Stopped in at this really friendly neighborhood pub and were pleasantly surprised! Great quesedillas that would rival any mexican restaurant or fancy gastro pub, not too much cheese, tons of meat, black beans and lotsa hotsa jalapenos! If you are into the sports on the big screens..lots of that with good music playing. Can't always be about the "cuisine"...need to satisfy my craving for regular pub food! Most importantly what's the most popular pub wine...14 hands. 14 hands merlot...$4.25..duh winner! Sorry for the gratuitous Charlie Sheen reference!
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Friday, March 18, 2011
Agate Pass Cafe
Let's not talk about why my mother gets free rooms at the Clearwater Casino, let's just focus on the fact that she is nice enough to give them to her family! We stayed in a lovely room and it was the perfect opportunity to go to the Agate Pass Cafe in Suquamish again. We had heard great things from friends about this cafe and had gone there in the fall to have appetizers and salad, it was so inventive and wonderful that I couldn't wait to go back. The first time we visited this little gem we had the deep fried olives with smoked mozzarella, panko breading with a wonderfully spicy red pepper dip and a kale and apple salad with pancetta, pecans with a maple vinaigrette that was so incredible! We sat at the bar because I really like watching the action happen in the kitchen and I was drawn to it's gorgeous colorful tiles that I understand were done by the owner along with these whimsical whisk light fixtures hanging overhead.
This time around I had the special which was cornmeal crusted oysters with dirty rice and a celery root apple romolade. The oysters were extremely fresh and yummy. A few of them had slightly too much of the cornmeal crust which made them a little too crunchy (almost hard) but the flavor was on target especially with the romolade. My boyfriend had the braised duck with pappardelle and roasted broccoli. The pappardelle seemed like it was house made and the duck was moist and flavorful. I thought the pairing with roasted broccoli was a little odd, but not bad.
The lively vibe of this little cafe is glorious and it's locale near the water makes it a perfect spot to pull in on your boat at the nearby dock and have some wonderful cuisine. As a side note, we popped into the little bar next door (I think it's called the Troller Tavern) for a cocktail before going to dinner and it has to be one of the friendliest bars I've ever been in, we had a great time and they have wii bowling! A good time is not ALL about the food!
If you go just be aware that they do not take reservations for parties under 5 and it's small so you might have to wait but it's worth it! Keep it up Mom, I want to go back!
This time around I had the special which was cornmeal crusted oysters with dirty rice and a celery root apple romolade. The oysters were extremely fresh and yummy. A few of them had slightly too much of the cornmeal crust which made them a little too crunchy (almost hard) but the flavor was on target especially with the romolade. My boyfriend had the braised duck with pappardelle and roasted broccoli. The pappardelle seemed like it was house made and the duck was moist and flavorful. I thought the pairing with roasted broccoli was a little odd, but not bad.
The lively vibe of this little cafe is glorious and it's locale near the water makes it a perfect spot to pull in on your boat at the nearby dock and have some wonderful cuisine. As a side note, we popped into the little bar next door (I think it's called the Troller Tavern) for a cocktail before going to dinner and it has to be one of the friendliest bars I've ever been in, we had a great time and they have wii bowling! A good time is not ALL about the food!
If you go just be aware that they do not take reservations for parties under 5 and it's small so you might have to wait but it's worth it! Keep it up Mom, I want to go back!
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
No SoBe So.... NewBe!
I couldn't make it to Miami for the South Beach Food and Wine festival so I headed to Newport for the Seafood and Wine fest....maybe not exactly the same but who needs Michael Symon and his fancy burgers anyway?!
I am a certified seafoodaphile so I was in heaven surrounded by the abundance of seafood at this event. I did have my priorities straight however and headed to Mo's first! If you don't already know, Mo's is an institution started by the "crusty, big hearted chain smoking mother of Newport". This is not some glammed up gourmet food stop. This is the Pacific Northwest seafood that I grew up on without any added trendy ingredients. Don't under estimate it's creamy pure flavor, Mo's chowder was a featured entree at the first luncheon ever held at the Smithsonian which celebrated "The Best American Regional Foods". The chowder emphasizes the clams and comes with a big pat of butter on top! I was horrified when one of my dining companions scooped hers off...I wanted to tell her to just give me her chowder and why didn't she just order a bowl of bean sprouts or something! Of course I followed the chowder with fresh dungeness crab...pure heaven for this Northwest girl!
The vast array of yummy choices at the Seafood and Wine fest are too numerous to list but if you go next year don't miss the asparagus farm and their HUGE dungeness crab chile rellenos or the tamales. Sipping wine and eating seafood makes me oh so happy; however, I don't think I would have been happy if we had gone on Saturday when I heard there were times you couldn't even get in the door but this quintessential Northwest Sunday was perfect.
I am a certified seafoodaphile so I was in heaven surrounded by the abundance of seafood at this event. I did have my priorities straight however and headed to Mo's first! If you don't already know, Mo's is an institution started by the "crusty, big hearted chain smoking mother of Newport". This is not some glammed up gourmet food stop. This is the Pacific Northwest seafood that I grew up on without any added trendy ingredients. Don't under estimate it's creamy pure flavor, Mo's chowder was a featured entree at the first luncheon ever held at the Smithsonian which celebrated "The Best American Regional Foods". The chowder emphasizes the clams and comes with a big pat of butter on top! I was horrified when one of my dining companions scooped hers off...I wanted to tell her to just give me her chowder and why didn't she just order a bowl of bean sprouts or something! Of course I followed the chowder with fresh dungeness crab...pure heaven for this Northwest girl!
The vast array of yummy choices at the Seafood and Wine fest are too numerous to list but if you go next year don't miss the asparagus farm and their HUGE dungeness crab chile rellenos or the tamales. Sipping wine and eating seafood makes me oh so happy; however, I don't think I would have been happy if we had gone on Saturday when I heard there were times you couldn't even get in the door but this quintessential Northwest Sunday was perfect.
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