepared right across the street from the fish market and you can tell...fresh, fresh, fresh!

Eating Around the South Sound: Japonessa - Seattle

Burger Battle...can there really be a loser?

The first quandry was where to start?  So many bountiful burgers!  Do you just do beef...buffalo? Are they that different?  I got a little overwhelmed so I decided to start with beef and I'm thinking some of the amazing seafood options might be next, I'm having visions of oyster burgers!  Anyway, back to the beef.  You know if you are going to do burgers just go big or go home so Blazing Onion here I come!  Oh my garantanuan gastronomical goodness!  The Triple XL Burger (very aptly named) is 3 patties for a total of 2 lbs of beef.  I have to admit I didn't actually eat the whole thing, I had to call in the troops.  I had two patties (sans bun) and my boyfriend ate the rest, well I guess I did have a few of those yummy sweet potato fries.  This burger is huge so it gets definite testosterone points for that and it has a great sauce and all the regulars..bacon, cheese, tomato...really satisfying.  You just feel like you conquered something when you have this beefy boy!  

But let's be honest...it's just toooooo much! Yes, there can be too much of a good thing, unless you are a family of four! 

Let's talk about the place that you have to talk about when you talk about anything to do with beef...El Gaucho.  I know, you don't really think burger but I am here to tell you to think again.  Happy Hour...$8.00...burger heaven!  Crispy bun, spices, bacon....total burger nirvana!  If you want fries it's an extra whopping $3.  El Gaucho happy hour runs all night on Mondays and until 6 all other weeknights.  So go..it's an experience that is perfect on these rainy nights, (parking is ample none of those new meters, it's free). 

Okay, what do you think about when you think about burgers?  Beer!  What do you think about when you think about beer... the Parkway.  Their bun is a little wimpy but their burger is exactly what you expect from a burger....cheesy beefy goodness and you taste the beef...not the grill!

Let's just roll the dice, go somewhere not famous for burgers but just good food...the Varisty Grill.  Here is where the surprise happens.  Burgerfrickenmazing!  Bacon and blue cheese...yeah..would you like fries with that?  How about fries and onion rings?  How about onion rings on your burger...why would anyone say no to that?  Great bun (I know I place too much importance on the bun but I'm a carb addict) and two huge patties.  If I had to say anything it was that I could taste that it was cooked on a gas grill, so turn it down but really it was great and the bartender was really friendly and helpful, making sure I ordered the fries which I was glad I did! 

There is no substitute to a great all american burger on a great bun!  There can be no loser in a good burger competition (well, I guess there can be but I just don't consider some of them to even be in the running if you know what I mean).  This was fun and I definitely satisfied my burger craving...what burger is next?  Salmon, oyster.....after all this beef now I'm craving seafood!

Not Exactly the South Sound But......

We did a great road trip of wine and food and I am compelled to share!

Heading to Eastern Washington but we can't drive all that way without sustenance, hmmmm what's on the way?  The Snoqualmie Falls Brewery of course!  They have great beers, we tried their Avalanche Winter Ale along with a meat and cheese platter which was nothing fancy but HUGE!  We could have had that alone, but I had my heart set on pizza.  The pizza was good with the right ratio of meat and cheese.  This brewery is super friendly, casual and the perfect pit stop. 

We arrived at the Dalles, checked into our hotel and were still stuffed from that pizza and the meat and cheese platter but I really wanted to check out a place I had heard about called the Baldwin Saloon.  Established in 1876 and just teeming with history, this saloon is an awkward mix of a huge beautiful bar, booths and a cavernous empty space in between.  A little change to the vibe with some interesting wall colors and addition of some tables to fill in the huge empty space would make this place feel much warmer.  Putting the bad feng shui aside, we had bacon wrapped dates with chevre cheese and (drum roll please) fresh squeezed grapefruit juice for the best greyhound I’ve ever had.  I think it had a little to do with the fact that I was road weary but it really hit the spot! The Baldwin is definitely worth checking out just for the art on the walls that is from the original bar and to hear the stories about the brothel that used to be out back!

The next day we headed out for the Maryhill Museum of Art.  Okay this part isn’t about food but really a museum with a life size replica of Stonehenge and the third largest collection of Rodin sculptures in the world?  A great place to spend a few hours on our way to the Maryhill Winery!  The winery is gorgeous, majestically perched on a hillside overlooking the Columbia River.  Skip the wine tasting and just buy a bottle of wine and some meat and cheese from their little deli grocery and sit outside at the picnic tables and enjoy the gorgeous view. 

Next stop was at the recommendation of one of the employees at the winery.  It’s always a good idea to talk to the locals to find out what to eat or drink next, so we headed for White Salmon just about a half hour drive from the winery to Everybody’s Brewing.  They are a newer brewery, just started about two years ago and they already have nine beers on tap.  Luckily they do distribute their beers locally and you can find them occasionally at The Parkway or The Red Hot.  I can’t get over what brew pubs have escalated to…I mean I had a Porter Braised Lamb Shank in a red wine reduction!  Lovingly placed alongside this beautiful lamb shank was a golden square of polenta and a bed of sautéed greens.  The polenta was crispy on the outside and melt in your mouth on the inside with carmelized onion happily placed within.  I carefully took turns, taking a bite of lamb, a bite of polenta and not wanting this meal to end!    

The next day our culinary adventure continued at the home of Big Horse Brew Pub in Hood River, Oregon.  This was another recommendation from an employee at Maryhill Winery so we were excited!  What a great choice.  Big Horse Brewing has a wonderful selection of beers and they don't distribute them, you have to sit at their taps so you really are having something unique to Hood River.  I had a spicy gumbo with huge fresh shrimp that was a great match to a smooth glass of merlot.  There are two other breweries within walking distance of the Big Horse; Double Mountain and Full Sail so it is a great place to taste a lot of unique beers with an awesome view of the Columbia River!

Finally back to the south sound!  Where to stop on the way home?  We remembered a wonderful wine tasting dinner we had with McCrea Cellars at Brix 25 and how full and yummy their rhone varietals were and it just so happens that they are located in Olympia so it was right on the way home!  It was a perfect ending to a great weekend; good conversation, a lovely wine and got to take home a bottle of their Syrah. 

Heading to Brix 25 - Home is Where the Heart Is

• We actually are heading to Brix 25 right now, thought I would write a few words before we left.  If I am having a love affair with Robin Hood Restaurant and Pub and then I am definitely in a committed relationship with Brix 25 in Gig Harbor.  I could go on and on with all the things that are right about this restaurant and wine bar, but I think that the thing most restaurants are missing and is the hardest to achieve is a sense of welcoming and warmth. Brix is an award winning restaurant and has every right to be snooty about that, but thankfully they are not.  They have an amazing wine list and everyone is extremely well versed in what makes for a great pairing or just helping you find something you will like but they are just as excited about the less expensive wines because they have been chosen with the same amount of care.  They have a happy hour in their wine bar that goes until 7:00 (which actually gives you time to get off work and enjoy it) and has several plates in the $6-$8 range and glasses of wine for $5.   The lamb meatballs and the ahi poke are my favorites.  But let's get down to it...the boeuf bourguinon is hearty hominess at it's best!  It's drizzling and kind of foggy and all I can think about is that plate of rich goodness with a glass of meaty red wine.   I have made a pact with myself that whenever we go to Brix I do not make a snap decision to order my favorite because inevitably I hear the specials and they are unfailingly something inventive and wonderful.  If it is elk or lamb, order it!  The Dining Out in the Field with Peace of the Earth Farm that we attended in September was a lovely night with so many courses of wonderful locally grown food, that I lost count.  A beet became a whole new vegetable to me.  Don't miss an opportunity to attend this event next summer.  Go to Brix, celebrate something, have complimentary sparkling wine and feel at home!  See you there!

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My love affair with Robin Hood

A drive out to Hood Canal is one of my favorite things to do.  It's so beautiful, every stop along the way serves oysters and it's a bit long so it's easy to convince yourself you need to stay overnight at Alderbrook! The best part though is an enchanted dinner at The Robin Hood Restaurant and Pub.  I mean once you are inside the place absolutely looks and feels like a cozy cottage in an enchanted forest.   Ahhh...the feelings of a love affair, driving long distances just for a brief interlude of deliciousness!  I absolutely love the farm to plate salad, all locally grown lettuce varieties and goat cheese with seasonal berries, hazelnuts, beets and a champagne vinaigrette!  My boyfriend (yes he is aware of my love affair with Robin Hood) had the elk flank steak florentine and I felt so conflicted...this is wonderful, but I want that too!  It was perfectly cooked with spinach, rosemary and a rich mushroom sauce.  Last year around this time we had an amazing pumpkin cobbler and I will definitely need to go back as soon as they have it again...I'm told they will soon.  They have open mic night in the pub on Wednesday evenings (with some really talented musicians) and heading out there on a weekend afternoon (they don't open until 4) it's a gloriously wonderful romantic moment in time!

Sweet Deal!

I just bought $170 worth of restaurant gift certificates on restaurant.com for $24.15! Use promo code SWEET!

A Fall Day in Poulsbo

Tip #1:  The Department of Licensing in Poulsbo is amazing...no line!
Tip #2:  Go around noon and then head down to the waterfront and explore.

Our first stop was the Portside Pub, cozy little place on the water where I had a cup of creamy clam chowder and a smoked salmon bloody mary!  Yes, a smoked salmon bloody mary.  Alaska Distillery makes smoked salmon vodka.  I'm not sure what else you would do with it (ohhh except I just started imagining a vodka cream sauce over pasta) but the bloody mary was amazing and had a wonderful salty taste of smoked salmon.  Next was Tizleys Euro Pub.  It really sets the tone when you have to go down a little alley and up some tiny stairs.....love it!  Like a little hidden space overlooking the downtown.  Great selection of beers for Oktoberfest, we had the sampler (let the bartender choose), this earthy sausage, onion and potato dish and a glass of wine and our bill was...are you ready for this.....only $16.82 with tax and all!  Rachel Ray should be putting this stop on her $40 a day thing.  Walked around the antique shops and then had a craving for a slice of pizza.  What was so interesting about this little pizza shop was that I asked the lady behind the counter what made her open a pizza place (inquiring minds..blah blah blah) and she points at her husband and kind of smiles so I direct my question to him.  He says, "hey my dad had an abundance of good wood thought I could make wood fired pizza and have an endless supply".  Turns out dad didn't really have an "endless" supply of wood but they are still making pizza.  Interesting what makes people take a certain "fork" in the culinary road.