1) asian side dishes/garnishes/ condiments (kimchi, gari, do chua, nori, fish sauce, wasabi, furikake, tsukemono, takuan, gochujang, curry pastes, etc)
2) locally-sourced foods
3) special "method" foods (organic, non-GMO, hormone-free, etc)
4) fresh asian herbs/veg/fruit (pea shoots, cilantro, thai basil, lemongrass, daikon, maitake, shiitake, persimmon, mangosteen, etc)
5) "alternative" foods (quinoa, tempeh, seitan, soba, almond flour, etc)

i don't know how much of it she "couldn't" have had, since i grew up in the 80s/90s in san francisco/seattle, but these are all things i always have in my kitchen that i don't remember being present in my house as a kid...

hey -
my significant other lives in a different city (i'm in seattle, he's in minnesota). a week from tomorrow, he's coming out to visit. i'd like to cook a couple awesome, blow-your-mind meals while he's here. we both take our food seriously and tend to be curious/adventurous. we both like spicy (a LOT spicy, i lived in thailand for several months and loved it, he's the same way), exotic ingredients, raw/less-cooked meats, etc.

i can't eat red meat (beef, pork...) or fried items for health reasons. he won't eat mushrooms or eggs* because he hates them.

ideas?! :-D

*eggs are fine if cooked/mixed into something like fried rice, or a bread, just not scrambled/fried/boiled etc.

how about a custard or a shortbread? shortbread with coffee (maybe irish coffee?) could be nice... otherwise, maybe a pie, like sweet potato or rhubarb?

SQUASH/PUMPKIN SOUP

if a dog is quiet and well behaved (as any polite restaurant patron should be - talking a reasonable volume, not slamming plates or glasses about, and reasonable general manners), i see no reason it should not be welcome. if well-behaved canine companionship bothers or otherwise disturbs someone, that person might wish to seek out restaurants with explicit no-pet policies. i suspect the number of persons falsely claiming service dog status is an insignificant number in total (or perhaps others are just more clever than i am? it never occurred to me to lie about it!).

in my area (seattle) more and more establishments from coffee shops to stores to nicer restaurants are becoming increasingly pet-friendly and i happen to think it's very nice, and most dogs are exceptionally well-behaved and inobtrusive. for that matter, my cat used to ride the trains with me all over japan, and was never anything but well-mannered. a quiet mew or two as a kitten was quickly shushed, like any child whimpering would be, and she soon learned to ride politely in silence either in her carrier or on my lap. she was usually quite the attraction on her leash in the stations - i can't imagine how many japanese people have saved photos of her in their cell phones!

QUICHE

FRITTATA

FRIED RICE

CHICKEN WINGS

CHILI

their food is really great, but unless you get one of the "regular" staff, the service is appalling. they seem to have a tough time hiring good help.

as long as you get one of the women who've been there a while, this is one of my favorite lunch spots in seattle.

welcome, new neighbor! another belltown denizen here. i suggest:

-casual lunch: pagliacci pizza, blue water taco grill, and seconded on cherry street, macrina, and new york deli for sandwiches/salads. the blt on ciabatta at cherry street is pretty nice. over by pike, check out pear delicatessen and le pichet (they also do dinner). a lot of people swear by dick's burgers (queen anne), but personally it's never been my thing. if you like no muss no fuss no bells no whistles americana ny-inspired diner fare, check out cj's eatery on the corner of 1st and cedar. i also usually enjoy grabbing a bite at cyclops; nice sweet potato fries, and usually a creative flatbread on the menu, scope daily specials. sisters european snacks and/or 3 girls bakery in pike market also has great sandwich/soup offerings, and is right next to pike place market creamery, which sells a variety of dairy and egg products (including a selection of local, raw, vat-pasteurized, non-homogenized, cow, goat, etc options). at 3 girls you'll also be right by don & joe's meats and a cheese counter i forget the name of, but they have a great price on my FAVORITE roqueforte of all time (papillon).

-for dinner, brunch or a more sit-down lunch at a couple places: tavolata, la vita e bella, shiro's, toulouse petit (queen anne), tup tim thai (queen anne), where ya at matt (parks at the chase bank near cj's once a week), mee sum pastry (pike place market), il bistro (pike place market), cafe campagne (pike place market), el gaucho, aqua, black bottle, local 360, tilikum place cafe.... there are a ton of options. i haven't tried list, bisato, buckley's, branzino, and a bunch more, but they get good reviews. my go-to takeout thai place in the neighborhood is golden singha, right by 5 point and tilikum. it's a letdown after living in thailand, but it's not bad for american thai and beats the pants off the other stuff walking distance from my place.

AVOID AVOID AVOID ohana, the frontier room, sushi wave, and a couple others i'm forgetting right now but will post later.

for coffee, check out street bean on 3rd and cedar. great coffee, AND a great cause! they provide job training and educational opportunities to street youth and focus on at-risk and troubled teens/twenty-somethings. the ambience, coffee and service are ace, some of the best in town, AND it's coffee for a good cause. barring that, scope out caffe d'arte by pike market for an awesome cup of coffee. if pastry is what you're chasing and coffee plays second fiddle, try hitting le panier in the market.

how about shortbread thumbprints with blueberry fruit filling? blueberry and corn salad is one of my favorite combos...you could do an herb in the shortbread, too maybe? spearmint?

i eat KIND bars, which i really like. in general, i'd think a 5 year old is just as well off with a granola bar (nature valley?) or something, which is typically cheaper, and i'd check the ingredient list on any snack/protein/meal replacement/etc bar of the more health-foodish bent. keep an eye out especially for brown rice syrup, which has been found to be high in arsenic (even before the latest rice and arsenic kerfuffle) and might not be so great for a wee one.

no. it's not. very simple.

i know people do it; i know sometimes it works out. i agree with those who point out that "hit on" is different from "flirt with", and definitely different from "ask out".

NEVER ok to hit on someone working hard, doing their job to pay the bills.

if you like her THAT much, don't stalk her. have a little respect. if you go to the restaurant semi-regularly, you may see her again and you can work from there. but for heaven's sake have a little respect, leave her alone while she's working.

my favorite late-night munchie: the "accidentally vegan" rice bowl. fresh steamed rice (always have a pot on "warm"), topped with: cashews or peanuts (peanuts tonight), raisins, and carrots, warmed in the microwave. sprinkle of cilantro, squirt of sriracha sauce. yummy!

vietnamese/thai-style fresh rolls are always a hit here. you can marinate tofu to wrap up with the veggies, or use shrimp or smoked salmon. skip the noodles in favor of bean sprouts or shredded jicama or daikon etc, for your low-carber. spicy peanut dip, or thai sweet chili sauce, are both good dips.

caprese skewers: cherry tomato, basil, mozzarella fresca (very low fat and low cal) on toothpicks/skewers. can serve with olive oil/balsamic to dip.

potstickers. (not counting salt, pepper, or oil for frying).

pot sticker wrappers

ground pork
chopped water chestnuts
chinese 5 spice
soy sauce
cilantro
salt
pepper

stuff wrappers. heat oil in pan. put gyoza in pan; add table spoon of water, cover. let fry 2-4 minutes (varies depending on exact heat you use and size/density of dumplings). dumplings should be crispy fried on bottom, steamed on top. serve with extra soy for dipping.

simple sushi rolls (cucumber rolls, mixed veggie rolls, salmon roll, tuna roll, etc) also work well.

as a friend of mine says, never attribute to malice, what spellcheck might explain! <-- words to live by :-)

just serve with coffee, milk, or a blended frozen drink. i think it's perfect. i love cookies, and guests who would complain about getting cookies, maybe they should get no dessert, and instead a cheese plate to go with their "whine".
cookie on!

hahahah whew! *^_^* so glad i asked! you may appreciate this...

http://www.damnyouautocorrect.com/

might not rock your world, i guess, but tavolata or any of the ethan stowell restaurants do (in my opinion) pretty delicious, simple italian food. i hear good things about branzino but have never been. i enjoyed a meal several years ago at la vita e bella in belltown, but haven't been there in a while.

tom douglas' serious pie served an amazing pizza when i was there recently - starters and the seasonal housemade soda were also lovely.

salumi in the pioneer square/idistrict makes WICKED italian meats...

try le pichet near pike place market for delicious, light, cafe-style french.

el gaucho and aqua do good steak and seafood, fairly classic/old-world preparations.

toulouse petit in queen anne serves up a delicious creole shrimp linguine and (if you like horseradish!) a killer shrimp in red remoulade starter. also a nice roasted beet-haricot verts salad.

excuse me if i'm reading you wrong, suzigirl, and i'm really sorry if i am, but did you just use "gay" as a derogatory term?

i do often say "keep the change", but it's never a casual thing - that just means i figured the tip into the amount of cash i handed over in the first place, and i was probably doing that on purpose to save you the hassle of futzing with making change. sorry if that's rude.

no, the method took me a lot of those sang kuat fan, otherwise known in my world as "uncooked rice again dammit", to perfect.

a touch too little water CAN work, but i've only had it succeed using my fuzzy logic cooker. the cover isn't off DURING cooking - you remove it after the rice is cooked, and let very low heat evaporate off moisture. similar with opening the rice cooker after cooking completes.

i'm with you on undercooked rice though, huiray!

+1 for SQUASH SOUP

agreed! however, in a pinch... also, you can "speed up" the drying of the rice by using a little less liquid than you're supposed to, or cooking it for slightly too long, then letting it sit on "low" with the lid off for a bit (stovetop) or leaving it on "warm" with the top open (rice cooker).

taken from my time in thailand, but... if you have rice... fried rice! rice. veg as you like: frozen peas, frozen corn, frozen carrots, onion, green onion, bell pepper. garlic in some form if you can, even powdered or something; maybe you have on hand at home? spam or ham. egg. sauce it however you like - a good convenience-store-available option is often ketchup, and soy if they have it. add sriracha or tabasco for spice. serve your fried rice topped with a fried egg (or scramble the egg into the fried rice, however you prefer). voila. supper.

i always tip a minimum of 15%. i also try to remember when the delivery is late, many restaurants will take any comp given to the consumer out of the driver's pay - even if the delay was for reasons beyond his/her control (like a slow kitchen, or horrible traffic), so unless the delivery guy is overtly rude or offensive or nasty somehow, i would never ding the driver on a tip for a late delivery. it probably wasn't his/her fault. after all, drivers make their living on making more deliveries, so it would never be in their interest to deliver your order anything less than as fast as possible. furthermore, it is a brutal tough job, and not without risks to personal safety (would you really want your teenage son/daughter driving in all kinds of weather and traffic at 10pm to go ring a total stranger's doorbell in the dark, alone?).

just my $00.02 on this

funny! i wonder if he spoke more english than he let on... many japanese can be painfully, to the point of absurdly, shy and insecure about their (perceived to be poor) english skills, and will go to extreme lengths to avoid speaking to/in front of a foreigner to avoid any risk of "embarrassment".

if you were going to have an english key phrase book, though, two eggs sunnyside up is more useful than most of the cr@p we had to teach my middle school students...
[Scene: Mike and Emi are on a date in the park. Mike is a clumsy git and dumps his just-bought soda all over the picnic table.]
"Oh no! My cola! Do you have any tissues?"
"No, I don't! But I have a handkerchief. Here, use this."
"Thank you."
"You're welcome."

when i looked into this study in more detail, it seemed that the numbers are a little misleading. the arsenic levels were considered a possible risk factor for children, but the most stringent warnings seemed to center on brown-rice-based infant/baby formula/food. the study covered not just rice, but also rice derivatives and rice-based products (such as supplement bars, rice pastas, etc). rice that was not adequately rinsed was higher risk (rinsing makes for better rice anyway imo...), and arsenic levels varied significantly by where the rice was grown (texas, missouri, california...), what kind of rice (brown, white, long grain, short grain, medium grain...), and more. the study did not address rice grown in other countries (thailand, mexico...). overall, interesting in a way and i'll keep watching the issue... i'll also keep eating my rice 2-3x a day. fwiw, i eat white rice grown either in california (my short-grain rice) or thailand (my jasmine rice). no data on the thai rice, no specifics or warnings about the california-grown rice.

sorry -__-;

souffle. strikes terror into the heart of all attempting it,

i still say that this is about him and her; she's probably way more interested in what music HE would choose, not what music his foodie internet friends would choose :-)