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Today was an absolutely beautiful day in Seattle. Sunny, clear, with a light breeze. It felt like September!

Lauren and I spent this afternoon supporting equal rights on a march through Seattle.  After the march, we headed to a late lunch at the Pink Door.  The Pink Door is located in Pike’s Place Market, down Post Alley (across from Kell’s) behind an inconspicuous salmon-colored door.

Within is a large indoor area, but the highlight (especially on a day like today) is the large outdoor deck.  We were seated outside, with panoramic views of the Market and Puget Sound. We started with a cheese board plate. Each cheese was paired with a complementary item (walnuts for the tellagio, chocolate for the bleu, oranges for the sheep’s milk, and a fig jam for the pecorino).  All were good pairings, though the first two were stand-outs. A great and generously sized start to the meal.

Lauren ordered the paglia e fieno “straw and hay”. This was a mix of white & green fresh fettuccine with wild mushrooms and fresh herbs tossed in a light cream sauce. This is the perfect season for mushrooms, and it was my favorite of the dishes I tried.

I had the "strozapreti di zucca" – pasta with leeks, pumpkin, and pecorino cheese.  I liked the pumpkin and cheese, but overall the dish was lacking when compared to the straw and hay.

Our friends ordered the chicken pannini, lasagna, and pappardelle with meat sauce which all looked good.

It’s hard to beat the Pink Door’s location, and as a bonus they also have tasty, fairly priced food and friendly staff. What more could you ask for? 🙂

The Pink Door
1919 Post Alley
Seattle, WA 98101
206-443-3241

Mon-Thu: 11:30AM-10:00PM (Lunch and Dinner)
Fri-Sat: 11:30AM-11:00PM (Lunch and Dinner)
Sun: 4:00PM-11:00PM (Dinner)

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I’ve been meaning to go to Lark for over a year now. However, they don’t take reservations and the wait is usually 40-60+ minutes for a table. Last night, Lauren and I were looking for a nice place to celebrate our 5 year frog-iversary (long story).  So we made another attempt at Lark and got seated immediately!

Lark has seasonal menus and centers around small plates (though most of the plates are far from small, more like a large appetizer or a medium sized entree).  Inside is a rustic setting that is clean and relaxed. The staff are extremely nice and our waitress was very helpful in helping us choose from the extensive menu of tasty selections.

We started with a glass of Gruner Veltliner and the carrots with carmelized ginger and chervil. The carrots retained a perfect amount of crunchiness and the glaze of ginger enhanced the carrots’ natural flavors. The chervil (a.k.a. fancy schmancy parseley) garnish provided a hint of the garden and was a delightful pairing.

Next up was baby octopus with lobster cream risotto.  The octopus was grilled and (if you can distance yourself from the visual of eating an entire octopus including its head) very tasty. It was buttery and charred from the grill, and mixed with lemon thyme and mint. The risotto was creamy and cooked well, but the octopus and herbs were the highlight here.

We then had the seared Sonoma foie gras on wild rice with corn, almonds and cherries. Well executed preparation — crunchy wild rice and creamy foie gras.There’s only a "small plate" worth of foie gras, with lots of wild rice to soak up the juices.

Our main dish was the chicken with green beans, watermelon, and pickled bits. I’m always a little skeptical of ordering chicken, but the waitress assured us that it was moist and spectacular. Indeed, it was the best chicken I’ve had in awhile and I would happily order it again.

We were pretty full at this point, but after one look at the dessert menu we had to make a little more room 🙂

We concluded with a nectarine tartlette with vanilla ice cream. The puff pastry was a little thicker than I prefer, but the nectarines were fresh, the ice cream was creamy, and it was an enjoyable conclusion to the meal.

Overall we had a fantastic meal at Lark with amazing service. I’m looking forward to my next meal and to experiencing different parts of the menu!

Lark
926 12th Ave (between Spring and Marion)
Seattle, WA 98122
206-323-5275

Tue-Sun: 5:00PM-10:30PM (Dinner)

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The other day, Lauren pointed me to a slog post about Via Tribunali’s expansion (hopefully their product won’t degrade).  I followed the link of the other restaurant listed in the post, and a few days after reading the gushing reviews we found ourselves waiting in line in front of a non-descript hole-in-the-wall across from Eyes on Fremont.

Paseo is a no-frills shop for fantastic Caribbean food. They serve a variety of sandwiches, salads, and plates (deconstructed versions of the sandwiches with rice & beans).  There are a handful of tables inside, plus a few more outdoors on sunny days like today.

#3 is the grilled chicken sandwich. It was awesome. Lauren’s reaction was: "This is the best chicken sandwich I’ve ever had!"

If you have a vegetarian with you, they will love the tofu sandwich (though I’ve got to say, the meat is superior). Paseo offers a spicy level (1-5) for the tofu sandwich. We ordered it "3", but it wasn’t that spicy and next time I would order a "5" spice.  All the sandwiches come with corn on the cob, lathered in butter and garlicky goodness.

All in all, Paseo delivered great sandwiches that I will crave for awhile!

UPDATE (10/4/2008): Tried the chicken salad today and it was also great. For those wanting something a little lighter (or if you’re anti-bread for some reason), the salad has pickled beets, a tart vinaigrette, and juicy marinated chicken.

Paseo
4225 Fremont Ave N
Seattle, WA 98103
206-545-7440

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

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When 22 Doors first opened, it was a delight. Friendly staff with inventive and tasty food. Brunch was a hit with their sweet potato pancakes and crab melt croissants. Dinner had delectable fish, great pastas, a great burger, and an awesome grilled cheese with tomato soup. The food was more expensive then your typical bar, but so was the quality (and it was well worth it).

Unfortunately, since last summer the food and service have steadily declined. I want to still like 22 Doors, I really do. They are located a stone’s throw from my backyard. But their new chef is uninspired, and their servers are forgetful and perpetually understaffed. While the decor hasn’t changed, the dining experience is now an overpriced disappointment.

Last night we had their "Mediterranean feast", which is a plate of hummus with pita, cucumbers, tomatoes, and olives. The hummus had a ton of tahini, but was decent enough and the vegetables were crisp and fresh (though it shouldn’t have taken over 30 min to arrive). On to the main course. I used to unequivocally recommend their burger. The last time I had it was a letdown, but it was during brunch and I chalked it up to the Sunday brunch chef not having a clue.  Alas, really it’s just that the burger is now just a $12 ho-hum burger. Time for me to find a new quality burger on the hill.

Overall 22 Doors is way too expensive for what you get on the dining front. But they do have a nice patio, and a warm fireplace in the winter that make it a good drink stop on 15th.

22 Doors
405 15th Avenue E (between Harrison and Republican)
Seattle, WA 98112
206-324-6406

Daily: 5:00PM-2:00AM (Dinner)
Sat-Sun: 10:00AM-3:00PM (Brunch)

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It’s summertime, which in Seattle means post-9PM sunsets, and temperatures that finally break 70 degrees. Perfect time of year to try out the new ice cream haunts around town.

This afternoon my friends from Greenlake introduced me to Molly Moon’s ice cream shop in Wallingford. It’s right on the main drag near Bottleworks and the big QFC. Molly Moon opened in May and is all about local ingredients (mostly organic), compostable bowls/flatware, and creative flavors.

With a group of 3, I was able to sample 6 of their 16 flavors: honey lavender, thai iced tea, balsamic strawberry, salted caramel, "scout" mint (they added the quotes, not me), and chocolate. They all had a good texture (medium-creamy), and all of them tasted as advertised, but most of the flavors were too overwhelming. These are ice creams that don’t hold back. Thai iced tea was effectively a solidified version of the condensed milk cocktail. The salted caramel was jam-packed with salt and caramel, and while I really enjoyed it, I could only handle a few bites. Molly is at her best on the basics – the chocolate and strawberry were my favorites of the bunch.

If you’re in the area, Molly Moon’s is a friendly place to stop on a warm day and grab an ice cream and/or an espresso (with Vivace beans). I’m glad to see a real ice-cream shop opening as opposed to the set of recent Pinkberry-knockoffs. And if Molly can adapt her recipes to a more subtle, nuanced approach then this shop can become a standout.

My apologies for the lack of pictures. My lovely photographer was out of town this weekend.

Molly Moon’s Homemade Ice Cream Shop 
1622 1/2 N 45th Street
Seattle, WA 98103
206-547-5105

Daily: noon-11:00PM

P.S. They are working on getting pints into local grocery stores as well, stay tuned.

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We were in Vancouver this weekend to celebrate Kara’s birthday. When I come to Vancouver, we often have crepes and we usually have sushi.  But I always make sure that we stop by Mondo Gelato at least once per visit. They have over a hundred good-looking flavors…

We ordered a small cup (2 scoops) with Dark Chocolate and Indian Mango.  They had a delectable, creamy texture.  I love darker chocolates and Mondo’s fit that bill without being too bitter (it was similar to, though slightly darker than, the chocolate gelato at Vios). It paired well with the Indian Mango, which brought back memories of beach-side fresh fruit in Vietnam.

Next time you find yourself in Vancouver (or San Diego, Hawaii, or Beijing it turns out), stop by Mondo and get yourself a taste of Italy!

Mondo Gelato 
1222 Robson Street
Vancouver, British Columbia
Canada V6E 1C1
604-694-0108

Fun fact: gelato (at least at Mondo) has 25% less calories than sorbetto (and only 10% more than their frozen yogurt)

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There are four main food groups in Dubrovnik: pizza, pasta, seafood, and ice cream. In the pizza department, Mea Culpa is a stand-out. Cheap, large, and yummy. For 42 kuna (~5 euro), we had a mushroom and onion pizza that was big enough to feed both of us and still take almost half of it home for later!

No pictures since we came directly from the beach 🙂

Pizzeria Mea Culpa
Široka Street
Dubrovnik, Croatia
+ 385 20 324-74

Daily: 8:30AM-10:00PM

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On our way to Castle Hill from the tram stop, Lauren noticed a fun cafe with with plush "tea-time" seating and good looking menu. We took note of the location, and after passing on the uninteresting post-museum lunch choices up in the old town we returned to Marvelosa to enjoy a relaxing lunch.

Marvelosa is open in front and has a loft-style second floor. A local at the next table was sitting alone with his laptop and the free wireless access.

Lauren ordered the daily ‘menu’, a two course meal consisting of soup and dessert.  The soup was a spring vegetable with cream, shredded cheese, and some crunchy/salty nuggets. It was refreshing, flavorful, and (especially for Hungary) not too heavy.

I asked the waitress for her favorite chicken dish, and received chicken and potatoes with pesto. This dish was in the same genre as many chicken dishes we’ve had in Budapest: grill some chicken a little longer than necessary, then add it to a thick cream-based sauce. I enjoyed the pesto and the generous helping of chicken. The side dish was authentic Hungarian — chopped up boiled potatoes. 😛

The second course of Lauren’s menu was a peach pudding cake. The Hungarians definitely know their baked goods. The peach pudding had lots of fresh peach chunks in a thick custard/cakey innard. This was surrounded by a genoise outer layer and finished with powdered sugar and peach sauce. It was incredible. I never knew I could enjoy a peach cake so much!

Café Marvelosa
13 Lanchid Street
Budapest, Hungary
0036 1 2019221

Sat-Sun 10:00AM-2:00PM (Brunch)
Daily: 8:30AM-10:00PM (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)

It turns out that in addition to great food at Volunteer Park Café you may also encounter:

HermioneHusky206
Female seeking Male
Age: 23
Occupation: Server
Sign: Scorpio
Height: 5′ 6"

A native of the Northwest, Megaen likes gourmet pizza and wine. Affable and vivacious, she enjoys good movies and has also been known to curl up with the latest Harry Potter book.

CornishCutie25
Male seeking Male
Age: 25
Occupation: Restaurant Manager
Sign: Libra
Height: 6′ 0"

Scott is a transplant from the mid-west and has great hope for the future of this country.  He enjoys music and theater, and can make a mean cappuccino.

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Lauren and I went to Portland yesterday to help out the Obama campaign register voters in time for the May primary.  We got up early this morning to check out a recommendation from Mike: St. Honoré Boulangerie in Northwest Portland.

We arrived at 9AM, and there was already a line almost out the door. But that gave us time to check out all the pastries on display and peruse the breakfast menu.  And while we waited we could also peek at the activity in the open kitchen behind the counter.

Lauren ordered the Quiche Jardinere, with spinach, roasted red peppers and roasted leeks. The pastry shell was of medium thickness, making a crunchy and buttery edible bowl for the fluffy egg mixture inside.

The quiche was quite tasty, but the star of the breakfast was the Champignon Frittata Croissant. A mix of eggs, mushrooms, chicken apple sausage and fresh herbs served in a croissant with béchamel. This was a fork and knife croissant dish. It looks like a melted lump here, but the taste more than makes up for the visual 🙂

In the background is a Cranberry Hazelnut Roll that we had for a snack later in the afternoon. It was a hearty wheat roll with a touch of tart-sweetness from the cranberries.

While I waited on line to order our meal, Lauren had scored the best seats in the house. There is a counter top with 4 stools directly in front of the bread-maker. We watched baguettes, brioches, rolls and pastry shells made while we dined. The oven was enormous. The wheel on the left rotated a lazy-susan inside of the oven so that the baker could access different parts of the oven over time.

We also tried a raspberry jam croissant and a Pain au Chocolat. I enjoyed the raspberry jam croissant, but the chocolate croissant was ho-hum. It has been raved about on the web, but I personally thought it was the weakest item we tried. Not that we didn’t polish it off mind you, but there are much better things available at Saint Honoré.

Overall we had a very enjoyable breakfast and I will definitely swing by again on a future Portland trip!

St. Honoré Boulangerie
2335 NW Thurman Street
Portland, OR 97210
503-445-4342

Daily: 7:00AM-8:00PM (Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner)