Background: I'm 28, with 12 years in the food/customer service industry, both in front and back of the house, an actor, outdoor adventurer and food sampler. I hesitate to call myself a food critic, as I'm more of a serial complainer, but I do love to praise a good plate delivered with genuine feeling. My strong suits: drinking just enough water, a sensitive tasting palette, a strong nose, empathy for waitstaff, and my instinctual inner gratuity calculator My vices are plain glazed donuts, pizza hut pan pizzas, milkshakes, cheese balls and beer, sometimes not all at once. I frequently try to get my daily vitamins and minerals, but all too often get swayed by some novelty dish or value menu item. That's right, I'm just like you!
Things are all new around here. For those of you who are new to my life and not just giving this a family/friend pity read, my husband Billy took a design internship a few months ago in Seattle. Having just signed our lease in Austin, I hung back to fulfill it, stay close to home, friends, family, familiar. I took a temp job with an old school chum and prepared to be a bachelorette, living alone for the first time. I have to admit, things were great, if not a little crazy. My sister and her beau moved in a few doors down, work was easy, friends were at arms reach, and my schedule filled itself. Then came June, and with it, Bill's 30th birthday. I traveled to Seattle to celebrate with him and a week later, we had convinced ourselves that this plan was a lot of hooey, unrealistic, loveless, and wasn't I having a little too much fun on my own down there in Texas?
So,
a new plan emerged, and now just over a month later, here I am in the pacific northwest, windows open with a cool breeze flitting through my hair-smooth and fuzz-free having found peace with sensible weather- waiting for Bill to get home for work. Hoping for more of this:
Driving up together from Austin, we packed a bag full of road food, plugged in the ipod with an audio reading of George R.R. Martin's Storm of Swords, (40+ hours of fantasy narratives) and got ready to spend some gas money. We drove west through Texas, New Mexico, Arizona (one of which gave me some great late night radio listening) and one fine morning I awoke to the distinctly different landscape of Southern California.
We did great, avoiding drive-thru food, planning our meals with friends along the coast of Cali. We ate Peruvian in Irvine with Patrick Sullivan for lunch, (samosas, fried rice dishes and a hyperactive waitress) and about 9 hours and a speeding ticket later, joined the Saenz's at "Straw", a carnival-inspired bistro in San Francisco. We struggled to get our order taken, but when our fried chicken raspberry jam monte cristo arrived sandwiched between a belgian waffle, all was forgotten. Also making waves at our table were the sweet tots (with bbq blackberry dipping sauce), the grilled cheese & tomato soup, and a salad I couldn't identify in the dark. I tried their Organic Sum'r Ale and Le Fin du Monde Golden Ale and was pleased with both. We were late at our table while they were closing, but they were happy to let us linger. The staff: not too cool, (though they clearly were way cooler than us) and not overly attentive. Straw made an A.
The next morning, showered (reborn) and hungry, we made our way through a sleepy San Fran and stopped at "Happy Donuts" on our way out. The cashier was lifeless, and if I'd had any waking sense would've watched the donuts she bagged up for me. Places like this are everywhere, and unless I've been fundamentally wronged or done really right, I don't yelp. Though they made a C- here, their profile has been slammed enough, and next time I'm willing to spend .95 on a single donut, I'll look to a more posh store front.
On our way through Sonoma county, we stopped at an unassuming but vibrant vineyard just off the highway and took three thousand pictures. Most of which conveyed our total breathlessness and looked like this:
California was a whirlwind of color, caffeine, ocean and Westeros. We drove through the Redwood National Forest just before dusk, and found it to be the most impressive part of our drive and maybe our lives. So far. Those trees really got us, like, in here. *Chest pump
Things are all new around here. For those of you who are new to my life and not just giving this a family/friend pity read, my husband Billy took a design internship a few months ago in Seattle. Having just signed our lease in Austin, I hung back to fulfill it, stay close to home, friends, family, familiar. I took a temp job with an old school chum and prepared to be a bachelorette, living alone for the first time. I have to admit, things were great, if not a little crazy. My sister and her beau moved in a few doors down, work was easy, friends were at arms reach, and my schedule filled itself. Then came June, and with it, Bill's 30th birthday. I traveled to Seattle to celebrate with him and a week later, we had convinced ourselves that this plan was a lot of hooey, unrealistic, loveless, and wasn't I having a little too much fun on my own down there in Texas?
So,
a new plan emerged, and now just over a month later, here I am in the pacific northwest, windows open with a cool breeze flitting through my hair-smooth and fuzz-free having found peace with sensible weather- waiting for Bill to get home for work. Hoping for more of this:
Driving up together from Austin, we packed a bag full of road food, plugged in the ipod with an audio reading of George R.R. Martin's Storm of Swords, (40+ hours of fantasy narratives) and got ready to spend some gas money. We drove west through Texas, New Mexico, Arizona (one of which gave me some great late night radio listening) and one fine morning I awoke to the distinctly different landscape of Southern California.
We did great, avoiding drive-thru food, planning our meals with friends along the coast of Cali. We ate Peruvian in Irvine with Patrick Sullivan for lunch, (samosas, fried rice dishes and a hyperactive waitress) and about 9 hours and a speeding ticket later, joined the Saenz's at "Straw", a carnival-inspired bistro in San Francisco. We struggled to get our order taken, but when our fried chicken raspberry jam monte cristo arrived sandwiched between a belgian waffle, all was forgotten. Also making waves at our table were the sweet tots (with bbq blackberry dipping sauce), the grilled cheese & tomato soup, and a salad I couldn't identify in the dark. I tried their Organic Sum'r Ale and Le Fin du Monde Golden Ale and was pleased with both. We were late at our table while they were closing, but they were happy to let us linger. The staff: not too cool, (though they clearly were way cooler than us) and not overly attentive. Straw made an A.
The next morning, showered (reborn) and hungry, we made our way through a sleepy San Fran and stopped at "Happy Donuts" on our way out. The cashier was lifeless, and if I'd had any waking sense would've watched the donuts she bagged up for me. Places like this are everywhere, and unless I've been fundamentally wronged or done really right, I don't yelp. Though they made a C- here, their profile has been slammed enough, and next time I'm willing to spend .95 on a single donut, I'll look to a more posh store front.
On our way through Sonoma county, we stopped at an unassuming but vibrant vineyard just off the highway and took three thousand pictures. Most of which conveyed our total breathlessness and looked like this:
 |
| Bill tries to act cool about grapes. But doesn't quite nail it. |
In the dark, Oregon was a complete disappointment, as was the Wendy's we decided on for "dinner." Next stop, Seattle. We wandered into Bill's rented room around 2 am, and the rest, dear readers, is unconscious history.
That was last week, what about Seattle has got us so excited this week?
 |
Well, everything.
If you hate flowers though, you're gonna hate this place. They grow out of the toilet.
 |
| Attibassi espresso will beat up whatever drivel you're drinking. |
We've dined on perfect pizza and Attibassi espresso at Tutta Bella. (Try the pizza bianca, or anything with rosemary. Or anything with crust.)
Great service, alluring plates floating by, choice seating, killer neighborhood. A+
Not so far away is Card Kingdom a store for geeks and their girlfriends. Sure, they're a licensed Magic the Gathering retailer, but they're more of a 7000 sq.ft. gaming paradise. Paradise you say?
Paradise. It's a well-groomed, friendly, polished shop with a bar tucked inside. Sure, they've got a few choice brews on tap (I tried the Fremont dark ale), meads and stouts for your friend in the cape and helmet, but their food menu is down right fancy. We'd just eaten, so we just ordered kettle chips and the 'green goddess', a tarragon-based aioli, and would do it again.
Great Happy Hour, excellent ambience, music, seating and bartenders, and a selection of games to rival anybody. See you next weekend, Card Kingdom.
A+
We visited the Center for Wooden Boats, where I plan to start volunteering, and took a free sail with a volunteer skipper. We learned some tricks, and got some sun, a rare and glorious thing. Free sailing, free sun, free coffee in the boat house and friendly volunteers.
A+
Yesterday we hit up West Seattle, a dreamy peninsula where we've rented a room in a 6-person house for the next two weeks. Met the housemates, took some dining suggestions, and went to Maharaja.
With some moral stretching I agreed to order the Lamb Vindaloo, and it was great. Really, Indian food is always a good idea, and I can't say I've ever been disappointed. We had the mushroom rice, naan and keema samosas. The server was young, handsome, spoke very quietly and was hopeful rather than pushy that we might try the chutneys with our rice. He seemed shy, a genuine person who adopts no airs to get through his shift as a server, and may have thought we were slightly retarded. For predictable atmosphere, tight booths and 45% clean bathrooms, Maharaja scored a B.
Since we're still settling in, there's lots more dining out to come. Come back!
Paradise. It's a well-groomed, friendly, polished shop with a bar tucked inside. Sure, they've got a few choice brews on tap (I tried the Fremont dark ale), meads and stouts for your friend in the cape and helmet, but their food menu is down right fancy. We'd just eaten, so we just ordered kettle chips and the 'green goddess', a tarragon-based aioli, and would do it again.
Great Happy Hour, excellent ambience, music, seating and bartenders, and a selection of games to rival anybody. See you next weekend, Card Kingdom.
A+
We visited the Center for Wooden Boats, where I plan to start volunteering, and took a free sail with a volunteer skipper. We learned some tricks, and got some sun, a rare and glorious thing. Free sailing, free sun, free coffee in the boat house and friendly volunteers.
A+
 |
| View from our balcony, come on over. (Before August 24) |
Since we're still settling in, there's lots more dining out to come. Come back!
2 comments:
Love the blog! Maharaja is good but try Bombay Grill in the U-District. Best Indian food in King County. And you're right--Tutta Bella is great.
Hilarious and precise. Keep up the reviews, I'll take you up on a few suggestions in two weeks when I try out this place you call "Seattle."
Post a Comment