WandaBWild's Profile
Seattle First Timer - Trip Itinerary Help Please!
Rich D. - consider going to Boat Street Cafe for brunch after the Olympic Sculpture Park. It's great, right down the street and owned by the same woman who owns Walrus and Carpenter and is mentioned (and pictured!) in the Frank Bruni article. Enjoy your visit!
Emmer&Rye
Look for Chef Seth Caswell to open Emmer & Rye at the top of Queen Anne on February 1st. Although I don't know, for sure, about the exact location, my guess is that he's taking over the space formerly occupied by Opal. It's another good reason to look forward to the new year!
Chinese on Sandy or 82nd in Portland?
Legin on 82nd in Portland. It is classic Cantonese cuisine. Always excellent. Always fresh. And the best dim sum in, possibly, the Northwest.
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Legin Restaurant
8001 SE Division St, Portland, OR 97206
Scared about Salem
Salem has much to offer being close to many great wineries and providing a quick drive to McMinnville, the mountains or the ocean. However, a foodie's town it is not. I lived there for several years after relocating from a similar sized town and found the food selections pitiful. Roth's is a grocery store with a simple selection. The stock does not turn over on the shelves often enough so don't be surprised to find jarred and canned foods to be spoiled. My good friends who still live in Salem tell me little has changed in the grocery stores since we left. If you want a decent selection of foods you will need to go to stores in Portland. There is no other way around it. In the mean time, immerse yourself in the wonderful things that are available around the Salem area. That is how I managed to enjoy the time that I lived there. Best of wishes to you and enjoy Oregon.... one of the most beautiful places in this country!
Anyone been to the Corson Building yet?
My husband and I went to The Corson Building in mid-December. We have had a wide range of dining experiences both in Seattle as well as across the country/world and are very adventurous diners. Overall we came away from The Corson Building with a pleasant experience but the food did not wow us. Perhaps it was an off night?! Not sure. We're willing to give it another shot but my first impression was that it was just OK. One of the dishes was completely off and our fellow diners had the same impression. We will try it again because not every restaurant can be 100% all of the time and other postings at Chowhound indicate that dining at The Corson Building can be an exceptional experience.
The communal dining experience is always a crapshoot but is highly entertaining. The couple across from us clearly loved having an audience to discuss their financial standing while the couple next to us was noticeably feeling inadequate. The couple at an angle from us was feeling awkward all through dinner and seemingly did not enjoy dining "en masse". The party at the far end of the table ignored everyone else, for the most part, and kept to themselves. Oh, it is quite the social experiment but fun because of that!
Salem, OR: Where shall we eat?
I lived in Salem for years and, thankfully, no longer do. There are precious few dining bright spots there but I will tell you that breakfast at White's on South Commercial just outside of downtown is a must. It's traditional American breakfast fare done the way it should be.
For a delicious dinner, head to Dundee (just outside of Salem) to Tina's. You can get details at www.tinasdundee.com. You will find regional Oregon ingredients and wines, outstanding preparations, friendly service and an intimate atmosphere in the middle of wine country.
The Joel Palmer House in Dayton, which is also a fairly short drive outside of Salem, is known for the unique use of mushrooms in a fine dining setting inside a historical home. You can find them on-line at www.joelpalmerhouse.com.
If you don't want to leave the environs of Salem, try DaVinci's but there is little else in town that passes for good food.
Cuttlefish
There is also a wonderful Asian grocery between the Seattle Lighting and Goodwill stores in the strip mall across the street from the Magnolia store on the eastern edge of Bellevue. Their selection is excellent and the prices are equally good. I suggest you look for cuttlefish there if it's conveniently located for you.
Stone ground grits (SEA)?
The very best grits in the country, hands down, are from Anson Mills. You can order them online by going to http://www.ansonmills.com/grits.htm. Once in a while Tom Douglas has them on the menu at Dahlia Lounge, usually as an accompaniment to salmon. They are simply delicious. I highly recommend that you go that route. If you don't want to mail order, I agree that Bob's Red Mill products are great.
Where has the great dim sum gone?
Thank you, Hung, I'll give Ming's a try and watch for the new opening on Sunset...also appreciate the update on Jeem as I didn't know that there had been a change of chefs there....appreciate it!
Love your screen name!
What's the best bakery in Chicago for sweets?
Bittersweet on Belmont, per mcyentyre's post, is my recommendation too!
Best of Seattle - Help
Crush, Harvest Vine and Restaurant Zoe are, IMHO, the best restaurants in Seattle with Crush and Zoe doing mostly local fare. My friends who have been to the Corson Building says it is a do not miss experience. Avoid Wild Ginger....just read the King County Health Board's reports on them and you won't even want to stop there for a glass of water. Palace Kitchen is fun, delicious but is definitely not fine dining; however, it is totally Pacific Northwest dining. Don't bother with the long wait times at How to Cook a Wolf...go to one of Ethan Stowell's two other excellent restaurants, Tavolata or Union, for the same excellent and delicious dishes without the wait.
Alinea - absolutely the best!
My husband and I along with his brother, our sister-in-law and two friends all went to Alinea a couple of weeks ago. Hands down, Alinea served us the best meal that the six of us HAVE EVER HAD. This is coming on the heels of four of us being at Trotter's the night before, our sister-in-law being at French Laundry three days prior and my husband and I being at Atelier de Joel Robuchon in Paris three months prior. And all of us have enjoyed meals at a variety of other highly reviewed restaurants around the world so we believe that we make this declaration from a position of knowledge and experience. If you have never been to Alinea, go. Don't even ask about other options....this is the one!
Spiaggia, A Trivoli, North Pond or ?? some help please
Do yourself a big favor...skip North Pond...in fact, don't ever bother going there. It was the most disappointing meal of my life. I was at a tasting dinner there in November and I happen to be a slow eater. When the other three people at my table finished their first plate in the tasting course, the servers simultaneously lifted all four first course plates off of the table that included mine while I was mid-bite. I was horrified and protested loudly. Common sense on the part of the service staff doesn't exist and the food isn't worth the price, the trip or the bother.
Deviled Eggs in Seattle?
OH...you have to try the ones in the seafood/bar area at SeaStar in Bellevue....they make them with all sorts of delicious toppings!
Where has the great dim sum gone?
With the changes at New Kowloon/Hong Kong Restaurant in the ID (I'm not going back) and the decline and eventual demise of Sentosa in Kirkland, I'm at a loss for outstanding Hong Kong dim sum in the Seattle area. Where do I go now?
Seeking a restaurant in Streeterville for a group dinner
Nsxtasy...absolutely perfect suggestion! I used to eat at Coco Pazzo's original location all the time when I lived in Chicago and was unaware of the fact that they had another location....and that it had a room for big parties. I think this will work out so well. Thank you and grazie!
Seeking a restaurant in Streeterville for a group dinner
My husband and I will be in Chicago, our home town, in July to celebrate his dad's 70th birthday with the whole family. We anticipate that there will be about 15 of us. Can you suggest a restaurant in Streeterville with good to excellent food (price is not an issue) where we can enjoy a nice meal off by ourselves in a separate area or room? There are going to be several children in our group all of whom are well behaved and can be taken into a fine dining establishment.
Provence suggestions?
Hi Anna,
My husband and I were in Provence last week. We stayed at Alain Ducaisse's property, Domaine des Andeols in St. Saturnin de Apt for a couple of nights. The property is gorgeous. We had a delicious meal at the restaurant on the property and it was truly top-notch in every way and we were pleasantly surprised by the prices. Be forewarned though...the service is pretentious and snooty. We also went to Le Fourn!l in Bonnieux which is an easy drive from Roussillon. Delicious meal, wonderful service in a beautiful atmosphere. I highly recommend it!
reservations for bofinger: what happened to their website?
Hi Brian,
My husband and I just ate at Bofinger last night and really enjoyed it. Yes, there are a lot of tourists there but a lot of locals too. And the tourists are treated just as well as the Parisians. We have pretty discerning palates and thought that the meal was great. The biggest surprise was how much we liked the "welts" which are actually large sea snails. Got them on a nice shellfish platter with oysters and clams to start off the meal. Have a great time there....you will not regret going!
Is smokefree working in Paris?
My husband and I were in Paris earlier this week and we were extremely pleased at the lack of cigarette smoke everywhere. I am highly allergic to smoke and have very unpleasant headaches/stomach aches when in the vicinity of cigarette smoke so visiting Paris this time around was, pardon the pun, like a breath of fresh air!
(Redmond/Bellevue) Where to find good produce?
Yakima Fruit Market on 522 in Bothell. They bring in fresh veggies, fruit, plants and a limited amount of dairy products and bread every day from farms around the area. If you want the freshest...this is the place.
Good places to eat in Albany, Corvallis or Lebanon?
The Depot in Albany and Big River in Corvallis.
Seattle Dim Sum
Hands down the very best dim sum in Seattle is New Kowloon in the International District. Even my Cantonese mother-in-law thinks it is excellent and she knows what good Hong Kong dim sum is all about. We eat there often and never is it any less than excellent. If you're looking for outstanding dim sum on the East Side, Sentosa in downtown Kirkland is the place to go. Great quality and I would say that it is a close second to New Kowloon. Jade Garden, Noble Court, Honey Court, Imperial Garden and even Sun Sui Wa in Richmond, BC, do not compare.
