Skillet Diner

After Sitka and Spruce, well, we were still hungry!  Rather than go for the mega foodie desserts (which I don't even remember what they were... bad sign), The Critic said he wanted to head to Skillet Diner.  He's been raving about the Skillet Food Truck that he has been able to go to (sniff, without me) several times so I was all for it.  At first I was super disappointed that we didn't just hit that place for dinner.  They had a mac and cheese dish that sounded like pure heaven!  Definitely want to go there sometime, but I might need to check into Harborview immediately following to take care of the heart attack... still.  Someday.

But we went for dessert.  And, in the words of The Critic, the foodie in me rejoiced AND the need for comfort food was satisfied! Hooray!  Two delicious desserts, both of which warrant a revisit someday.

 How fun is it to drink diet coke out of a Mason jar?  Just love this idea.  I do have to mention that The Critic said he got that "cleaner taste" we both are prone to here.  I didn't.  He thinks it's because I used a straw.  I'm not so sure, because that stuff usually is VERY apparent to me.

 This was AWESOME!  Pie in a bowl.  It was a chocolate pudding that had a "housemade cool whip" folded in.  Also had cocoa nibs, sea salt, and pie crust flakes on the top.  It is official.  I will order any, and I mean ANY dessert that has both cocoa nibs and sea salt.  This thing had it all... texture, flavor, super unique and ultra delicious!

Apple pie.  Classic.  Perfect.  And get it... it's in a skillet!  We did end up getting the necessary scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side.  Sometimes a dessert just needs to be a classic.  If you're looking for a delicious apple pie, get this one.

Totally going back.  And I think this would be a fun place to take The Guys.  I know they'd love the pie in a bowl and I have to get me some of that mac and cheese (and I should probably share it!).

Sitka and Spruce

Date night!  The Critic picked the places.  Sitka and Spruce was the first spot.  This is the same owner as The Corson Building, so a similar concept.  It's located in the back of an almost oddly placed market on Capitol Hill.  I had to check several times to make sure I was in the right place.  When you go ALL the way to the back, there is a little kitchen with tables right there so you can watch all the cooking action.  I swear this is my favorite type of thing to do, but I feel bad for the guys in the kitchen.  Always some foodie watching your work in the kitchen... I am likely exactly the person they roll their eyes at.  Oh well.  I have fun and they get paid, so that's a win-win, right?

The food was okay.  Some things are even to "foodie" for us.  As The Critic put it, the foodie in me rejoiced, but the need for comfort food in me was sadly under served.  It is a balance.  I'm posting this on a delay and have very little idea what the food was.  Pretty to look at but, with one exception, hard to mention and sometimes, hard to finish!

 This bread was delicious!  The spread it came with was kind of like spreadable ham.  So, um... fancy spam?  It was good, but the bread was better served later.

 Hmmmm.   A grilled vegetable thing.  I had high hopes because it had roasted broccoli and cauliflower listed.  I know.  I don't see them either.  What we did get was a LOT of radicchio.  Very bitter.  Occasionally you'd get a zip from some meyer lemon peel which was nice.  This didn't get finished.

 An interesting dish.  The tarte on the left was nice, a bit too buttery, if such a thing is possible.  The shame of this was the eggplant.  WAY undercooked.  We tried.  

 Ahhhhhh... the shining star!  And the answer to that comfort food dish we needed!  Without the delicious lamb dish, we really probably would have needed to head elsewhere for our "meal".  The standout of this was the AMAZING heirloom tomatoes that even The Critic raved about.  So many delicious flavors going on in this dish.  And all that sauce?  Yep.  That's where the bread came back into play!

 The expeditor and likely head chef for the evening.  This poor guy has to deal with people like me every night, but hey!  He chose to work here, right?  He can cut herbs like nobody's business!  So fun to watch people cook in the kitchen!!

A sous chef and a grill master.  That fire is where the lamb was cooked.  This is also where a lot of the prep was done so we could watch the dishes get their finishing touches.  And yes, they often cleaned plates with a towel before calling for service.

Overall, I don't know.  The food might just have been to "foodie" for even me.  But it was a fun experience!  I liked The Corson Building better.

Food Truck Rodeo

It's great to be a foodie.  Today was fun.  :-)

About 2 weeks ago, a groupon deal came up offering a buy one, get one free to the "Food Truck Rodeo".  The "1st annual" in Seattle.  First, I love that term.  And when I say I love it, I really mean I find it tremendously useless.  It can't be the first annual.  NEXT year, if they do it again, it will be the 2nd annual Food Truck Rodeo.  So far, it's just the first.  Oh, but there WILL be a 2nd.  And they will find a better location!

So after talking it over every so quickly with The Critic, we agreed to go.  Here's the fun part. Last summer I watched (and really enjoyed) The Great Food Truck Race on Food Network.  This summer, I've been watching season 2.  The fun part is that The Big Guy LOVES it.  He's so into it it's adorable.  He has his favorites (usually Hodge Podge) and often can be quoted saying "I think they're gonna kill it this time!  Uh oh, that must be Tyler calling about a Speed Bump."  So the chance to go to an event and be like we're there was just FUN!  The Little Guy watches the show on occasion as well, but remember, he's the adventurous eater.  So really, going to this event with both of them is a no-brainer. 

It really was incredibly fun.  Pretty much what you'd picture... a bunch of food trucks behind barbed wire.  My understanding is that they had NO idea it would be so popular and they dealt with some fire marshal issues.  Thankfully we didn't have to wait in the ridiculously long line to get in (with our pre-paid tickets).  The Critic's good friend JB, a fellow foodie, did the waiting for us and we sauntered up to the front with very little wait.

I can't do my typical list of food eaten and return factor liklihood... this is more in that food festival category.  I can tell you that The Critic was itching to get his hands on a Cuban he'd heard about and loved.  JB thoroughly enjoyed his duck confit on grilled flatbread of sorts (they ran out of it within minutes of him ordering it) and I was grateful for the grill truck that broke their exception of "no substitutions" to make a plain meat, cheese, and bun burger for The Big Guy.  There was cumin in that patty!  Interesting! 

 

I can't fill you in on the details of what I ate, because JB ordered it (a sampler plate of some kind).  The chicken was YUM (not pictured because, well, it was inhaled).  The vegetarian was a close second... a delicious mango salsa on it).  And of the pork sliders pictured here, the one with the carrot on top was a habanero honey BBQ sauce while the other was ancho chile.  And the habanero was much much much preferred by all of us, even The Little Guy who is not a fan of spice.  

The Big Guy also had a slice of pepperoni pizza, hand tossed in the truck and wood fired.  I did take that opportunity to be both grateful for providing for the simple palate, but it also affords the opportunity to express my disappointment.  This event had a cover to get in and was not well advertised.  You had to be in the know to go.  So why dumb down to your audience?  The Thai place had... Phad Thai.  I guess sometimes I just expected to see a bit more.

Now the desserts... those were something special.  I'm not a dessert person really, but all three of my guys are.  At one cart, The Guys designed their own ice cream sandwich on homemade snickerdoodles that were really good.  The "plain vanilla" ice cream was really tasty, almost having a coconut flavor to it.  The bigger folks, The Critic, JB, and me, all ordered from a place called Parfait (hey I remembered a name!).  The blackberry ice cream was dubbed "crackberry" by JB.  The Guys had the Meyer Lemon which was really good and not at all the tart sorbet-y dish I was expecting.  The toffee was a bit of a disappointment.  If you got the toffee it was incredible, but there was very very little toffee to be gotten.  Mine was my favorite... dark chocolate decadence.  Yes.  Yes it was. 

The main problem with a place like this is the same problem with any food festival.  Too many choices, too small of a stomach.  Yes, even I have too small of a stomach it seems.  But based on the line of about a billion (give or take a few thousand) who were attempting to get in and the fact that Skillet, one of the most famous trucks in Seattle right now, left before the event was over, well... I'd say it was a success they will truly be turning into an annual event.

And it was pretty much like being in a line for the Food Truck Race.  The Big Guy and I were both not disappointed by that.

Return to Bai Tong

Previously blogged here

A return to Bai Tong (I think I need to take better pictures from there).  Repeat of all our personal favorites (crispy garlic chicken, phad sei-iew, and moo dade deaw).  The moo dade deaw did not have as much pork as it usually does and The Big Guy could easily have polished off the plate on his own.  We tried the new dish (I can't recall its name, nor find it on the website).  It was essentially crispy pork belly with Chinese broccoli.  Unfortunately, it was not a winner.  In the words of The Critic, "I didn't know it was possible for pork belly to be, well, NOT delicious."  The basic consensus was it was like shoe leather.  Very sad.  Still, Bai Tong is a FAVORITE for our entire family. 

And again...

Restaurant name: McDonald's
Food type:  Fast Food
Category:  Previously blogged... Now three times.  Sad.
Reason for dining out:  Truly a need for fast food.  Bleh... wish it wasn't so. (copy and paste from before... sigh).
Bonus features:  None
Food ordered:  Big Mac meal with a diet coke
Items of inspiration: None
Chance of repeat visit: Sadly, yes.  Though I must admit that a once a month average when your Guys are 4 and 6 and you live one mile from the place, well, that's pretty darn good if you ask me!

Thursdays are a really busy day for The Little Guy and me.  

McD's again again

First soccer practices/games of the year for The Guys.  Plus pictures.  Plus heat (which THANK YOU for finally giving us a summer around here!).  Plus BBQ this afternoon at our house.  All that equals McD's drive through for lunch.

Restaurant name: McDonald's
Food type:  Fast Food
Category:  Previously blogged... twice.  Sad.
Reason for dining out:  Truly a need for fast food.  Bleh... wish it wasn't so.
Bonus features:  None
Food ordered:  Big Mac meal with a diet coke
Items of inspiration: None
Chance of repeat visit: Sadly, yes.  Though I must admit that a once a month average when your Guys are 4 and 6 and you live one mile from the place, well, that's pretty darn good if you ask me!

By the way, The Big Guy got on my last nerve when he asked what our lunch plan was and I said we'd be eating at home and he whined and complained about how we NEVER eat out and it isn't fair.  Dude!  Do you READ my blog?  Oh wait...

I'm over here frantically treading water!

So a quick update on the craziness that is my life right now.  Yes, we have dined out on occasion (okay, a bit more than occasion) but life is like a runaway train around here!  Both Guys started school (including "real" school for The Big Guy as a kindergartner) and both Guys are gearing up for soccer.  The good news is that we're in a bit more of a schedule.  The bad news, things like this blog fall a bit to the wayside compared to prepped lunches, clean (though not usually put away) laundry, and various and sundry things that are the life of a stay-at-home family CEO.

I have had a few blog worthy experiences though, even if it's been a while since I wrote.  So by way of "ketchup", here we go...

The fam took a camping trip back at the end of Aug which took us to a few chain places, including Quiznos and Subway.  Meh. Ok.  Those are places we go to for the kids.  Hey they beat arches, right?  (Most people know that as McDonald's).  At Quiznos I had a flat bread honey mustard chicken "sandwich" as it comes, toasted.  (this is often what I get here).  At Subway I split a footlong meatball sub, toasted, with the critic.  We add herbs and parmesan and she went WAY overboard on the parm.  Again, it's good.  I actually like this sandwich better than the Quiznos one.  Problem is that, while these restaurants offer healthier options, these two are not on the list.  So not the best choice but they'll do in a pinch for fast food.

On 8/29 I made a repeat visit to Cucina Cucina.  Every bit as good (ordered the same thing).  They "tried something new" this time and the server wrote his name in crayon on the table!  Score!

On 8/30 I had a spontaneous drive up north with just The Guys.  I ate at Panera for lunch and had their mac and cheese with a chai latte.  I do enjoy that lunch, even if it's not WW point friendly or anything.  Later, The Guys were near starving after a pool party extraordinaire.   The best way to take care of hangry attitudes? 
Olive Garden and their "everlasting pasta bowl" as it was coined tonight.  Do you have any idea how much I love that term?

Friday 9/2.  Sad sad sad day.  RIP, Texas Roadhouse in Everett.  :-(  As if it wasn't bad enough to lose our favorite throw-peanuts-on-the-floor-and-eat-yummy-yeast-rolls place, well, you should have seen the SORROW on the big guy's face.  He was so so disappointed.  For locals, yes, I have been to Jimmy Mac's.  And yes, it's good.  But not as good.  Though now it's better because, well... it's still there.  Which reminds me that I promised The Big Guy the chance to go soon.  Better cash in on that (see upcoming blog post soon).

Saturday 9/3... a GREAT experience in my foodie realm.  On a visit up north we were at the Bellingham Farmer's Market and were introduced to Puggy's Gourmet Eggrolls.  Don't go searching for their restaurant... there isn't one.  But their concept ROCKS and the food was super delish.  Made me feel like I was on the food truck race or something... too fun!  The concept is "simple"... take good flavors, wrap 'em in a wonton, and deep fry.  Caprese was a hit!  They had these yummy dipping sauces to go with them... like balsamic cream.  Oh so good.  I think our family single-handedly kept them in business just from our purchases (which was, um, like 4).

Sept 4... return trip home = return trip to Carino's.  We'd had a full day of fun on the lake and The Little Guy passed out in the car before we got there.  We weren't sure when he would wake up (as we were leaving) so I modified my order to get something he would be able to eat later.  I'm so glad!  The bowtie festival pasta is one of my previous favorites.  This time I paired it with the wedge salad that was Oh.My.Goodness so good.  It includes apple slivers (same "straws" on The Little Guy's panini that he ordered but never ate on that day back in July).  The salad also had candied pecans.  Next time, that's my dinner.  But the pasta was SO good as well... bacon, tomato bits, and an asiago cream sauce.  The Little Guy enjoyed it when we stopped at a rest stop to let him eat about 30 min. later. 

Sept 5... forever will be the day we didn't attend "Bummershoot".  We anticipated spending a nice Labor Day weekend going to the Pacific Science Center, The Children's Museum, eating a lunch at The Center House, and splashing in Memorial Fountain.  The problem?  We didn't account for Bumbershoot, a festival that overtakes Seattle Center and costs a whopping $45 per adult to get in (they are generous and let the kids in for free.  We should have just shoved them in on their own!).  So PSC, yes.  No to everything else.   The nice thing about this is we did get to check out Sport Restaurant and Bar at Fisher Plaza.  The food was good (I got the Kobe sliders and we all shared beer battered onion rings) though the problem is that no matter how much I want to eat bar and grill food, it just doesn't love me.  In fact it hates me.  Tastes great, but leaves me feeling ill for the rest of the day.

Sept 6:  Little Caesar's hot-n-ready pepperoni pizza actually makes a really good picnic food for not a lot of money.  But the true star of the night was a return to Mama's.  A little hint... make sure you arrive after 9:00 to really get the happy hour prices.  But a couple pomegranate splashes and some fab apps later and it is definitely the best happy hour in town.  Good friends help, of course.  They have a new arincini (fried risotto balls) which is yummy... table generally prefers the non-meat one.  One gal always gets a dessert that is good and I have a few bites off it.  And the caprese flat bread is a definite favorite.  Need a bottle of that balsamic reduction (aka syrup).

And now, consider yourself caught up.  So so sorry for the short-cuts.  Maybe someday the world will stop spinning so fast and I can get off and stay caught up.  I'm guessing that will happen once The Guys go to college.  Of course then, I won't be able to afford dining out so much.