slabbit's Profile
What's NEW in Kitsap?
Best brunch I've had in Kitsap is at the Agate Pass Cafe in Suquamish. Really fantastic, Seattle-level food. Lots of people have been raving about the food at the Port Gamble General Store, but I haven't been there yet.
What's NEW in Kitsap?
Well, I think the best food in Bremerton at least is at Sabaidee. Terrible location, but nice inside. Solid service, and consistently delicious, amazing Thai & Lao food. Can't get enough of the stuffed chicken wings, Tom Yum soup, and Thai Pho. Great, and according to my Thai friend, very authentic. As great as the place in old town Silverdale is, this beats it!
What's NEW in Kitsap?
I'm gonna try it, but the whole "coldest beer" thing turns me off since good beer shouldn't actually be served very cold. Kind of a big red flag in the pacific NW where people generally know this. The reason why the big microbrews promote the cold beer thing is because their beer tastes terrible, so if it's really cold, it's harder to tell.
What's NEW in Kitsap?
Why would someone want the "coldest beer in town" unless it's terrible beer?
What have been your best and worst liquor purchases?
Both of those are digestivo amaros vs the traditionally appertivo amaros like Cynar, Campari, and Aperol. I think in the digestivo realm, Ramazzotti is a great intro. I haven't tasted Lucano or Mio.
What have been your best and worst liquor purchases?
Cynar is fantastic but like all the italian amaros, it's definitely an acquired taste. I actually think Cynar is more approachable than Campari because it's a little sweeter, but the best one to get your feet wet with is Aperol. Try em with some soda water first before you drink it on the rocks.
What have been your best and worst liquor purchases?
Might give it a try. Normally like a little apple brandy or applejack in my cider.
What have been your best and worst liquor purchases?
It's a Mezcal from Del Maguey. Extremely good.
What have been your best and worst liquor purchases?
The overly sweet vanilla flavor is okay in a coffee or something like that, but it mostly overpowers anything you add it to. Unless you're trying to make some god-awful vanilla "martini", it's going to last a long time.
What have been your best and worst liquor purchases?
Worst: Tuaca... why, oh why did I buy it? Can't think of anything to do with it, but on principle I hate pouring stuff down the drain. Close 2nd would be Lucid absinthe. It's not horribe per se, but there are so many better absinthes out there and that sh*t lasts forever.
Best: Redbreast Irish whisky - had no idea irish whisky could be so amazingly good. My bottle of Del Maguey Chichicapa would have been number one, but I didn't actually purchase it. Was a great gift from my mother-in-law.
Where to find Goose Fat in SEA?
Unless I'm mistaken, all or nearly all domestic foie gras is duck. Both Hudson Valley and Sonoma use Pekin duck.
cocktails you've invented that worked or didn't
I just came up with something at home here which tastes pretty nice. I wanted to call it the Harvest Moon since there just was one, but it seems there are a few less than great sounding Harvest Moon cocktails on the interweb already. Kind of a standard Tiki variation with Applejack as the base.
Anyway, here goes:
1 1/2 oz Laird's Applejack
1/2 oz Coruba Dark Rum
1/4 oz Allspice Dram (Homemade)
1/2 oz lemon juice
1/2 oz lime juice
1 oz homemade grenadine
2 dashes orange bitters (Regan's)
Shaken and served in a cocktail glass.
Hitchcock, Bainbridge Island- Brunch review
Had dinner there this past weekend. The atmosphere is nice and they have an impressively well-stocked bar with a nice cocktail list. The food by and large was fantastic. The standouts were a couple of charcuterie dishes of a rustic pate' and a duck liver mousse and a simple, but perfectly executed clam and white bean dish. I will probably measure every clam dish I ever have to that one!
The biggest complaint we had was service. Our server was nice enough, but it took nearly 15 minutes for them to take a drink order and another 15 minutes to come back for dinner orders. It also seemed to take forever for our first course. Overall, the meal was paced a bit slow, but we weren't planning on rushing thorough it so that wasn't a big deal.
In summary, I had some really fantastic food, and with an improvement in service, it could be a REALLY special place.
The Vodka Cringe
Actually the original name for a vodka "Martini" was the Kangaroo Cocktail. I hope it comes back in vogue someday.
Spot Prawns at HT Market
Jeezus. Great price! They're $20/lb at Central Market in Poulsbo. Taste fantastic though.
What's good in Kitsap?
Well, glad to hear some good reviews. I will give them another shot. I thought maybe I had just been there on a bad day, but at least 2 of my friends (who usually aren't as critical as I am) both hated the place.
What's good in Kitsap?
Also tried the Paella Bar a few weeks back. Should probably give them another try since they also had not been open long, but I was not impressed. Neither have been any of my friends that have gone since. The place looks great. Unfortunately, for them, that is the best part.
Basically, if you want to open a small Tapas (often really small) bar, and charge as much as they want to charge, you have to do them REALLY well. Nothing we had was very interesting, overly flavorful, or well-composed. It was all really sloppy actually. Their menu was really long, and that probably is part of the problem. At least two of our tapas were bathed in the same marinara-like sauce, and they tortilla was bone-dry and unseasoned. Their sangria was the worst I have ever had, and it didn't appear that they even had a bottle of sherry in the house. The cocktails we tried, on the other hand, were pretty good.
I'm not usually one to harp when portion size is too small, but some of the items were a little ridiculous given the price. There are many small plate establishments in Seattle doing it much better with similar or better prices. I admit I was a little concerned going in, since, while I like Burrata, I wouldn't call it very authentic. You can load a pasta dish with cheese and sauce and make it pretty tasty. Unfortunately, that doesn't really fly with Spanish food, and the same people are making it. I hope they have improved, and if I hear so, I'll definitely give them another shot. Sorry to slam so hard, but it was the most-expensive bad meal I've had in a long time.
What's good in Kitsap?
Some nice things happening at Hare and Hounds up in Poulsbo. Went there the week they opened and then again last week. Steadily getting better and really a nice pub. They have some classic items like Welsh Rarebit, Cock-a-Leekie soup, and Fish and Chips. That night they had Steak and Kidney Pie on special!!! 4 or 5 beers on casks and a lot of nice whisky's as well. Could end up being a real gem up there. I quite like Tizley's too, so it's going to be tough to decide which to go to when I'm looking for a pub fix.
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Tizley's
18928 Front St NE, Poulsbo, WA 98370
What's good in Kitsap?
Went to Sogno di Vino yesterday for the first time in a while. Unfortunately they seem to have changed their pizzas to appeal to the Kitsap palate. :( There was a TON more cheese on all the pizzas. They were heavy and squishy, and a real disappointment given my feelings about it shortly after it opened.... I can no longer recommend them as any better than the average out here.
Also tried the Woodfired Pizza place there a few weeks back. Meh... It was good pizza, don't get me wrong, and better than Sogno di Vino's given my last impression, but not worth the drive from Bremerton. Very similar to Boston's (also good) in my opinion.
Has Anyone Been to Blazing Onion Burgers in Mill Creek?
By "us" do you mean you are one of the proprietors of Blazing Onion???
Anyway, the place isn't bad, and it has a nice bar in Gig Harbor, but for a gourmet burger, the beef is a bit lacking in flavor. I will agree most of the places in Seattle are a bit lacking too, but I'll take Red Mill and Lunchbox Lab over Blazing Onion. Dick's is a completely different kind of thing.
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Blazing Onion
2811 Bickford Ave, Snohomish, WA 98290
Has Anyone Been to Blazing Onion Burgers in Mill Creek?
I've been to the one in Gig Harbor, which is a little newer I think. Basically, the burger was dry and bland. The sides and toppings were all good overall, but the burger needed more fat. I've been spoiled with the luscious burgers at The Spotted Pig and Shake Shack in NYC, and everything else seems like lean chuck next to them.
What's good in Kitsap?
Agree completely. Haven't tried much there but it's all been good and the space is fantastic.
What's good in Kitsap?
Haven't tried this place either, but will give it a shot. That being said the pizza at Sogno di vino is pretty good, so I've mostly been going there recently for my (sort-of) east coast pizza fix. Sogno di vino's pastas, on the other hand, have been consistently terrible. Go to Burrata for that (or better yet La Fermata).
Off the Kitsap topic: I finally went to the fantastic Delacey in Seattle over the weekend, and it is easily the best New York style pizza in the Seattle metro area. Call it Motorino West.
What's good in Kitsap?
Actually they denied they had any connection to BBBB, yet that may just be a way to keep people coming back! Anyway, as is typical with most pizza places around here, the crust is too doughy and there was about twice as much cheese as there should be. That being said it wasn't bad, just nothing special. It's a nice place and they were trying real hard, but it didn't seem much better than BBBB.
I so wish someone would open a real New York or New Haven style pizza place here in Bremerton, but everyone here would probably just order extra cheese and think the crust was burnt...
Buying truffles in Seattle (the tuber, not chocolate)
I bought an Oregon one at the Whole Foods in Interbay last weekend. I was pretty much tasteless to be honest. I'll save up my money for the real thing in the future.
What's good in Kitsap?
I just saw the liquor license application on the window at the old August Winn place. It says it will be called Der Blokken Brewery. I'm guessing it is the Heads Up brewing folks who are opening it. Pretty exciting news actually!
What's good in Kitsap?
There is nothing in the August Wynn spot yet as far as I can tell. The Peruvian place is near 6th and Callow, which IS actually where Kitsap Way ends up. I haven't been there but have seen the sign.
What's good in Kitsap?
I think it said 10-8pm daily, but I didn't see if they were closed on any day. I have to say the seasoning problems seems to be fixed. The tacos I had today were excellent, with the exception of the pastor being a bit tough. They definitely don't make them the classic way. It's basically spiced pork there.
Velvet Falernum in SEA?
You're looking for John D. Taylor Velvet Falernum. I had to order it online. It's $17 on Sam's Wines and Spirits website.
