Mango Thai

Okay, okay, okay.  I hear you already.  You're thinking why don't we rename the blog to talk about our Thai food addiction.  Here's the thing though, this wasn't our pick of where to go tonight.  We were invited by our house guest as a farewell to Washington dinner.  And she loves Thai food!  Did she pick the right family to live with for the past 3 months or what?  And on top of all that, Thai food is just unbelievably delicious.  If you don't already know this, you need to get some.  Call me up!  I'll take you to good Thai food.  I promise.  You'll be hooked as well.  So with that, I give you our dinner at Mango Thai.

Restaurant name: Mango Thai
Food type:  Duh, Thai!
Category:  Our first time going.  K gave us insider tips though, as she had been there with her sister.  Hmmm... the gal from IN introducing the WA family to a Thai restaurant in Seattle.  Talk about a switch-up!
Location:  SeaTac, Washington
Reason for dining out:  Farewell dinner for K
Bonus features:  The Guys also ate a good dinner which still surprises me.  Granted I had packed a ton of snacks to get us through, just in case.
Food ordered:  Sate flight, fresh rolls, Pad Sei Ew (one star), Muu Saam Chan, chicken cashew, cod curry, and both brown and white jasmine rice
Items of inspiration: None.  The food is just too delicious and I would never be able to recreate it. 
Chance of repeat visit:  Absolutely!  A GREAT place to stop if you're picking someone up from the airport. 

K has been living with us since May.  The original plan was she was going to stay until the end of September, but she was fortunate enough to get a great job which starts in a little more than a week and, well, we reluctantly said goodbye to her sooner than expected.  This is the second time we've housed someone for the summer.  They work for World Vision, a non-profit Christian mission based organization, and the internship is unpaid.  So we open our home to one intern each summer and, in exchange, get a little bit of babysitting.  But the real benefit is that we make a new friend for life, one who The Guys love and both The Critic and I enjoy talking with late into the evenings.  It's just NICE to have another person in the house.  We have been so fortunate with both experiences and plan to continue as long as we are able to do so in the future.

So this is our swan song for K.  She went to this place with her sister back when we were in Texas and has been looking forward to going with our family, as well as taking J... her boyfriend who was flying in for the trip back. 

The food was DELICIOUS!  We all thought so.  The decor is super swank but they didn't look at us like we had a third eye for bringing in our two Guys with us.  And it is literally steps from the airport.  Very convenient!

Sate flight:  6 skewers of meat, 2 each of chicken, pork, and lamb.  By far the lamb is the best.  Not gamey at all.  It also comes with a couple fresh salad sides, including a cucumber salad which was really good and some pickeled kim-chee"esk" stuff that wasn't spicy, so I can't really call it a kim chee.  The sate sauce is beautifully presented on a white plate and has such a rich color it's nearly orange!  Deep delicious flavor that has obviously been in the works for a long time.  This place takes sate and makes it special. 

Fresh rolls:  In general, our family isn't spring roll eaters.  The Critic can't eat raw green vegetables which, well, makes for a challenge with them!  But this was K's favorite dish from her first visit, so it was imperative we get them.  I thought they were really good, and the kicker is that The Little Guy kept eating and eating them!  Score!  The dipping sauce for them was HEAVEN!  Very flavorful with a sweet/spicy sauce and crunchy nuts in it.  Mmmmmm...

Next up, the ever necessary Pad Sei Ew.  Before we went to dinner I talked with The Little Guy and said, "If you could have one thing for dinner tonight what would it be?"  He said, "You know!"  When I pressed he said, "It's flat...... and it has NOODLES...." And then proceeded to sing the Pad Sei Ew song again (I love that song!).  This particular one was wonderful and met all expectations. 

Both the chicken cashew and the cod curry were ordered by J and K.  They were both quite tasty, fairly typical for what you would expect.  This was my first time having cod curry.  Always good to try new things!

Finally, the Muu Saam Chan.  Oh. My.  I ordered it based on the description thinking it would be like Moo Dade Deaw at Bai Tong, a dish which The Big Guy will eat.  What we got was quite a bit better, as far as the meat goes.  Here's the description:  Crispy pork belly with Chinese broccoli.  Crispy pork belly!  Pork belly!!  Have you had pork belly?  It's just delicious.  This is no exception and with the caramelizing of it to make it crispy, well, as The Critic said, it's meat candy.  The Chinese broccoli is really bok choy, which was a bit too bitter for my taste.  So mostly I (and the rest of us) just picked out the meat candy.  Mmmmmm... very very good.

Definitely a good experience.  The only disappointment is that eating here signifies that K really is on her way back home.  We wish her the best and thank her for being in our family for the past 3 months.

Romio's Pizza and PASTA!

It was not my intent to eat out again today.  I was actually looking forward to Thai leftovers for lunch, but I needed to be out of the house while some work was being done and, well, I was hungry!  So I went to Romio's again but for pasta this time... their four-cheese baked spaghetti.

Restaurant name: Romio's
Food type:  Italian
Category: They know us when we walk in the door.  Literally!  She asked why my family wasn't with me and it made me happy.
Location:  Renton, Washington
Reason for dining out:  "Hangry" me... and needed to be out of the house
Bonus features:  Being recognized as a regular was REALLY fun.
Food ordered:  Four-cheese baked spaghetti which comes with a garden salad (I had bleu cheese dressing and no olives) and garlic bread.  Plus a diet coke.
Items of inspiration: Adding feta to spaghetti is delicious
Chance of repeat visit:  Absolutely, but I think I've OD'd on this spaghetti and will stick to pizza with the fam.


This four cheese baked spaghetti is really something out.  First, it comes to you as an inferno.  It takes a good 10 min. before it's cool enough to think about eating.  But the four cheeses make it so good.  I'm sure there's mozzarella and provolone... guessing the third might be parmesan?  But the fourth is the yummy one... feta.  Apparently you can get it with cheddar.  I never have.  The feta adds a salty taste to it and it really does make it special.

The problem is that the spaghetti isn't as good as I remember it being, and this is the second time in a row I have been a bit disappointed.  It lacks salt, but even with that, it's just not as good as it used to be.  I'm paying more for a plate of molten four cheeses than the spaghetti underneath, which is kind of mushy and, unfortunately, tastes a bit like that canned garbage.  But this should be easy enough to recreate at home.

Incidentally as I'm typing this I have a recollection of an Italian restaurant that used to be in Fairwood about 10 years ago, where the Round Table Pizza is now.  It had something called the "Pizzasta" which was a combination of pepperoni pizza and spaghetti.  It was DELICIOUS and The Critic and I used to crave that.  We've never found anything like it anywhere else... Sad.

4-year-old Thai Fanatic

The Little Guy has always been our adventurous eater.  Maybe it's because he's a laid-back personality (most of the time).  Maybe it's because he didn't have food allergies and we didn't have to be particularly careful about what went in his mouth.  Maybe it's having an older, less adventurous big-guy eater to encourage us to do things differently.  Whatever the reason, when The Big Guy is away, The Little Guy and I go out to eat.  He's my Junior Coach Bag Foodie without a doubt.  So today for lunch we enjoyed a plate of Pad Si Ew.  I didn't know a 4-year-old could even say that without wrinkling his nose... but The Little Guy was in HEAVEN!

Restaurant name: Thai 65
Food type:  Duh, Thai!
Category:  This is lower on the "venture to Thai restaurant" list, but it's good food, not too expensive, usually quick service, and the location was right on this particular day.
Location:  Renton, Washington
Reason for dining out:  Date with my "Little Guy Foodie"
Bonus features:  Little Guy chopstick usage.  SO sweet!  They also had a bouncy rocking horse for him to ride while we waited for the food.
Food ordered:  Crab wontons and Pad Si Ew (no stars)
Items of inspiration: None, other than the chopstick hint
Chance of repeat visit:  More than likely, but probably as another date with The Little Guy.

We started with the crab wontons which had a cream cheese center.  They were good, but not fantastic and truth be told, we both would have been happier just having the Pad Si Ew.  So next time, we'll just get that.  He did say they were super crunchy and extra creamy and the sauce was yummy, but I think more shredded carrots on the side went into his mouth (not a bad thing of course!).

But then the main deal came out... the Pad Si Ew.  He was making up songs about Pad Si Ew... can you think of anything cuter?  I can.  The chopstick usage!  He never picked up his fork... not once.  The chopsticks are those lovely wooden, break 'em apart before you use them kind.  So I didn't break them apart!  They worked just like the plastic "M" looking ones you can buy.  He was in HEAVEN!  He ate three servings full and only stopped because we were needing to get on our way.  Most fun is how expressive he is and how he has everyone in stitches with how great the Pad Si Ew is.  It was moments like this that I hope to remember for a long long time.  Oh if only I could think of a way to post the Pad Si Ew song...

 

Canyons... among others

I had a reunion which makes blogging about our dining out experiences difficult.  While I ate out a lot, a lot of it was a bite here or there and I can't really remember the specifics (no, it wasn't the alcohol speaking).  I need to find a way to blog easily on my phone... my index finger just can't text that fast.

Anyway, the best story came from Canyons in Bothell.  The Critic likes to eat there for their corn fritters with honey butter which resemble the ones we get once a year at the Puyallup Fair.  This time around, they had a special of sea scallops.  I. Love. Sea. Scallops.  Probably my favorite food.  And I order it all the time, but I usually order it in a place that has a few more stars than a place like Canyons.  But I ordered it anyway.  And it was good, but just good.  It was as good as it could be in a place like Canyons.

Did I mention The Little Guy is a foodie-in-training?  Because he is.  Little stinker ate at least 1/3 of the dish, if not more.  And I couldn't even get mad because there is nothing like a 4-year-old saying "Mmmmmmmm!!!!  These scallops are the best scallops I have ever had!!!"  But hands down my favorite moment was when he said to our server (who asked how his macaroni and cheese was) in his adorable little high-pitched voice 4-year-old voice.

"Excuse me?  You need to know that these scallops are the best thing I've had at your restaurant! And did you know that scallops are my very favorite food?"

I think that server is probably still smiling.  I know I am!

A Little Pi for breakfast

Yesterday I had eye surgery.  First time in about 30 years that I can see without contacts or glasses... sort of.  Vision is coming back a bit slower than I had expected.  Nevertheless, this healing day gave The Critic and I a chance to spend a mid-week day together.  And with that, The Guys were at a vacation Bible school.  So we, of course, opted to go out.  Our place of choice is an adorable bakery in White Center that has an awesome story and personal connection.  3.14 bakery.  Get it?  Pi.  Ar ar ar ar ar ar...

Restaurant name: 3.14 Bakery
Food type:  Pies and other baked goods
Category:  We go here because of the owners... personal friends who are living out a dream.  The food is yummy, too.
Location:  White Center, Washington
Reason for dining out:  Date with my Critic... at breakfast time!
Bonus features:  Getting to chat with my good friend Jessica Haury who has opened this place to fulfill her dream
Food ordered:  Cake balls and sausage roll.  The Critic also had some coconut pie.
Items of inspiration: None... I'm not a baker!
Chance of repeat visit:  Absolutely... just wish it was a bit closer.

Here's the story behind 3.14, in a nutshell.  Jessica and I used to teach together.  She's still there, but at a Thanksgiving dinner where she provides the desserts, she mentions casually to her family that it would be neat to open a bakery someday.  Less than a year later, the doors of 3.14 Bakery open.  We were there on that first day, making just after they had closed up shop.  But being friends (and customers) we were graciously allowed in and The Guys still remember their cookies and "buttons" (don't you dare call them muffin tops!).

I recently saw a post from Jessica about how she was doing a field trip of baking apple pies and quickly arranged for my MOMS Club group to go on a field trip as well.  Trouble is, they picked a day when I can't make it.  I was sad, and then I saw a post about Jessica trying to figure out a fun way to celebrate their one-year anniversary.  How is it possible they have been open for a year and we haven't been back?  When the occasion presented itself, it was a no-brainer.  The Critic and I needed to head back.

You will never hear me say a critical thing about this bakery.  You won't find specialty wedding cakes with fancy fondant or huge monstrous decorations on them (at least not yet).  What you will find are cakes, cookies, pies, and other treats which taste homemade.  I can't tell you how much I love that in a restaurant.  It just doesn't have that commercial bakery feel.  And it's worth the drive.  I loved the chocolate cake balls most this time and I still remember the cupcake/icing we had a year ago.  Go!  And help my friend eventually leave her classroom to pursue her dream full-time!

McD's again

I figure its actually a sign of REALLY good parenting if the last day we went to a McDonald's was over a month ago, especially considering its summer and given the number of vacations we've been on.  But I didn't pack a lunch, spent the morning off playing with *my* friends, and had to make a last minute decision about lunch.  So I said we'd eat out one time this week, their choice of where.  Guess what they picked.  The Guys were thrilled to get some Smurf (or "Snurf", as The Little Guy calls it) toys.  I was okay with it because it was cool and indoors for a while.  But really, that food is just NOT good and should probably be outlawed. 

Restaurant name: McDonald's
Food type:  Oh please.  If you don't know... well, I kind of envy you.  Fast food.
Category: First Time Ever!  (yeah right)
Location:  Maple Valley, Washington
Reason for dining out:  "Hangry" Guys post VBS
Bonus features:  Really, there were none.  Cool air?
Food ordered:  Hamburger sans pickle (handed to The Little Guy) and some of a small french fry.
Items of inspiration: Really?  REALLY?  Do I really need to ask?  No!
Chance of repeat visit:  Never!  (yeah right)

Olive Garden

The Critic and The Guys were away for the weekend.  When they returned, we decided to do a dinner out.  Restaurant of choice this time... Olive Garden.  Surprisingly delicious if you don't go too often!

Restaurant name:  Olive Garden
Food type:  Italian
Category:  We have been known to eat there several times, yes.
Location:  Tukwila, Washington
Reason for dining out:  Famished and just back from vacation
Bonus features:  The Big Guy ate TWO kids' meals.  They comped us one.  That was a huge huge score for us.
Food ordered:  I got the mussels which is an appetizer, but got it as my entree.  Note to self.  The Little Guy loves mussels and will easily eat them with me.  No need to waste money on the macaroni and cheese he will only eat half of.  P.S.  The bread sticks are delicious when dipped in the broth.

We had a good time.  The food was very tasty.  Like I said, The Big Guy came with a hearty appetite which has me fearing for the teenage years.  I'm guessing this blog will take a drastic change at that point.  Either we won't eat out much as a family or The Critic and I will plan to eat out alone.  Or we'll take money out of the retirement fund.  One of those.

Anyway, the disappointment was largely around the kids meals.  They changed their menu.  Boo!  We loved this place for the kids' pasta with broccoli and grilled chicken.  I distinctly remember the day The Big Guy first had it and first started eating broccoli.  That plate of food was $5.50 which is pricey for a kids' meal, but since he loved it and ate every bite, it was worth it.  That item is no longer on the kids' menu.  Instead, they have "create your own pasta" for $5.50.  Pasta and sauce choice.  Then the protein (i.e. the grilled chicken in our case) costs an extra $1.25.  All kids' meals come with a side now, but the choice includes broccoli and grapes (and our kids will always pick grapes).  Oh, they could have chosen mashed potatoes.  Not sure where that idea came from.  So they got grapes.  There were 9 of them.  Really.  When the kids' meal came, I immediately noticed how tiny it was.  He wolfed it down before anyone could ask if we wanted a refill on our drinks.  Well, that gets me to the other beef... the service was HORRIBLY slow.  And that's saying something for me to think so!  Anyway, we ordered him a second one which he also ate all of.  By that time, everyone else at the table had finished and we just sat there waiting for his second plate of food to come.  It was quite sad, really.  He was SO hungry.

The good news is that survey that they put on the end of the bill that you never really do?  Yeah, I'll be doing that.  At this rate, my "Big" 5 year old will have to eat off the adult menu!

But the mussels really are delicious.  I do love those!