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Just over a year ago, a new restaurant/coffee-shop opened on the north side of Capitol Hill, in the location of the former Café Europa. It wasn’t until early summer that I made my first stop at Volunteer Park Café. It was to be the first of many tasty visits.

Fast forward to October 10th. Lauren and I attempted to have dinner at Lark, but were greeted with an hour wait.  So we decided to check out how VPC handles dinner.  I still remember the Fig and Gorgonzola Pizza we had that night. We returned last night and the waits were running over an hour. Fortunately we had called ahead for a table, as it seems reservations are a must over the weekend (the weeknights we’ve been there have been much more sedate). VPC rotates their menu weekly, though it always includes a daily bruschetta that is worth checking out. Last night’s variation was a garlic spread with butternut squash, red peppers, kale and a little pecorino cheese. On top of freshly grilled bread of course. A hearty and tasty beginning!

Next was a mixed beet salad (with all local vegetables), with chevre, arugula, and a light vinaigrette. The chevre was fantastic, and a little bit of salt in the dressing brought together all the flavors perfectly.

Another regular appearance on VPC’s dinner menu is their selection of pizzas. We’d already had the "Roasted Mushroom" (with truffle oil) and the "Bianco", both of which were fantastic (though not quite as good as the heavenly Fig and Gorgonzola). Last night we branched out and tried the Spinach Pesto, with oven roasted tomatoes, red onion, feta, and oregano. The pizza was decent, but not in the same league as the rest of the pizzas I’ve had there. Maybe it was the pesto base, maybe it was the thickness of the crust, or maybe it was the greater number of toppings or the higher than usual ratio of bread to toppings. Whatever the reason, I’d pass on the Spinach Pesto pizza in the future, especially given the solid alternatives.

On weekends Volunteer Park Café offers both breakfast and lunch options well into the afternoon, and in the summer they have (slightly rickety) tables flanking the sidewalk in front of the café.  For those with a sweet tooth, definitely try the Caramelized Banana Brioche French Toast. It’s heavenly.  Other breakfast highlights include the Brie and Apple Panini (on croissant, not baguette) and the quiche of the day.  A running theme is that the pastries are sinful, but oh so flaky and buttery.  Orders take a long time to complete, so make sure you’re not ravenously hungry when you arrive (or if so, grab yourself a scone or croissant while you wait).

For lunch, the Herb Roasted Mushroom Panini is my current favorite.

Though I also frequently order the Chicken Salad Sandwich.

Overall, Volunteer Park Café is a relaxed, enjoyable, friendly place that consistently turns out great food for all meals. Add a reasonably priced wine list (which seems to be rarer and rarer these days) and super-friendly staff and it’s no surprise that the lines can be out the door!

Volunteer Park Café
1501 17th Ave E
Seattle, Washington 98112
206-328-3155

Tues-Fri 7:00AM-4:30PM (Breakfast, Lunch)
Sat-Sun 8:00AM-4:30PM (Breakfast, Lunch)
Tues-Sat 5:30PM-9:00PM (Dinner)

In our quest to go through the myriad of squash that we’ve gotten from Pioneer Organics, tonight’s experiment was butternut squash risotto (base risotto with shitakes, cream, and butternut squash). And we doubled down on new recipes; tonight we also tried the George’s Bank scallops (frozen) from Trader Joe’s.

Verdict: The risotto was fantastic. The scallops had a good texture but tasted a tad fishy. They did look nice though

This weekend Lauren and I flexed our underutilized membership and had a cultural Sunday afternoon at SAM. They have a fantastic exhibit on Roman art from the Louvre that opened this weekend.  I was surprised at how extensive the exhibit was (large enough that I’ll have to return for a second go around before it’s through on April 6th).  They also have three panels on temporary loan from Ghiberti’s Gates of Paradise. All ten panels have been under years of restoration, and they are on a final run before returning to a hermetically sealed chamber in Florence (at the Musee dell’Opera del Duomo).

We also stopped at TASTE (the new restaurant at SAM) for lunch. TASTE is all about local organic ingredients, with a bunch of soup, sandwich, and salad options at lunchtime. I thoroughly enjoyed my tomato soup w/grilled cheese. I also snuck a taste of Lauren’s squash soup, which was delicious. I plan to return for dinner and we’ll be sure to bring our camera

Some co-workers of mine from the old Indigo days are now working in downtown Seattle at Payscale. I just found out that they are keeping a blog of restaurant reviews for all the lunch spots in the I-district. They are taking a very methodical approach to this task. It’s quite an entertaining read, and may provide some inspiration the next time you’re in Chinatown!

A few years ago, I stocked up on vegetarian friendly foods as a hospitality nod to a few good friends. One of the items I picked up was Gardenburger’s “Meatless Riblets“. What can I say, I was intrigued. Lauren opened the freezer, took one look at them and said “no vegetarian is ever going to eat these, they are too meat-like.” Over time the riblets got buried in the freezer, to be rediscovered about 2 years later (in December). When I found them I wondered aloud how they would taste. Lauren continued her skepticism and claimed that there was no way she would ever come near the meatless riblets.

Well at long last the moment of truth arrived. Back from the gym tonight I was famished. We’re a little low on food after the recent vacation, and I spied the riblets in our freezer. I knew what my evening snack would be, and my wife could forage for an alternative if she wasn’t interested. I opened the box and inside were two vacuum sealed frozen burgundy blocks.  Opting for the grilling instructions, they went onto the grill pan (hey, it gets cold out here in January) for the requisite 4 minutes per side. To add to the evening’s humor I recited some anecdotes from the back of the box around the virtues of vegarian food, vegetarian ribs (no one ever chokes on a bone), and Gardenburger in general (which is a pretty self-effacing company).

About 2 minutes in, Lauren started to change her tune: “uhm, those smell pretty good.” By the time they were ready, her resolve was completely broken. I managed two bites before having to offer up a taste, at which point a second fork came out of the drawer. The funny thing is they really did taste an awful lot like the BBQ ribs I had while growing up, but without the bones or extra grease! When the riblets were gone (including a full sweep of any remaining sauce), my wife joked: “who knew that meatless riblets would be the first step in converting me back to eating beef.” After years of teasing over this tiny box, I was finally redeemed.

P.S. As a testament to how long this item had lingered in my freezer, Gardenburger has not only new packaging, but also a new name for the product: “BBQ Riblets“

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When Lauren’s Mom moved to West LA, I was introduced to a little ice cream shop near UCLA.  They advertise snow cones, cookies, and ice cream on the menu.  But what has made Diddy Riese famous was their $1 ice cream sandwiches: two freshly baked cookies with a scoop of ice cream sandwiched beteen them. 

It’s a simple formula really, but their execution is flawless. Even after their price increase to $1.50 they’re still a bargain (the price increase was accompanied by a very apologetic note that explained the economics of the dairy industry and how a new contract requires some costs to be regrettably be passed along to the customer). You can choose two different cookies for the top and bottom if you’d like and choose from an assortment of Dreyer’s flavors.

After my first hit I was hooked, and since then Diddy Riese has become a necessary stop anytime I visit LA (its one block proximity to an In and Out makes for a tasty fast-food combo visit). 

The “classic sandwich” is oatmeal raisin cookies with vanilla ice cream. Today I had chocolate chip cookies with strawberry ice cream. Soft, fresh from the oven cookies. Ice cream soft enough for a sandwich but cold enough to avoid a quick melt.  There are few better things I can imagine on a sunny LA afternoon.

Diddy Riese
926 Broxton Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90024
(310) 208-0448

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Thanksgiving. Day of cranberry salsa and closed restaurants. We had the bright idea to get In and Out for lunch today. Fortunately we remembered to call on our way to see if they were open. No dice. So we drove around briefly near Helene’s place and found that Junior’s Deli is open on Thanksgiving until 5PM.

I first went to Junior’s on New Year’s Day after a nasty bout with the stomach flu (it was the first solid food I had in 3 days). So while any memories there are suspect, I had a positive recollection of the food. When you first walk into Junior’s you are greeted by a large display case of pastries, including a few kinds of tasty rugelach. Further inside is a fairly standard diner setup, with a NY deli-inspired menu.

Given the large Thanksgiving dinner awaiting us tonight, Shawn, Lauren and I shared a tuna melt and some cheese blintzes.

The tuna melt was grilled on fresh Jewish rye bread, stuffed with freshly mixed albacore tuna salad and the obligatory melted chedder. All in all a very solid tuna melt. We ordered “mini potato pancakes” in place of fries. I was expecting smaller versions of the classic latkes; flat and shredded potato based. Instead we were treated to an entirely new dish – asteroid-shaped potato puffs that were briefly deep fried. Crispy on the outside and a little mushy on the inside they were closer to hush puppies than potato pancakes, but thoroughly enjoyable.

Since we’d likely have our fill of turkey this evening, we opted for a set of cheese blintzes instead of a turkey sandwich. Original plan was to order a mix of cheese and blueberry blintzes, but they were out of blueberry. So we got a trio of cheese blintzes. They were fairly large, stuffed with a sweet ricotta filling, and seared on the outside shell. The blintz sheet was soft (outside of the crispy top searings), and the filling was sweet while remaining on the savory side of the palette.  Personally I would have blintz overload after one of them, so it was fortunate that we were sharing

Overall Junior’s provided a relaxed, tasty lunch and I’ll be happy to return for more deli and ruggies next time we’re in Westwood.

Junior’s
2379 Westwood Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90064
(310) 475-5771

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On Olive Way just east of I-5 was arguably the most distinctive coffee shop on Capitol Hill: Coffee Messiah. This institution closed its doors in January, 2006. We were taking bets on what (if anything) would replace the Messiah. We all lost, as none of us considered an all-vegetarian Asian-fusion noodle bar (with a complete suite of faux meat). It was about a year later that Capitol Hill was introduced to In the Bowl.

The restaurant was completely madeover from its dark, Jesus-portrait laden past, the walls repainted mango, and opened up as much as possible given the narrow locale. The waitstaff are very friendly and they do a brisk take-out business as well as offering some tightly packed tables for dining in. I’ve been to In the Bowl four times now, and while it has always been busy a table or two was available. Perhaps that’s because your food arrives almost instantly (our dining experience tonight was 30 minutes all-up).

The menu is very tongue-in-cheek. It’s setup as a set of “episodes” (beverages episode, starter episode, stir fried episode, etc). There are items like “You Are So Beautiful” and “Go Green with The Beans”. Tonight we had a repeat of our inaugural meal: Tokyo Noodle and Basil Basil. Both with tofu and 3 stars of spiciness (I haven’t managed to psych myself up for the fake meats yet).

Tokyo Noodle is an udon noodle, with honey-ginger teriyaki sauce, stir fried with mushrooms, onions, and bok choy. It has an undertone of sweetness along with a nice punch of spice. The udon noodles are a nice chewy host for the sauce.

Basil Basil is my personal favorite so far. This stir-fried episode features mushrooms, green beans, onions, and peppers in a chili-garlic sauce. Oh, and lots of basil of course The brown rice at In the Bowl is not your common wimpy, mushy brown rice. This rice has flavor and a little bit of body.

Overall In the Bowl has stepped up to the plate and more than filled the void left by Coffee Messiah’s departure. So far, I’d rank it above any of the Asian options that Broadway has to offer. I’m excited to continue my way through the scenes of each “episode”. And if the constant stream of people is any indication, I’m not the only one.

In The Bowl
1554 E. Olive Way
Seattle, WA 98102
206-568-2343

Wed-Mon: 12:00PM-10:00PM (Lunch and Dinner)

Tonight we were wondering what to do with some green beans, and after a little web searching Lauren discovered this gem of a recipe for Szechuan Green Beans.

We sidestepped the whole dutch oven aspect of the recipe, and just pan fried the green beans + some tofu (didn’t have any chicken handy). And since we were lucky enough to have all the ingredients in hand (other than a quick cashew for peanuts substitution), dinner was ready in about 15 minutes. Yum!

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Last night, Lauren and I planned to have a low-key night of home cooking and play around with my new toy. But at around 7:30 I got a call from Mike, asking “do you want to go out to a nice dinner tonight?” It’s a rare treat to have Mike and Erin free for an evening sans children, so we instantly updated our evening plans and quickly scored a reservation at Coupage for 8:30. Thank you OpenTable

I had been meaning to come back to Coupage since our fantastic inaugural meal this past spring. It’s located on the main drag of Madrona (34th Ave), right across the street from the Madrona Ale House. While waiting for our table we hung out at the bar with Kevin, the friendly bartender who offered us a variety of wines to sample. He also updated us on the latest changes to the menu (which is slightly different then what you’ll find online). At his recommendation we started with the arugula salad that was served with golden and red beets, and a toasted sesame goat cheese that I am still savoring the memory of. If you go to Coupage before the menu changes again, this is a fantastic opener. Mike and Erin’s buttered lettuce salad with toasted hazelnuts and pecorino cheese was also quite tasty, but I preferred our choice

For the main course, I got to sample four entrees (the joy of having friends that embrace roving forks). Actually, it was five dishes in total, since the waiter misheard “scallop” for Mike’s porkchop. The chef/owner, Thomas Hurley, came by to apologize for the mishap and insisted that Mike enjoy the extra scallops on the house while they prepared his pork so that he wouldn’t be left without a plate of food in front of him. Thomas is very, very nice and genuinely cares not only about his food preparations, but also about his diners’ enjoyment. And he does a great job satisfying both of those goals.

The seared sea scallops were thick and crispy on top just as I love them prepared, and given the bonus order on the table I got to enjoy more than my fair share of buttery shellfish goodness.

The halibut was another solid offering, cooked perfectly to a silky texture and seared lightly on top. Served atop a simple, yet surprisingly delightful mix of mushrooms, corn, and peas.

The Coupage burger. It has foie gras. It is $28 and worth every penny. It’s made from ground short ribs, which means that you can get a burger that’s a little crispy on the outside, and super juicy and bright red on the inside. It may be the best burger in Seattle (though Mike argues that the foie gras gives it an unfair advantage). It’s so good that even Gio, who normally eats muy rapido, savors every single bite. If you are not a vegetarian/aquatarian/chickitarian then you have to try this burger. It will blow you away.

Mike’s porkchop arrived about halfway through our main course. According to Kevin, the pigs come from Idaho, are over 350 pounds, and I quote “I’ve had a lot of pork in my day, and this is the best pork chop I’ve ever had.” And it didn’t disappoint. Even though we had filled up on scallops and burgers and halibut, we still picked the porkchop clean.

All in all Coupage is one of my favorite new restaurants in Seattle, an east of Madison alternative to Zoe and Eva’s.

Coupage
1404 34th Avenue
Seattle, WA 98112
206-322-1974

Daily: 5:00PM-late (Dinner)
Sun: 10:00AM-2:00PM (Brunch)