howard 1st's Profile
Taylor Shellfish (Cap Hill)
this may be the best place to mention that disabled patrons must make a phone call (is there no one without a cell phone?) to have someone open the door and activate the knarly chair lift - no doorbell, no ramp, no staff attention at the entrance. as this is a new build-out these problems could have been better handled
Any suggestions for my first time to Seattle?
blueacre seafood restaurant (7th/olive; 5 minute stroll from fairmont) has a saturday brunch with, in addition to their always excellent seafood choices (superb crab and salmon dishes), the BEST BUTTERMILK BISCUITS ON THE PLANET. these are available only at brunch and worth a special trip. pike pllace market is always a great place for browsing/grazing but has begun its annual weekend tourist takeover.
Visiting my daughter and need advice
1/ what you seek is AFTERNOON TEA; high tea is a working class full meal served about 5 pm.
2/ sadly, good oysters in seattle do run to about $3
3/ this being seattle, every downtown hotel is surrounded by seafood restaurants; blueacre (7th/olive) is my favorite
4/ both afternoon tea and quality seafood may be had at the fairmont olympic hotel; shuckers on the ground level is non-frou-frou
4/ there are any number of sports bars around the fairmont for your teenager and the hard rock cafe is adjacent to the very wonderful pike place market - which is where i'd take the lad
5/ beware the queen mary tea room in the u-district which reeks of poo from the enormous birdcage in the window.
Falafel?
the excellent falafel joint that used to be in the macy's garage has moved to pine street between 1st and 2nd avenues - try to convince them to make their wonderful rosewater lemonade. it has been my observation that falafel king (next to the crumpet shoppe) opens many boxes from sysco...
waterfront rehearsal dinner ideas?
$1000/30 people is entirely reasonable IF (huge if) you can forego alcohol or manage with a cash bar arrangement -you might also want to pre-arrange the menu - if you permit 30 people to order whatever they want, prepare for those idiots who will choose the lobster special and drink top shelf scotch as athirst quencher. the upper cafe and deck at ray's - with an arranged menu and no adult beverages - should fit all your criteria
Where can I buy venison in the Seattle area?
sadly, stewart's in the market only carries their processed meats (jerky, sausage, etc) rather than fresh cuts BUT bb ranch (in the market where fero's and crystal were) has just obtained a complete (farmed) elk and is prepared to cut it to order
Another Market question
low stalls may sell ONLY what they produce themselves: high stalls are like standard produce stands - anyone selling pineapples or bananas is a high stall. there aren't many low stalls this time of year but honey and hazelnuts and smoked meat (all the flower vendors are technically low stalls) and one farmer who sets up on the street every friday, saturday and sunday
Where can I buy venison in the Seattle area?
sorry to rudely awaken you from your dream but, were truly wild game legally salable, there would be much crudely slaughtered, badly butchered and questionably stored meat available. most of the "wild" game in the US market (venison, elk, teal) is farmed and processed at at a USDA facility - knowing a hunter who has some respect for his/her prey is the best way to enjoy what cannot be purchased. also, quail is best without buckshot in it...
Another Market question
you are going to have such fun! "low stalls" simply means that they are selling only what they grow/produce/catch themselves just like a farmers' market; "high stalls" are more like standard produce merchants who sell products from anywhere. jack's fish spot has the only tanks in the market so it's THE place for crab; the rest is not so nice. pure food fish and city fish are owned by branches of the same family and have the market's 'best' fish but, sadly, not nearly up to the quality of uwajimaya (which i think is seattle's finest). sosio's (a 'high stall')consistently has the best fruit, non-standard vegetables (ramps, sea beans, etc) and forest mushrooms; leah (across the aisle) has a variety of asian produce and corner produce always has a large variety of greens. the farmers set up on wednesday, friday, saturday and sunday so shopping on friday will allow you access to produce that may be only hours old as well as vast hordes of cruise ship passengers. central market (155th/aurora) is probably the best supermarket in seattle with a superb asian section, superior bulk selections and quite respectable produce, fish and meat departments.
Bridal shower - restaurant for brunch? Thoughts on Dahlia Lounge?
sadly, tom douglas' empire is very hit'n'miss - i've had wondeful meals there but also been served quite sad preparations. blueacre seafood (7th/olive) has private rooms of various sizes and has never disappointed me; a little advance warning will guarantee vegetarian's pleasure. their companion steelhead diner (pike place market) also has a private room which can handle 20 and always has vegie options available. both have excellent bars and intelligent wine lists.
Pioneer Square/Qwest
Qwest Field to Pike Place Market is nearly 2 miles - I suggest Lightrail from the Stadium stop to Westlake (end of the line) which puts you 3 blocks from the Market.
Business dinner/presentation for 20 people near convention centre
blueacre seafood (7th/olive) is a short stroll from the convention center; serves wonderful food and has several private rooms as well as good bar service and a decent wine list
Crab soup
the delicious soup that JACK'S FISH SPOT in pike place market calls 'cioppino' is full of crab chunks - but it's more of a food stall than a restaurant
lookong for best value
a word on the slendid athenian - the owner, feeling her own mortality as she approached the century mark, could not convince anyone in her family to take the helm and selling to someone lacking another restaurant (a market requirement) would have been most difficult. so, she sold a majority interest to her longtime manager so there is both good news (he will make no changes to the wonderful dark atmosphere and the whole place will not suddenly disappear) and bad (he has sreamlined the menu - goodby, clam hash!). as mrnelso so accurately noted, it's about the color, not the food bourbon and biscuits at 8 am...
In Praise of Le Pichet
be aware that the make their own superb croissants but in such limited quantities that i have known them to be sold out 20 minutes after the doors open - but the housemade brioche nearly compensates....
Seattle - April
april is an especially lovely time to visit seattle - decent hours of daylight, the tulip fields are in their glory, the forests are lush and the waterfalls at their best, the chances of dry days are excellent, there is asparagus and morels and ramps and fiddleheads (and maybe the first cherries) in the market and the dreaded (but necessary...) cruise ships are not yet omnipresent
Judy Fu Snappy Dragon
i am generally at chiang's with vegan friends who live nearby and we very much like the "tofu of strong odor" (aka 'stinky tofu') and the faux spareribs from their seperate vegetarian menu. when dining carnivorously i like the tea-smoked duck and the mustard greens with pork
Downtown/walkable Solo Eating in Seattle?
welcome to seattle! all the places you mentioned are noteworthy and walkable - i often dine alone and haven't found any problems being seated especially midweek. do try to spend an hour or two at the market walking, observing, sampling and just enjoying the sights and sounds. as for the lack of good restaurants on our home turf, even in america most places have something - however minimal - to offer its residents. try this mind game - if you moved away. what litle joint(s) would you miss?
Fish or seafood; easy access to I-5, not too pricey, not a long wait
"no good chinese food where we live" seems to indicate that your easy on-off diversion from I-5 should be the ID where there are several places (ho-ho, sea garden, others) where live seafood from their tanks is quickly converted into delicious dinner. i have found judy foo's to be rather sad, like chinese food in oklahoma...
Where to find dried pears
it's been a few years but i used to buy them from the bulk foods section at central market (115th/aurora) - they can often be found at the stall (whose name escapes me...) adjacent to the bronze pig under the clock in pike place market
Where can I get some really great apple cider in Seattle - prefer non-pasturized?
they tell me that they'll be staying in the market thru xmas and will continue to sell the fresh cider (several sizes in glass bottles) as long as the trees keep producing
Where can I get some really great apple cider in Seattle - prefer non-pasturized?
maltby farms, who sells on the street in pike place market, has excellent fresh cider whenever they set up (currently only friday-sunday)
BURGER IN DOWNTOWN SEATTLE
i've never been much of a burger person and so have no idea where to take a visiting friend who has requested one - 5 minute stroll from westlake park - good burger, good bun, good fries - extra points for good onion rings - he's in recovery so beverages are immaterial - sports bar, hotel, steak house, whatever - thanks!
Razor Clams wanted PNW cleaned / frozen OK Please help
i believe i have seen them in the frozen seafood case at central market (155th/aurora) and they are advertised at pike place fish (where they throw the salmon)
Pastrami in Seattle
now that this thread has resurfaced i can happily report that I LOVE NEW YORK delis (pike place market, u-district and - reportedly - eastside) does a decent job with good, fatty meat (from brooklyn) sliced hot to order, good rye bread and tasty pickles. the ruebens, rachels and such cousins are more than ample and they carry a range of dr. brown's sodas. BTW, i tried the "pastrami" from market house meats and found it nothing like our spicy friend; just corned beef with smoke flavoring
Need French in Seattle!
le gourmand in the wilds of outer ballard has been producing superb french food under the foodie radar for some time
Any good Jewish Deli's in the Seattle area?
one can eat kosher without eating jewish - vegan offerings (not uncommon in seattle) are kosher despite lack of rabbinical certification
RN 74
did not wish to rattle cages but nice to see i am not the only person dissappointed in RN74. ordered 2 appetizers and 2 entrees; 4 misses. crab/corn chowder poured out of a pitcher into a cool bowl guaranteeing tepid soup; mussel souffle (sounded so good!) prepared with a base of choux paste and therefore more like bread pudding than souffle. trout with artichokes was overcooked and garnished with exactly 3 tiny slices of fried artichoke. salmon also overcooked in a broken lime buerre blanc. shall surely never return even on someone else amex.
Recs for a special champagne LUNCH
though the cuisine is not all that one might desire, the ambience at the georgian (in the fairmont olympic) makes it the most beautiful dining room in seattle. (NOTE: not handicap accessible except via a service elevator and thru the kitchen)
Restaurant/Bar Help
steelhead would be be perfect (the back room is adequate) save for the easy parking requirement. perhaps palisade, with its private room, stunning view and large parking lot might do.
