Baja Fresh

Of all the fast food Mexican restaurants, Baja Fresh is my favorite.  My splurge is the steak and shrimp burrito ultimo.  Major favorite!!!

Mizu Southcenter

We enjoyed a night out celebrating The Big Guy who has turned 9, don't even ask me how that is possible.  His dinner choice was "one of those places where they cook the food right in front of you".  We opted for Mizu and I admit I was a bit disappointed that we went for the Southcenter (old) route versus Covington (new)... until we got there.  Best.  Dinner.  Ever.

We started out by trying their agadashi tofu which is the closest we've had yet to the legendary Grand Cayman one.  FIT and I shared a scallops and steak and between the three foods we had more than enough food to go around.  The Big Guy insisted he wanted plain rice and then proceeded to eat half my (our with FIT) fried rice.  

When the show started we were in for the biggest treat.  Because it was The Big Guy's birthday (or because the chef is a rock star... not sure which) he let TBG try and toss and egg!  It was so cool, funny, special... what fun!  Three of the four caught bits of rice in our mouth (poor FIT... he'll get it someday) and TBG just felt like the special guy he is all night.  Mission accomplished.  We also enjoyed an "on the house" dessert.  We all agreed this was the best choice TBG could have made for his birthday dinner.

On the way out we had the added bonus of running into his birthday twin separated by one year.  Great minds think alike and his buddy opted for the same birthday dinner spot.  Which was just super fun to see.  We like that family so much.

Happy Birthday Big Guy!

 

The Crab Pot

This was pretty cool.  Just after going to Serious Pie (thinking we would be on our own all evening) The Critic called saying his friend The Restauranteur wanted to take us to The Crab Pot!  I've never been and was looking forward to having FIT try it out as well.  And thankfully The Big Guy wasn't starving which meant he MIGHT have a good attitude.

The Restauranteur ordered for us so I have no idea what feast we got -- but it was a LOT.  I asked if we could order chicken tenders for The Big Guy -- they were great when they eventually came out but he would have been fine with everything we had.

The big hit for all of us was the crab.  If we went again, I honestly think this might be all we need.  The Critic and I liked the cooked oysters (I had the raw ones as well... not bad... just raw oysters).  FIT even attempted... and failed... a raw oyster.  FIT kept spitting stuff out because "it had a crunch".  He liked the salmon skewers a lot (the rest of us weren't too impressed by them).  He wished he had clam chowder.  I ate the mussels and clams.  The sausage wasn't bad.  The potatoes and corn were obvious fillers and weren't anything to write home about.

It's funny to me how dressed up we got to go to a place that stood likely to stain our hands and everything else red! 

Fun part was that we got a mud pie and a rootbeer float the size of Texas for The Big Guy since it was his birthday tomorrow.  Totally tasty as well.  The rootbeer float could be passed on -- it's HUGE and no one could finish it.  Neat that it was "on the house" -- but really?  Everything was for us.  Which was a pretty special experience.

I've finally been to The Crab Pot!  And guess what?  It's a hit with the whole fam damily. 

Serious Pie

On a whim picking The Guys up from camp we decided to try out Serious Pie.  It was a little early for dinner but that turned out to be a good thing.  The Big Guy's quote is pretty spot on...

"It's not bad, but it's not the best pizza either."

At least now I can say I've been here. 

It's ok -- just not best for me and my kids.  The pizza "flavors" didn't really appeal to us and we ended up getting the basic cheese (which The Big Guy wasn't even a fan of the buffalo mozzarella cheese for goodness sake!).  Thankfully it was happy hour so we got a small amount for half price.

Here's something interesting.  The Big Guy opted for a "house made blackberry soda" which the server assured us was incredibly good.  TBG took one single sip and declared "I don't like it" which kind of frustrated me and I thought he was just being, well, himself!  I took a sip and admitted there was an odd flavor I recognized but couldn't quite place.

FIT tried it of course and said it was "pretty good" but after a few sips even he was done with it.  I kept trying to place it and it finally came to me.

Apple cider vinegar.

Once I passed this on to The Guys the FIT said "Who would put apple cider vinegar into their sodas??? That is just Ca-RAZE-ee!!!  I mean... cuckoo, cuckoo, cuckoo." 

Yep.  Not best for my kids. Their palates are just not that sophisticated yet.  Come to think of it, neither is mine I suppose. 

Ristrettos

Stopped in for a brief lunch during a work training. I wanted some fresh food and happily remembered I have wanted to taste food from this interesting place.  I got the strawberry salad which has intrigued me the two times I have been in the restaurant but I never ordered it. On the menu I thought it said it had goat cheese -- and maybe it was -- but maybe it was feta? It seemed feta-like. It wasn't bad -- it was certainly very fresh.  But the overall flavor was too sour for me. Don't get me wrong -- I didn't want too sweet -- just sweeter.  It wasn't my favorite, but I certainly have had worse!

Carino's

We headed up to Bellingham for the weekend and got stuck in MAROR traffic the whole way, so rather than push it all the way up we decided to stop at Carino's in Mt. Vernon.  The great news is that The Dad was able to join us -- always a treat.

I had the wedge salad which I have always enjoyed -- I shared some with The Dad who agreed it was delicious and even had enough for leftovers.  Surprisingly, this wedge salad is equally delicious even two days later! 

Gotta love that they have diet coke -- unless you're The Big Guy.  His main problem with that means no rootbeer.  Diet coke means Barq's rootbeer.  Barq's has bite -- aka caffeine.  Which is kind of a no-no when you're nearly nine.  But his luck was that they had bottomless Italian sodas!  Score!  He had peach and vanilla and FIT had cherry twice (I think).  All were big hits -- no cream.

Main course for me was the bowtie pasta.  I like it a lot but it probably isn't the healthiest option.  I broke The Critic's heart when I asked if he was getting The Cuban -- turns out I had a different specials menu that was outdated.  He got a chicken parm panini and liked it fine.  He asked for the Parmesan fries and I'm pretty sure he didn't get those.  The Dad got the jambalaya and gave me a taste -- very tasty!

For The Guys it was bowtie pasta for The Big Guy, plain, with a meatball.  He didn't really like the meatball so hopefully posting this will remind us of that the next time we go.  FIT got spaghetti with butter and Parmesan which he said was fine -- but not as good as Old Spaghetti Factory.

Love this restaurant and how convenient it is when we head to Bellingham.  Bonus is that there was PLENTY of space for us to park, even though we were pulling the boat.

Sport

Can't remember what I wanted to post about this except to say that, contrary to what The Big Guy wants to believe, he does NOT LIKE JALAPENOS!!!!  And I have eaten more jalapeno things as a result of this not being able to get through his head.  The stuffed jalapenos here are spicy!!!

I have a note that we tried the uber bacon -- which I think was good.

We just learned that this is owned by the same people who do John Howie!  Also known as tempura bacon.  Explains the love of the uber bacon.

They have garlic fries!  Like stadium garlic fries!  Which is uber important if you are The Big Guy.

As for me, well, I'm not a fan of diner food in general.

Little Caesar's Pizza

Nothing says Little Caesar's Pizza (Pizza) to me like cheese stuffed crazy bread.  Recently while in Bellingham I found out they don't make it anymore!  Unless it's a special request -- yes, I would be willing to wait.

No one in our area does that... and believe me I looked.  But we have learned to have the go-to $5 carryout pepperoni and/or cheese special.  It certainly makes for an easy and inexpensive dinner that feeds everyone (my waistline must choose to make my own salad/veggies more than eat the pizza).  It's a great choice for a birthday part (cheap) or even to take to my softball games (easier than Subway).

Not too long ago we discovered the deep dish version and, while not as cheap as the carryout special, it is definitely preferred by all members of the family.  I will find that it can be a bit raw sometimes, but somehow that just makes it taste cheesier -- weird.  When we go this route, we usually get a pepperoni and a half cheese, half Hawaiian -- as long as there isn't a ham shortage which there was for a very long time for a while there :-/  Anyway, check it out -- this is good stuff! 

Grill from Impanema

Every time I think that the Guys' food taste is for the birds -- let's be honest, the BIG GUY'S tastes -- I remember that this is one of our favorite spots to frequent.  This is the definition of a treat because it is SO expensive.  Without the kids' pricing and a coupon it could easily cost us $240 a night to eat here.  And I can cook a lot of food with that amount of money. 

Luckily they have a kid's price.  And luckily one or twice a year a Groupon or Living Social deal pops up and I get the max number I can and we enjoy a meal here for a "fraction" of the cost -- which is still nearly $100.  But the food is so so good and we all love it.

First there is the salad buffet where the guys could easily consume their weight in fruit and salami.  I could live and I mean LIVE on the hearts of palm soup which is to die for in my opinion.  I wish I knew what I love about the soup but who cares?  That soup creates happiness in my world every day.  And the mashed potatoes are SO good.  Not so much on the grits -- you can't win them all.

And then the meats come around and you either yay or neigh it with your little red and green card.  In general, it's easier to list what I don't like rather than do.  So for me I pass on the spicy sausage (it just doesn't have a flavor that appeals to me), any meat cooked with provolone (nuff said -- it's becoming more of my nemesis each day), and I'm not partial to the chicken because there are usually bones in it.  Never have liked bones with my meat. 

Favorites?  The parmesan pork ranks up there, as does the rib eye and, oh, most of the steaks. 

And then there is the grilled pineapple!!!  This is my love-hate relationship (same with The Big Guy) because while I could eat my weight in it and not bat an eye my tongue universally disagrees.  Allergy appointments coming up should answer the question of if it is the pineapple, the cinnamon, or both, but it becomes and immobilizing experience for us.  Which is so sad... because it is so good!  Ah well, until we need an epi-pen I suppose we'll suffer in silence. 

Someday I'll post pics but I rarely get them because, let's be honest, I'm always in too much of a hurry to eat at this place.  And the sizes of the portions are tough to photo -- but the good news is you can always get more until your tummy says enough is enough!

Mexican in Bellevue

Old Country Buffet

Just the guys and me tonight -- can't resist the pleading in their eyes when they ask if they could come to the old people buffet -- I mean country. No matter how many times I convince myself there is something good about coming here I am always -- always -- wrong. Today was no exception but I convinced myself that being a Thursday makes it better. Kids eat for 99 cents on Thursdays which should make all the difference except that it will STILL cost us nearly $20 to eat here. That's just too much when I know my food costs all too well. I think there is a fine line both under a certain age and over a certain age that appreciates OCB. And let me assure you -- 41 does not fall in that range. Oh well. Happy kids and I get to use at least a month of "we just went there".

P.S.  The $10 each balloon man has got to go. Every. Single. Time. I need to be asked about balloons. No. No. NO!!!

Bai Tong again

This time we went with our intern (The Fourth Intern) and her parents.  The Big Guy was on a trip with Nana and Papa, but FIT came along.  We got the standards -- Pad See Ew, Massamung curry, Moo Dae Dew, crispy garlic chicken, and "brown" (red) rice.  We also tried a new thing -- the yellow curry fried rice.  The Critic surprised me because he really liked it!  We ended up getting a second order of crispy garlic chicken because everyone loved it and a second order of pad see ew because, well, FIT. 

This was also our farewell swan song to The Fourth Intern.  Gonna miss her smile and fun spirit around our house. 

Gotta love a good Bai Tong visit.  It's been a while.

Cheesecake Factory

We went as a family -- wished I'd blogged about the last time I went because I can't for the life of me remember which shrimp dish FIT and I shared and I kind of wanted it again.  But I was pretty sold on the tuna tar tare which I LOVE... and our server actually talked me out of it.  Shame on me.

I know better than to order a cheesecake salad.  But I saw their picture of the Luau salad as we came in and was intrigued.  I asked how big it was and she said "a pretty good size, but it's delicious... it's my favorite thing here."  Hearing the first part I knew I'd go for the tar tare but she kept insisting "Are you sure?  It's really delicious.  You really will love it."  What is wrong with me???  It came out -- huge, of course, and not nearly as delicious as she insisted.  I ended up eating less than a third of it and had to make an excuse not to take it home.

But they were redeemed by the cheesecake!  The Big Guy was all too eager to tell us he does NOT like cheesecake but he was intrigued by the s'mores one.  It was amazing!  Highly recommend and it's a good dessert for our family to share. 

Kukai

I have a culinary bucket list.  I didn't realize this, but I do.  Among other things on it I would like to eat hand pulled noodles.  I think I finally found a place to do that.  But today was a chance to check off a different type of bucket list item.

I got to be a part of a soft restaurant opening!!! 

Our whole family did and we loved the experience.  How cool to go into a restaurant and get a chance to really experience it -- and feel like what I think actually might make a difference.  It was really cool.

The Critic is friends with The Restauranteur -- who truly is an investor and part owner in a new Kukai restaurant in Northgate.  This is a ramen restaurant and none of us have ever had ramen before -- guess that's another bucket list item?  He asked us to be his guests at the soft opening and we were happy to oblige.  What fun!

Below is most of the pictures of the items we tried and how, in general we felt about them. 

Chicken Kaarage:  Liked by most of us.  Unusual and would definitely order again. 

 

Chicken wings:  A really unique flavor -- bright lemon that you don't expect from wings.  NICE crispy skin.  Enjoyed by half of us.  I liked them!

Agedashi Tofu:  Several years back The Critic and I vacationed in Grand Cayman and stayed at a place with a Japanese restaurant right downstairs that had the most amazing agedashi tofu and broth.  We ate it every day of our vacation, no joke.  And never tired of it.  The problem with finding a spot like that in the middle of the Caribbean is that you constantly spend your time searching it out and find yourself sadly disappointed.  6 years or so later and I still miss that flavor!  This broth is very close, but the tofu is not "the right consistency".  The Guys were completely unimpressed.  The Critic and I probably wouldn't get this again... the quest continues I suppose.

 

Vegetable tempura:  Quite tasty, especially when dipped in the agedashi broth.  Not sure what all we were eating but we enjoyed it!  Would probably get it again, though it's no different than any other vegetable tempura we have had before.

 

A late order and suggestion by The Restauranteur -- Takoyaki Octopus Dumplings.  Neat to try once, but not anyone's favorite, though we all did have a bite.

Bring on the ramen!  I think this was The Big Guy's spicy ramen.  He enjoyed it, which really surprised me.  Most of our experience involved tasting each other's soups.  This was definitely a good one.

 

I think The Critic got the garlic tonkotsu shoyu ramen, but I can't be certain.  But it was great! 

Low sodium shoyu ramen for FIT.  Also very good and enjoyed by all.

For a different experience, I got the Tsukemen dipping noodles with the thick pork broth base.  I added bean sprouts and upgraded to the pork belly.  This is the one dish I personally wouldn't get again.  The broth had too much of a miso flavor and the noodles ended up sticking together.  I couldn't easily "dip" the noodles and in order to get a different broth I would have had to order a whole new plate.  They tried to mellow the sauce with broth but it was still too miso-y.  Oh well!  You can't win them all!!

All in all a very fun experience, right down to the mochi that The Restauranteur let us try (green tea, no thank you, mango, interesting) and the Drumsticks he gave to The Guys which were as big as their heads.  And of course the fun of mouthwash in the bathroom!  We even saw someone attempt the $30 ramen challenge and got to peek in the kitchen to watch the broth simmering... We'll definitely be back, but not often.  I recently read an article which talked about the fat and sodium levels in traditional ramen.  And let me be clear -- you don't even want to know!