kivarita's Profile
Trader Joe's Yea/Nay Thread - 1st quarter 2012 [old]
YAY - Trader Ming's Chicken and Vegetable WonTon Soup. I was surprised how much I liked this. From the frozen section, you add water to the bowl and microwave. It's generous on the wontons and skimpy on the vegetables, but doctored up with a little soy sauce and sriracha, it makes a perfectly good lunch.
Ground meat taco spices?
Alton Brown's Taco Potion #19 has replaced the Lawry's Hot Taco packet around our house. I pull back on the cornstarch a bit.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/taco-potion-19-recipe/index.html
Best Cranberry Sauce Recipe
I'll add two options as I usually alternate these year-to-year. Ina Garten's Cranberry Conserve (minus the raisins and walnuts) here: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/cranberry-fruit-conserve-recipe/index.html
A recipe I inherited from one of my college roommates' family:
Drunken Cranberries
1 pkg fresh cranberries
2 c. sugar
1 c. brandy.
Mix together all ingredients until sugar dissolves. Bake at 350 for 1 hr.
Good Pho on the Eastside - Jenny PHO
When we noticed the coming soon sign for Jenny PHO in Issaquah - we had a good chuckle - restaurant owners like to play on the pronunciation of pho these days -- What the Pho?, Pho King, you catch my drift.
But did we have a lot of hope for good pho out in the burbs? No. There's another pho place in Issaquah which we've heard such terrible things about we've never gone...and instead usually head to I Love Pho in Factoria.
First visit to Jenny Pho (late Nov/early Dec) we had the Pho Chin. Broth was ok - not as flavorful as I Love Pho and a bit light on the accompanying veg (only bean sprouts, Thai basil and jalapenos).Good enough, but not great. Service was fast and friendly.
Visit yesterday was a huge improvement (and it wasn't just the cream puff samples they offered us). This time we ordered the Pho Chin with extra veg and the broth was more full flavored and the carrots, snow peas, broccoli, mushrooms and celery added lovely texture to the soup and helped with the vegetable deficit we've been running up during the holidays. Haven't tried the vermicelli bowl yet, but it's next on the list once we get out of this winter weather.
Jenny Pho
1810 12th Avenue Northwest
Issaquah, WA 98027-8110
(425) 427-0057
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I Love Pho
3900 Factoria Blvd SE Ste C, Bellevue, WA 98006
What the Pho
10680 NE 8th St, Bellevue, WA 98004
Recipes You've Never Heard of Outside Your Family - Part 2
Beyond remiss in keeping this thread to a reasonable length. Starting anew for the new year.
Part 1 is here: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/285743
Have at it.
Report - Tutta Bella Issaquah
Friday night Wolf and I tried out Tutta Bella's new location out in Issaquah. Looks like Grand Opening might have been Thursday, but folks have been tweeting on it for a week. Either way, they're still early days. The place was packed at 7pm -- wait was about 25 minutes for two people. Not unexpected for a Friday night and for a brand new place.
So how was the 'za? Despite being certified by the Verace Pizza Napoletana Association, it's just ok. We had the Margherita with cherry tomatoes and the Tutta Bella (sausage). The Margherita was sloppy with the cherry tomatoes all thrown on one side of the pizza. Yeah, it's busy, but c'mon, take 5 seconds to evenly distribute the toppings. It's the details that will set you apart from the average pizza joint. Sauce was tasty (though watery) and the menu makes a big deal out of it being based on San Marzano tomatoes.
Bottom line, with Zeek's just opening in Issaquah as well and Extreme already established, we'll be giving Tutta Bella some time to get its bearings before we revisit. And probably heading to Via Tribunali in the city if we have a hankering for Neapolitan pizza.
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Tutta Bella
715 NW Gilman Blvd, Issaquah, WA
Looking for White Lily Flour in Seattle area
I've seen it off and on at Grocery Outlet (usually in Lynnwood) -- both the unbleached self-rising and the bleached all-purpose. GO also has White Lily quick grits and cornmeal fairly often.
Hot Cross Buns -- Seattle or Eastside?
Can anyone recommend a bakery in SEA or on the Eastside with good hot cross buns?
January 2009 - Grocery Outlet
I got the Immaculate Baking dough last month (been MIA for a couple of months as we moved to to Seattle so I've just been lurking on the GO threads :-) ) Anyway - triple chocolate chunk is the best of the lot --also tried oatmeal raisin and sugar (which I made into snickerdoodles). These aren't much good for noshing on raw...not like the TJ's choc. chip cookie dough.
BTW - while the selections are generally similar, I still think the Bay Area stores have an edge over the 2 I've checked out up here...
What did your Mom always have on hand, that you NEVER do?
Deviled Ham!!! Thank you califhsmom - I read this far down and was surprised no one had mentioned it yet.
It was my grandma who always had it -- horrible, horrifying stuff, that. I think she mixed it with mayo and slathered it on white sandwich bread.
Karage Chicken or Bento Box in Bay Area
Ramen Club in Burlingame usually has kara age as an appetizer for Saturday lunch (along w/ some tasty gyoza).
Crystal Springs Fish & Poultry - San Mateo
They closed for their summer vacation (usually just a week in August) and never re-opened. I went by today while paying a bill at Citibank and there's now a sign on the door saying it would "reopen soon under new management" and had a contact number. No more specifics than that...so we'll just have to see...
Eastside dinner for 20 recs?
You could also try Brix Wine Cafe in Kirkland (Juanita). I didn't love love love the food when we went last month, but they do have a private room that probably seats 15-20. Not sure if you wanted actual sit down dinner or just private space. Menu is such that they can probably work out something in the $30 pp range (without wine).
Grocery Outlet September 2008
Odds and ends today at RWC:
Wallaby Organic yogurt - 2 for $1 - strawberry guava and mango lime
Kettle Chips (organic) - 99 c-- lightly salted & chipotle BBQ
Naked Juice --99c -- chocolate banana protein shake
Good Earth tea (in a plastic jug -- 64oz?) -- $2.49
Back to Nature Cheddar Crackers (like Cheez-Its - no hydrogenated oils) -- $1.29
Mrs. Mays crunch mixes
The Almond Clusters are also good (best deal on 'em at Costco). I like to tell myself it's half the guilt (and fat) of the cashew crunch.
Mr. Kivarita also likes the Mrs. Mays Trio bars. They have as much fat as a Snickers -- some days, I'd rather just have the Snickers. ;-)
Grocery Outlet August 2008
Stopped in at RWC again yesterday. New finds:
Kettle Organic potato chips - lightly salted & chipotle BBQ - 99c (just in time for Labor Day BBQs!)
Aidell's organic cajun andouille sausage (chicken) - $3.99
Wesson "best blend" (canola & veg) oil -- $3.99
Coleman Organic Chicken Strips - $7.49. (7-8 strips in a bag. Had these for lunch today. Actually pretty good. Especially if you remind yourself that you'd be paying
about the same at McDonalds. I won't be making a habit of it, but at least you know what the ingredients are in these guys.) They also had buffalo wings. Might be a good shortcut for a game day.
Knudson light sour cream - 16 oz. container - $1.29
Grocery Outlet August 2008
RWC today:
Eden Organic tomatoes 14.5oz can - $1.49 (seems high?! - didn't buy these)
Eden Organic plum tomatoes w/ basil 28oz. can - $1.99
Sheer Bliss - chocolate, vanilla, vanilla w/ pom swirl and vanilla w/ blueberry and pom swirl -- $2.49
Sonoma Jack - chili cheddar cheese - $1.99
Aidell's cajun andouille (pork) and chicken & apple sausage- $3.99
Dreyer's/Edy's berry granola ice cream
Pepperidge Farm frozen rolls (reg. demi-baguettes, rosemary and olive oil) -- $2.49
Hawaiian Isles coffee (the ones you always see at the ABC stores in Hawaii) -- Kona Classic and Vanilla Macadamia (no price on shelf - $14 on the website)
Diet Snapple (multi-flavor flat) - $9.99 (24 bottles, I think?)
Polly O whole milk mozzarella -- $2.99
New Essn sodas (fuji apple, minneola tangerine, blood orange & cranberry) - 99c (exp. 2009) -- they still had some April 08 lemonade ones.
Virgin America (Airline) Eats
Yep, sorry. Should have mentioned we upgraded to first. The only time we got food gratis was when the entertainment systems weren't working in our row.
Virgin America (Airline) Eats
We just flew Virgin America from SEA to SFO and had some really worth mentioning airline food. I won't say it was actively delicious, but you go, "Hmm, that's really not bad!" For a lunchtime flight we had a shaved asparagus salad with goat cheese and then the main was a duck breast salad over spinach with raspberries, candied pecans and balsamic dressing. Other option was gemelli pasta with roasted red peppers and zucchini. Add to that in-seat entertainment and a pleasant flight crew -- and you've beaten the pants off of the other carriers.
Anybody else recently have something worth mentioning on Virgin America? I'd love to know what they're serving on the cross-country flights...
Eastside Report - Highlights & Lowlights
Just spent a long weekend on the Eastside and caught at least part of the heat wave Seattle was going through last week -- yay! Because of the 405-S closure over the weekend, we opted to ditch our reservation at Tilth -- so this is purely an Eastside report... Here goes:
Brix Wine Cafe (Juanita) -- We got in Friday night and opted for somewhere close to the hotel. Since it was a hot night, we thought we'd try and catch a table outside. DH and I split the caprese salad -- heirloom tomatoes were strangely warm -- almost hot -- but the cheese was cold, so we got over ourselves and ate it. I had the pulled pork sandwich -- if you're thinking you'll have a down home Southern pulled pork sammich, don't order it. The pork is beyond pulled -- in fact pulverized to the point of deviled ham consistency. I was bummed. The highlight -- the Charles Smith Kung Fu Girl riesling. Perfect for an 85 degree evening!
Cafe Juanita -- Despite another thread getting a lot of traffic right now on the board, we had a great experience. Could have helped that we had completely different items than the OP on that thread -- including a terrific papa al pomodoro soup, well seasoned and rich with tomato flavor. The prosciutto and summer fruit (melon & figs) was ok and the burrata with assorted fritti fine, but nothing to write home about. The goat cheese gnocchi with lamb sugo on the other hand -- excellent. I should have ordered the entree portion The lamb entree was also excellent -- it was served over some kind of hummus like puree.
George's Place -- Breakfast was good as usual. DH's greek omelette very tasty -- I love that they serve tzatziki with it. I was running around on my own later in our stay and had the gyro pita as well. It's served with an enormous greek salad. Good value.
Cactus -- Really enjoyed the navajo fry bread taco w/ carnitas. DH liked the butternut squash enchiladas (probably even better in season). If I'm really honest though, is it better than most El Torito's? Mmm, probably not, but in an area where there are so many chains, I'd rather support these guys (Just wait, I'll find out this is a chain, too. :-P) They also had a lot of interesting drinks -- including a non-alcoholic "Mexican lemonade" which adds jalapenos and cilantro to standard lemonade. Good stuff.
Pomegranate Bistro -- Great breakfast on Sunday morning. Ordered the shrimp and grits w/ scrambled eggs. Tasty and definitely generous with the shrimp. Would have been even better with an over-medium egg. Awesome coconut banana muffin. Got it to go and ate it two days later -- it was still moist!) Firebread also looked killer -- we'll order that next trip.
Bamboo Garden -- There were only two of us so there was a ton of stuff we would have liked to get...ended up doing hot and sour soup, green onion pancakes, dry fried spicy green beans (the hit of the meal), szechuan chicken. Even this was too much food for two people. Was trying to figure out which chicken dish is the one with the tingly szechuan peppercorns. If anyone knows, please let me know!
On the froyo wars, DH's vote goes to Ce Fiore -- he digs the raspberry-pomegranate.
And finally -- the other thing that has to be mentioned is the Mac and Jack's African Amber Ale.
A top notch beer out of Redmond -- and given the hot weather, we had a few of 'em at Zeek's Pizza. Zeek's is also pretty decent. We had the Wood Butcher. Only would have asked for it to be cooked a little more -- it wasn't undercooked - we just like the pepperoni a little more done.
Mac and Jacks: http://www.macandjacks.com/index.php.
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Brix Wine Cafe
9749 NE 119th Way, Kirkland, WA 98034
Cafe Juanita
Kirkland, WA, Kirkland, WA
Cactus
Kirkland, WA, Kirkland, WA
Bamboo Garden
202 106th Pl NE, Bellevue, WA 98004
George's Place
108 Kirkland Ave, Kirkland, WA 98033
Pomegranate Bistro
18005 NE 68th St, Redmond, WA 98052
Zeeks Pizza of Kirkland
124 Park Ln, Kirkland, WA 98033
Taprock Northwest Grill - Poulsbo
Wondering what the opinions are on Taprock Northwest Grill in Poulsbo. Checked the "What's Good in Kitsap" thread, but no mention of it there. Is that a sign? We have family in the area and ever since the Mitzel's burned down, I've wondered how it is. Price points seem in line w/ most chains -- is it any good?
Whole Wheat pasta best recipes
The specific brand of WW pasta makes a huge difference. Agree with Snorkelvik, Nemo and others who recommend the Barilla Plus. If you've got a Whole Foods nearby (Whole Paycheck discussion nothwithstanding), their store brand WW spaghetti is very good -- not as strongly flavored as some of what Trader Joe's carries -- and not significantly more expensive than Barilla Plus would be.
Have you ever successfully recreated a fast food or chain food item at home?
My latest "taste-alike" discovery is the enchilada sauce (in a bottle) at Trader Joe's. It's a different formulation than they had a year or so ago and it's a ringer for the red sauce Taco Bell puts in their bean burritos. You can make your own with some doctored up canned refrieds, shredded cheddar, diced yellow onion and the sauce. Same taste, without the guilt.
Grocery Outlet July 2008
I dunno -- that Blue Jack must not be doing well somewhere because RWC now has it in 3 different form factors. No pre-sliced this time, but there was a rectangle block, a circular chunk about 4 in. across and a triangular cut. I liked it fine, but I'm a much bigger fan of straight, stinky blue cheese. If I didn't have more than 1/2 a pkg of that pre-sliced still (I'm the only blue cheese eater in the house), I probably would have gotten one of the chunks to shred it up for mac 'n cheese.
Other good gets at RWC today:
Amy's bean and cheese burritos - $1.49
Edy's Slow Churned Vanilla Ice Cream Bars
Heinz Organic Ketchup (exp. Aug. 08)
High Plains Bison Meatloaf (frozen section -- 2 lbs. 2 oz) -- $4.99 -- Didn't get this, but thought I'd mention it since the bison burgers were popular this month.
Also some Coleman Organic frozen chicken nuggets. Didn't jot down the price.
Grocery Outlet July 2008
Not much new and exciting at RWC. But the best item today was:
Kettle Chips (organic) Chipotle Barbecue flavor - $1.29 for 5 oz. bag
I've bought these a couple of times at Piazza's -- I love them. It's not the Death Valley Chipotle flavor, but Chipotle BBQ. So it has that nice sweetness of a BBQ chip. For $1.29 that's about half off, I think.
Also had a bunch of Clif Bars and Luna Bars.
Clif Iced Gingerbread -- exp. Sept. 08.
Dinner in Belltown?
Though it won't help the OP because it's closed Mondays, I'd second cocktailhour above and say we had a good meal at Marjorie on Saturday night -- a great one for sitting out on the side patio and sipping mojitos. Shrimp and grits was good, blue cheese souffle nice, but Mr. K's hangar steak and the bourbon bread pudding were the highlights of the night (along w/ the mojitos).
We're out-of-towners with family near Seattle so we've been trying to get in one Seattle dinner whenever we visit. Did Dahlia Lounge and Cascadia last September and enjoyed that a lot as well (Dahlia more than Cascadia). A good plan is just to do drinks and sliders at Cascadia. Bar has a nice view.
Grocery Outlet June 2008
RWC had a few bottles yesterday in the AM. The way things move through that place, I'd bet you have to wait until next week. If they've got 600+ cases of it, I'm sure RWC will get some.
Grocery Outlet June 2008
Most interesting gets today at RWC:
-Amy's Indian Samosa Wraps (frozen) - $1.99 (good, a little dry. would be great if you had cilantro-mint chutney on hand)
-Stahlbush Island farms frozen marionberries - $1.99 (still had raspberries as well). The combo of the two plus some vanilla yogurt, apple juice and a banana made a killer fruit shake).
-Uncle Ben's Chicken and Herb pilaf -- 79c. Not usually a fan of Uncle Ben's rice, but we'll see how it goes. It's a relatively small pkg, but looks like it would feed two.
Grocery Outlet June 2008
At RWC:
Pom tea - large size, went up to $2.59
Pacific Foods Beef and Vegetable Broths (exp. Nov.08) -- 99c
Pacific Foods Chicken Broth (exp. July 08) -- 99c
Niman Ranch Chipotle Cheddar sausages - $2.99. (Didn't get - cheese always seems to be too oozy in sausages)
Popchips (sea salt) -- 99c (Like Quaker popped corn cakes, but in a thin sliver of styrofoam form factor)
Stahlbush Island farms frozen raspberries -- $1.99 (WF carries a variety of their frozen fruit & veg)
