Eight months ago, Lauren and I started on an NCAA-style tournament through the 16 dishes on Thai Tom’s menu. Today began round 2, and I expect the last few meals to come out in rapid succession. This is an inexact science, as 3 chefs rotate through Thai Tom’s burners. For example, while #10 was a clear favorite based on previous tastings, today it fell short. Was it due to the change in chefs? A bad delivery of eggplant? Who knows, but it just didn’t have the gusto needed to hold up against the sassy Swimming Rama’s peanut sauce.

It is becoming clear that there are two classes of dishes at Thai Tom (Division I and Division II if you will). Dishes such as Sweet and Sour Chicken are solidly in division II, and Garlic Beansprouts is permanently disqualified (a mini-dead kenny for it). If we decide to re-stage the tournament again, we would restrict entry to Division I (I’ll provide a full breakdown when all is said and done). A recap of the current state of affairs follows:

UPDATE (04/11/2007): After a break for Passover, Panang Curry handly overran #4 (Thai Sauce Chicken) as the quarter finals continue.

UPDATE (04/17/2007): Cashew Chicken cruised to an easy win over the popular, but less exciting, Pad Thai.

UPDATE (04/24/2007): Completing round 2 was a close match between #9 and #12. At the end the garlic was king for Garlic Pepper Chicken.

UPDATE (05/02/2007): They were out of Panang Curry (next time I’m instituting a forfeit rule!). So it was a back-to-back Garlic Pepper Chicken appearance, but it was no match for Cashew Chicken.

UPDATE (05/12/2007): In the closest match yet, Panang Curry squeaked by Swimming Rama (probably #1 and #2 seeds in next year’s match :))

UPDATE (06/20/2007): The winner of the 2006-07 Thai Tom crown is….Panang Curry!

Rating:

This weekend Lauren and I were up at Whistler enjoying sunny skies and residual conditions from a record snowfall. After the morning runs, we headed to the Roundhouse Lodge on Whistler mountain. But rather than face the usual ski-lunch frustrations of jockeying for a table and scrutinizing the marginal pickings in the cafeteria, I followed a tip from my friend Stefan. It turns out that both Whistler and Blackcomb mountains have a sit-down restaurant co-located with the main self-serve venues. And as Stefan says, “it’s nice getting served during your lunch break.”

We walked into Steep’s Grill at 6030′ and immediately were seated at a table with a gorgeous view of the mountains (most of the restaurant has amazing views). We had the salmon chowder which, while not earth-shattering, had a good ratio of salmon to potatoes with a hint of lemon.

We also indulged in some comfort food. The macaroni and cheese at Steeps was impressive. Classic elbow macaroni with gruyere, white chedder, parmesan, and baked Okanagan apples. The apples were a nice touch. The next time we make mac & cheese at home I’m going to add some carmelized apples.

The next day we were on Blackcomb and lunched at Christine’s, which is their sit-down restaurant at the Rendezvous. I guess I have a thing for soup when I snowboard: we ordered their wild mushroom soup, and some grilled salmon (for the protein). The mushrooms were better than the salmon chowder, though less photogenic. The salmon hit the spot, and was pretty good for 5000′ up 🙂

Overall, I highly recommend spending a few extra C$$s and indulging in the more relaxed atmosphere and better food offered at Steep’s Grill and Christine’s.

Steep’s Grill at 6030′
Whistler Mountain
Whistler, BC

Christine’s
Blackcomb Mountain
Whistler, BC

Rating:

On Thursday over lunch I was talking with Ed about the Italian food options available in Seattle. This must have stuck in the back of my mind, as driving home in the evening I turned to Lauren and asked “do you want to go to Café Lago this weekend?” A smile, nod, and a quick phone call secured us a prime 7:30PM Saturday evening reservation.

The Montlake neighborhood is not exactly flush with restaurants. The “main drag” consists of a brand new library branch, Fuel Coffee, the Montlake Bar & Grill, and Café Lago. So it’s no wonder that Lago, which boasts fabulous pastas and pizzas, a small but high quality wine list, and comfortable (almost minimalist chic) ambience packs in the local crowds. The atmosphere is casual but tasteful, and back in the day Gio dubbed it perfect for first dates (for posterity’s sake I’ll note that Lauren and I went there for date#4). On weekends, reservations are a must.

We started our meal with a bottle of Rosso de Montalcino and an order of “Pomodori al Forno.” They make their own variation of sun-dried tomatoes by soaking ripe Roma tomatoes in olive oil and then putting them into their wood-fired oven that they use to cook the pizzas. They are served with oil-soaked crostinis and a wheel of goat cheese, resulting in a delightful set of four create-your-own bruschettas 🙂

For the main course we ordered the two type of items that keep me addicted to Lago: a pizza and a pasta. The pizzas at Lago easily hold their own against any other restaurant in the city, the famed Via Tribunali included. For those that enjoy sausage, the Salsiccia is fantastic. Otherwise, go for the Caprino or the Giardiniere. We had a Giardiniere, and enjoyed the sweet peppers and onions, garlic, and mozzerella atop Lago’s signature tomato sauce. And with the size of the pizza we had enough to enjoy more for breakfast this morning 🙂

Usually Lauren and I will order the lasagna every time we dine at Lago, because it is the best lasagna in the city. The sheets of pasta and the marinara sauce are made in house, and the result is an amazingly light dish that you simply have to taste yourself to understand.

Last night we shook things up a little (but only a little) by ordering their ravioli. In many ways the ravioli was a shapeshifter of the lasagna. The pasta was thin, melt-in-your-mouth surrounding a mix of fresh ricotta, mozzerella, and pecorino cheeses. They were topped by the same delightful marinara sauce that is used in their lasagna. Lago’s pastas are arguably the best in Seattle and are definitely the best I’ve had since our return from Italy.

Even though we had to box up part of our entreés, we still had half a bottle of wine. So when they brought us dessert menus, we took our time and finally succumbed to the siren call of the Chocolate Truffle Cake. Usually we pass on dessert, but have been tempted to try some of the choices at Lago for years. We shouldn’t have waited so long. The Chocolate Truffle Cake lives fully up to its name, with a flaky texture that is firmer than mousse, and more like, well, a chocolate truffle. It’s topped with an espresso sauce and is both sinful and impossible to hold your fork back from just one more bite. I found out that all of the desserts are house-made, and I’m looking forward to sampling some of the other tempations.

Overall we had a very delightful meal. Chef-owner Jordi Viladas runs a quality operation, and I’ve had consistently top quality experiences at Café Lago, my one suggestion for them would be a little more variety. Not that I’m advocating a larger menu — part of what I love about Lago is the consistency of execution and eye for quality on everything from the wine list to the appetizers to the pizzas and pasts. But more of a rotation, perhaps seasonally, would help keep the choices fresh for the regulars. Just make sure to keep the lasagna on the list year-round!

Café Lago
2305 24TH Ave E (at E Lynn Street)
Seattle, WA 98112
206-329-8005

Last night Lauren and I passed by a very unique new hangout that’s opened up near our place: Remedy Teas. It’s a very comfortable space that not only has 150+ teas (they can give Typhoon a run for their money), but they also serve food, cocktails (some with tea in them), and locally made chocolates by Ivy Chan.

We were just quickly poking our heads in to check out Remedy Teas on the way back from the video store, so a full review is forthcoming later. We did walk away with a signature “Coco Chai” truffle which was fantastic. They also have a tea sampling bar at the front. The one tea I tried was very complex and savory.

It’s tucked away downstairs on the southwest corner of Republican and 15th, and is very easy to miss as you walk on by (this space has a laundry list of failed businesses in the past due to this issue). The front staff were very nice and sociable, and whether you are into tea or not I’d suggest stopping by and checking it out as Remedy Teas seems like a local business worth keeping around!

Remedy Teas
345 15th Ave E (at Republican)
Seattle, WA 98112
206-323-4TEA

Daily: 7:00AM-11:00PM

Rating:

There aren’t many places in Seattle where you can both rent a kayak and order top-notch tacos in the same breath. The only one I know if is Agua Verde on the north shore of the Montlake cut.

And this is not your average taco stand. Agua Verde boasts some very unique selections, including my two favorites:Camarones and Boniato tacos.

Their Camarones (shrimp) tacos are my new favorite. They are distinguished by the curry-like sauce atop the juicy local prawns.

The Boniato (sweet potato) tacos have stolen the hearts of many of my friends. They are a little variable in texture (I prefer when they are super mushy; occasionally the sweet potato bits are semi-firm), but the combination of sweet potatoes, cojita cheese, and their medium, slightly sweet salsa is certainly delicious.

The blackened halibut is also worth checking out, but avoid the cactus tacos. It’s a great place to take out of towners, though be sure to call ahead if you are going for dinner anywhere close to a weekend night. The waits can be quite extensive, though you can pass the time in the summer sipping margaritas outside 🙂

TIP: The outdoor patio is not only for summer: there are overhead space heaters, making the porch even warmer than the indoor dining room.

TIP: If you’re not dead-set on eating in the dining room for dinner, the take-out line moves very quickly and you can have a nice summer picnic. Alternatively, the crowds are much thinner at lunchtime…

Agua Verde
1303 NE Boat St.
Seattle, WA 98105
206-545-8570

Mon-Sat: 11:00AM-9:00PM (Lunch and Dinner)

Rating:

I’m a little biased here: Rosebud will always hold a special place in my heart as the location of my first date with Lauren. It’s a cozy neighborhood restaurant with friendly staff and consistently good (occasionally amazing) dishes on the menu. They also have a great weekend brunch and created one of my favorite summer cocktails: Raspberry Lemonade (simply Raspberry Stoli + Lemonade).

Our original destination tonight was Via Tribunali. However, they haven’t lost any of their luster with the crowds: at 9PM on a Wednesday the wait was still 45-60 minutes. We politely declined and walked the two blocks east to Rosebud.

At the waitress’ recommendation we started with the Duck Confit Salad. It was an absolute delight. The duck was tender and did not overpower the rest of the salad (a common failing). The napa cabbage was fresh, crunchy, and complemented by toasted hazelnuts and a sesame-ginger vinaigrette.

Entree#1: Steelhead salmon atop a spinach rissoto cake and tomato ragout. The salmon was prepared well — a simple rub+grill preparation leading to a smooth oily texture and bringing out the natural flavors of the fish which were paired well with the ragout. The spinach risotto was too weird for my taste — two flavors that didn’t mesh well in my mouth. But to quote my lovely wife “it did look pretty!”

Entree#2: Roasted chicken breast stuffed with wild mushrooms and goat cheese, atop sage polenta with swiss chard. I really enjoyed the sage polenta — creamy with fresh herb flavoring. The chard was well seasoned and sauteed, far preferable to the infused risotto. The chicken itself was a bit disappointing. There was very little stuffing, resulting in a few really tasty bites of stuffed chicken along with many more boring bits of roasted chicken. Not to say that the chicken wasn’t well executed, but it was simply roasted chicken for much of the dish. Next time, more stuffing!

Overall Rosebud is a worthwhile consideration for a low-stress casual, yet special, night out.

Rosebud
719 East Pike St (at Harvard)
Seattle, WA 98122
206-323-6636

Daily: 5:00PM-10:00PM (Dinner)
Sat-Sun: 9:00AM-2:00PM (Brunch)

TIP: Rosebud is on the Microsoft Prime card: card holders receive two entrees for the price of one.

While driving home from the airport this evening, Lauren turned to me and said: “You know what I would like for dinner….Southwest Turkey Burgers.” We had a moment of silence, since the saga had continued when Trader Joe’s discontinued the Turkey Burgers (again) this spring.

To get her mind off of the Turkey Burger mourning, I suggested we experiment on a Mediterranean-style chicken sandwich. We swung by TJ’s on the way home and gathered ingredients: chicken breasts, “Mediterranean flatbreads”, tzatziki, feta cheese, and some mixed greens. Lauren got in line while I did a quick scan of the freezer section for any interesting tidbits. It’s almost reflex for me to scan the burger section in vain for a restock of the Turkey Burgers, but for the second time in my life it was double-take time. I returned to surprise Lauren with 2 boxes in each hand, and she proceeded to convey this story to our befuddled check out assistant.

Nonetheless, momentum continued on the Mediterranean chicken plan (we’ll crack open the burgers tomorrow night). The results were good enough to post about (and easily satisfy my father’s requirement of “it should take less time to prepare a meal than to eat it”). Here’s the basic recipe:

• Chicken breasts
• Tzatziki (such as TJ’s Cilantro & Chive Yogurt Dip)
• Red onion
• Persian-stlye pita (such as TJ’s Middle Eastern Flatbreads)
• Mixed greens (such as TJ’s Herb Salad Mix)
• Feta cheese (such as TJ’s Authentic Greek Feta in Brine)
• Garlic
• Lemon juice
• Mint
• Olive Oil

Slice the chicken breasts into strips and season with crushed mint, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Sauté garlic in olive oil, then stir in the chicken. Grill pitas on a grill pan. Place pita on a dish, spread on some tzatziki, add mixed greens, chicken, crumbled feta, and thinly sliced red onions.

Enjoy!

Rating:

Lauren and I took a flight to San Jose this evening, coming straight from work to the airport. We made it through security with an hour to spare and hungry for some dinner. On our stroll through the main concourse we noticed Vino Volo: a new storefront offering wine tastings and food. Intrigued, we stopped in to check it out.

Turns out that Vino Volo opened two weeks ago to build on its successes in DC’s Dulles National Airport. The Sea-Tac shop surrounds you with bottles of wine on all the walls, and it’s a funny mix of retail shop meets hangout meets light restaurant. We signed ourselves up for the Pinot Noir wine flight, a rosemary chicken sandwich, and Beecher’s ziti & cheese.

The rosemary chicken sandwich was impressively presented with large sprigs of rosemary in place of toothpicks. The pesto aioli and toasted rosemary foccacia were an enjoyable combination. The chicken itself could have used some more attention to detail — the results were a bit too dry for my taste. Overall though, it was darn good for an airport sandwich 🙂

The Beecher’s ziti and cheese was fantastic. Gooey Beecher’s Flagship cheese with flaky breadcrumbs and al dente ziti is a great pre-flight belly filler!

Overall Vino Volo offers a fun (yet still efficient) alternative to standard airport fare. We’ll certainly stop there again the next time we’re in SEA and have some time to kill.

Update (5/19/2009): Ziti and cheese still tasty, but prices are up and portion sizes are down making it a harder sell.

Vino Volo
Sea-Tac Airport
Central Terminal
Seattle, WA

Daily 9:00AM-11:00PM

Rating:

The Herbfarm. Mentioned on just about every “top restaurants” page in the Seattle area, I had heard tale of it ever since I moved here. Yet after nine years I hadn’t experienced it personally. My sister helped us fix that with her fabulous wedding present, which included dinner for Lauren and I at the Herbfarm, as well as one night in an “Herbfarm Romantic Suite” at the adjacent Willows Lodge.

We arrived early to fully experience Willows Lodge. Staying at Willows makes you feel like you are at a remote cabin in the North Cascades. The ambience and service was reminiscent of the fabulous Sun Mountain Lodge. We had a relaxing trip to the Spa (they have an 24-hour outdoor sauna and jacuzzi which is a great pre-massage relaxant :)). Our balcony overlooked the garden, so we got to witness a wedding ceremony before heading down a short pathway to dinner.

Dining at the Herbfarm is not for the gastronomic faint of heart: it’s a nine-course, full evening affair with wine and a pre-dinner tour of the herb garden. On a blustery October evening, we sampled garlic chives (the flowers taste like garlic, it’s amazing), lemon verbena, and other herbs that were to be featured in the evening’s dinner. Every meal at the Herbfarm has a theme, and ours was A Mycologist’s Dream: a.k.a. mushrooms galore.

Following the garden tour (which was a little kitsch, but at the Herbfarm you need to learn to embrace kitsch), we settled in for some herb-infused champagne and our first course: A Fungi Start. This trio included a crispy, light tempura Angel Wing mushroom, a savory Morel mushroom flan, and a Matsutake mushroom consomme with a spot prawn. The tempura was fried to perfection with a light breading and paired well with its lemon thyme soy sauce. The flan was a very unique mushroom creation: it had a creamy texture that you would expect for dessert, but the flavor was rich with savory mushrooms. The consomme was intended to be a simple presentation reflecting the flavor of the Matsutake. Perhaps they should have used more mushrooms, as I found it quite plain.

In between the first and second course our champagne glasses were topped off (it turns out that the meal not only includes generous wine pairing pours, but also fill ups as the waitstaff wonders about), the lights dimmed, and the introductions began.

As I mentioned earlier, the Herbfarm consists of a certain amount of cheese. This was in full force when the red curtains close on the open kitchen and the staff are lined up shoulder to shoulder. The owner, Ron Zimmerman, introduces each one of the kitchen and serving staff, including their credentials and accolades. Imagine if before each Broadway show they decided to read you a shortened version of the “Who’s Who in the Cast”. Ugh, drink up.

Following the staff introductions, the chef (Jerry Traunfeld) and the sommelier went over the details of the menu. Jerry had samples of all the evening’s mushrooms (he is displaying a huge Cauliflower mushroom in the picture here). This part was actually quite interesting. I was very impressed with Jerry. Here is a world-acclaimed chef who has been at the Herbfarm for 16 years, yet seems very down to earth. He described the thought process behind each dish and how the mushrooms were to be incorporated. During the meal preparations he was an active participant in the kitchen, in a very player-coach type role. If he hadn’t been pointed out as the executive chef, you would think he was another “normal” member of the kitchen staff. Very cool. The sommelier on the other hand took herself a little too seriously. But she gave us lots of tasty wines so I’ll cut her some slack 🙂

After the introductions finished, the curtains reopened and (relatively speaking) normalcy resumed. Our table was located in the first row of tables in front of the open kitchen, so we were able to witness the herculean efforts of the staff preparing 100 simultaneous meals. Our second course consisted of crab and King Bolete mushrooms inside of light pasta “handkerchiefs”. Simple and well executed preparation of very fresh and tasty ingredients. The wine paring was a Ken Wright Cellars Chardonnay that was more of a Burgundy-style Chardonnay (yay!) even though it was from California.

Third course: Soy Marinated Roasted Black Cod with Cauliflower Mushrooms. Served with a side of Quince and Savoy Cabbage. This was the best course of the meal. Black cod is also known as sablefish, and is a completely different beast from “regular” cod. It was rich, the perfect amount of oily, and melted in your mouth. Cauliflower mushrooms were a great crunchy complement. The quince tasted like a cross between an apple and a pear (I bet “pearple” wouldn’t fly with the marketers).

For the main course (#4 for those counting along), Jerry said he wanted to “fully feature the mushrooms”, and the result was a “Red, White and Blue Mushroom Tower.” Lobster mushrooms were the “Red”, Bear’s Tooth mushrooms were the “White”, and Blue Chantrelle mushrooms were the “Blue.” Lots of mushroomy goodness served with a Sungold tomato sauce.

At this point we were halfway through the meal. After 3 glasses of wine we were also getting a bit tipsy. The proprieters encourage you to tour the house in between courses, and we took advantage of the pre-intermezzo lull to walk around. There is a library upstairs. It overlooks the dining room and has a large array of cookbooks from chefs and restaurants around the world. The entire house is pretty ecclectic and reflects Ron’s fascination with eBay. We returned to our table for the intermezzo, which was a disappointment. The warm “Concord Grape Infusion”, with lemon verbena and rosemary, tasted like Manischewitz Concord Grape wine. Lame.

Course #6 was our singular meat course of the evening. A three part presentation a la the first course, this plate consisted of mushroom-braised duck leg with a red wine reduction, mushroom and gizzard strudel, and a mushroom-crusted duck breast with rosemary. It was paired with our final wine of the evening, a local syrah from the Boushey vineyard. I don’t remember much of the details at this point, but do remember enjoying this course immensely 🙂

At this point in the evening we had wined and dined heavily and it was time to start the final approach: cheese and dessert. First up, a Quillisascut Goat Cheese Tart, with fruit compote and roasted chestnuts. A rich, savory cheesecake texture with sweet, slightly carmelized fruits.

By all counts I am quite full at this point, but dessert and coffee (which also included some “small treats”) remained. Dessert was yet another trio. No mushrooms here, though the Pear Edulis with its merengue top was presented in the shape of a funghi. To round out the group was an Apple souffle with orange-thyme custard sauce and a pumpkin-bay sundae with homemade marshmellows. The sundae was my favorite.

All I have to say about the coffee and tea is that if you order the “Smart Tea”, you get a set of small puzzles to make your drunken way through while you munch on various small treats. After lingering over your coffee and tea you’ll be glad that you have a room at the Willows Lodge across the street so that you only need to cover a couple hundred feet to a very comfortable bed with late checkout 🙂

If you’ve read this far, for what its worth I’ll mention that the entire experience of the Herbfarm plus Willows Lodge makes for a very enjoyable and indulgent vacation for Seattle-ites without any of the typical vacation travel overhead. Enjoy!

The Herbfarm and Willows Lodge
14590 NE 145th St.
Woodinville, WA 98072
425-485-5300

Thur-Sun: Single Seating (Dinner only)

Rating:

Tonight LL and I headed to the border of Greenlake and Ravenna to check out DeAnn’s new digs. Dinner plans entailed a quest to find a local restaurant for DeAnn to try. After an abortive attempt down Roosevelt to the Blue Onion Bistro (turns out they’re closed Sunday evenings), we made a loop around Greenlake’s east shore, settling in at the Greenlake Bar and Grill.

It looked like a nice spot — outdoor seating and an airy interior. Unfortunately the rest of our dining experience didn’t measure up to that initial impression. Our hostess told us our table would be about 10 minutes, and then promptly forgot about us. We took a quick self-tour and when we returned to the hostess desk she asked “Can I help you? Party of 2?” Never mind that we had just told her there were 3 of us just moments prior. No matter, we pressed on and were seated outdoors on the comfortable patio. Our waiter forgot about us for about 20 minutes, but when we finally placed our orders the food arrived quickly. The dishes were, on the whole, forgettable. My blackened fish tacos had good chunks of meat and decent flavoring, but no real kick as I would expect from a blackening rub (perhaps I was spoiled by our lunch at Gorditos earlier today). Lauren’s chicken sandwich was also just so-so, with a decently grilled chicken breast on a bun that tasted like Wonderbread and underwhelming “wasabi aioli”. I’ve gotten better Hummus and Baba Ghanoush from a can then we had with the Mediterranean Platter. Price-wise, the only thing that kept our bill somewhat reasonable was the 2-for-1 deal we have on the PRIME card.

All in all it dealt with the hunger pangs, and the outdoor seating was an enjoyable place to converse, but I’ll pass on by the Greenlake Bar and Grill next time I’m in the neighborhood.

Greenlake Bar and Grill
7200 E Greenlake Drive North
Seattle, WA
206-729-6179