ybnormal's Profile
Pre-NATO Weekend Help for Cdn. Visitors
Anytime! I'm sure I'll have more questions that need answering next time I'm in Chicago!
Pre-NATO Weekend Help for Cdn. Visitors
We had a great time! Fantastic weather, friendly people (except for maybe the guards at the Art Institute), and of course, terrific food! Even the NATO stuff didn't deter us.
Our major problem was so many places to try and not enough time (or stomach) to do it.
Check out my visual representation of food for our trip: http://www.foodspotting.com/46143-ybnormal
Prepare for a long post!
We got in late Thursday evening and stayed at the Hamptons on West Illinois - a great location by way, although some may be turned off by the fire station next door. But there are so many good places to eat around here!
THE PURPLE PIG
One of the major advantages of a city like Chicago is the plethora of choices you have for late-night eating - something sorely lacking in my home city of Calgary.
We get to the Purple Pig at 9:30 PM - a bit of a line-up, but we get seated in 5 minutes. As a side note, I love the patio, especially the neat heat lamp at the entrance!
Its not huge place, but it is packed and noisy. The wine list is excellent, and my friend chooses a really nice Malbec to share.
Our server is great - she knows how to recommend things! However, I am bummed out when she says that the bone marrow dish isn't available. Seems they have had a problem sourcing it the last few days, and they only source it from one provider - deemed the best available.
Oh well - lots of other things to choose from! We start with the Pig’s Ear with Crispy Kale, Pickled Cherry Peppers & Fried Egg.
A terrific start - the pig's ear is crunchy and delicious, and goes splendidly with the crispy kale and egg. And it is served in a wonderful pig bowl
The next dish is Salt-Roasted Beets with Whipped Goat Cheese & Pistachio Vinaigrette. Probably my least favourite dish of the night, since I'm not a big beet fan (although my wife is). However, it was still a good dish - just one I don't think I'd order again
Something for me was next - Foie Gras & Membrillo (Spanish quince marmalade). Very, very decadent, but a can't miss for a true Foie Gras fan. Our server also kept bringing us more toast (which was in itself fantastic).
Fish dish is next - Prosciutto Crusted Cobia with Venus Clams & Sea Beans. The Cobia is superlative - it is moist and yummy, and the lemon sauce is out of this world. Our server brings us even more toast to mop up the sauces!
Time for some meat! The Milk Braised Pork Shoulder with Mashed Potatoes was next. Incredibly tender pork over some of the best salty mashed potatoes ever. My wife and friends were fawning over the mashed potatoes.
Where's the chicken? Here's the chicken! More to the point - Chicken Thigh Kebabs, Fried Smashed Potatoes & Tzatziki. Another well executed dish - impossibly crispy chicken skin over wonderfully moist thigh meat - with perfectly crunchy fried potatoes on Tzatziki - crazy! I could've ate two of these.
Dessert time! Not sure where we got our appetite from! First dessert was the Sicilian Iris {Ricotta & Chocolate Chip filled Fried Brioche}. A beignet-like dessert, it was very good.
I think the next dessert was my favourite. Lemon Panna Cotta {with Pistachio Croccante} was like no other Panna Cotta I've had before. Just the right amount of lemon, but with the pistaschio croccante, the texture was fantastic.
The next dessert was a classic: Panino con Nutella {A Sweet Sandwich filled with a Chocolate Hazelnut Spread, Marshmallow Cream & Bananas}. Yep - as good as it sounds. If only my childhood breakfasts were filled with these...
Finally, last but not least - Soft Serve Ice Cream {Caramel Flavor}. A restaurant that serves self-serve ice cream without a D Q in its name? Gotta try it! Do yourself a favour and ask for the Caramel. A fine way to end a great meal!
When we finished the ice cream (and Panna Cotta) we got a terrific surprise looking in the bowl - the picture of a pig - http://www.foodspotting.com/reviews/1746883
The service was terrific, with both the server and manager coming by to make sure everything was OK.
A fantastic meal and a fantastic start to our long weekend here.
FRIDAY
After the feast from last night, we were ready for some exploring. We took the Wendalla Architecture River Tour, which was a great way to see the Chicago skyline.
We got done the tour right in front of Trump Tower.
My friends insisted on buying lunch at Sixteen in Trump Tower. A nice place with a nice view - only about 2 tables occupied though. Nothing spectacular on the menu, but nice enough. With only 2 tables, service was really attentive!
We had some nice salads and my wife and I shared the Lobster Roll. Again, we were full from last night!
We walked to Millenium Park after lunch, with one important diversion to Intelligentsia Coffee - we are fortunate it is so close. I'm not a coffee drinker, but my wife and friends are. I can safely say they enjoyed the coffee - they were agonizing on which bags of beans to take back.
We spent a lot of time at the park and the Art Institute - you are fortunate to have this here!
FRONTERA GRILL
I hoofed it over and stood in line at 4:45 PM for Frontera Grill (only a block from our hotel). My wife and friends show up at exactly 5:00 PM. We get seated at the bar and only have to wait about 10 minutes before we get paged and seated at our table.
In the meantime, we ordered some Frontera Guacamole and a very refreshing agua fresca. They make their own chips, which were very addictive.
I had a hard time ordering though, for some reason. I think it was the menu format - not to my liking. In any event, I ordered a bunch of dishes to share. We started with the Red Chile-Mango Salad - that was a very tasty salad.
We go for the gusto and order the Oyster and Ceviche Platter - which includes a dozen oysters (Shigoku, Royal Miyagi, and some oyster from Mass. which I can't remember) Frontera Ceviche (Albacore Tuna), and Tropical Tuna Ceviche (Hawaiian Big-eye Tuna), and a basket of tortilla chips.
The oysters were good, and the Tropical Tuna Ceviche was great - I didn`t care for the Frontera Ceviche.
Next was the Chicken Tamal - a take on a tamale. I didn`t really care for this as well - too strong a sauce.
However, the next dish was stupendous - lamb shank! This was the chef`s choice for Friday, and it doesn`t appear very often. It was huge! It was so incredibly tender and flavourful, I have to say that it was the best lamb shank I`ve had. I hate to see the size of that lamb! My picture doesn't do it justice on how
big it was - I should've put my hand there for perspective.
This was followed by the Mole Trio - Mole poblano enchiladas (2), lamb in black mole, roasted vegetables in green mole de flores (poblanos, squash blossoms, pepitas). The lamb in black mole was our favourite - and I guess we were lucky with this as well, since it hadn`t been on the menu for 3 years.
The Mole Trio was served with fresh corn tortillas - they were good, but not as good as the tortillas from La Tarasca (more on that later).
Finally, we share a dessert - Tres Leches de Coco: Coconut tres leches cake, honey Manila mango sorbet, coconut crunch, mango salsa with Bayless Garden herbs. A surprisingly light dessert, but full of flavour.
Again, service was prompt, and the server was very helpful. We get done dinner just before 7:00 PM - and, of course, the place is packed.
Now that I've tried Frontera Grill, I have some mixed feelings about it. It is not the best Mexican I've had, although some of the flavors and dishes were executed really well. Some of the best Mexican I've had was from a hole-in-the-wall place called La Tarasca in Centralia, Washington. And I still think they have the best tortillas in the US or Canada.
Our server was quite good as well.
But I have no regrets trying Frontera Grill, and I would still come again to try different things.
AVIARY
I had a 10:00 PM table reserved at the Aviary. I am so glad we came! It is such a unique experience, and we had such a good time being entertained by the cocktails and the people watching.
Some of our favorites:
The Chai, served in a really cool round container with a spout.
The Raspberry - not so much the cocktail, but how it got created. This is the cocktail that uses the vacuum infuser - such a cool experiment!
The Pina Colada from the el Bulli menu - terrific presentation, especially when the cotton candy gets disintegrated by the pineapple liquor. And the balls of rum that explode in your mouth is really neat.
The Popcorn - favorite drink of the evening in terms of taste. It tasted exactly like hot, buttered caramel popcorn. It blew our mind! Too bad we had to order it off the prix fixe menu to get it!
We only got the "Chips" for nibbles, so I will have to come back here and try some more things to eat.
All in all, a great way to end an evening! I think we all vowed to come back here the next time we're in Chicago!
SATURDAY
This was our sleep in day - thank goodness!
And there is nothing better than Churros and Chocolate from Xoco for breakfast!
If I had gotten up a bit earlier, I could've moseyed over to Doughnut Vault.
Today was a shopping/exploring day. One of the stores we went to, Flor, happens to be right beside Franks 'n Dawgs. How lucky is that!
My wife and I shared the Chicagoesque and Tur-Doggin. Big fan of the Tur-Doggin! Same with the Triple Truffle Fries and the Dang! Root Beer. Dang! Those were awesome!
Walked over to Sur La Table afterwards, and did more shopping at the Water Tower.
Found an Argo Tea outlet for an energizing Jasmine Teamosa. Wish we had one of these in Canada (you'll be hearing that a lot from me)!
SUNDA
Since we had Jersey Boys to go to, and everyone wanted Asian, I used by backup reservation that I made at Sunda for dinner, only a block and a half from our hotel.
I've always been a bit leery of Asian fusion, but happily Sunda did not disappoint us. I know that there were some half-hearted suggestions for this, but I can safely say that the four of us had a grand time here.
It is a spacious restaurant with modern decor and romantic lighting - the perfect setting for our night.
There is a vibe to the place that we really enjoyed. The hostess and server were very friendly, and our server helped us out tremendously.
Again, we share our dishes. Our server insisted we try the Crispy Brussel Sprout Salad - it was like nothing we've had before. I needed convincing since I don't normally like Brussel Sprouts. I glad to be proven wrong - it was the best brussel sprout dish I've ever had! My wife still thinks about this dish even though we're home.
Next were the Pig Sticks - braised pork belly with sweet soy. Hey - its pork belly! Can't go wrong with that!
Rock Shrimp Tempura with Candied Walnuts and Creamy Honey Aioli. Don't miss this dish either! Extremely tasty!
So much for the appetizers! Onto the sushi!
My only disappointment for the night - they didn't have any Otoro or Chutoro! Arghhh! I settled for Unagi instead.
We tried the Sunda Signature Sushi - Seared American Kobe Beef Tartare on Sunda's Signature Crispy Rice. Melt-in-your-mouth tender Kobe Beef - wow!
A couple speciality rolls next. Spicy "Tail of Two Tunas" - Yellowfin & Super White Tuna with Pickled Jalapeno, spicy mayo and fried shallots. It was excellent.
Finally, we ended with an indulgence for my beef loving friend - the Lobster and Wagyu roll - creamy lobster, scallions, jalapeno, wagyu sashimi, and truffle-foie aioli. The wagyu just disintegrates in your mouth.
Good thing we only ordered one main dish to share - we were getting really full. We got the Miso Bronzed Black Cod, with just a hint of red curry and glazed eggplant. A winner of a dish. Even the eggplant was exceptional. Served with side of Dry Braised String Beans with lap cheong and walnuts - that was crazy
good too. Who doesn't enjoy Chinese sausage?
Unbelievably, we still had room for dessert. Our server described a "ridiculous" dessert - tempura ice cream made with carrot cake batter. Well, if its ridiculous, I gotta try it. Our friends shared the Black Sesame Ice Cream on granite. Both were good, but I give the nod to the Black Sesame Ice Cream.
We were definitely full now! We had to leave to catch the 8:00 PM show, but it was with a little bit of regret that we couldn't hang around longer. The manager also came by to make sure everything was OK, so the service really was terrific here.
I regret that we didn't try any cocktails here - they looked really interesting.
It may not be the best sushi I've ever had, but the entire package made it one of our best meals here.
It was only a 5 minute cab ride to the Bank of America Theatre from here - and I highly recommend seeing Jersey Boys. How can anyone not have a good time watching it?
We checked out out Gage after the show for some late night nibbles.
Sort of interesting - there were so many police and security around, I felt really safe. Not many people except for theatre-goers wandering around though.
I think the Gage was hurting because of it, since it wasn't that busy.
We shared some Moscato D'Asti, and our friends had a nice tawny port. We got a cheese plate and some duck fat nuts, and some fries with curry - a little different, that's for sure. The cheese was good though - all local cheese.
Still a nice night for a walk!
SUNDAY
We were leaving Chicago in the evening, so we had lots of time left to explore. This was the only time that the NATO effect had any bearing on our trip. I had a late reservation at The Publican, but between the hotel concierge and impending traffic detours, my friends didn't want to chance getting back to the hotel to pick up our luggage before the airport. So, with some regret, I cancelled it, and we went instead to my backup reservation at Perennial Virant by Lincoln Park.
In the end, this worked out better. It gave us a chance to walk around Lincoln Park and the surrounding neighborhoods and explore the upper end of the Mag Mile.
Perennial Virant was fine - we had the Smoked Salmon breakfast, a Golden Beet Salad, and a sticky bun (warm and gooey). All were good, but I probably have to try this place again when I'm a bit hungrier (and more awake!)
And it was only pure happenstance and good luck that I picked up the last B&N Nook with Glowlight! I can't get these easily in Canada!
Turns out we leave from Terminal 3 at O'Hare, so we gladly loaded up for our flight at Tortas Frontera. I loved the Pepito! And we got looks of envy for our Tortillas and Salsa!
Finally, we also bought 2 jumbo bags of Chicago Mix popcorn from Garret Popcorn - this stuff is really good! Again, something I wish we had in Canada!
All-in-all, it was a fantastic trip - beautiful weather, great food, and good company. And thankfully it looks like Chicago got through NATO OK as well.
After Aviary, I think I might have convinced my friends to try Alinea and El Ideas next time out. Logan Square is on my radar too!
And I know - I missed a lot of Chicago unique foods - like deep-dish pizza and Italian beef sandwiches.
Just have to save it for next time.
Thanks to everyone for all the suggestions and help! We are seriously tempted by another seat-sale for summer back to Chicago!
Pre-NATO Weekend Help for Cdn. Visitors
Franks and Dawgs seems pretty interesting - we might try that!
Is there a decent Italian Beef sandwich place around N. Clybourn/Lincoln Park?
Pre-NATO Weekend Help for Cdn. Visitors
My Mercat reservation is on the Saturday - I think I'm going to cancel that one just so I can avoid being in that area. I've made a reservation for Hot Chocolate, and there seems to be openings for Yusho as well. We'll just hop on the L and go to Jersey Boys.
The Gage afterwards seems like a doable thing after Jersey Boys as well. There is a part of me that wants to go to the Roof on the Wit Hotel, but that'll probably just make me feel old :-)
Pre-NATO Weekend Help for Cdn. Visitors
I really appreciate the advice both you and Danimalarkey have provided. I think this might be a good excuse to check out the Flor store (none of these in Canada) at North Clybourn and see what we can find to eat around there for lunch.
Pre-NATO Weekend Help for Cdn. Visitors
I guess I'll have to see what it is like when we get there. We'll probably hang around the Hamptons Inn and go for supper around there and use the El to go to Jersey Boys on Saturday then. I wasn't sure if Mercat was walkable to the Bank of America Theatre.
Pre-NATO Weekend Help for Cdn. Visitors
Thanks for the tips! I will definitely consider Slurping Turtle, and I was quite curious about Tavernita as well.
Foodwoodie - it's a Canadian long-weekend - and both of us couples had baby-sitting for the weekend. Hence trying to go to places that have nothing to do with kids! We'll take all the NATO stuff in stride - if nothing else I'm sure there are other parts of Chicago that are great to visit!
Pre-NATO Weekend Help for Cdn. Visitors
Thanks for the tips - the Purple Pig is definitely something we could do.
Longman & Eagle is an excellent idea which had not occurred to me. I will definitely look at that. I'l check out the other places you've listed as well.
On the Saturday evening, is there a decent place around Bank of America Theatre for drinks/people watching? Or do we have to go back to River North area?
We're flying a new route for WestJet (Canadian airline), so I bet we're in Terminal 2. Darn!
Pre-NATO Weekend Help for Cdn. Visitors
My wife and I will be flying in with another couple from Calgary over the weekend of May 17th-20th.
Sort of a short notice seat sale thing, we'll be seeing Jersey Boys at the Bank of America Theatre on the Saturday, so I'm trying to plan our eating itinerary.
Needless to say, I pretty much can't get reservations at most of the popular places.
We'll be staying at the Hampton's Inn & Suites on Illinois and Dearborn.
We won't have a vehicle, but will take a cab to wherever. Seems to be lots of places mentioned in this board around there.
We are flying in late Thursday May 17th, so we probably won't be at the hotel until around 9:30 PM.
Thinking of going to Pizzeria Uno or Lou Malnati's for deep dish. Other options include Sunda or Rako Akor for more Asian fusion. Any opinions on this?
Friday we are keeping open, so not sure where we will be for lunch. I suspect we'll be by the Art Institute, so options around there will be nice.
Friday dinner is completely open - what should we do? We are pretty open to all cuisines and pricing, so if there is something hot and unique we should be going to (that doesn't take reservations), please let me know!
Drinks at Aviary and Churros at Xoco may also be on the agenda. Also heard interesting things about Nacional 27.
Saturday is fairly booked already for us doing other things. For dinner, I'm thinking of Frontera Grill and getting there at 5:00 PM. I think that should give us enough time to make the 8:00 PM Jersey Boys at Bank of America Theatre.
Do you agree?
I did make one reservation at Mercat a la Planxa for 5:45 PM just in case. Is there anything else around there worth trying? We probably won't do Italian this time around.
Sunday we're going to try for brunch at Publican.
We'll putz around a bit before heading for an early evening flight back home. If we are lucky enough, hopefully Tortas Frontera is in the same terminal as our flight back home.
Any help is appreciated!
Chinese in Calgary
Szechuan Steamed Pork Belly @ Szechuan Restaurant - heart attack on a dish, but terrific:
http://www.foodspotting.com/reviews/335256
Definitely try the Ma Po tofu, as well as the Dan Dan Mein (Noodles) and compare to the other places. The Lamb with Cumin is very good at Szechuan.
At Szechuan, the boiled fish is excellent, but really spicy (I think miss.foodie mentions that already in her other post). Get a small serving if it is just a couple of you - the large one serves a whole table.
Chinese in Calgary
+1 for the egg tarts at Grand Central.
T-Pot is good for dim sum (a little more expensive then other places). When you enter T-Pot, there is a set of tables to the right which is more indicative of a Hong Kong style snack house. I like eating there and the prices are good.
The rice pancakes that sharonanne is talking about is called Cheung Fun (or some variation of the spelling). The shrimp ones at T-Pot are good (har cheung), and I always order the Chinese Donut Cheung Fun (I can't phonetically pronounce this). If you are just starting out, this is a good dish to order. I have not found a decent XLB in Calgary yet.
Sticky Rice in Lotus Leaf (Lo Mai Gai) is also a good one to try. Deep-fried dumplings (Haam Sui Gok) is a sweet/savoury dumpling which is good too.
Rice porridge or congee is very popular for lunch as well. Get it with some Chinese donuts to dip.
Chinatown, I prefer U and Me for dim sum. It also has a check-list.
Regency Palace is OK, plus you can pick up stuff yourself.
If you are in the NW, Edgemont City has a small dim sum menu for lunch. I really like it for dinner though. The waitresses there have excellent English so you can always ask them what to try, or to interpret the Chinese menu. I like the Peking duck there as well. Better yet, go with a couple friends and order the Chinese dinner for 6 set menus (not the English one) and give it a whirl. That gives you a pretty good cross-section of authentic food. You can order a ginger beef (Calgary-style) or sweet and sour pork to go with it.
Grand Pearl on 64th Ave NE is fairly good - a little bit greasier.
Rope some Chinese people to go with you - we all like to eat!
The Big Taste 2012 (formerly Dine Out Calgary)
Went for lunch at Home Tasting Room - I had never been there before.
I enjoyed their lunch special for Big Taste - I especially liked the fresh cinnamon sugar donut in the to-go bag for the dessert. Service was terrific and I like the feel of the restaurant. Didn't try any wine though - had work to do! I'll have to try supper here sometime.
I wanted to try Ox and Angela as well - we'll see how my week at work goes.
Favourite picnic treats in YYC
Both L'epicerie and Eclair De Lune carry terrific croutons (but I would call them to make sure). L'epicerie has a nice Foie Gras Terrine or gravlax to go with it.
Call Bliss Cupcakes and reserve some mini-pies. And they make the best cream puffs.
Get some nice prosciutto from Mercato or Lina's - serve it on a toasted baguette (or crouton from above) with brie, pear and honey. Yes - I have been known to take this on a hiking trip...
Contemporary dim sum in YYC
I'm not aware of anything like Lai Wah Heen in Calgary yet, but T-Pot, like sharonanne said, is probably closest that I've seen. It is a little more expensive that some of the other places for dim sum as well.
Central Grand can occasionally have some unique items as well on their carts. Their dahn tart is excellent as well.
Places by The Colchord in OKC
I'll be in town for business from Monday to Friday next week, staying at The Colchord. It'll be my first time in OKC - looking forward to it!
I'm not sure what kind of transportation I'll have when I get there, so I'm looking for good places around The Colchord for now. If I do have a vehicle at my disposable, I would like to try Nic's Grill, Leo's BBQ and Cheever's Cafe. Big Truck Tacos looks appealing as well. Would Red Primesteak be a good place to go?
Looks like I can get over to Bricktown fairly easily as well, but it would appear a lot of people think it is too touristy.
Any recs would be appreciated, especially BBQ or Mexican.
Haven't seen much for bakery places or patisseries, so those welcome as well.
Thanks in advance!
BEST FRENCH RESTAURANTS IN CALGARY?
Another +1 to Cassis
I recently had a terrific Croque Madame there:
http://www.foodspotting.com/reviews/1032657
Pies and Tarts YYC
+1 for Bliss. I make my own pies, but Bliss ones are excellent. They also make large ones, but you have to order them.
http://www.blisscupcakes.com/default.asp?mode=webpage&id=86
Early dinner in Calgary
World Bier Haus is just down by 17th Ave SW and should be open - that'll be your biggest challenge.
http://www.1600bierhaus.com/Home/tabid/11011/Default.aspx
The District Gastropub on 11th Ave. should be open by 4 PM as well: http://enjoydistrict.com/
Craft beer Market, Calgary....What a disappointment
I'm hoping they have ironed out their kinks by now.
Any update on the food here? I'm going with a large group for lunch on Friday. I'm not a big beer drinker unfortunately, so beer recs are wasted on me.
King Arthur Flour in Calgary?
You could pool together with a few other friends and get a bulk order of King Arthur flour shipped to Canada: http://www.kingarthurflour.com/customerservice/index.html#international
I know your pain. I was just in the US for the past month and picked up a bunch of flour there. When I was talking to some of the vendors in Portland/San Francisco who want to sell stuff in Canada, tariffs were one thing, but they also cited that the incremental cost of adding French to the labels as another (plus the hassle). There are apparently huge penalties for not putting the French labelling on products to sell in Canada. I'm not in the purchasing field, so I never thought about this before.
I wish we had a Trader Joes here though!
3 Breakfasts, 3 Dinners, and 2 Lunches in Seattle.
Hey OrigamiDuck - I've been spending the last week in Oregon and Washington, and will be going back to Calgary in the next day or two. I've done lots of touristy & non-touristy places the last few times I've been here. There are lots of options to try that Calgary doesn't have, especially for seafood, but there are a lot of touristy places that you can spend a lot of money on.
As one of the posters already said, Elliot Bay for oysters only. Everything else is a tourist trap. And although the Ivars chain does in a pinch, there are better options out there.
Asian is well represented, and some of the good-to-average places here are simply way better then Calgary's offerings, such as Thai. I had a terrific (and cheap) meal at Noodle Nation in the University District of UofW. Kisaku for sushi is also nearby the University area and is a bit cheaper than Shiro's, but Shiro's is probably closer for you. I thought the sushi was excellent at Kisaku, but you have to get there early for any of the Otoro or Chutoro, or else it runs out - its happened to me...
I also like Pike Place - there are tons of posts here on that. I have had excellent lunches and a brunch at Steelhead Diner. I like Tom Douglas' Dahlia Lounge as well for dinner - nice ambience and people watching. Menu may not seem like much looking at it, but I found the execution terrific and above expectations. And I still really like his doughnuts for dessert!
And, to be honest, I haven't really given Chinese food much of a effort here since Vancouver is so close (although I have to say that Calgary has decent Chinese places - definitely more than one!) I really wanted to try Din Tai Fung in Bellevue for xiao long bao, but I was thwarted by traffic (and ultimately my kids). Uwajimaya is a neat place to go in the International District and get a cheap lunch - and Beard Papa cream puffs for dessert. I've always wanted to try Seven Star Szechuan, but I got out-voted (I've yet to come to Seatle by myself or with just my wife).
And sandwiches are good here - Salumi, Paseo, Baguette Box - lots of post here.
Out of town, in Shelton (about 20 minutes from Olympia) I really like Xinh's Clam & Oyster House, if you are going anywhere out that direction.
This is just a Calgarian's take on it, and no where near exhaustive or as informative as the posters that live here. Hope you have a good stay here - I always do!
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Uwajimaya
600 5th Ave S, Seattle, WA
Steelhead Diner
95 Pine Street, Suite 17, Seattle, WA 98101
Shiro's
2401 2nd Ave, Seattle, WA
Baguette Box
1203 Pine St, Seattle, WA 98101
Oyster House
320 4th Ave W, Olympia, WA 98501
Salumi
309 3rd Ave S, Seattle, WA 98104
Dahlia Lounge
2030 5th Ave, Seattle, WA 98121
Din Tai Fung
700 Bellevue Way NE #280, Bellevue, WA 98004
PacNW Tour - Part 2 - PDX/Newport help
Thanks for the suggestion chalmers & JillO. When I .have time, I'll peruse the carts.
JillO, I really like the Dan & Louis suggestion - plus my 10 year-old daughter now loves raw oysters...
PacNW Tour - Part 2 - PDX/Newport help
Cool - I'll try to arrange & schedule some of these choices!
Point well taken for the ethnic as well!
PacNW Tour - Part 2 - PDX/Newport help
Thanks Leonardo!
Ethnic is like Japanese, Thai, Indian, Vietnamese, Spanish, Mexican, etc... Not that sandwiches or fish & chips aren't good, just that we'll have had our fill of it prior to Portland.
Always looking for good doughnuts though if a cart has some of those - had some spectacular ones at Dahlia Lounge in Seattle. Although I still haven't tried Voodoo...
Thanks for the tip about the Farmer's Mkt - will definitely try to get to that.
Would prefer closer to Heathman than Keller, just to have the option to go back to the hotel for the kids if they need to, but we're game for anything...
Looking forward to it!
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The Heathman Restaurant
1001 SW Broadway, Portland, OR 97205
PacNW Tour - Part 2 - PDX/Newport help
It was two years ago that my family and I made our way through the fantastic foodie city of Portland (documented here: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/625251). We had some great Chowhound advice, especially from Leonardo
Well, we enjoyed it so much, we are heading back to Portland and the Central coast of Oregon. We will be in Newport over the weekend of July 30th, and Portland from Monday Aug. 1 to Wednesday Aug. 3.
I'll post a separate thread for Newport and area, but I was just wanting some opinions for any new places since 2009 that I should try.
Unlike last time, I haven't really laid out what we are going to do, except for one night - I managed to snag some tickets for the family to go to Les Mis on Wednesday Aug. 3rd. We are staying at the Heathman that particular night.
My kids (now 12 and 10) are going as well, so I still can't go to Tanuki :-)
Would love a place to go nearby the Heathman before Les Mis (playing at the Keller Auditorium just by the Heathman). I wasn't particularly enamored with eating at the Heathman.
So - anything chow-worthy by the Heathman?
My kids still rave about the brunch at Screen Door! Well, we won't be in the weekend so we are going to miss brunch, but another good breakfast place would be appreciated.
I'm not really looking for fine dining this time around, although I have to admit I am more then intrigued by the Foie Gras Profiteroles at Le Pigeon.
Some of the possibilities include:
Eat Oyster bar - for the oysters
Pine State Biscuits for breakfast
Tasty n Sons for lunch/breakfast
Little Bird for lunch
Laurelhurst Market for dinner
Ping or Pok Pok for dinner
Kenny & Zuke's for lunch
Ken's Artisan Pizza
Opinions? Although I prefer trying new places, Toro Bravo is still a possibility as well.
I am also monitoring the other Bakery/Dessert thread as well.
This time we will try some of the food carts - Sugar Cube, Ziba's, Nong's Khao Man Gai? Which is the best location to scout out? Ethnic is always good for us.
Anything else new I shouldn't miss? For instance - this drinking vinegar craze is new to me!
Appreciate it!
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Pok Pok
3226 SE Division St, Portland, OR
Le Pigeon
738 E Burnside St, Portland, OR 97214
Tanuki
413 NW 21st Ave, Portland, OR 97209
Pine State Biscuits
3640 SE Belmont St, Portland, OR 97214
Nong's Khao Man Gai
SW 10th and Alder, Portland, OR
Laurelhurst Market
3155 East Burnside Street, Portland, OR 97232
The Heathman Restaurant
1001 SW Broadway, Portland, OR 97205
Ken's Artisan Pizza
304 SE 28th Ave, Portland, OR 97214
Toro Bravo
120 NE Russell St Ste A, Portland, OR 97212
Eat Oyster Bar
3808 N Williams Ave, Portland, OR 97227
Tasty n Sons
3808 N Williams Ave, Portland, OR 97227
Lunch in Butte?
Darn - missed it by one weekend! Coming through this weekend. I'll be making my way down to Las Vegas then LA for a wedding. Then up the coast to San Francisco and Oregon and Washington.
I'll be posting as I go on Chowhound, so follow me as I progress. Let's see how much seafood I can eat!
Lunch in Butte?
My family will be passing through Butte for lunch.
Looking for either some local/fresh places. Would Hummingbird Cafe be a good possibility?
Ethnic is fine as well. Didn't see too many places while searching through the board.
Will probably be at Goode's or Dante's or Jaker's in Great Falls the day before.
Any help would be appreciated!
Healthy Choices Downtown
Great suggestion - lots of other cool food in L'Epicerie as well.
And its right beside Manuel Latruwe Patisserie - a bit expensive, and you have a ton of these out east, but still worth a visit.
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L'Epicerie
1325 1 St SE, Calgary, AB T2G 5L1, CA
Healthy Choices Downtown
Glad you've found a couple places to eat! And great pics!
If you made it to Blink, walking a little further east on the same side will bring you to one of my favourite restaurants, Divino Wine & Cheese Bar. That place is always hopping. Try the Tempura Beans, and the lamb confit sandwich is terrific for lunch (see my Foodspotting photo: http://www.foodspotting.com/reviews/257538) but not the healthiest thing in the world.
The Oyster Bar at Catch nearby is nice, but again not cheap (but way cheaper than the dining room).
