Over the weekend we had the opportunity to visit with my folks and some friends of theirs, visiting from out of town. We learned that Skagit Valley has a "Farm Festival" which is sort of a combination between the tulip festival (only in the fall) and a bunch of pumpkin patches on steroids. The neat thing is just how varied the idea of "farm" around here is... there was an apple orchard, a winery, a dairy farm, and a shellfish farm, just to name a few. Our family had an incredible time at three farms and each founds something great to enjoy.
In the midst of it, we stopped for a break for lunch. I think this speaks well to my interest in this blog because it never even occurred to me to take pictures. In this case, it wasn't about the food -- it was about the people and the time with them. It just so happens that the food is also amazingly out of this world and worth the trip! I wasn't really looking forward to it. It seems like the kind of place that would be a typical heavy bakery and, quite honestly, I was concerned about The Guys' tastes and that they wouldn't find anything they liked. Well low-and-behold, they had a plain cheeseburger. And it came with a gingerbread boy! That made for one happy Big Guy dude... let me tell you! FIT didn't fare to poorly either. He enjoyed his first ever peanut butter and banana sandwich with a snickerdoodle the size of his cute adorable face. Precious. And delicious.
For me, I just decided on the garden salad. Remember when I said that I wouldn't blog about it if it wasn't blog worthy? Well, it was! A simple garden salad was AMAZINGLY fresh and delicious. I had the oriental dressing with was low-fat on the side, but came with exactly the right amount. I should have ordered it without the croutons but they were oh-so-tasty that I was okay that I forgot to ask those to be omitted. And the bread on the side, OH THE BREAD ON THE SIDE. That was so delicious. I highly recommend a stop here if you're finding yourself on that long drive between Seattle and Bellingham. Definitely tastier than I recalled.
And check out the farm festival next fall. With 16 blog followers, I'm allowed to let you in on that. Too many more people who find out about it so that it becomes, oh, say, the tulip festival, and I'll have to put that on my "that was a nice thing to do before the crowds showed up" list.
Sunday, October 7, 2012
Saturday, October 6, 2012
Bunk Sandwiches
There's an app for that.
Food Network has a new app. It's called "On the Road" and, among other things I have yet to research, it allows you to search by location for restaurants nearby that have been featured on Food Network shows. I need to see if there is something similar with Top Chef, but until then, this has already proven to be a useful tool.
A while back I watched an episode of The Best Thing I Ever Ate that sang the praises of pork belly Cubano in Portland, OR. I made a mental note that if we were ever in Portland, we would stop by. One, it's pork belly. And it is almost impossible to mess up pork belly (one unfortunate experience ruins the universal truth). Two, well, it's a Cuban sandwich. And that is probably the greatest love of the critic.
This weekend I found myself in Portland. I was at a convention where I opted to NOT pay the additional $10 for a box lunch. Oh what good planning on my part! Thanks to my handy-dandy phone app, I learned that Bunk Sandwiches is a mere 1.1 miles from my exact location! Guess what? I can walk a mile for a sandwich (and I can walk a mile back too... which is good because, well, it's pork belly and swiss and ham and bread a bunch of other things on the not-approved eating list). And that pork belly Cubano rings it at $8 or $9 and is more food than I could finish... so it just made good economic sense as well.
So I left the convention a teensy bit early for lunch, in case there was a line (there wasn't). It's not in the "best" part of Portland but it was safe enough to walk alone and it was a GORGEOUS day so that really can't be beat. And well, the sandwich, it was worth walking much further than 1 mile for.
I purchased two. One for me, and one for The Critic to eat once I got home that night. I remembered his without mayo. It was a DELICIOUS sandwich. I'll have to watch the show again to figure out what the smokey hit that came on occasion was. And to see if Chris Cosentino ordered it with the housemade cherry peppers (I didn't... but really thought about it). And there will be a repeat performance... only next time it will be on a Portland trip with The Critic. He deserves to enjoy that sandwich the way it was intended and not reheated 9 hours later in the microwave. Though he will be the first to tell you it was still delicious and well worth it.
Food Network has a new app. It's called "On the Road" and, among other things I have yet to research, it allows you to search by location for restaurants nearby that have been featured on Food Network shows. I need to see if there is something similar with Top Chef, but until then, this has already proven to be a useful tool.
A while back I watched an episode of The Best Thing I Ever Ate that sang the praises of pork belly Cubano in Portland, OR. I made a mental note that if we were ever in Portland, we would stop by. One, it's pork belly. And it is almost impossible to mess up pork belly (one unfortunate experience ruins the universal truth). Two, well, it's a Cuban sandwich. And that is probably the greatest love of the critic.
This weekend I found myself in Portland. I was at a convention where I opted to NOT pay the additional $10 for a box lunch. Oh what good planning on my part! Thanks to my handy-dandy phone app, I learned that Bunk Sandwiches is a mere 1.1 miles from my exact location! Guess what? I can walk a mile for a sandwich (and I can walk a mile back too... which is good because, well, it's pork belly and swiss and ham and bread a bunch of other things on the not-approved eating list). And that pork belly Cubano rings it at $8 or $9 and is more food than I could finish... so it just made good economic sense as well.
So I left the convention a teensy bit early for lunch, in case there was a line (there wasn't). It's not in the "best" part of Portland but it was safe enough to walk alone and it was a GORGEOUS day so that really can't be beat. And well, the sandwich, it was worth walking much further than 1 mile for.
I purchased two. One for me, and one for The Critic to eat once I got home that night. I remembered his without mayo. It was a DELICIOUS sandwich. I'll have to watch the show again to figure out what the smokey hit that came on occasion was. And to see if Chris Cosentino ordered it with the housemade cherry peppers (I didn't... but really thought about it). And there will be a repeat performance... only next time it will be on a Portland trip with The Critic. He deserves to enjoy that sandwich the way it was intended and not reheated 9 hours later in the microwave. Though he will be the first to tell you it was still delicious and well worth it.
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Specialty's Cafe
My definition of a worthy splurge.
Every time I go to Bellevue Square I get a happy tingly feeling at the idea of enjoying one of these mini quiches and today was no exception. It is simply delicious and I would much rather splurge on this than any sweet thing... or even any crunchy thing and that is saying something. Roasted veggies (I'm sure there are mushrooms in there but I just pretend they are eggplant) which include broccoli and carrots and "eggplant" and onion. A fabulous cheese that is a tasty Swiss I think, but might have some parmesan and a few other things I'm not sure of, and eggs and flour to hold it together but not give it a pie crust because that would just detract from its awesomeness. I do love this. I am so glad that I infrequent Bellevue Square and this remains a splurge I can have.... rather than one that will jeopardize my 25 (YES, 25!!!!) pound loss over the past few months.
I am told I cannot think of food as a reward, nor as a reward or a treat or any other intrinsically valued item. And I don't. But this isn't food... this is a worthy splurge!!!!!
Every time I go to Bellevue Square I get a happy tingly feeling at the idea of enjoying one of these mini quiches and today was no exception. It is simply delicious and I would much rather splurge on this than any sweet thing... or even any crunchy thing and that is saying something. Roasted veggies (I'm sure there are mushrooms in there but I just pretend they are eggplant) which include broccoli and carrots and "eggplant" and onion. A fabulous cheese that is a tasty Swiss I think, but might have some parmesan and a few other things I'm not sure of, and eggs and flour to hold it together but not give it a pie crust because that would just detract from its awesomeness. I do love this. I am so glad that I infrequent Bellevue Square and this remains a splurge I can have.... rather than one that will jeopardize my 25 (YES, 25!!!!) pound loss over the past few months.
I am told I cannot think of food as a reward, nor as a reward or a treat or any other intrinsically valued item. And I don't. But this isn't food... this is a worthy splurge!!!!!
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
The Armory
You have probably assumed I fell off the face of the earth, right? Not quite... just not eating out like we used to. My plan is working well... down 22 pounds a bit. I still have a ways to go but all in good time, my pretty, all in good time.
I now get to eat two days on my own. This week we had tickets to see the King Tut exhibit at the Pacific Science Center (last time it will ever be here, or something like that). So we planned to eat at the Seattle Center House. What? What's that you say? I swore I'd never eat there again? Absolutely right... until they gave it a swanky foodie makeover and called it The Armory. Now THIS I had to check out...
First, the proprietors are updated, many of them spinning off from some of my favorite food trucks/Seattle restaurants. I was most excited to hear that BigFood would be there... and probably most disappointed to hear that they didn't have the same menu, including their fabulous flatbread. I had dreams of this that were quickly squashed. But I had also heard from a friend, we'll call her The Volleyball Player, who said a friend set up a new place called Bean Sprouts designed for those looking for a healthy option for kids. Walking in also saw names I recognized like Mod Pizza and Skillet Counter. And a bunch of new places I'd never heard of before. All of it looked fresh. All of it looked swanky. And all of it looked metallic and shiny and new.
The Big Guy was the first to ruin the illusion. "I want Subway". Yep. One of two old standards, the other being Quincy's burgers. Which is what he got. Fine. We all know he doesn't appreciate interesting food. I still have my little FIT to get involved in the foodie scene. Off to Bean Sprouts we go!
Bean Sprouts was cute. It resembled those Bento lunches everyone is pinning these days. FIT picked something called an "Apple Apple Bo Bapple" which had apple slices, cheddar cheese slices, and a parmesan dressing, all on whole wheat bread shaped like an apple. All organic, of course. And side options included FIT's favorite "Edamommy". Seemed like a win-win-win! Not quite though... the dressing was very strong, which sort of took the appeal away from anything it touched. And the edamommy was cold, which is a Cardinal sin in his book. So it definitely wasn't a favorite. He was excited to go back and get a cake pop for dessert, as was The Big Guy... he picked a chocolate cone with teddy grahams and other stuff on a cone... until he realized that it was chocolate hummus. Um, he passed. Surprised? Me either. When we asked about the chocolate hummus she gave us a chocolate chickpea cake pop. FIT tried it and was not a fan. The Big Guy of all people thought it was awesome and loved it. All in all I don't think we are Wallingford enough for a place like Bean Sprouts... but I'm still glad its there.
The Critic enjoyed a meat pie via a pie place whose name I can't recall because the Blogger app didn't save my most recent notes. :-/ (I have a love/hate relationship with that guy... it also removed my location. Hmph...). He thought it was quite tasty.
I headed to the aforementioned Big Food to get (which turned into NOT get... did I already mention that?) my flatbread. Instead I got a small side of mac and cheese with bacon and what I tasted of it was tasty, but most of it went to the FIT. Sometimes you have to to take one for the team. The Critic did get me a sample of their rosemary-balsamic lemonade. This was quite intriguing to me as The Critic was quick to point out... I consume balsamic like its going out of style these days. The calorie plan I am on allows for unlimited vinegars as a flavor enhancer and I have found all sorts of applications for the glorious balsamic vinegar... adds a ton of flavor without the calories. So yes, I was certainly intrigued. But I hate to "drink" my calories so lemonade wasn't in the cards for me. Ah, but a SAMPLE... that would be fine. Here's the weird part. It tasted just like lemonade. Now for some, that's a great thing. But to me, I was really WANTING it to taste unusual... special... unique. I was so busy noting how much it just tasted like everyday lemonade that I kind of forgot to listen to him when he said it was sugar-free. See they added strawberry to keep the sugar out. And then the balsamic takes out the strawberry flavor. Or the rosemary? And the other did something else to neutralize it. It took so long to process all this that it was easily the next evening before I realized I *could* have had a glass without worrying about straying from my calorie-plan. But then I remembered it just tasted like lemonade... so I was okay with not getting it. Weird.
I went to Kabab for my dinner and got... what else? A kabab. A Kafta kabab. The meat itself was pretty good but the pita was sub-par for me... too thin and too tortilla-like. The sauce had no where to go but out and the lettuce on it was simply shredded iceberg lettuce and there was too much of it.
But a dinner anywhere within spitting distance of Skillet just wouldn't be complete without pie in a bowl. And as much as The Guys don't like it (they don't like the salt... which just shows that they don't know a thing about delicious food), The Critic and I can't resist it. So the evening ends on a delicious high note. And next time we will be happy to try out any of a dozen other places that we had to pass over this time.
My overall opinion on The Armory is that I hope it continues to evolve. It is not quite what I hope it will become. But it is amazingly improved over what was there before.
I now get to eat two days on my own. This week we had tickets to see the King Tut exhibit at the Pacific Science Center (last time it will ever be here, or something like that). So we planned to eat at the Seattle Center House. What? What's that you say? I swore I'd never eat there again? Absolutely right... until they gave it a swanky foodie makeover and called it The Armory. Now THIS I had to check out...
First, the proprietors are updated, many of them spinning off from some of my favorite food trucks/Seattle restaurants. I was most excited to hear that BigFood would be there... and probably most disappointed to hear that they didn't have the same menu, including their fabulous flatbread. I had dreams of this that were quickly squashed. But I had also heard from a friend, we'll call her The Volleyball Player, who said a friend set up a new place called Bean Sprouts designed for those looking for a healthy option for kids. Walking in also saw names I recognized like Mod Pizza and Skillet Counter. And a bunch of new places I'd never heard of before. All of it looked fresh. All of it looked swanky. And all of it looked metallic and shiny and new.
The Big Guy was the first to ruin the illusion. "I want Subway". Yep. One of two old standards, the other being Quincy's burgers. Which is what he got. Fine. We all know he doesn't appreciate interesting food. I still have my little FIT to get involved in the foodie scene. Off to Bean Sprouts we go!
Bean Sprouts was cute. It resembled those Bento lunches everyone is pinning these days. FIT picked something called an "Apple Apple Bo Bapple" which had apple slices, cheddar cheese slices, and a parmesan dressing, all on whole wheat bread shaped like an apple. All organic, of course. And side options included FIT's favorite "Edamommy". Seemed like a win-win-win! Not quite though... the dressing was very strong, which sort of took the appeal away from anything it touched. And the edamommy was cold, which is a Cardinal sin in his book. So it definitely wasn't a favorite. He was excited to go back and get a cake pop for dessert, as was The Big Guy... he picked a chocolate cone with teddy grahams and other stuff on a cone... until he realized that it was chocolate hummus. Um, he passed. Surprised? Me either. When we asked about the chocolate hummus she gave us a chocolate chickpea cake pop. FIT tried it and was not a fan. The Big Guy of all people thought it was awesome and loved it. All in all I don't think we are Wallingford enough for a place like Bean Sprouts... but I'm still glad its there.
The Critic enjoyed a meat pie via a pie place whose name I can't recall because the Blogger app didn't save my most recent notes. :-/ (I have a love/hate relationship with that guy... it also removed my location. Hmph...). He thought it was quite tasty.
I headed to the aforementioned Big Food to get (which turned into NOT get... did I already mention that?) my flatbread. Instead I got a small side of mac and cheese with bacon and what I tasted of it was tasty, but most of it went to the FIT. Sometimes you have to to take one for the team. The Critic did get me a sample of their rosemary-balsamic lemonade. This was quite intriguing to me as The Critic was quick to point out... I consume balsamic like its going out of style these days. The calorie plan I am on allows for unlimited vinegars as a flavor enhancer and I have found all sorts of applications for the glorious balsamic vinegar... adds a ton of flavor without the calories. So yes, I was certainly intrigued. But I hate to "drink" my calories so lemonade wasn't in the cards for me. Ah, but a SAMPLE... that would be fine. Here's the weird part. It tasted just like lemonade. Now for some, that's a great thing. But to me, I was really WANTING it to taste unusual... special... unique. I was so busy noting how much it just tasted like everyday lemonade that I kind of forgot to listen to him when he said it was sugar-free. See they added strawberry to keep the sugar out. And then the balsamic takes out the strawberry flavor. Or the rosemary? And the other did something else to neutralize it. It took so long to process all this that it was easily the next evening before I realized I *could* have had a glass without worrying about straying from my calorie-plan. But then I remembered it just tasted like lemonade... so I was okay with not getting it. Weird.
I went to Kabab for my dinner and got... what else? A kabab. A Kafta kabab. The meat itself was pretty good but the pita was sub-par for me... too thin and too tortilla-like. The sauce had no where to go but out and the lettuce on it was simply shredded iceberg lettuce and there was too much of it.
But a dinner anywhere within spitting distance of Skillet just wouldn't be complete without pie in a bowl. And as much as The Guys don't like it (they don't like the salt... which just shows that they don't know a thing about delicious food), The Critic and I can't resist it. So the evening ends on a delicious high note. And next time we will be happy to try out any of a dozen other places that we had to pass over this time.
My overall opinion on The Armory is that I hope it continues to evolve. It is not quite what I hope it will become. But it is amazingly improved over what was there before.
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| Apple apple bo-bapple (I don't know why it's upside down and I'm too tired to fix it) |
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| Options available at Bean Sprouts -- Kids size counter |
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| The awesomeness that is pie-in-a-bowl (as we call it) |
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| The Critic believes these are the best fries ever (Skillet) |
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| Kafka and Mac and Cheese side... Quincy burger plus cold edamame as well. |
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Palace Korean BBQ -- With Pictures!!
So the sand festival ended up being a bigger hit than I could ever ever EVER have predicted.
He dug in the dirt for 6 hours. 6 hours! After we left McGrath's we went back for what I figured would be a few minutes... and stayed 6 hours more. I absolutely could not believe it.
The Critic joined us at the competition and we oohed and aahed over the sculptures for the standard 15 min. and then set to work finding a place to eat in Federal Way because there was absolutely no way I would make it home for my delicious planned meal of braised chicken in mustard sauce over noodles with a warm leek salad (sigh... I was really looking forward to that meal. Now I have to wait until next week).
With no real options in sight The Critic hit a mental inspiration and searched for Korean BBQ. And there is one in Federal Way! Palace Korean Bar and Grill. I actually have a Living Social (or is it Groupon?) deal for that... in Bellevue. Guess we'll be going again at some point.
For starters, here is another food history connection. Years ago we went to The Roadhouse in Federal Way and reached a certain level of devastation when they closed their doors. And then, we found they still had their Everett location open and their was much rejoicing... until that fateful day. The day that we found out they too, had closed. So what's the connection between a midwest roadhouse that you throw peanuts on the floor and a Korean BBQ place? The location. Same building! I suggested that The Critic not mention it to The Big Guy and he didn't seem to notice. Hard not to... it really does look the same.
Until you get to the food. A while back we went to a Korean BBQ place with The Critic's good friend JB and his cute little family. And I forgot to take a single picture OR even blog about it. So I've been wanting to go again to get some shots for the ol' blog here.
Korean BBQ is a weird cross between Tepanaki and fondue. Basically they prep all your meats, bring them out raw, and you grill them yourself atop a charcoal thing in the middle of your table. Along side are a host of side veggies and salads that has who-knows-what in them (probably someone who is Korean or at least knows a lot about Korean cuisine). I usually try and sample each of them, find one or two that are pretty good, but the real star is the meat. Usually without sauce or lightly marinated, its really about the meat flavor mixed with the grill. At Palace they had an all-you-can-eat option that we went for. Here are a few highlights:
Ahhhh... meat coma.
He dug in the dirt for 6 hours. 6 hours! After we left McGrath's we went back for what I figured would be a few minutes... and stayed 6 hours more. I absolutely could not believe it.
The Critic joined us at the competition and we oohed and aahed over the sculptures for the standard 15 min. and then set to work finding a place to eat in Federal Way because there was absolutely no way I would make it home for my delicious planned meal of braised chicken in mustard sauce over noodles with a warm leek salad (sigh... I was really looking forward to that meal. Now I have to wait until next week).
With no real options in sight The Critic hit a mental inspiration and searched for Korean BBQ. And there is one in Federal Way! Palace Korean Bar and Grill. I actually have a Living Social (or is it Groupon?) deal for that... in Bellevue. Guess we'll be going again at some point.
For starters, here is another food history connection. Years ago we went to The Roadhouse in Federal Way and reached a certain level of devastation when they closed their doors. And then, we found they still had their Everett location open and their was much rejoicing... until that fateful day. The day that we found out they too, had closed. So what's the connection between a midwest roadhouse that you throw peanuts on the floor and a Korean BBQ place? The location. Same building! I suggested that The Critic not mention it to The Big Guy and he didn't seem to notice. Hard not to... it really does look the same.
Until you get to the food. A while back we went to a Korean BBQ place with The Critic's good friend JB and his cute little family. And I forgot to take a single picture OR even blog about it. So I've been wanting to go again to get some shots for the ol' blog here.
Korean BBQ is a weird cross between Tepanaki and fondue. Basically they prep all your meats, bring them out raw, and you grill them yourself atop a charcoal thing in the middle of your table. Along side are a host of side veggies and salads that has who-knows-what in them (probably someone who is Korean or at least knows a lot about Korean cuisine). I usually try and sample each of them, find one or two that are pretty good, but the real star is the meat. Usually without sauce or lightly marinated, its really about the meat flavor mixed with the grill. At Palace they had an all-you-can-eat option that we went for. Here are a few highlights:
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| Getting ready to cook! Those thin beef slices were pretty good if you charred the heck out of them... crisped them right up and they were like meat chips. |
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| Thin slices of beef and pork belly... at the bottom is some raw garlic that we grilled as well. |
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| The stars of our show... chicken and these awesome short ribs. Next time, this is all we'll get. |
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| Normally grilled shrimp is a huge hit in our household. These were not my favorite. Too hard to clean and had a very gulfy flavor to them. Still fun to watch them cook on the grill though. |
McGrath's Fish House
No pictures but a fun lunch out with my Big Guy while the FIT is on a trip with his grandparents. BG and I hit up the Northwest Sand Festival. Who knew? World championships and its in the parking lot of a mall... no where near the beach I might add. The sculptures were pretty cool but the highlight for BG was digging, digging, and more digging in a big sand pit. All that digging can work up an appetite for you, so we stole away to McGrath's Fish House on the opposite side of the mall.
McGrath's is a part of my own food history. I went to school in Salem, Oregon, where the original McGrath's was located. I think it has moved from its original location (or just franchised? I don't know). But even though that was "a couple" years ago I still remember their chowder. Every time my family came to visit, we would eat there for lunch. And dinner at Olive Garden. Olive Garden was a big deal back then because it was very rare to find it.
This time around I opted to skip the chowder and try the seafood stew. It was DELICIOUS! Maybe this is just because I haven't had a whole lot of restaurant food since May (and I am officially 20 pounds lighter as a result). We've had a BG birthday trip to Jimmy Mac's I forgot to blog about and I think I've done a Mama Stortini's run for gnocchi and marinara plus grilled chicken skewers (uh, YUM!). But it really is hard to find food that fits with my low-cal eating plan. This stew did the trick.
BG was thrilled as well because he got fish and chips, root beer (no diet coke for me means the root beer isn't Barq's... which he can't have), and to top it all off, a scoop of ice cream. Not just any ice cream... cotton candy ice cream! That kid was in heaven.
A perfect little break to head back to the sand festival.
McGrath's is a part of my own food history. I went to school in Salem, Oregon, where the original McGrath's was located. I think it has moved from its original location (or just franchised? I don't know). But even though that was "a couple" years ago I still remember their chowder. Every time my family came to visit, we would eat there for lunch. And dinner at Olive Garden. Olive Garden was a big deal back then because it was very rare to find it.
This time around I opted to skip the chowder and try the seafood stew. It was DELICIOUS! Maybe this is just because I haven't had a whole lot of restaurant food since May (and I am officially 20 pounds lighter as a result). We've had a BG birthday trip to Jimmy Mac's I forgot to blog about and I think I've done a Mama Stortini's run for gnocchi and marinara plus grilled chicken skewers (uh, YUM!). But it really is hard to find food that fits with my low-cal eating plan. This stew did the trick.
BG was thrilled as well because he got fish and chips, root beer (no diet coke for me means the root beer isn't Barq's... which he can't have), and to top it all off, a scoop of ice cream. Not just any ice cream... cotton candy ice cream! That kid was in heaven.
A perfect little break to head back to the sand festival.
Monday, August 20, 2012
Edited to add...
I did not, I repeat DID NOT forget the Big Guy's birthday. I just forgot to blog about it. I think it's because that was a night of living in denial for me. The Big Guy picked Jimmy Mac's and I planned to eat my favorite salad there and *maybe* one roll plus my big ol' Diet Coke, which isn't blog worthy since I already blogged about all those things. BUT maybe, just *maybe* I had a couple more than one roll... with honey butter, and some of The Critic's salmon... and a taste of a rib... or two tastes. Maybe. And maybe I meant to block out the off-plan night. But I did not, repeat, DID NOT forget my Big Guy's 7th birthday.
He's a picky eater, but he's pretty awesome.
He's a picky eater, but he's pretty awesome.
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