terrier's Profile
Where to buy meaty, local ribs?
Sorry, I meant spares. They were definitely spare ribs, tips still on.
Where to buy meaty, local ribs?
I've got a couple of St. Louis-style racks from the Swinery cooking (slowly) now. They are definitely closer to 3lbs each than 5lbs, so I may have been off in my earlier assertion. I still think the meat-to-bone ratio is pretty good, though.
Where to buy meaty, local ribs?
The Swinery and Rain Shadow Meats are my go-to butchers. For pork ribs, they'll both probably source from Carlton Farms (in Oregon) - good, consistent product. 5lbs is typical for a rack of spare ribs from them.
NY Foodie Looking For 1 Awesome Meal in Seattle
Canlis will treat you well, but if I had one dinner and a night to stay outside the city, I'd surely drive up to Willows Inn on Lummi Island. It's about 2 hours' drive (and a short ferry ride) north of Seattle and is exactly the sort of food and experience you can't get in New York.
If I had to stay in Seattle proper (don't want to drive, can't spare the time, etc.) I'd have oysters at Taylor Shellfish followed by dinner at Sitka & Spruce. They're essentially next door from each other in the same building, and also feature some of the best of what's produced locally. But really, I'd try to make dinner and a night at Willows Inn work first.
Awesome Vietnamese in International District (or downtown vicinity)
That's bò bay món (7 courses of beef,) a staple of Viet festive occasions. (See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B%C3%B2_7_m%C3%B3n)
It's good, but you can order any of the dishes in it a la carte as well. I'm deeply partial to Green Leaf's bò lá lốt, which I generally like to get in addition to a passel of other dishes over a leisurely lunch or dinner - ordering courses serially until you're full is a good way to go.
If you really want bò 7 món, though, Tamarind Tree's is better in my experience.
Falafel?
Halava comes closest, just be sure to specify exactly what you want on yours (I take pickles, harissa, and tahini) lest you end up with their default gloppy mess.
Also, every place in town here serves falafel that have been out of the fryer for more than 60 seconds - in most cases, they sit in a steam table for minutes or hours. This is a cardinal sin!
I really wish someone would open a Maoz franchise here. I imagine it'd do really well in Capitol Hill.
restaurant near the marriott courtyard lake union
The bar at Matt's in the Market would be a great choice - so would the counters at Sitka & Spruce, Seatown, or Lecosho, depending on what's convenient and available.
And food trucks near the Convention Center?
The crepe stand on pike street just outside the convention center is actually pretty good, unlike everything else within a block, fwiw.
restaurant near the marriott courtyard lake union
Cuoco & Brave Horse are about a block from Re:public - google maps says 0.6 miles walking distance from the Marriott Courtyard Lake Union.
Book Bindery is about 1.7 miles, Revel is 2 miles.
restaurant near the marriott courtyard lake union
Re:public is surely the best restaurant within a half-mile of that Marriott. (PNW/new american)
Cuoco is the only Italian worth mentioning close by, though the Brave Horse Tavern directly upstairs is much more to my liking.
Revel and Book Bindery are great recommendations, though not really what most North Americans would consider walking distance.
Ravioli?
The venison ravioli at Il Terrazzo Carmine are my favorite in town, if ravioli you must - but most of the time I'd rather go to Spinasse for other things.
Just Moved to Redmond from Boston -- Food Shopping Help Please!
I can't help much with the East side per se, but you should visit Big John's PFI (the retail location of Pacific Food Importers, wholesaler and purveyor to a number of local stores and restaurants) for anything imported in bulk (cheeses, olives, flours, specialty canned goods, dried pastas, etc. etc.) Seriously, it's worth the drive from Redmond; I'm not aware of any other outlet like it. (http://www.bigjohnspfiseattle.com/)
I also buy my spices at World Spice Merchants (just west of Pike Place) whenever I can - in my experience their product is usually much fresher than what's in the bulk section of the supermarket (or those wretched little pre-packaged jars...)
one meal downtown, with kids
Downtown with 2 young kids at ~5:30pm? Long Provincial, Lola, Palace Kitchen, or Local 360.
Long Provincial is Vietnamese, Lola is Greek-inspired, the latter two fall into the "Northwest/New American" bucket I suppose. All are good value for money, menus available online. (NB Palace Kitchen does not take reservations for parties smaller than 6 but before 6pm there's really no need for them.)
YYC Hound back for a visit.
Thanks for reporting back!
For what it's worth, my better half and i always order the tajarin at Spinasse with the ragu (not the sage butter) every time we are there. Something about that combo....
Coffee-wise, I've really been into Zoka's beans recently - might want to add them to your list for next time. Seattle Coffee Works - despite its tourist-friendly location by the market - is also worth a visit - they're super friendly and it's a good place to taste varietals.
Dim sum in Seattle
I just mean yum cha in the general sense of taking tea with some gao and bao in the morning or early afternoon. I know DTF is not Cantonese dim sum, but it fills a similar place in my day. Just throwing another option out there.
Dim sum in Seattle
Jade Garden in the ID, as others have said, if you're looking for cheung fan, turnip cake, etc. on steam carts.
I've pretty much switched to Din Tai Fung in Bellevue, though, for my Sunday yum cha. Really the only credible xiaolongbao in the area (and I really like their spareribs, braised beef soup, veg & pork wonton in spicy sauce, etc. as well.)
Pioneer Square/Qwest
1st & Occidental are parallel. The bus tunnel is between 4th and 5th ave S and Jackson & weller streets - but the Stadium stop on the light rail is closer to the Silver Cloud.
Personally, I'd walk up 1st but I realize not everyone likes walking as much.
Pioneer Square/Qwest
I typed up a nice long reply, but my browser ate it. I don't have time to recreate it all from scratch, so I'll give you the short version and recommend you use google to fill in the details:
You're at the Silver Cloud? A looong block south of there is a great bar called Hooverville, but don't bother eating there. To the north is Elysian Fields, a large and respectable local brewpub worth a visit if you like to try local beers (but that gluten intolerance...)
Best coffee in the area is at Zeitgeist, worth a stop.
Salumi is a block east and half a block north of Zeitgeist, lunch-only Tues-Fri and worth a stop if your schedule allows (look up this place, much has been written on it.)
Plenty of options in the Chinatown/International District further east on Jackson. I strongly recommend (in order of priority by my tastes, yours may vary:)
* pho at Pho Bac on 7th ave S. (Seattle is a great town for Vietnamese food, large local community.)
* green curry at Thai Curry Simple
* bo la lot & other goodies at Green Leaf (a more comprehensive Viet restaurant.)
(I'm sure you know, but viet and thai cuisines - where fish sauce is the staple seasoning - are generally friendlier to the gluten intolerant than those that use soy sauce.)
Browse at Uwajimaya but steer clear of the food court.
Not sure when your trip is exactly, but there are Sounders (Major League Soccer) games at one on Friday the 23rd, another Saturday the 31st, (both at 7pm.) Soccer is really big up here - the Sounders average 38000+ per game - and I recommend going to one if you have a passing interest - but also worth noting is that Occidental between Royal Brougham Way and King St fills up with food trucks a couple of hours before kickoff and some of them (notably El Camion - tacos de cabeza!) are pretty good.
Best way to Pike Place market is to walk north on 1st Ave. The walk up Occidental is nice as far as Occidental Square, but you should avoid the square itself after dark unless there's a Sounders game - it's normally an open-air drug market at night. 1st Ave is well-trafficked and very safe, day and night, provided you're not distracted by an iphone.
Business dinner/presentation for 20 people near convention centre
Try the Dahlia Lounge. Excellent restaurant and they have a private room that would suit.
http://tomdouglas.com/index.php/restaurants/dahlia-lounge/dahlia-lounge-private-dining
Where to buy seafood?
Can't help with the hierarchy of purveyors on the East side, but another vote for Mutual Fish.
Except... Taylor Shellfish has a retail store in the Melrose Market that's really worth a visit if you're specifically looking for local bivalves (i.e. oysters, clams, mussels, geoduck). (They'll also shuck for you there - and serve beer. No shucking fee during happy hour!) I really like that place.
86 Spring Hill, Welcome Ma'ono Chicken & Whisky
We went on Monday. We'd actually reserved the fried chicken dinner a couple of months ago, back when they were called Spring Hill and the chicken was a Monday-only thing.
Conclusion: I miss the old Spring Hill. The food we ate was good (kalbi app, manapua, chicken dinner) but I don't see us going there monthly like we used to. Prices are the same (high, albeit for a high-quality product) but the new menu is smaller and doesn't appear to be terribly seasonal.
Also, it's a huge error to name your place "Ma'ono Chicken & Whisky" and not have enough chicken to serve everyone. Friends of ours went last week & had a reservation - but because they hadn't reserved the chicken, specifically, at the time they made it, no chicken for them. Absolutely a bone-headed move.
The minor changes to the space are fine, but I really hope they cut their losses and return to the old concept before they alienate all of their old regulars.
Teriyaki: The Best of a Local Phenomenon
FYI, Okinawa has moved to the corner of Spring & Western, about a block from its old Alaskan Way location.
Who likes Cajun food?
I am glad to hear Marcela's is doing something edible - I haven't been in probably 5 years; a couple of bad experiences soured me on it.
Speaking of fried oyster sandwiches, Matt's in the Market (unrelated to Where Ya At Matt) is still my favorite, even though it's not a poboy.
Oh, and I have to give a major warning - run, do not walk, AWAY from "The New Orleans" in Pioneer Square, unless you're just having beers in the bar or listening to a band. The food has nothing to do with New Orleans - they've even managed to mess up a plate of fried catfish.
Who likes Cajun food?
I grew up on the Gulf Coast about 2 hours out of NOLA so this is a topic dear to my heart. In a nutshell:
Where Ya At Matt is a food truck that does the best po'boys and jambalaya I've had in this corner of the country. Good red beans as well. My first choice.
Crawfish King in the ID does a decent crawfish boil, or did the last time I was there a few years ago. They also had proper cajun gumbo (brown, dark roux and no tomato).
Toulouse Petit does pretty good shrimp & grits but nothing else impressed me there.
There's a place up in Ballard I haven't tried yet (Le Bon Ton Roulé) and another one in the CD (Louisiana Grill & Deli).
Marcela's and Bayou on First are both terrible.
Top Chef in Seattle next season?
It's a huge shakedown racket, like the Olympics writ small.
$300k seems low, but maybe that's just the city's expected contribution. The business community is expected to kick in serious value- I've heard from a local restaurateur whom I don't want to introubulate that among the items on the producers' checklist/wishlist is *10,000* hotel room/nights provided free of charge to the production - and that's just the start. The production doesn't pay for anything but the hosts and crews.
Western Washington pig farms/co-ops for leaf lard?
The Swinery virtually always has pre-rendered lard from Carlton Farms pigs in their fridge case. I buy essentially all my meat there and am there at least weekly, never have I not seen it in the case. I think they move quite a bit of it.
Downtown restaurants with toddler -- recommendations?
We have a toddler and until very recently lived downtown with her.
Etta's and Palace Kitchen are both family friendly and recommended.
I didn't much care for Place Pigalle, having given it a few tries.
Happy hour at Elliott's can work but you have to get there early if you've got minors in your party (much of the happy-hour seating is at the bar behind the "21+" rail.)
Other good options with kids downtown:
Local 360 has always done well by us - really excellent food and they've always accommodated our daughter with a smile.
Blue C Sushi is around the corner from the Grand Hyatt and is our daughter's favorite - it's honestly mediocre conveyer-belt sushi but if you know what's good (saba, albacore, scallop, sockeye nigiri; spicy scallop gunkan; california rolls; gyoza when they're hot) and what's to be avoided (tuna, octopus, atlantic salmon nigiri; tempura shrimp/crab/lobster rolls; gyoza when they're not hot) you can have a decent experience - and it's super-duper easy with a toddler.
Pan Africa Market (in the Pike Place Market) and Habesha (about the same distance from the Hyatt as Pan Africa, but in the other direction) are two good Ethiopian restaurants that we've brought our daughter to many times. Pan Africa has better injera, Habesha has a generally better and more extensive menu. (Seattle has large Ethiopian and Eritrean communities.)
BURGER IN DOWNTOWN SEATTLE
Yes! Nordstrom Grill (in the men's department, NOT the Cafe on the 4th floor) is the great dark horse of the Seattle burger race.
I'd say it's up there neck and neck with Local 360, with Two Bells and Palace Kitchen fighting for 3rd.
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Palace Kitchen
2030 5th Ave, Seattle, WA 98121
