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.

Simons - Strip mall on the outside delicious surprise on the inside!

Okay am I really in Port Orchard? Wow! This tastes like some of the best Thai and Vietnamese in Seattle.  Started out with fresh spring rolls that I have a new appreciation for since I tried making them myself!  Thai basil prawns were sweet and spicy with huge chunks of crispy jalapenos.  Seafood chow fun was an absolutely bountiful ocean of squid, scallops, prawns, bok choy with big soft wide noodles...I couldn't stop eating it!  The curry eggplant was a gorgeous contrast of the purple eggplant and the bright yellow curry that was perfectly spicy.   No I didn't eat all that myself I had the help of good girlfriends!  On Piperberry off of Bethel Port Orchard, next time you are here make this a destination. Wonderful!

BITE This! The sudden death of the lobster corn dog

Anyone who knows me knows that I love the lobby bar at the Murano.  You are surrounded by stunning glass art and you always meet someone interesting.  The Murano on Broadway in Tacoma is on the Conde Nast Travelers Gold List of the 504 best hotels in the world!  Hey, I always knew I had good taste!  There is something different about a bar in a hotel, people are traveling away from home so they are more inclined to get to know the people around them.  More often than not when sitting at the lobby bar, the entire bar is having a conversation....led by the vibrant bartenders Kristy, Debra and Chris.  The other great thing is that you can just wander upstairs to BITE and there is another beautiful bar and restaurant with some good food at a decent price. 
When you open a menu what is the thing that disappoints you the most?  Mine is when there isn't anything on there that I haven't had before.  I want to be intriqued not bored.  Well, open up the menu at BITE and say, "lobster corn dog".  Now that is something you don't get just anywhere!  So imagine my sense of mourning when as I was working on this blog I learn about the sudden death of the lobster corn dog!  Nobody knows what happened...one day they seemed fine and poof they were gone!  So I have developed a twelve step program to help us all heal:

Step one:  Cocktail at the lobby bar...stimulating conversation, great laughs (great for healing the hurt).
Step two:  Up the stairs to BITE.  Start with the lobster corn dogs  the spicy prawns which really aren't as spicy as they could be but are better than the fried green tomatoes that were dry, hard and unrecognizable.  These should have been taken off the menu and saved the lobster corn dogs!
Step three:  Have the lobster pot pie as a rich homage to the dogs!
Step four:  Don't skip dessert...they have milkshakes!
Step five:  Back to the lobby...book a room.
Step six:  Have Kristy make you a decadent coffee drink so that you don't slip into a food coma.
Step seven:  Ogle at all the gorgeous art on your way to your room !
Step eight:  Breakfast...oh my god! Limoncello cured salmon on a toasted bagel with tomato, cream cheese and capers!
Step nine:  Go to Savi Day Spa right in the hotel and get a relaxing massage
Step ten:  Take your time checking out and take some pictures of the gorgeous glass art.
Step eleven:  Try the fries and mushroom zinfandel gravy with gorgonzola cheese.  The concept of fried and gravy just sounds so wonderful that you have to try it and make your own decision.  I found the gravy way too salty that was a really dark brown color that made the pile of fries look like unappetizing mud and the gorgonzola cheese was barely there.  They might be a good hangover cure though!

 
Step twelve:  If you did all that you better take a walk down to the Glass Museum and back whilst (there's a word you don't get to use much) "thanking me" and praying for the resurrection of the lobster corn dog!
This is a great place to experience, especially on a Tuesday or Thursday when it's BITE night...lots of the appetizers are only $5, but don't miss having a cocktail in the Lobby Bar where you can get appetizers as well and the vibe is much more vibrant.  Pretend like you're from out of town and experience a local luxury!

Holy Bulgogi!

Bulgogi literally means "fire meat" in Korean and the bulgogi at Cham Korean BBQ was definitely that! 

I was about to write that the best thing about this restaurant was that I felt so nourished and that I had had a really healthy meal when I left, but then I realized that a big part of the experience here (and yes it's an experience) is the friendly atmosphere and being an active participant in your food preparation.  We were greeted and "schooled" by all three members of this family owned business and they all had an uncanny way of explaining the food and it's preparation in a way that didn't make you feel like a McDonald's junkie who had never eaten anything slightly ethnic or that they had probably explained this a thousand times before.  You can tell that they are super excited about their food and really proud (rightfully so) that the Mom makes all the banchan (side dishes) from scratch along with all the sauces!  The sweet/sour sauce is called marriage proposal sauce because she has received 5 marriage proposals after men tasted this sauce!  The son took the time to show us different combinations of meat and vegetables and how he liked to wrap them and I was absolutely hooked on wrapping everything in the thinly sliced pickled daikon radish...yum!

The bulgogi was spicy and wonderfully full of flavor without being too salty which I have experienced before.  The selection of meats that you can cook on your own personal little grill is awesome with pork belly topping the list for me, pork jowl a close second and who can forget tripe?  Okay maybe I exaggerated with with the tripe thing...not really a favorite!  Maybe there is some other way to cook tripe that is good but throwing it on the grill just turns it into a tasteless rubberband.  I especially loved the dried spicy squid and of course the kimchi and was so busy trying all the banchan that I think we overcooked our first round of meat. Our clue was when it started to smoke and the owner came over and pulled it off the grill for us saying, "oh oh oh this is done"!  Our second round of meat consisted of the beef rib tips, calamari and of course more bulgogi.  Wrapping the bulgogi in lettuce with some onion salad and a generous swipe of the marriage proposal sauce is a must!

The place was pretty busy for an off time on a Saturday afternoon so I have a feeling it gets pretty packed during the prime time.  Obviously this wouldn't be the place to bring a small child who can't sit still with a hot grill involved or maybe that is how you get them to sit still...they will only touch it once!  Lessons learned the hard way last the longest!  There are no tables for a large group and that is the only thing I would hope they would add as this would be fun with a large group having several grills going.

Personally I love this type of eating, getting creative and letting your palate and taste buds go crazy!  The sort of unthought of benefit is that it is really healthy.  Mostly lean meats, fish and vegetables so unless you go nuts on white rice there is no reason to feel guilty when you leave here feeling stuffed!  Speaking of leaving, the finishing touch on this great meal was the owner walking us to the door and waving as we left, just as if we had visited him at home.  Hmmm...I wonder where he lives and if they want to adopt me?

 

Go visit them it's worth the drive just not on Mondays when they are closed!

10518 S Tacoma Way SW
#H
Lakewood, WA 98499
(253) 584-2287

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!