Food: June 2009 Archives

      

In the overlapping sets of Seattle restaurant owners and people who are dicks, there stands Phred Westfall, and it's not because he spells his name funny. Call him eccentric, call him quirky, call him sui generis if you must, but he's got a most unusual way of running his candy store, Elemental @ Gasworks.

Dishin' disappeared for a week because we were on a feeding frenzy down south. In just a few days, we hit Ping, Bluehour, Biwa, Ken's Artisan Bakery, Ten 01, Departure, Andina, Broder, Nostrana, Sahagun, Pix, Pok Pok, the amazing Saturday Farmers Market (Pine Street Biscuits, Two Tarts, Tastebud, and more), Tanuki, Beast, Voodoo Doughnut, and Kenny & Zuke's. Oh - and a few other snacky places. All this to say that we're ready for some Seattle comfort food, which might mean a bowl of wontons and/or sui kau at Canton Noodle House.

Old School Frozen Custard, the new shop that just opened across the parking lot from Chop Suey, is already making adjustments to their menu. According to a sign in their window, they'll be discontinuing the chili and hot dogs on July 1, leaving them to focus strictly on the custard. We'd been curious about the dogs since they opened and had a couple for lunch. While tasty (and very filling), they certainly weren't a menu option we'll miss when gone. We've got Shorty's for hot dogs. Old School's making the right choice by focusing on the custard that is their namesake (and with Molly Moon's right around the corner, they don't need to waste time on culinary distractions).

We are sad to report the decline of yet another iconic local restaurant. The First Ave. McCormick & Schmick's is not what it used to be. On a sunny Saturday afternoon, the service is inexplicably spotty. One table complains about an undercooked burger. Another patron who'd ordered a burger gets one meant for a different table -- the plate is removed from under his nose, which is unaccountably rude, but at least reminds us of our favorite Fawlty Towers episode.

The connoisseurs' way to cook sausage is to brown, then steam it, but it's summer, and we want to be outside. So we grilled some of Uli's sausage creations, which you can purchase at his stand at Pike Place Market, get delivered, or buy at select local markets.

Over 50 Seattle restaurants, including almost every Italian joint in town, will donate a substantial portion of their proceeds Wednesday ("Big Night for Abruzzo") to a rebuilding effort in the region of central Italy devastated by a major earthquake in April. Some 300 people died, over 60,000 were left homeless; countless medieval buildings were destroyed or severely damaged.

With Molly Moon's and Old School busy duking it out, one more Capitol Hill dessert eatery enters the fray: Bluebird, which appears to be going into the old On the House space on Pike at 12th.

     

Over the past few weeks, we've hit up new Broadway sushi joint I Love Wasabi--which unfortunately started out as "I Love Washabi"--twice. They've got a big selection of crazy rolls (and we do so enjoy crazy rolls), so we ordered four on each occasion. The first time around, we think we picked some of the better rolls from the menu, but the second time, we found the food presentation much improved (to be expected with a new restaurant).

A revamped, community-sponsored Queen Anne Farmers Market opens this afternoon at three at the corner of Queen Anne North and Crockett, replacing an earlier enterprise that had become mired in politics and recrimination. Patty Spahr, its director, has assembled a cast of local farmers and food vendors (Skillet, Sorrentino's, Secret Stash) despite hefty obstacles (street use, parking, health inspections, etc.).

           

Yesterday afternoon Seattlest readers and contributors gathered on the back deck of Capitol Hill's new Captain Blacks bar. There were happy hour mojitos and captain's teas, mac 'n' cheeses and chicken 'n' waffles. Outdoor drinking and dining spaces are at a premium in Seattle, and this newest addition (with a front and back deck) rates a thumbs up.

Today's the June Seattlest Happy Hour, held this month at Capitol Hill's Captain Black's, the new chicken-and-waffle-and-booze joint located just south of the Stumbling Monk (129 Belmont Avenue East). Check out the menu here [pdf] to plan your order in advance.

Dahlia Lounge pays homage to authenticity, turning congee into comfort food that somehow feels right at home next to that monkey bread and eggs Benedict.

Even in tough times, there are entrepreneurs ready to start a new business. Today is the second day of business for Porchlight Coffee on 14th between Pike and Pine on Capital Hill. Owner Zack Bolotin, 22, is serving up a nice blend of coffees (including iced), teas and bagels and pastries. He's open seven days a week, weekdays 7:00 am to 7:00 pm, Saturdays 8:00 am to 7:00 pm, and Sundays 8:00 am to 6:00 pm. Stop in a grab a cup. We'll all beat this recession one latte at a time.

It's warm, we have a new (portable!) grill, asparagus is in season--this is a no-brainer. We've been eating grilled asparagus three days out of four for the past week. Sorry if you've had to stand next to us at a urinal.

Doesn't that one last slice of Flying Squirrel Pizza look good? Okay, maybe not, but only because we took the picture with our camera phone, and in haste because we didn't want to look like a yokel.

If you were dining at a gourmet restaurant, would you want to slip out to feed the pigs between courses? And if you did, and it was dark and you couldn't see the pigs, would you stick your hand through the fence with a handful of pig feed? And if a pot-bellied pig bit you in going for the feed you were holding, would you think, "Hey, I've got a lawsuit here?"

Build it, and they will come. That's the advice we'd like to give to The Signature, the new Vietnamese restaurant that replaced Moxie in Lower Queen Anne.

We were in the market for whatever looked good to eat. We were on the way to the Ballard Locks and looking for just a little something fresh and fruity to sustain us. As was our wont, we bought more than our stomachs could stomach at once.

      

Indeed, we are talking about the alpha-pork mobile Maximus Minimus, the newest mobile food creation by Kurt Dammeier of Beecher's and Pasta & Co. and local designer Colin Reedy. We spotted--hard not to--the giant metal pig-mobile parked truck at the corner of 2nd and Pike, selling a simple menu of pulled pork (and veg) sandwiches and a few of its fixins.

We usually opt for the Pike Place Special or the Rachel's All-American (both are fantastic), but today we spotted a sign declaring the special of the day as a Prime Rib Sandwich (cue drooling). We placed our order, gave our name, and paid at the register. When we told the guy up front what we'd ordered, he shook his head and said, "Man, everyone is ordering that. There's not going to be any left for me." He seemed genuinely upset by this.

Ah, Skillet. First we hear the county shut you down for health code violations, and you might not show up in Columbia City tomorrow. And the county sure makes it look that way. ("Potentially hazardous foods at unsafe temperatures"?)

We've been from Spiga to Spinasse, Bizzarro to Barolo. Good Italian eats all. But we found our favorite bowl of pasta at Cantinetta. We didn't choose it ourselves. Chef Brian Cartenuto was sending out samplings from the menu, per our request. That's the perfect way to go when you're commitment-phobic, and allows you to discover dishes you'd never considered eating before.

A few years ago, neighborhood ice cream places like Wally's and The Mix started falling off the map and the situation became one of going to Cold Stone or Haagen Dazs, or going ice cream-less. Then Molly Moon's opened in Wallingford and people flocked to it. Then another one opened on Capitol Hill and everyone acted like they'd never had a scoop of damn iced cream before, lining up down the block for the salted caramel (too true to its name) or balsamic strawberry (pretty good).

         

Tini Bigs had us down to try out some "new" cocktails and appetizer plates and we were all like Aw geez do we hafta?! but we went because we knew you'd want to know all about it. No, we're happy to. For you. Besides, it gives us a chance to report on their new late night happy hour, out on the patio. From 9 to 11 p.m., seven days a week, they have select food and drinks for $5.

If you are a sane person and would not consider standing in a line this long for ice cream, even that of Molly Moon's quality standards, we have good news for you: Old School Frozen Custard is open [1316 E Pike Street].

We should have seen it coming. The folks at Fresh Bistro, the new West Seattle restaurant from Herban Feast, throw fresh into all that they prepare.

CHS's seadevi notes the Vita/Theo collaboration--"You got coffee in my chocolate! You got chocolate in my coffee!"--has hit the New York Times style blog. Howard, you might want to sit down for the first sentence: "From Seattle, the birthplace of Starbucks, comes a cooler coffee company." (Why do people have to make invidious comparisons? Why?!) The verdict: one bar is a "tasty rush," while the other is a "milder, milkier affair."