hhlodesign's Profile
Best bagel in Seattle?
Save some gas. My Coffeehouse in Madison Valley get H&H bagels Fedexed to them every morning.
Private dining at Canlis -- leftover $$ and other advice?
$300/person with wine is VERY easy to spend at Canlis. The Wagyu alone is a $90 entrée, and it's the best food item on the menu. Add cocktails, apps, every dessert Neil makes, and 2-3 bottles of mid level wine and you're probably over $1500. If you're not quite there by dessert, just ask to see the list of Chateau D'Yquem Sauternes. That's what I would want to be drinking on my 50th anniversary with dessert.
Dim Sum Distilled
If I thought you a heathen, I'd be a heathen right there with you. As I've said before, I'll take shitty dim sum over no dim sum any day of the week and twice on Sundays. However, my fear is that of a situation like a friend of mine who went through most of her life thinking she hated sushi because her first experience with it was at a place serving fish that was not very fresh. I finally got her to try a place that I knew took pride in the quality of their fish and she was blown away at the difference; and upset that she went through MANY years depriving herself of something that is amazing. And yes, good Seattle dim sum is a fair comparison to bad LA sushi.
Dim Sum Distilled
"one is a newbie. We'd like to give her a first-rate, delicious introduction to the dumplings."
If this statement is true. The last thing you should do is take her to a Seattle Dim-Sum place. "First-rate" dim sum does not exist in Seattle. To think that a person's introduction to the wonders that is dim sum at a mediocre at best place like O'Asian, Jade Garden, or Tea Garden is frightening to me. If you must, take the morning train to Vancouver, have first-rate dim sum at Kirin, and take the afternoon train back to Seattle. This is very doable as I've done it many times!
BTW, stay away from Mike's Noodle House, it is NOT good!
"Bu-Keh-Chi"
NY FOODIE IN SEATTLE FOR 2 MEALS
Relative to their NY counterparts:
Quinn's is almost a direct rip off of The Spotted Pig.
Chiso Kappo is 1/3 as good as Masa at 1/6 the price.
Veil is doing food as good as Jean Georges.
Neil Robertson at Canlis is the best pastry chef this side of the Mississippi. Think Sam Mason without the MG bent.
On the cocktail front:
Liberty features prohibition era cocktails ala Pegu Club.
Original drinks in the vain of PDT can be found at Spur.
For dinner, I'd hit:
seafood - Veil
pan-asian - Monsoon (Wild Ginger is crap!)
new amercian - Union for dinner, Canlis for dessert
Japanese - Chiso Kappo
But that's me.
BTW, you will not find high-end service even CLOSE to NYC. Canlis tries the hardest, but the culture is just different out here. Lower your expectations and you won't be disappointed.
Help! Looking for an interesting bar in Seattle
The most interesting cocktail selections and balanced drinks made by a bartender who cares about things like balance can be found at:
Zig Zag - Murray
Spur - Dave
Sambar - Jay
Tavolata - Eric
I also enjoyed the drinks at:
Liberty
Branzino
HELP! Food+wedding advice?
Actually, it is not. We spent around $150 a head including all the food, drinks, servers, bartenders, chefs, wedding cake, and rentals (plates, glasses, cutlery, tables, chairs, linens). I think we were only able to accomplish this price point by not going with a caterer and hiring all components on our own. Just as a home owner saves money by not hiring a general contractor when they remodel their home, but have to spend lots of time coordinating the different sub-contractors. I'm sure that were we to have a "real" caterer price out a -four-course sit down meal, numerous passed hors d'vouers, a roast pig, tons of Salumi meats, open bar, dessert buffet, and unlimited gelato cart, the cost would have been much higher. We saved money by renting items ourselves through AA Party Rentals (no caterer markup); Stocking the bar through Costco and offering only 2 specialty cocktails (along with beer, wine, and soda); buying cases of wine through our local wine shop and getting a volume discount; hiring the servers and bartenders ourselves; and helping with the setup and cleanup.
Not sure why the powers that be saw fit to remove my last response to this question, but I would think the preceding information is very pertinent to the discussion at hand.
Campagne tonight (3 Oct)
Been awhile since I've gone as well, but I love their duck confit salad.
HELP! Food+wedding advice?
I can' tell you who any good caterers are, but I can tell you what we did for our wedding last Aug.
We hired all of our favorite chefs and restaurant staff to work the event:
The bartender was Eric Witsoe from Tavolata,
The passed hors d'vouers were by Shannan Galusha of Veil,
The roast pig was by Eric Banh from Monsoon,
The sit down plated dinner was by William Belickis of Mistral,
The dessert buffet and wedding cake were from William Lehman of Bakery Nouveau,
The post-dessert gelato cart was by Holly Smith of Cafe Juanita,
The entire front of house wait staff was run by MIchael Don Rico of Branzino (the best front of house guy in Seattle!)
I would HIGHLY recommend going with chefs you know and trust for such a special occasion where food is an integral role. This was especially a concern for us as food is such an important element in our lives and how we found each other. The one problem we had was finding a venue that would allow outside caterers. They exist, but are few and far between. If you want to go this route, your options are very limited, so I'd book early! Hope this helps.
Stag weekend in seattle??
Thanks for the vote of confidence. I really like what Brian and Dana are doing at Spur (not to mention Dave's cocktails). Their food is affordable, yet inventive. I like the attention to detail with every dish that leaves the kitchen, to the point that Jonathan Kaufman calls them "pretentious." But, as my friends are quick to point out, that's the kind of place I like. Their occasional foray into Molecular Gastronomy is a welcome addition to the Seattle food scene.
On the stag party topic: not only will you have good food and drinks, you'll be in the heart of Belltown on a weekend night (which is starting to get unbearable for residents, but is just what a stag party coming down from Vancouver is looking for.) See Sound clientele next door often spill into Spur.
(Portland) Kornblatt's or Kenny & Zukes?
My opinion only:
K&Z > Langer's > Katz's
(still need to try Schwartz's)
K&Z is admittedly smokier than others, but I love that. I've never had a problem with dryness, but I always ask for the point.
Molecular Gastronomy in Seattle?
Not in the vain of El Bulli, Alinea, or WD-50 (meaning full degustation meals based on MG), but it does show up as components of dishes at a few places.
The current Chef de Cuisine at Veil spent some time at Alinea and they are playing with some very cool things (recently had some awesome chorizo powder and jalapeno spheres.)
The guys at Spur are also playing with lots of new toys (and chemicals) in their fancy new kitchen.
Breakfast in SEA
CJ's is nothing more than a greasy spoon whose food is probably a notch or two below the average greasy spoon in any city. There is nothing distinctly "Seattle" about eating at CJ's. You've been warned.
I live 1 block from where your boat will be docked. My favorite weekend brunch places are Macrina, Cafe Campagne (Oeufs en meurette), Etta's (corned beef hash or dungeonous crab benedict), and the breakfast sandwich from I Love NY Deli. Your choices become more limited if you are looking at weekday breakfast.
Qube
We went a few moths after they opened and had one of the worst restaurant meals we had in some time. They were priced at the same range as Lark, Cafe Juanita, and Harvest Vine; so there was no reason to go back. No problems with service and atmosphere, just REALLY bad food.
I also think that the location is a few years from becoming a viable upscale restaurant location.
First date advice; need help
Thanks E.
I did a variation of this first date with my current wife (as of 3 weeks ago). I'll tell you about it at Salumi some time.
How to Find Tolerable Mexican Food?
Based on your description of "authentic" Nashville Mexican food. It sounds like you can go to any horrid mexican chain sit-down place (like Azteca) tell them to hold the yellow cheese and throw some water into your guac.
Brunch for a large group in Queen Anne
Veil is perfect. They have a large communal table which seats 18, Great brunch food, and excellent cocktails.
First date advice; need help
The beauty of first dates, it that you can prolong them if they are going well.
I'd do this:
Drinks at Sambar - Jay is a master mixologist and you can share a small plate or two.
If things are going well, go to Monsoon or Lark for dinner - again, small plates that you can share make for a very romantic setting.
If they are still going well, take her to Canlis for desserts - Neil Robertson is the best pastry chef working in Seattle. While the Canlis dining room may seem a bit much for a first date, desserts in the bar are just the right way to end a first date that is going well enough for a part 3.
If she's up for a part 4, take her to Zig Zag and have Murray create a cocktail especially for her.
That's what I would do.
Classy [bar? or..?] to follow classy dinner?
Agreed, Kerry Park at sunset, a bottle of Champagne, 2 flutes, and a blanket.
Boston Chowhound hits Seattle for a few days
You're half right. While Jade Garden is terrible, Sun Ya is equally as bad.
In Search of Great Chinese Food in Seattle area
Sounds like you are describing yang rho pao mao. A Xian specialty you can find at Xian Restaurant on Lake City way.
What's a newbie to do?!
I can't speak for anybody else, but I find it personally annoying when someone new comes on asking a question that has obviously been asked and answered numerous times before. All they need do is search the old topics and find what they are looking for. It is obvious that the "newbie" has devoted no time to solving their own question on their own.
Sea - Places you want to hate
Tantamount to ordering a California roll, I tried a "Moonraker" at Umi Sake House last night. Yellow tail, cuke, cilantro, snow crab, and jalapeno white truffle vinaigrette. Damn, that was good!
Also, they have copper river sockeye sashimi for $15 for around 6 ounces worth. A Steal!
any recs for two 'hounds visiting Seattle from L.A.??
I must have missed this post the first time around...
It would be easy to "leave it at that" if your statement were not so wrong. Red Mill burgers are consistently overcooked and patties too overworked to have the consistency of a quality burger. The Apple Pan, on the other hand gets their patty consistency perfect and the fat content high enough that the final product is consistently juicy. The only thing consistent about a Red Mill burger is that it is DRY. The one good thing that Red Mill has going for it is their onion jam; however, while good, it pales in comparison to the onion compote available at Father's Office (quite possibly the best burger in the world that does not have foie gras.)
And by the way, what is the overwhelming impulse among some people to get annoyed when advice such as, "Seattle is not really known for its burger scene and you can get much better burgers in LA." is taken as some sort of stab at Seattle. When, in fact, it merely states an opinion which is intended to help one plan an eating trip. Ye gaads.......
Joule or Monsoon?
The wild ramp dish I had last night at Monsoon is one of the best dishes I've had all year.
Just so you know tedfood, ramps are indigenous to North America and not something you'll find in a Saigon kitchen. So you probably won't be ordering this abomination at this "pseudo Vietnamese" restaurant. Too bad for you.
