yummers's Profile
Geneva Cheap Eats?
Good and cheap don't really coexist in Geneva. Even the pizzas are pretty expensive. If you're there for a couple of weeks, if at all possible try to stay in a résidence, where you can make your own food. There are OK farmers markets in downtown Geneva, and a wonderful Saturday market across the border in Ferney.
Speaking of Ferney, for not too much you can try the couscous at Le Patriarche, across the street from an excellent little bakery, La Fontaine. But don't expect to save much money if you eat at the French restaurants there.
Back to Geneva: is the bistro at Bains des Paquis still serving fondue? If so, it's an affordable night out and a good place to gorge on bread & bubbly cheese.
I haven't found good, cheap Lebanese in Geneva yet, but I'm still looking.
Trier (Germany), and especially vegetarian
We are headed soon for a few days of ancient history tourism in Trier, and food advice would be much appreciated. German cooking is fine, but so is anything else done with style. Eating is not the main focus, so better something casual than formal & expensive -- in other words, chowhound, not Michelin. My partner is a vegetarian, so that's a consideration. (I can live happily with or without meat.) Maybe a place that offers a knowledgeable selection of local wines?
BTW, the inspiration for this trip on my part is reading Peter Heather's wonderful book The Fall of the Roman Empire. Great stuff.
Seattle/Tacoma--college dining
In Seattle I strongly recommend Pam's Kitchen at the corner of University Ave and 50th St. for rotis. The menu is small, the prices modest, the food great. It is Caribbean, not Pacific NW, but part of the fun of Seattle is the cultural variety.
Dresden in April
None of the meals I had a couple of years ago in Dresden were memorable, but the wines sure were. Plan on drinking lots of fantastic, perfumed whites grown on the south-facing slopes overlooking the Elbe. This wine is difficult to find outside the region, so make the most of your visit!
Favorite dessert from Germany Christmas Market trip
And not only dessert. I *love* the pan-fried mushrooms with garlic sauce one can get at a Weihnachtsmarkt. Why don't these migrate across the Atlantic?
Rösti in Geneva
Any suggestions as to where I can find it? Obviously, given the nature of the stuff, I'm not stuck on high-end. A simple topping like mushrooms would be fine, and less expensive is better.
Thanks.
Any suggestions for where to eat in Dresden?
I spent several days in Dresden last summer. I can't say that any of the food I had was particularly memorable, but the wine is extraordinary. Get ready for fascinating whites that combine an intense floral character with enough minerality to accompany a meal. (Order dishes that go with whites too.) There are a number of varietals worth sampling; make sure you are drinking the real Saxon stuff, grown on the south-facing hillsides overlooking the Elbe. One nice thing: these wines are generally not expensive. Plan on carting some bottles home with you: they are largely unavailable outside Germany, even outside Saxony for that matter.
As for Dresden itself, I wrote this after my vacation there: http://econospeak.blogspot.com/2010/08/dresden-simulacrum-city.html
Healthy vegetarian date spot in Seattle
I took my vegetarian SO to Flora earlier this year and it was as wonderful as ever. Try to get the room with the "water feature". Incidentally, one of the keys to Flora's success is that they make no attempt whatsoever to be healthy. (Another is that they are really into presentation as well as flavor.)
"Green" in Geneva and Zurich
I haven't been back in a few years, but the Saturday market that I always tried to make was in Ferney, just across the border. There isn't a whole lot of bio there, but plenty of good local stuff. I recall that Berne's market was very bio-heavy, but that isn't one of your stops, is it? Also, check for agro-tourism: there are farms (some bio) in the region that do tours, tastings, b&b etc.
Looking For Great Onion Rings in Seattle Area
I like the rings at Cafe Flora: lightly breaded, very juicy and served with a great dipping sauce.
-----
Cafe Flora
2901 E Madison St, Seattle, WA 98112
Food finds - Seattle to CA border, off I-5 and I-101?
More cheese? If you are on 101 by the south Olympic coast, you're not far from Estrella in Montesano. Superb stuff.
good eats around Mount Rainier?
I've heard that a Nepalese family is now operating the Wild Berry restaurant in Ashford, and they offer some of their own dishes. No word on quality. I hope someone can follow this up with a first-hand report.
Sichuan in Seattle
I just had another great meal at Tacoma Szechuan (a.k.a. Three Sisters). I know Tacoma (and west Tacoma at that) is a haul, but, man, the food is really fantastic. They don't skimp on heat, and, if it isn't authentic (which I wouldn't know), it is anything but Americanized. The only drawback is that the dishes tend to be oily. I can't help eating more than I should, and then I'm in a state of extreme lubrication. That's a problem I willingly accept, though.
Where's great food in Tacoma area?
No good Chinese food in Tacoma? I beg to differ: Tacoma Szechuan, just south of the 512 interchange off I-5. OTOH, I stopped in at East-West Cafe a couple of years ago and was highly unimpressed. My impression was that it offered standard fare, middlingly executed.
I agree with the recommendation for Vuelve a la Vida. The homemade tortillas are well above average; the stuff on top is good too!
Smokefree in Geneva?
Thanks, SB. If this is true it's a really big deal. I can remember far too many Geneva evenings spent in department store cafeterias. Even worse, I would sometimes go to a place with a group of coworkers and have to turn around and walk out by myself because of the air inside. (I have asthma.) It's especially bad in the winter, of course, where the outside option is not available.
Smokefree in Geneva?
I've heard that an initiative to control smoking in restaurants in Geneva passed by a large majority last month. When will this go into effect (if it hasn't already)? If we are still in waiting mode, can anyone recommend places that have gotten a head start on clean air?
Seeking a store with a nice tea selection in Seattle
I suppose, if you like World Market, you will not be interested in this, but other readers might: Teahouse Kuan Yin on 45th in Wallingford has the best selection of teas I've found in Seattle. They will cost you more than supermarkets and chain outlets, but the quality is much, much higher, and the prices are reasonable for what you get. It is not Tao of Tea in that respect, for instance. (ToT has some nice leaf, but you really pay.) There is a range at Kuan Yin, and you can drink decent stuff even at the low end.
Washington Events and festivals
I try to make it to the Oyster Fest whenever possible. It's not incredible, but it's definitely worth the trip within a 100-mile radius. Go hungry and eat lots and lots of oysters prepared in a wide variety of ways: barbequed, pan-fried, deep-fried and of course au naturel. There is a wine-tasting, a shucking contest, and various other events, but mainly you do the Walrus and Carpenter thing.
Very fresh corn tortillas - help please!
Willing to drive to Tacoma? Vuelve a la Vida.
La Tarasca in Centralia. What to order there?
I keep wanting to branch out, but the chile verde pulls me back every time: very tender chunks of pork in a great sauce. I agree with what the others say about the tortillas--they are top of the line. I like the pork tamales too, definitely comfort food. I've had the pozole a few times and can recommend it. But the chile verde.......
Pub or restaurant near waterfront in Edmonds, Tacoma, Des Moines, Olympia...?
I haven't eaten at Budd Bay for several years, but when I did, the rule was Keep it Simple. Ask for fish without sauces, get away from the menu if at all possible. They were trying to be upscale but they didn't have a clue. Maybe it has changed since then....
But it sounds like you're on a boat. If the boat has a galley, consider buying the raw ingredients and cooking yourself up a feast. If you're in Olympia and enjoying a harbor day, the farmers market is right by Swantown and has great stuff. You can gorge on oysters and clams and salmon (and sturgeon, my fave) at a fraction of restaurant prices.
Another note about Olympia: if you dock at the West Bay marina, you can have excellent beer and average but not overpriced food at Tugboat Annie's.
Cuxhaven
You never know: life (especially a sailing life) may take you to Cuxhaven at the mouth of the Elbe. If it does, there is a high quality, not-too-expensive and very friendly Italian restaurant to drop in on -- Il Borgo. It is across the street from the Bio-Markt about 3 blocks from the harbor.
Details: We began with a small plate of bruschetta, on the house. It was nothing out of the ordinary, but well executed, a nice blend of tomato, garlic, oil, crunch. My partner and I split a warm chanterelle salad (on a bed of feldsalat rather than arugula, I suppose yielding to local taste). Again, it was a model of its kind, the light sauce and the mushies in perfect harmony, and just the right balance between greens and fungal pleasures. I had homemade tagliolini (very tasty) with seafood, plenty of garlic, and just a whiff of white wine. My partner had what, in the Italian-American circles I've traveled in, is called a stromboli, essentially a rolled pizza. The crust was nicely blistered, and (this is becoming repetitious) all the ingredients (zucchini, tomatoes et al.) were in balance. These folks know how to combine stuff without overdoing any single element. You would think this is basic, but I've come to expect it only at upscale joints, and often not even there. But back to the food: the server doled out a couple of fragrant biscotti (again on the house), and we were on our merry way. Oh, the wine list is fairly simple, but well chosen and oriented to value. The whole meal for the two of us, including wine and beer (she's German!) came in under 20 euro. A definite recommendation.
PacNW tour - Olympia/Seattle help
I like Tacoma Szechuan a lot too, but if you are destined to have lunch in Oly, a good choice would be to take out sandwiches from Bread Peddlar, or even just some bread and cheese (cheese from somewhere else), and enjoy a nice al fresco moment. This could be along the boardwalk by the water, or you could pack up your stuff and head out to Woodard Bay -- you might end up with the one and only picnic table overlooking the bay. (It's about a half-mile walk from the parking to the bay, and it takes about 15 minutes to drive there from downtown. There will be salmonberries & thimbleberries along the walk, but not yet blackberries.)
Where can I go (specifically) to forage for chanterelles?
As mentioned by others, you won't find chanterelles until the fall. They can be found quite widely in wooded locations, even in urban forest stands. (It helps to know the plant associations.) I don't think mushroom folks will be very secretive about locations; it's not a rare treasure (like say a matsutake). But don't think you can't be fooled; there is also a false chanterelle -- not dangerous, but not much fun to eat either. See the wikipedia listing, for instance: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hygrophoropsis_aurantiaca. When you gather up your hoard this October, check out the recipe for linguine with leeks, chanterelles, thyme and white wine in the Fields of Green cookbook. Or just fry up a bunch for an omelet or a Dutch pancake, or as a topping for grilled polenta, or.....
Posole, and other GREAT Mexician in and around Seattle or Bellingham??
I am not a posole expert, but I have never had a bowl as tasty as the one served up by La Tarasca in Centralia. La T also has delicious hand-made tortillas, melt in your mouth tamales and fabulous pork stews (especially their chile verde). So the problem becomes, how do you justify a trip down to Centralia? You might go to the Columbia Gorge for a weekend -- still fabulous to wander and look at this time of year -- then hit Centralia on your way back. Or you could go for some regional history, checking out the murals in that town, both the official apolitical ones and the moving tribute to Wesley Everest, the IWW organizer who was tortured and killed there nearly a century ago. Maybe take in a movie at McMenimin's.
Or you could just go as a chow fanatic.
Frysland Roundup
After a couple of weeks or so sailing around the Ijselmeer and the Dutch Frisian islands, I have a few chow highlights to report.
Stavoren: There isn’t much to pick from, but fortunately there’s Max’s, with not only great food but also a friendly staff and really good music on the sound system (to these American ears).
Terschelling: I loved the Fish Stove Pot at Wigwam, with its rich, lightly tomatoed broth and gobs of fish chunks. And if you’re looking for cheese, skip the expensive cheese shop and head over to the Spar market, where the cheese counter carries an organic line by a local producer. Both the sheep (young) and the cow (belegen) were superb.
Tacoma Lunch
And don't forget, you can get a dozen of their freshly-made tortillas to go -- the only source I've found so far in Tacoma for this staple of the good life.
Ideas please: wine and cheese party
Since you're asking your guests to bring the wine and cheese, how about some homemade crackers? There are lots of recipes out there, and you can easily provide plenty of variations, with different seeds and spices baked into to multiple batches.
Meatless in Seattle
The tofu part is pretty straightforward, but how do they do it without fish sauce?
Dining near Seatac and in Olympia
It's good to hear you had a nice time in Olympia/Centralia. When the sun is shining and the Olympics are bright with snow, there are a lot worse places to be than Budd Inlet. And I'm glad you liked La Tarasca as much as we locals do. (Incidentally, take ybn's word on the tamales: they don't get much press on this list but they are truly outstanding as comfort food.)
I'd have to agree with you about the Olympic Club down in Centralia as well. It's a shame the food isn't better, because the space is great, and they have a little movie theater where you can eat, drink and watch. If they could even get to the level of the Spar it would be an improvement.
I'm also glad you had a good meal at The Mark. I haven't, but consistency is not the watchword in Olympia, so you just have to be lucky. That Red Darla cheese was made by Estrella, a fine new local cheesery.
You didn't mention any WA/OR wines -- I hope you had a chance to sample.
