AnonymousCoward's Profile
Maple Syrup farms in NW?
Not many sugar maples around these parts. The only syrup production I'm aware of in the NW is bigleaf maple syrup, on Vancouver Island. You've missed this year's festival:
http://www.discoveryforest.com/?bigleaf-maple-syrup-festival,109
but that link might get you started.
Alphonso Mangoes
Saw them Friday night at Mayuri in Issaquah (bonus: right near Noodle Boat!) $3.75 each, or by the box -- can't remember the price. For what it's worth, $4.75 originally but price crossed out. You might be able to haggle them down more.
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Noodle Boat
700 NW Gilman Blvd Ste E104B, Issaquah, WA 98027
Jack's Tapas to close
I'll grant you the three-cup chicken, for instance, was sweet, and I didn't care for it.
In addition to the noodles, I liked the simple and dignified vegetable dishes. No doubt it's because I've been going to the wrong restaurants, but most times when I order vegetables at a Chinese (or "Chinese," if you prefer) restaurant in Seattle, I find them bland, gloppy, with no discernable vegetable taste. Friday at Jack's, had sauteed fresh pea-vines in garlic sauce: simple, clean, nice texture, tasted like spring. I had good luck at other times with Chinese chives and green beans.
Any recommendations from the experts for Chinese restaurants in Seattle that handle vegetables especially well?
Jack's Tapas to close
Sounds like the owners are retiring. Last day is Sunday 5/16, alas.
It's Street Fair weekend, which makes it a pain to get there, but it's your last chance for their hand-shaved noodles.
Orcas Island eats?
I second this. We were up there in early August, and had superb food--particularly the Artichoke Agnolotti, which are still described on the current menu, though the prep might have been slightly different (?) (http://www.doebay.com/cafe/dinnermenu.html)
We'd had dinner at Inn at Ship Bay the night before -- also excellent, as noted -- and talked briefly with the chef/owner, who spoke highly of Doe Bay's current chef.
Worth watching. Reservations are a good idea -- we couldn't get inside seats as drop-ins, and sat outside instead; worked in the summer but might not be such a good idea later in the year.
Favorite Brewery/Brewpub/Winery - Seattle Area
If you do hit San Juan Island, and in you're in the mood for obscure and local, you should visit San Juan Vineyards too:
http://www.sanjuanvineyards.com/
Like most of the wineries in the Puget Sound area, they truck a lot of grapes in from over the mountains; unlike most of them, they actually make some pretty decent (white) wines from grapes grown on-premises.
Not much Siegerrebe or Madeleine Angevine on the shelves at the supermarket, generally speaking. Low-alcohol, flowery, tangy--it's definitely a very particular style, food-friendly in my opinion. Obscure and worth a visit.
Seattle Sri Lankan ?
There is, I believe, at least one Sri Lankan restaurant in Vancouver, BC (Nooru Mahal). Lots of folks on this board are willing to make the drive up there for Xiao Long Bao, but I can't tell you whether this place is worth the journey. Ask around on the Western Canada forum?
Vios in Ravenna?
Seconded. We've been there three times already.
Old Vios favorites (Octopus salad! Lamb burgers!), and things I don't remember from the other place, like little flatbread pizzas (a mushroom one was quite tasty.) Highly recommended.
Haven't been there for breakfast yet, although I think they open at 8am -- anybody know what they're doing?
where to buy demi glace in SEA?
As with most things, one answer is "Sea Breeze Farm." (http://www.seabreezefarm.net/) They usually have it at the U-District farmers market, and presumably the others. It's quite spendy, but I can't remember the price off-hand -- between $20 and $30 a jar, I think.
Mutton (SEA)?
Well, for the record, Sea Breeze did have mutton at the market last Saturday. Thought about buying the couple of mutton shanks they had -- I think they said $13/lb -- but I was already maxed out by the time I got there. They also had lamb shanks; the mutton were noticeably larger, meatier, and fattier.
There were also, I recall, various mutton chops, in addition to the usual lamb, and a few interesting cuts like lamb neck.
Incidentally, apparently they've now opened a combination butcher shop and restaurant on Vashon Island? Anybody been there?
SEA- Brewpubs/Breweries Unique to SEA?
I think the trick is to time it right. Lunch and afternoons work great. Some nights it's jammed full of frat folks, for sure, but to my eye it's usually more of a grad student crowd. Swing by, and if it looks awful, duck into to Schultzy's across the street instead.
Not a huge fan of the food, but the beer is terrific: there's great variety, always a cask, lots of seasonal or experimental stuff, a good range from hoppy to malty.
SEA- Brewpubs/Breweries Unique to SEA?
Collins Pub always has good, obscure local taps, and the food is solid. If I'm downtown, I'll choose Collins over Pike Brewing any day. The only drawback, for me, is that they don't have a cask engine.
If you're after the brewpub experience, though--for beer quality, I strongly second Big Time. Been a long time since I went to Elliot Bay Brewing in West Seattle, but I seem to recall it was good as well.
SEA - lard for pie crust
Yes, I second that about Sea Breeze's rendered lard. I wouldn't use it for sweet pastry -- even cut with butter, it gave a meaty quality to the tart I made with it.
On the other hand, it made awesome dough for empanadas, and would probably be great for other savory pastry.
Curry leaves in Seattle?
I've bought dried curry leaves at the Souk--which was all they had, when I was there.
Frozen, at R&M on the Ave (5501 University Way), and on the Eastside -- I think at the grocery next to Spice Route.
Any recs for San Juan Island?
Had a great meal at Steps Wine Bar in Friday Harbor during the off-season (long enough ago that I can't remember the details, sadly.) Local ingredients, good list of glass wines, excellent service, small enough to watch the chef at work.
Leipzig next week
I was there for a few days during the World Cup in 2006, and quite liked the Bayerischer Bahnhof for food and beer. Worth going just to try the Gose, since it's such a rare style. Vaguely related to the sour Belgian Geuze, I gather? Refreshing rather than aggressive.
http://www.bayerischer-bahnhof.de/
http://www.germanbeerguide.co.uk/gose.html
Where has all the game gone?
Unfortunately no longer true -- they've moved to Texas.
(1003 NE loop 410. San Antonio, TX 78209, according to the link)
Where has all the game gone?
Shoreline Central Market has frozen rabbit -- farm-raised in Oregon, I think, but not sure.
Last time I passed through Bellingham, I stopped in a fish market on Railroad Ave that also carried frozen game--lots of the same stuff that Exotic Meats used to stock. (Smelled fairly bad inside, though, which isn't a good sign in a fish store.)
If anybody finds a source for game birds, I'd love to know about it.
European Breakfast near Greenlake
If you can handle a Japanese-European continental breakfast, check out Cafe Hiroki, not far from Greenlake. Excellent pastries of all descriptions: http://www.hiroki.us
According to their site, though, they're open mornings only on weekends.
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Hiroki Specialty Desserts
2224 N 56th St, Seattle, WA 98103
