OK, I had lobster TWO times on Saturday. THAT is one of my definitions of a Great Day.
The first time, I was with Mike the Magnificent Contractor. We met at Joey's in Southcenter for lunch. He ordered an Ahi sandwich (which he said was not bad...) and he recommended that I try the Lobster Grilled Cheese sandwich. With a little more lobster, it would have been amazing...but with the little bits of lobster in it, it was pretty darned good. Crispy, browned bread; tangy, gooey cheese; and...lobster. I would probably order it again, but find some way to finagle some more lobster between the bread slices.
I had lobster--again--at dinner. Mr. Foodie & I went to the Barking Frog in Woodinville for our anniversary. When our most awesome server, Gina, handed us the menu, my eyes immediately snapped to the Popcorn Lobster in the appetizer section. A generous number of these lobster fritters came in a cute little basket that looked like a miniature version of the fry baskets you see at fast food places--except no oil was dripping off of this beauty.
Inside--a pile of lobster chunks in batter that was as light as air--Gina told us the secret was beignet batter. Oooooh, lobster donuts. Excellent. Could life get any better than it was at that moment?! I told Mr. Foodie that I was prepared to go out and buy a deep fryer for the kitchen right there and then, if we could make these every night! A really lovely ginger sauce accompanied this dish. It was absolutely spectacular--the kind of appetizer that makes you want to go out for a cigarette, even if you don't smoke.
Mr. Foodie ordered the Grand Marnier Prawns, which were also deep fried, and covered in an amazing, orange-y glaze. The kitchen smartly put these on two plates for the two of us.... I reluctantly gave up one of my prawns to Bill, since he actually ordered them. If I hadn't been ready to roll around in the lobster, I would have thought I'd died and gone to heaven with this plate. Plump, tasty shrimp alongside a nice little stack of mixed greens with a lemongrass vinaigrette. Lovely.
I ordered the Red Beet Salad with mandarin orange slices, hazelnuts, goat cheese and vanilla honey drizzle. This was a THOUSAND times better thant the roasted beet salad I attempted to make earlier in the week. Bill got the Mixed Green Salad with julienned apple, Oregon blue cheese crumbles, toasted walnuts and creamy blue cheese dressing. Both were tasty.
For dinner, Bill ordered some of the most amazing scallops I've ever had the pleasure of eating. The Ginger Crusted Sea Scallops were served on a savory bed of lentils, bacon, pea vines, mushrooms, cipollini onions, crunchy smoked almonds--all lovingly tossed in a light curry coconut sauce. The scallops had an amazing brown sear on the top that imparted a brown-butter flavor that just about knocked you off your chair. And the mixture they were served upon had amazing texture (those almonds!!!)and was earthy and chewy and, well, just perfect.
I was having a hard time figuring out what to order. Any of the entrees could have been amazing. Ahi? New York Steak? Duck Breast with huckleberry risotto and duck confit?
In the end, I chose the Northwest Beef Tenderloin, which was served on top of gnudi (which, apparently are large gnocchi) and mushrooms--with a thick gorgonzola cream anchoring the plate.
Here's my official verdict: um....wow. Holy smokes, what a dish! The tenderloin is cooked sous-vide (and thanks to Top Chef, I now know that this means the meat is put in an air-tight vacuum bag, placed in hot, not boiling water and cooked slowly for a verrrry long time). What results is meat that literally melts in your mouth and is jammed full of flavor. The combination of the velvety beef with the buttery gnudi, the earthy mushrooms and the unbelieveable gorgonzola sauce was almost enough to make a girl faint. Words really fail me here, but I can safely say: this was the best dinner of 2009. And we've had some G R E A T dinners.
I wish I could say that after all of that, we didn't order dessert, but we did. I had a little scoop of homemade caramel ice cream served with a shortbread cookie, which was lovely, and Bill had an apple crumble, which also came with the caramel ice cream.
Those were both really nice--but I secretly was kicking myself inside: I should have ordered more lobster donuts for dessert instead.
Joey's
758 Southcenter Mall
Tukwila, WA 98188
206.835.6397.
Barking Frog
14580 N.E. 145th Street
Woodinville, WA 98072
425.424.3900
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Friday, February 20, 2009
Mac and Cheese Heaven: Salty's at Redondo
So, if you know one thing about me at all--and specifically me and food--you should know that I love macaroni and cheese. Really, really, really LOVE macaroni and cheese. Mostly, I love my mom's macaroni and cheese with Spam with all my heart, soul and stomach. Mom's macaroni and cheese is the pinnacle of mac and cheesieness. Nothing can touch it. A pound of elbow pasta, 4 cups of shredded cheese, two cans of Spam. Yeah, baby. That's what I'm talking about.
I know what you're thinking. "SPAM? REALLY? SPAM?" And I know you're thinking it just like that, in capital letters. Well let me tell you. You have not had Spam, and you have never had macaroni and cheese, until you've experienced this dish. You will in fact love it, and you will in fact never forget it.
A not-so-close second would be....Stouffer's macaroni and cheese. Wait, frozen mac & cheese? Yes, I admit, I do love the flavor, but it has a big psychological appeal as well: Stouffer's mac & cheese was my comfort food growing up. Skin a knee? Stouffer's. Get dumped by a boy? Stouffer's. In college, and out of money for the semester? OK, the true answer to this question is Kraft macaroni and cheese, but I went for the Stouffer's otherwise. That frozen mac & cheese got me through a lot of rough spots over the years....
So every time we're in a restaurant that offers macaroni and cheese on the menu, I hesitate. Because I already know it can't live up to the perfection I grew up with. On the rare occasions that I do order a mac & cheese dish, I inevitably leave disappointed. Last year, during my birthday dinner at Purple in Woodinville, I got an order of their lobster mac & cheese for the table. Wrong choice, birthday girl! What a disappointment. There was no cheese flavor, no lobster flavor, no flavor flavor. A bowl of semi-cheesy mush with some bland lobster meat stuck on top. Sigh. Like Charlie Brown believing that maybe this time, this one time, Lucy will actually hold the football and he will actually kick it to kingdom come.... No. We both fell on our keisters.
What made me go for the crab macaroni and cheese tonight at Salty's at Redondo? Well, for one, the Salty's chef from the Alki location has blown me away the last couple of years at an annual charity event at South Seattle City College, where I'm going to wine school. And two, I needed some comfort food! (It's a long story, involving a big hole in my kitchen where the fridge should be, and Best Buy delivering the wrong fridge not once but TWICE...a saga that's been going on since December 12th.....!!!!) But really, I just needed a good bowl, a lovely bowl, a cheesy bowl of macaroni goodness.
And Salty's came through. It was most definitely the best macaroni and cheese I've ever had in a restaurant. Perfectly seasoned, a GREAT mix of cheeses, perfectly creamy, with a massive helping of crab chunks on top. It also had a huge mound of arugula piled on top, which I quickly tossed over to the bread plate. A few pieces of it mixed into the pasta were great; a tumbleweed of it: nah. (There were also some teardrop tomatoes in the bottom of the bowl--why?)
I apprehensively put the first bite in my mouth--and I almost cried. Well, not really, but it could have happened after the day I had, you know? I could not believe my mouth. IT WAS AMAZING! Texture+taste+cheese+crab=Yes! Yes! Yes! I ate it slowly, relishing each bite, like I was tasting a million dollar dish.
I will never be able to order anything else at Salty's. It's just how I am. Why try anything else, when you've found the dish that curls your toes? And when you go there and order it, drink champagne with it. You will thank me.
Mr. Foodie, who loved the mac & cheese as well, ordered the "small plate" of grilled salmon with pesto mashed potatos. (Potatoes? Po-tah-tos?) Those green mashers with that perfectly cooked fish was just lovely. And our appetizer trio consisting of crab cakes, calimari and coconut prawns was nice, although the crab cakes could have been crispier. The calimari was my favorite of the three, which is a pretty astounding feat, seeing as I don't even like calimari!
If you know of a great restaurant mac & cheese, let me know. I will continue my search, and report back as details...and dishes...become available.
Salty's at Redondo
28201 Redondo Beach Drive S.
Des Moines, WA 98198
253.946.0636
Tacoma Direct Line: 253.272.0607
I know what you're thinking. "SPAM? REALLY? SPAM?" And I know you're thinking it just like that, in capital letters. Well let me tell you. You have not had Spam, and you have never had macaroni and cheese, until you've experienced this dish. You will in fact love it, and you will in fact never forget it.
A not-so-close second would be....Stouffer's macaroni and cheese. Wait, frozen mac & cheese? Yes, I admit, I do love the flavor, but it has a big psychological appeal as well: Stouffer's mac & cheese was my comfort food growing up. Skin a knee? Stouffer's. Get dumped by a boy? Stouffer's. In college, and out of money for the semester? OK, the true answer to this question is Kraft macaroni and cheese, but I went for the Stouffer's otherwise. That frozen mac & cheese got me through a lot of rough spots over the years....
So every time we're in a restaurant that offers macaroni and cheese on the menu, I hesitate. Because I already know it can't live up to the perfection I grew up with. On the rare occasions that I do order a mac & cheese dish, I inevitably leave disappointed. Last year, during my birthday dinner at Purple in Woodinville, I got an order of their lobster mac & cheese for the table. Wrong choice, birthday girl! What a disappointment. There was no cheese flavor, no lobster flavor, no flavor flavor. A bowl of semi-cheesy mush with some bland lobster meat stuck on top. Sigh. Like Charlie Brown believing that maybe this time, this one time, Lucy will actually hold the football and he will actually kick it to kingdom come.... No. We both fell on our keisters.
What made me go for the crab macaroni and cheese tonight at Salty's at Redondo? Well, for one, the Salty's chef from the Alki location has blown me away the last couple of years at an annual charity event at South Seattle City College, where I'm going to wine school. And two, I needed some comfort food! (It's a long story, involving a big hole in my kitchen where the fridge should be, and Best Buy delivering the wrong fridge not once but TWICE...a saga that's been going on since December 12th.....!!!!) But really, I just needed a good bowl, a lovely bowl, a cheesy bowl of macaroni goodness.
And Salty's came through. It was most definitely the best macaroni and cheese I've ever had in a restaurant. Perfectly seasoned, a GREAT mix of cheeses, perfectly creamy, with a massive helping of crab chunks on top. It also had a huge mound of arugula piled on top, which I quickly tossed over to the bread plate. A few pieces of it mixed into the pasta were great; a tumbleweed of it: nah. (There were also some teardrop tomatoes in the bottom of the bowl--why?)
I apprehensively put the first bite in my mouth--and I almost cried. Well, not really, but it could have happened after the day I had, you know? I could not believe my mouth. IT WAS AMAZING! Texture+taste+cheese+crab=Yes! Yes! Yes! I ate it slowly, relishing each bite, like I was tasting a million dollar dish.
I will never be able to order anything else at Salty's. It's just how I am. Why try anything else, when you've found the dish that curls your toes? And when you go there and order it, drink champagne with it. You will thank me.
Mr. Foodie, who loved the mac & cheese as well, ordered the "small plate" of grilled salmon with pesto mashed potatos. (Potatoes? Po-tah-tos?) Those green mashers with that perfectly cooked fish was just lovely. And our appetizer trio consisting of crab cakes, calimari and coconut prawns was nice, although the crab cakes could have been crispier. The calimari was my favorite of the three, which is a pretty astounding feat, seeing as I don't even like calimari!
If you know of a great restaurant mac & cheese, let me know. I will continue my search, and report back as details...and dishes...become available.
Salty's at Redondo
28201 Redondo Beach Drive S.
Des Moines, WA 98198
253.946.0636
Tacoma Direct Line: 253.272.0607
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
2005 Neo Spanish Red Wine-Ribera del Duero
This is hands down, the most amazing Spanish wine I've ever had. And it's only 3 years old--a mere toddler! I got raisin, sour cherry, raspberry and black pepper on the nose. The first sips were spicy, with balanced fruit and a black pepper finish. After a few minutes, it opened up nicely into an oaky, vanilla and toasty glass of velvety yum.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
'Brix Wine Cafe' in Kirkland: Please pass the salt!
Yeah, the Foodies ate in Kirkland...again. I haven't even driven through that town in ages...yet I've managed to eat there two times in the last month. Go figure! Hopefully, I'll find something a little closer next time.
But we were meeting our friends Tim and Margaret, and since they are Eastsiders, and I've been wanting to go to Brix...we ended up in Kirkland again. Juanita Village, to be exact. It's a little mixed-use neighborhood with retail at street level, and probably very expensive condos above. The "village" felt a little modern and sterile, but it was pleasant enough.
Brix itself was nicely appointed. It felt friendly and warm, and even though it was maybe a third occupied when we got there on a Saturday night at 6, there was a happy hum of customers in the air.
Bill & Margaret ordered wine and the apple and blue cheese mixed greens salad, I ordered a glass of Champagne along with the crab mac & cheese appetizer, and Tim ordered... a caramel appletini. Wow, I didn't see that one coming! It looked AMAZING though, when it came to the table: a lime green concoction with a caramel-encrusted apple lollipop soaking in the martini glass. Cool. He loved it--and asked if I would be sharing dishes since I was going to be writing about dinner. What he really was asking was, if I expected him to share his food. I answered that yes, I was the sharing type. Tim said he was not. And he told us how, as a teenager, he was out eating fast food with a bunch of guys, and one of them grabbed a handful of his french fries and started to eat them. "I don't know what happened, but something snapped," Tim said. "I reached over and grabbed those fries right out of his mouth." And he's not shared his food since.
I can live with that. But I did not fail to notice that he sampled freely from Margaret's plate. Hmm.
But--there was a big breakthrough--he did share something from his entree (which I will in turn share with you later), so I have to give him big props for that.
So anyhoo, back to the appetizers. Both Bill & Margaret said their salads were just ok, agreeing that the greens were lacking some zip, and the razor-thin matchstick slices of apple were just not enough to bring out the flavors in the rest of the dish.
I was SO EXCITED to dig into the crab macaroni & cheese--two of my favorite things in the whole world, in one bowl! Woo hoo! Unfortunately, there was no woo to be hooed. Bland, boring and not even the slightest hint of cheese flavor. How can you mess up mac & cheese??!! I thought I might be able to salvage it with some salt, but there was none on our table. My eyes darted from table to table in desperation...and no one had salt. Or pepper! To me, this is either amazing arrogance or a huge oversight. Last week on Top Chef, Tom Colicchio told one of the "cheftestants" (Bravo's horrible made-up title, NOT MINE) that one of the worst sins a chef could commit was to under-season his or her food. I say amen to that, my brother. The scant tablespoon of fresh crab piled in the center of this orange mass of nothingness was somehow very nicely seasoned. But it was so tiny....
Thankfully, the food really did not have to be the star of this evening, as we were having the best time with Tim & Margaret. You could not find two people who are smarter and so much fun to be with! So all was not lost. And when our entrees arrived, things started looking up in the food department.
Margaret and I both ordered the fall risotto with pumpkin puree, butternut squash and scallops. It tasted exactly as I had dreamed it would, when I was pouring over the on-line menu earlier in the day. Sweet, savory, creamy, and bursting with flavor. The scallops (only two, boo!) were perfectly seared and were a brilliant addition to the risotto.
Tim ordered the grilled rib eye steak, which was served with a twice baked potato and sauteed chard with blue balsamic butter. Tim saw me eyeing his potato, asked if I wanted a bite, cut off a very generous piece, and brought it over to my side of the table. Thanks for sharing!! It was great. And I hope it felt good to share. :) He said his meal was good, but I thought the rib eye looked mighty thin for $27.
Bill had the grilled skirt steak which came atop a nicely crunchy potato gratin, with sauteed chard and demi glace. The steak was tender and tasted fantastic, but once again, there were a few scant pieces placed over the potato cake. Bill said that really, the gratin was the star of his dinner, and he'd sacrifice eating just a few teensy pieces of meat to get those potatoes again.
At dessert time, I had no plans on ordering more than a cup of decaf (which came in a huge French press, and was some of the best coffee I've had in a long time). But our very nice waitress informed us that the evening's pot de creme was chocolate with a ribbon of mint on top, and both Margaret and I thought that sounded worth having. Bill ordered the warm chocolate brownie with coffee ice cream, and Tim requested the banana nut bread French toast, which really appeared to be the clear winner of the table.
The pot de creme tasted ok...it was the consistency that turned my stomach. It was runny, and, frankly, reminded me of something I'd seen in a diaper back in the day. I couldn't finish it. Bill's brownie was in fact warm and chocolatey, but the coffee ice cream lacked a lot of coffee flavor.
The whole dinner came to about $226 (before tip) for drinks & the three courses, which I felt was fairly reasonable. And although the food was certainly nothing to call home about, a very, very good time was had by all.
Brix Wine Café
9749 NE 119th Way
Kirkland, WA 98034
425.242.0280
But we were meeting our friends Tim and Margaret, and since they are Eastsiders, and I've been wanting to go to Brix...we ended up in Kirkland again. Juanita Village, to be exact. It's a little mixed-use neighborhood with retail at street level, and probably very expensive condos above. The "village" felt a little modern and sterile, but it was pleasant enough.
Brix itself was nicely appointed. It felt friendly and warm, and even though it was maybe a third occupied when we got there on a Saturday night at 6, there was a happy hum of customers in the air.
Bill & Margaret ordered wine and the apple and blue cheese mixed greens salad, I ordered a glass of Champagne along with the crab mac & cheese appetizer, and Tim ordered... a caramel appletini. Wow, I didn't see that one coming! It looked AMAZING though, when it came to the table: a lime green concoction with a caramel-encrusted apple lollipop soaking in the martini glass. Cool. He loved it--and asked if I would be sharing dishes since I was going to be writing about dinner. What he really was asking was, if I expected him to share his food. I answered that yes, I was the sharing type. Tim said he was not. And he told us how, as a teenager, he was out eating fast food with a bunch of guys, and one of them grabbed a handful of his french fries and started to eat them. "I don't know what happened, but something snapped," Tim said. "I reached over and grabbed those fries right out of his mouth." And he's not shared his food since.
I can live with that. But I did not fail to notice that he sampled freely from Margaret's plate. Hmm.
But--there was a big breakthrough--he did share something from his entree (which I will in turn share with you later), so I have to give him big props for that.
So anyhoo, back to the appetizers. Both Bill & Margaret said their salads were just ok, agreeing that the greens were lacking some zip, and the razor-thin matchstick slices of apple were just not enough to bring out the flavors in the rest of the dish.
I was SO EXCITED to dig into the crab macaroni & cheese--two of my favorite things in the whole world, in one bowl! Woo hoo! Unfortunately, there was no woo to be hooed. Bland, boring and not even the slightest hint of cheese flavor. How can you mess up mac & cheese??!! I thought I might be able to salvage it with some salt, but there was none on our table. My eyes darted from table to table in desperation...and no one had salt. Or pepper! To me, this is either amazing arrogance or a huge oversight. Last week on Top Chef, Tom Colicchio told one of the "cheftestants" (Bravo's horrible made-up title, NOT MINE) that one of the worst sins a chef could commit was to under-season his or her food. I say amen to that, my brother. The scant tablespoon of fresh crab piled in the center of this orange mass of nothingness was somehow very nicely seasoned. But it was so tiny....
Thankfully, the food really did not have to be the star of this evening, as we were having the best time with Tim & Margaret. You could not find two people who are smarter and so much fun to be with! So all was not lost. And when our entrees arrived, things started looking up in the food department.
Margaret and I both ordered the fall risotto with pumpkin puree, butternut squash and scallops. It tasted exactly as I had dreamed it would, when I was pouring over the on-line menu earlier in the day. Sweet, savory, creamy, and bursting with flavor. The scallops (only two, boo!) were perfectly seared and were a brilliant addition to the risotto.
Tim ordered the grilled rib eye steak, which was served with a twice baked potato and sauteed chard with blue balsamic butter. Tim saw me eyeing his potato, asked if I wanted a bite, cut off a very generous piece, and brought it over to my side of the table. Thanks for sharing!! It was great. And I hope it felt good to share. :) He said his meal was good, but I thought the rib eye looked mighty thin for $27.
Bill had the grilled skirt steak which came atop a nicely crunchy potato gratin, with sauteed chard and demi glace. The steak was tender and tasted fantastic, but once again, there were a few scant pieces placed over the potato cake. Bill said that really, the gratin was the star of his dinner, and he'd sacrifice eating just a few teensy pieces of meat to get those potatoes again.
At dessert time, I had no plans on ordering more than a cup of decaf (which came in a huge French press, and was some of the best coffee I've had in a long time). But our very nice waitress informed us that the evening's pot de creme was chocolate with a ribbon of mint on top, and both Margaret and I thought that sounded worth having. Bill ordered the warm chocolate brownie with coffee ice cream, and Tim requested the banana nut bread French toast, which really appeared to be the clear winner of the table.
The pot de creme tasted ok...it was the consistency that turned my stomach. It was runny, and, frankly, reminded me of something I'd seen in a diaper back in the day. I couldn't finish it. Bill's brownie was in fact warm and chocolatey, but the coffee ice cream lacked a lot of coffee flavor.
The whole dinner came to about $226 (before tip) for drinks & the three courses, which I felt was fairly reasonable. And although the food was certainly nothing to call home about, a very, very good time was had by all.
Brix Wine Café
9749 NE 119th Way
Kirkland, WA 98034
425.242.0280
Monday, October 13, 2008
'Lucia' in Kirkland: Hits & Misses
A bunch of us were meeting up at the Kirkland Performance Center Saturday night to see my best friend's daughter in a production. Originally, I had my heart set on eating at Cafe Juanita before the play, but I didn't think the menu looked that kid-friendly and it was pretty spendy. Trying to be a Good American Tightening My Belt Yet Supporting The Economy, I settled on Lucia which was just a parking lot away from the theater. I'd seen their cool logo in ads in Seattle Magazine, I think, and it had been on my shortlist of 'places to check out should we ever end up in Kirkland.'
Turns out the kids decided they wanted room service at the hotel in Bellevue, so they didn't end up coming with us after all. That means six of us showed up at our reserved table for eight, and the server was still very nice to us. (Thanks! I should have called....) The waitstaff started us out with this amazing cheesy and savory focaccia bread served with a balsamic dipping sauce. I think we had four or five plates of this as we ordered drinks and some stuffed mushrooms for the table. Bill had mixed feelings when his huge tumbler of Scotch on the rocks arrived: Yay, large glass of booze! Boo, I think they're going to charge me for a double when I didn't ask for a double! We passed around the mushrooms, which were sporting perfectly browned cheese berets and tasted creamy and toasty and perfect on this cool October night. This was a real winner, and I couldn't help but think that I would order the mushrooms again, but not share with anyone.
Three of us ordered the grilled romaine salad and two ordered the spinach salad with chicken, gorgonzola, currants and candied walnuts. The currants were actually Craisins, I believe, but it was still a good salad. The grilled romaine salad, though, was a real delight. It was liberally sprinkled with smoky bacon bits and gorgonzola, and topped with a nice drizzle of gorgonzola dressing. The menu said the salad would be served with "seasonal apples"...and they appeared as two small, razor-thin slices of some generic apple on the plate. It would have been nice to have more sweet to go with the gorgonzola, but truly, the romaine leaves (one small head, cut down the center, lightly oiled and just barely browned on the grill) covered all other sins from the kitchen with this dish.
So things were starting out nicely for us at Lucia. But when dinner was served, that's when the wheels sort of fell off the bus. First of all, it took close to 30 minutes for our food to arrive. Bill ordered the calimari, which arrived so heavily fried in so much batter that you weren't even sure there was any calimari inside! "Kentucky Fried Squid," he called it. And it only came with marinara sauce, probably my least favorite sauce for calamari. He didn't finish it, which is rare for my huge fan of all things squid.
Tom, on the other hand, may have won the dinner sweepstakes, with his filet mignon with port demi sauce. It was cooked a perfect medium-rare, and he hardly needed his steak knife, it was so tender and juicy. He didn't talk much because he had to jam through dinner in order to get his daughter to the theatre on time, but he said it was one of the best steaks he'd had in a good while. Also, he did not share, which is definitely a sign of how much he loved his dinner.
Dave and Mieko split the ahi tuna on a large (like, enough for three people) mound of risotto. As I am a huge fan of all things rice, I immediately stole a bite of it right off of David's plate, which made him crinkle his forehead. The risotto was creamy and cheesy and layered with flavors. The fish was pan-fried with a thick coating of panko bread crumbs. I would have preferred it grilled, but Dave and Mieko loved it!
I ordered the spinach lasagna, which was really more my mistake than Lucia's. I should never order lasagna in a restaurant, because, well, nobody can make it as well as I can. I don't mean to brag or anything, but if you've had my lasagna, you know what I'm talking about. The biggest problem with Lucia's version, besides being rather bland and the spinach being cooked into gray submission, was that it wasn't hot in the middle. It was just lukewarm. Ick. That is a huge sin, in my book. Lasagna must be near volcanic temperatures when served, allowing the diner to start around the edges and work her way in through the layers at her own pace.
Harriet had a couple of unremarkable looking crab cakes. She said they were good.
When the bill came, Bill was right: they'd poured him a double Scotch. But, since it was only $10, he thought it was a bargain. Lucia added an 18% gratuity to our total, which was very appropriate. Later, as we were walking back to our car after the play, there was a band blasting music through Lucia's doors and out into the strip mall it's in. Glad we weren't there for that!
If I went back to Lucia again, I'd probably stick with salads & appetizers. The food is reasonably priced, and this restaurant is the perfect location for before-theater dining. But I think Cafe Juanita's next on the list of 'places to check out the next time we end up in Kirkland.'
Lucia
222 Parkplace
Kirkland
425.889.0200
Turns out the kids decided they wanted room service at the hotel in Bellevue, so they didn't end up coming with us after all. That means six of us showed up at our reserved table for eight, and the server was still very nice to us. (Thanks! I should have called....) The waitstaff started us out with this amazing cheesy and savory focaccia bread served with a balsamic dipping sauce. I think we had four or five plates of this as we ordered drinks and some stuffed mushrooms for the table. Bill had mixed feelings when his huge tumbler of Scotch on the rocks arrived: Yay, large glass of booze! Boo, I think they're going to charge me for a double when I didn't ask for a double! We passed around the mushrooms, which were sporting perfectly browned cheese berets and tasted creamy and toasty and perfect on this cool October night. This was a real winner, and I couldn't help but think that I would order the mushrooms again, but not share with anyone.
Three of us ordered the grilled romaine salad and two ordered the spinach salad with chicken, gorgonzola, currants and candied walnuts. The currants were actually Craisins, I believe, but it was still a good salad. The grilled romaine salad, though, was a real delight. It was liberally sprinkled with smoky bacon bits and gorgonzola, and topped with a nice drizzle of gorgonzola dressing. The menu said the salad would be served with "seasonal apples"...and they appeared as two small, razor-thin slices of some generic apple on the plate. It would have been nice to have more sweet to go with the gorgonzola, but truly, the romaine leaves (one small head, cut down the center, lightly oiled and just barely browned on the grill) covered all other sins from the kitchen with this dish.
So things were starting out nicely for us at Lucia. But when dinner was served, that's when the wheels sort of fell off the bus. First of all, it took close to 30 minutes for our food to arrive. Bill ordered the calimari, which arrived so heavily fried in so much batter that you weren't even sure there was any calimari inside! "Kentucky Fried Squid," he called it. And it only came with marinara sauce, probably my least favorite sauce for calamari. He didn't finish it, which is rare for my huge fan of all things squid.
Tom, on the other hand, may have won the dinner sweepstakes, with his filet mignon with port demi sauce. It was cooked a perfect medium-rare, and he hardly needed his steak knife, it was so tender and juicy. He didn't talk much because he had to jam through dinner in order to get his daughter to the theatre on time, but he said it was one of the best steaks he'd had in a good while. Also, he did not share, which is definitely a sign of how much he loved his dinner.
Dave and Mieko split the ahi tuna on a large (like, enough for three people) mound of risotto. As I am a huge fan of all things rice, I immediately stole a bite of it right off of David's plate, which made him crinkle his forehead. The risotto was creamy and cheesy and layered with flavors. The fish was pan-fried with a thick coating of panko bread crumbs. I would have preferred it grilled, but Dave and Mieko loved it!
I ordered the spinach lasagna, which was really more my mistake than Lucia's. I should never order lasagna in a restaurant, because, well, nobody can make it as well as I can. I don't mean to brag or anything, but if you've had my lasagna, you know what I'm talking about. The biggest problem with Lucia's version, besides being rather bland and the spinach being cooked into gray submission, was that it wasn't hot in the middle. It was just lukewarm. Ick. That is a huge sin, in my book. Lasagna must be near volcanic temperatures when served, allowing the diner to start around the edges and work her way in through the layers at her own pace.
Harriet had a couple of unremarkable looking crab cakes. She said they were good.
When the bill came, Bill was right: they'd poured him a double Scotch. But, since it was only $10, he thought it was a bargain. Lucia added an 18% gratuity to our total, which was very appropriate. Later, as we were walking back to our car after the play, there was a band blasting music through Lucia's doors and out into the strip mall it's in. Glad we weren't there for that!
If I went back to Lucia again, I'd probably stick with salads & appetizers. The food is reasonably priced, and this restaurant is the perfect location for before-theater dining. But I think Cafe Juanita's next on the list of 'places to check out the next time we end up in Kirkland.'
Lucia
222 Parkplace
Kirkland
425.889.0200
Monday, October 6, 2008
Food Frenzy! 'Betty' in Queen Anne, Le Pigeon in Portland
This past week has been sort of a weeklong food orgy. And since I went to a conference for wanna-be food writers this weekend in PDX, I decided I better start being all about the writing...since I'm already all about the eating.
I have had the pleasure of partaking in some great meals this year--and two of them occured just in this past week. On Monday, I was at Betty in Queen Anne. The place is nothing to look at, but who cares when the food is that good? The bruschetta appetizer and the ribeye are simply amazing, and I can't even imagine trying anything else when I go back. Decent prices, especially for that part of town. We made reservations for 6pm--and there were plenty of open tables. By the time we were done and heading over to the Seattle Center for the Jackson Browne concert, the place was probably three-quarters full. There was a good vibe buzzing around the dining room, and people seemed really happy with their food.
The only thing I didn't like was the furniture. The tables and booths looked like something my brother would have made in high school woodshop.
Friday night, I headed to Portland. My best friend and her husband had made reservations for us at Le Pigeon, on the city's eastside. It is hard to put into words just how spectacular the food is there. But I can say, Le Pigeon takes food to an entirely new level. It's the kind of place that serves duck feet, foie gras, rabbit and yes, pigeon. But--without the attitude you might expect at a restaurant serving such delicacies. The 27-year-old chef, Gabe Rucker, simply serves what he loves--and what are absolutely the freshest ingredients he can find at nearby farmers markets.
The restaurant is tiny--seating maybe 20 at tables, 6 up at the bar. Two of the tables are set for eight, so plan on having one or two other groups of diners at your table. (Which is kind of fun. Everyone discusses what they're eating with such reverence and awe!) My true foodie friend, Lynn, started with the tomato tart with duck feet, and her equally food-crazy husband, Tim, had the rabbit with plum & prosciutto appetizer. While I could not bring myself to eat rabbit (a childhood dinnertime trauma will prevent that for the rest of my life), I did try a duck foot. Which was attached to a skinny little duck leg. Not much to actually eat there, but it was reminiscent of fried chicken. And, I can now say I've tried duck feet. Or foot.
I had the lamb appetizer, which was heaven on a plate. It consisted of a little square of melt-in-your-mouth meat over a tomato salad with raita, a yogurt-based sauce with cucumber and coriander in it. It was simply unbelieveable. The mixture of flavors was just mind-blowingly good. For entrees, Lynn had the hamburger made of locally-raised beef. All I can tell you is, I have never in my life had a hamburger that tasted so crazy delicious. Smokey, flavorful, and topped with a luscious salad of shredded lettuce and tiny teardrop tomatoes. Tim had the pork shoulder--another astounding melt-in-your-mouth dish. Our server easily convinced me to try the stuffed piquillo peppers when she mentioned that the orzo in the dish was "a little like mac and cheese." Yes, please! It did not disappoint--a touch of heat added to the creamy yumminess.
But here's the real reason to go to Le Pigeon: dessert. Yeah, as if dinner didn't already have us rolling around on the floor in ecstacy. I saw it up on the chalkboard when we first walked in: CORNBREAD WITH BACON & APRICOTS, TOPPED WITH MAPLE ICE CREAM. If you want to have your tastebuds explode into the largest song and dance number your head has ever produced, you've got to eat corn bread and maple ice cream with bacon on it. I kid you not, it was the most amazing dessert I have had and will ever have.
Make reservations for the next time you're heading to PDX:
Le Pigeon
738 E. Burnside
Portland, OR
503.546.8796
Betty
1507 Queen Anne Ave. N.
Seattle
206.352.3773
I have had the pleasure of partaking in some great meals this year--and two of them occured just in this past week. On Monday, I was at Betty in Queen Anne. The place is nothing to look at, but who cares when the food is that good? The bruschetta appetizer and the ribeye are simply amazing, and I can't even imagine trying anything else when I go back. Decent prices, especially for that part of town. We made reservations for 6pm--and there were plenty of open tables. By the time we were done and heading over to the Seattle Center for the Jackson Browne concert, the place was probably three-quarters full. There was a good vibe buzzing around the dining room, and people seemed really happy with their food.
The only thing I didn't like was the furniture. The tables and booths looked like something my brother would have made in high school woodshop.
Friday night, I headed to Portland. My best friend and her husband had made reservations for us at Le Pigeon, on the city's eastside. It is hard to put into words just how spectacular the food is there. But I can say, Le Pigeon takes food to an entirely new level. It's the kind of place that serves duck feet, foie gras, rabbit and yes, pigeon. But--without the attitude you might expect at a restaurant serving such delicacies. The 27-year-old chef, Gabe Rucker, simply serves what he loves--and what are absolutely the freshest ingredients he can find at nearby farmers markets.
The restaurant is tiny--seating maybe 20 at tables, 6 up at the bar. Two of the tables are set for eight, so plan on having one or two other groups of diners at your table. (Which is kind of fun. Everyone discusses what they're eating with such reverence and awe!) My true foodie friend, Lynn, started with the tomato tart with duck feet, and her equally food-crazy husband, Tim, had the rabbit with plum & prosciutto appetizer. While I could not bring myself to eat rabbit (a childhood dinnertime trauma will prevent that for the rest of my life), I did try a duck foot. Which was attached to a skinny little duck leg. Not much to actually eat there, but it was reminiscent of fried chicken. And, I can now say I've tried duck feet. Or foot.
I had the lamb appetizer, which was heaven on a plate. It consisted of a little square of melt-in-your-mouth meat over a tomato salad with raita, a yogurt-based sauce with cucumber and coriander in it. It was simply unbelieveable. The mixture of flavors was just mind-blowingly good. For entrees, Lynn had the hamburger made of locally-raised beef. All I can tell you is, I have never in my life had a hamburger that tasted so crazy delicious. Smokey, flavorful, and topped with a luscious salad of shredded lettuce and tiny teardrop tomatoes. Tim had the pork shoulder--another astounding melt-in-your-mouth dish. Our server easily convinced me to try the stuffed piquillo peppers when she mentioned that the orzo in the dish was "a little like mac and cheese." Yes, please! It did not disappoint--a touch of heat added to the creamy yumminess.
But here's the real reason to go to Le Pigeon: dessert. Yeah, as if dinner didn't already have us rolling around on the floor in ecstacy. I saw it up on the chalkboard when we first walked in: CORNBREAD WITH BACON & APRICOTS, TOPPED WITH MAPLE ICE CREAM. If you want to have your tastebuds explode into the largest song and dance number your head has ever produced, you've got to eat corn bread and maple ice cream with bacon on it. I kid you not, it was the most amazing dessert I have had and will ever have.
Make reservations for the next time you're heading to PDX:
Le Pigeon
738 E. Burnside
Portland, OR
503.546.8796
Betty
1507 Queen Anne Ave. N.
Seattle
206.352.3773
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