Paseo

The Critic and I had a rare chance to have lunch on our own and he requested this stop.  The only downside is the wait time.  With a huge long line outside that does indeed move very fast followed up with lag time for the order we barely had 4 minutes left to consume the lunch (and that was with rescheduling the vet visit and arriving SUPER late to pick up the Guys from their camp.

But yes, it's a sandwich worth its weight in the wait. 

Only one complaint.  I requested no tapenade because I'm really not an olive fan and, as a result, the guy suggested I bypass the garlic ailoi because "it has a strong garlic flavor".  Um, no it doesn't.  And it would have taken a good sandwich and made it extraordinary.  I look forward to saying "yes please" to the pickled jalapenos again which was a risk that paid off.  The scallops were great, but I think next time I'll go for the pork.  Chicken?  It's good -- but I think I like the different flavors available a little better.  Truly looking forward to a return trip!

Michael's on the Lake

No pictures to post:

After last night's delicious Mexican fiesta we had a hard time measuring up.  We felt that a trip to Michael's on the Lake was a good option seeing as how we had, in fact, been living on the lake.  According to Yelp reviews and what-not the price was comprable.

Well, maybe not.

It was a bit fussier than we were dressed for and The Wake Surfer turned out to coin it best -- the coconut shrimp piece was bigger than his fish and chip piece.  I, of course, got the scallops which came on an Israeli cous cous thing that immediately freaked me out because of the olives ALL through it -- no matter, for whatever reason they were easily removed and left no olivey-after taste.  Very un-olive like, if you ask me.

The guys were STARVING and grumpy and, well, acting like themselves and were thrilled to receive the world's most expensive smoothies -- easily $5 each which doesn't seem ludicrous until you realize that a kids' meal was $4 so it more than doubled their dinner right there.  They had chicken strips, which would have been fine but were as tiny as the fish and chips.

The Big Guy got a Cuban.  It was really good -- a bit on the greasy side.

Bottom line?  We'll be doing a Mexican run take two tomorrow.  For future Moses Lake trips I think we'll skip Michael's on the Lake and leave it for the fussier types.

Roadhouse Grill

We were SO excited to hit the Roadhouse Grill after being in Ellensburg a while back and realizing it was there.  We love a good roadhouse -- throwing peanuts on the floor is the best!

Well, don't do that here.

This is a Roadhouse GRILL and apparently that is code for a cross between Red Robin and Denny's. 

This entry is to remind me, if we ever find ourselves in Ellensburg again (and I'm sure we will... briefly) that we should NOT go to the Roadhouse Grill.

Tomato Street

I have a love/hate relationship with this blog.  I have used it as a reference, been frustrated when I can't find what I need, and have NO time to update it.  What to do?

Our family just returned from a driving trip that took us to Couer d'Alene, ID, up to Banff National Park in Canada, then Jasper, followed by Vancouver, B.C., and finally Bellingham on the 4th of July.  The result was so.much.eating.out it was borderline ridiculous.  Strike that.  Just ridiculous.

Side note.  There's a Texas Roadhouse in Ellensburg, WA.  Repeat.  There is a Texas Roadhouse in Ellensburg, WA.  That would have been good to know -- will be good to know when we go to Moses Lake next week with the boat.

Okay -- Tomato Street.  Years ago we were in Couer d'Alene with The Guys so we could hit Silverwood Theme Park and enjoy a family vacation -- like 6 years ago.  So now these guys are 7 and almost 9 and we returned.  I remember seeing Tomato Street when we were there before and thinking it'd be a dive Denny's-esque Italian place.  With The Big Guy's food allergies (eggs and dairy) Italian was a no-no spot.  Not surprising we passed it by.

Huge mistake.  Huge.

This is the best food we've had in a LONG time.  I really wish I could remember all the details that were so great.  I can't -- it was too long of a trip and at the time I had visions of writing notes on all the spots we dined at (ha!).  I will have to keep it short and sweet and photo-free and just say it was A.MAZ.ING.  Go there.  Now.  Drive in your car.  Seriously!

Bollos -- amazing.  They were mini calzones with a meatball inside them (note to self -- must make these sometime).  The alfredo and marinara sauces are both so good -- dip the complimentary garlic bread in them.  Oh yeah. 

Smoked salmon chowder -- delicious.  So was the tomato basil soup.  Dip the bread in that, too.  Oh yeah.

Even the salad!  I don't know what was special about it anymore at all... but even the salad was positively delicious.  

The Critic is still talking about his delicious sandwich.  Pressed something-or-other with deliciousness oozing out of it.  

And The Big Guy and I "shared" something called the Mac Daddy which was a mac and cheese with pancetta maybe?  jalapenos... I don't remember.  But it was GOOD! 

The Little Guy (FIT) had a LASAGNA CALZONE PEOPLE!  It had a very clever name, but I can't remember it to save my life.

And our dessert was a pzookie of sorts.  Who cares?  It was delicious.

The portions were huge -- seriously.  We had so much food it was ridiculous and could have fed at least three small countries.  So. Worth. It.  

So if you find yourself in Couer d'Alene, hit up Tomato Street.   Heck I'm considering a roadtrip again just to go there.  It's only a 6 hour drive away...

JT's BBQ Food Truck

On July 4th we had just finished up our driving trip through Idaho, The Canadian Rockies, and over to Vancouver.  The whole time we had been hoping for BBQ.  We got some BBQ at Silverwood Theme Park in Coeur d'Alene which was great -- for theme park BBQ and that's all. 

So we finally wrapped up our gone-too-long-ate-too-much-had-SO-much-fun roadtrip in Bellingham on the 4th of July -- no better place to be.

JT's was a surprise -- we weren't going for food at all actually.  I think we were on a quest for either fireworks or a hardware store?  But there it was.  Parked next to a brewery with outside tables fit for a dog to hide underneath.

I wish I could recall exactly what we got, but as has already been mentioned we ate out WAY too much in a short time to remember all details.  But it was good.  The stand-out was a stuffed meatball which might be the only thing we get next time.  The brisket was good -- satisfied the BBQ craving for sure.

They are only open Tuesday and Friday, otherwise they do catering.  But I'm looking forward to taking my dad and getting his authentic opinion about it.  Everything I know about BBQ I learned from my father, for sure.