Time for Dine Around Seattle again!

Brrrr November brings cold and rain to Seattle, BUT it also brings back Dine Around Seattle! For the entire month people can eat fancy smancy 3 course lunch or dinner meals for the affordable price of $15 for lunch or $30 for dinner. It is a deal that can't be beat! Although the selection of restaurants were not as wide as last years due to the Restaurant Week that was held the prior month, there were a few good places to try out.  I had always wanted to try a place down in Pike Market called Steelhead Diner.  It is off of a side street in Pike and if I hadn't been watching out for it, I probably would have walked right by the restaurant.  As it was I was on a lunch date with my sister and we found it easily enough.

We were seated quite quickly and I have to say that the service was superb.  Our waiter was attentive and we had all of our dishes brought at appropriate times with enough time to enjoy each course.  My sister and I each had different appetizers and main courses so that we could have a taste of different things, but the dessert we both had their signature Theo's pecan pie because of the great things we had heard about it. Ok, so appetizer, my sister had the Star Crimson Pear& Frisee Salad with Smoked Pecans, Rollingstone Creamery Goastster & Cider Dressing.  It was very light and refreshing.  The cheese and the cider dressing added a wonderful flavor in your mouth of salty and sweet.  I had the Butternut squash soup with ginger creme fraiche.  It was delicious, creamy and full bodied flavor of the butternut squash with just a touch of ginger to add an extra zing. 

 Bread and butter

Star Crimson Pear & Frisee Salad 

with Smoked Pecans, Rollingstone Creamery Goastster & Cider Dressing

 Butternut Squash Soup 

with Ginger Crème Fraiche

The main star of the show, entree came out next.  My sister had the sauteed Idaho Trout fillet with Pan Roasted Cauliflower, Macrona Almonds & Garam Marsala Butter Sauce.  The trout was fried to perfection and although was a little bland was great with a little splash of the season shaker.  The cauliflower and the sauce went well with the dish and helped to add flavor to the dish.  I ordered the Wild mushroom and Ceppo pasta "Stove Pipe" Pasta with Chanterelle Mushrooms, Sherried Cream Sauce & Grated Grana. Oh my, this was an explosion of flavor in every bite.  The chanterelle mushrooms were soft and released so much flavor  from the sauce because of its absorbent nature.  I could have just eaten that and would have been happy, but the sherried sauce with grana (a type of grated cheese) really made the dish.  It wasn't too heavy or full, but light and flavorful.  My sister and I soaked our bread in that sauce to get every bit of goodness. 

 Sauteed Idaho Stream Raised Trout Filet 

with Pan Roasted Cauliflower, Macrona Almonds & Garam Marsala Butter Sauce

 Wild Mushroom & Ceppo Pasta 

"Stove Pipe" Pasta with Chanterelle Mushrooms

Sherried Cream Sauce & Grated Grana

We were so full from the entree, but we still had one more course, dessert! Theo Pecan Pie was the best pecan pie I have ever had and I havent had many that I liked.  Under the layer of pecan is a layer of Theo chocolate and that just made our day.  Usually the middle portion of pecan pie is too sweet and sticky for me, but the pie here was smooth and really was quite good.  It was a satisfying way to end the meal.

Theo Chocolate Pecan Pie

Stuffed but completely happy my sister and I walked out of Steelhead Diner feeling like we got a great deal on food, service, and quality time spent together.  The weather was beautiful and we strolled along Pike Market enjoying the rest of the day.  If you're in Seattle you still have time to take advantage of the Dine Around. Enjoy!

Steelhead Diner
95 Pine Street, Suite 17
Seattle, WA 98101

Homegrown Sandwich?

There's a little restaurant in the heart of Fremont called Homegrown and it advertises itself as the sustainable sandwich shop.  Now what could that mean? A lot of things in Seattle are green friendly and organic so that's what I assumed and that's what I got. Everything used is fresh, organic, local and recyclable from the napkins to the oatmeal containers.

I would never have tried Homegrown if it weren't for my roommate.  We tripped off at 7:45 am in the morning to Fremont to grab breakfast before work.  The commute wasn't so bad going local and parking on the sidestreet was relatively easy.  Walking into the restaurant your eyes are immediately drawn to the menu which stretches across an entire wall.  They have everything from breakfast sandwiches to regular sandwiches, oatmeal, salads, and soups.  They all were interesting and different sandwiches in a good way made with aioli sauces etc.

Crazy menu

We went with the oatmeal and breakfast sandwich combos.  My friend had the bacon, egg and cheese which was zoe's bacon, a fried egg, aioli and beecher's flagship on a griddled sesame roll, served with a mini cup of oatmeal  and I had the lamb sausage, egg, and cheese- homemade lamb sausage, a fried egg, sage aioli + beecher's flagship on a griddled sesame roll, served with a mini cup of oatmeal.  I must say it was filling and quite good.  The bun was slightly sweet and had just the right amount of crisp to it.  My friend's bacon was crispy and salty which worked well with the egg and cheese.  The aioli sauce we both really liked, it had a garlic flavor to it.  The only suggestion would have been to add more sauce to the sandwiches as we only had a taste of it.  My lamb sausage was a bit overcooked and salty, but with the rest of the things in the sandwich, it was fine.  Oatmeal was flavored with cinnamon and brown sugar and helped to balance the salty from the sandwich.

Bacon, egg, cheese

 zoe's bacon, a fried egg, aioli and beecher's flagship 

on a griddled sesame roll, served with a mini cup of oatmeal 

Lamb Sausage, egg, cheese

homemade lamb sausage, a fried egg, sage aioli + beecher's flagship 

on a griddled sesame roll, served with a mini cup of oatmeal

Overall, we liked the place.  There weren't too many other people in there, maybe because it was morning, but the restaurant is clean, friendly, and makes good local, organic, food.  I'm glad we got to try it!


Homegrown
3416 Fremont Ave N
(between 35th St & 34th St)
Seattle, WA 98103

Restaurant Week in Seattle!

Yes, it is now fall in Seattle and along with the changing leaves comes the pouring rain and gray skies.  Normally the weather would bring me down but not two nights ago when some girlfriends and I took part in dining at a nice fancy restaurant for a very affordable price thanks to Seattle Restaurant Week! For just $25 we were able to have an appetizer, entree, AND dessert at a very romantic and delicious restaurant by the name of Il Bistro.  We were celebrating a birthday so it was a perfect occasion for a girls night out.

Il Bistro is tucked away in a corner of Pikes Marketplace.  I would never have known it was downstairs right below the famous pig at the front of the market had we not made reservations for dinner.  Walking into the restaurant, we all right away noticed the dim romantic lighting and elegant table settings.  Hmmm will 6 girls be quiet enough for this place?

Il Bistro

We had a variety of options for dinner and had a tough time choosing.  The majority of us for appetizer either got the Bruschetta al Pomodoro which was a grilled Tuscan bread with vine ripened tomatoes, Sicilian olive oil & organic basil or the Antipasto Misto. Both were delicious.  The bruschetta had a wonderful crispy texture that worked well with the fresh tomatos and blend of olive oil and herbs.  The antipasto had a variety of salami, cheese, and marinated vegetables like mushrooms, olives, and bell peppers. Eaten together with the complimentary soft bread it was fantastic!

 Bruschetta al Pomodoro 

Grilled Tuscan Bread with Vine Ripened Tomatoes, Sicilian Olive Oil & Organic Basil

Antipasto Misto 

A Selection of Italian Meats, Cheeses & Marinated Vegetables

Our entrees were also well presented and cooked. The majority of us chose the Salmoné Wild King Salmon, grilled and served with whipped potatoes, swiss chard & black truffle butter.  It was perfectly cooked and the hint of truffle oil made you want to savor each bite.  Other choices were the Filetto del Maiale which was a pan roasted pork tenderloin, garlic rustic potatoes and a bing cherry-port demi glace and the Linguini con Frutti di Maré  which was linguini pasta, clams, mussels, calamari & salmon in a white wine & herb broth.  Both were very good and rich with flavors.

 Salmoné 

Wild King Salmon Grilled and Served with Whipped Potatoes,

Swiss Chard & Black Truffle Butter 

 Filetto del Maiale 

Pan Roasted Pork Tenderloin, Garlic Rustic Potatoes

and a Bing Cherry-Port Demi Glace

 Linguini con Frutti di Maré 

Linguini Pasta, Clams, Mussels, Calamari & Salmon 

in a White Wine & Herb Broth

Dessert complimented the meal.  We had a choice of pumpkin gelato, tiramisu, and a chocolate torte.  The gelato was different and actually quite good with a distinct pumpkin flavor. Both the tiramisu and the chocolate torta were rich, but so good.  The tiramisu had a bit more run then we would have liked but the torta was smooth and velvety chocolate all the way, yum!

 Tiramisu

All in all, a very good dining experience. Our waiter was great and catered to our needs and the food was delicious.  I would definitely go back again for another experience as others did judging from the full tables.  If you need a place for a date dinner, Il Bistro is a must place to try.

Il Bistro

93-A Pike St.
Pike Place Market
Seattle, WA 98101

206-682-3049

Pumpkin Bread!

I am in the fall mood! Fall is officially here. The leaves are changing colors and the smell of wood burning and pumpkin pie is in the air! One of my friends hosted a cookie decorating night the other evening and made some really cute pumpkin bread with a  fall cakelet bread mold from Crate and Barrel. I loved it so much I asked if I could borrow it today to make some of my own.  I also stopped by Crate and Barrel today to pick up a fall cookie pan that I thought would be great as molds for pumpkin bread as well.  Did I say I love fall??

I used a great pumpkin bread recipe courtesy of AllRecipes.

Downeast Maine Pumpkin Bread
- 1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
- 4 eggs
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 2/3 cup water
- 3 cups white sugar
- 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger 

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour three 7x3 inch loaf pans.
• In a large bowl, mix together pumpkin puree, eggs, oil, water and sugar until well blended. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger. Stir the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture until just blended. Pour into the prepared pans.
• Bake for about 50 minutes in the preheated oven. Loaves are done when toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. (30 mins for cakelets and 15 mins for cookie pan)

They came out great! I love pumpkin bread and cute molds. The pans were easy to use and hand washer friendly as well. I totally recommend getting these for the holidays. They are great for snacking and eye pleasing as well. Enjoy!

Cookie pan

 Fall Cakelet pan

Fall pumpkin cookie bread

Food from the past month

Apologies for the month long hiatus. I was on a blogging retreat as I was studying for an exam and doing some wedding planning. Here are a few things I've been cooking and eating this past month. Enjoy!

Ginger & green onion crab

Friend's wedding cake

Pan Seared Atlantic Salmon with wild Style Barley Risotto, Melted Leeks

and a Cream Sherry Crab Fondue

Portage Bay- Sunday Brunch

Pumpkin Pancakes, Italian Omelette, YUM!

Paseo!!

Cuban!

Baked Spaghetti

Eggplant in Italian Breadcrumbs

Italian dinner time!

Basil, pepperoni pizza!

Until next time........

Setsuna

Good Japanese food in the Northgate area? Hmmm interesting.  I had seen this little Japanese restaurant a while back, but it is set in an area of town that is a bit shady so never tried it out.  However, the Yelp reviews seemed great and the craving for some good Japanese food was there so here we go!

Setsuna is tucked away in a street off of the main street of Roosevelt.  If you drive too fast you can miss the entrance.  There is plenty of parking in the back of the restaurant as well as a few on the side.  Walking in, there is a pleasant warm family feel to the restaurant with plenty of lighting and cute hand wrapped Japanese paper chopstick covers over each pair of chopsticks.  Our waiter appeared to be either the owner or the owner's wife and was very polite and friendly with us.  She came back consistently to make sure that our waters were filled and that everything was ok.

 

I decided to try the $10 dinner combo which came with a bowl of miso, rice, salad, as well as 2 entree choices of which I picked vegetable tempura and chicken karaage.  Those two seemed to be the most popular dishes when reviewed.  My friends both ordered the tempura udon combo.  We also ordered an appetizer of Albacore Tataki which is seared tuna marinated in a Ponzu sauce.

Albacore tataki

Our food came out quite fast and was delicious! We enjoyed the tuna tataki as our appetizer. There were many pieces of fairly large tuna. The slight searing along with the ponzu sauce really made it a unique dish.  Little pieces of cucumber also gave it a crunch and texture to the dish.  Definite yes to order again!  For my main dish, I enjoyed my miso soup very much.  It was definitely not from the package and was hot and flavorful with bits of tofu in it as well.  The tempura was fantastic!  Lightly coated in a panko like breading, very crispy and light.  There was a variety of pieces that all tasted wonderful.  I had 2 pieces of shrimp, two green beans, and two kabocha pumpkins. I could have just eaten that with rice and would have been full, but I also had the chicken karaage.  It was marinated in a sauce and then fried with a cornstarch breading.  The flavor was good, but I would have liked there to have been more of a crunch to the batter.  Overall though, it was a good complement to my tempura.  The salad had a wasabi type dressing to it which was very good and helped to cool my tastebuds from all the fried things on my plate. 

Tempura Udon

Chicken Karaage & tempura combo

We were all completely full and satisfied from our meal.  Did I ever mention that I like hole in the wall places? This is one that you should not drive by if you like good, affordable, authentic Japanese food.  I will definitely be back to try more on their menu!


Setsuna Japanese Restaurant and Bar
11204 Roosevelt Way NE
(between 111th St & Northgate Way)
Seattle, WA 98125

Manicotti blues....

Two weeks ago I had the urge to make lasagna.  I bought some ricotta cheese from the store along with some fresh button mushrooms to make a vegetarian lasagna.  Where is the lasagna noodle you are thinking? Well, I thought that I had some stashed away in my pantry to be used for a special day, but turns out when I went to look, lo and behold they were manicotti noodles! Ok, no big deal, just a change in plans.  I can make stuffed manicotti, same ingredients just different technique and look.

The ingredients!

I combined16oz of ricotta cheese with a vegetable mixture of sauteed sliced mushrooms, onions, and spinach, and added extra shredded mozzarella to that for extra cheesiness and then stuffed those manicotti noodles.

Cheesy Stuffed Manicotti
- 1 package of manicotti noodles cooked
- 1 jar of spaghetti sauce
- 1 16 oz container of ricotta cheese
- 1 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1 package of spinach
- 1 container of sliced mushrooms
- 1 onion diced

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. Cooked manicotti noodles as directed on the package, drain in colander carefully so that noodles do not break and set aside.
3. Saute onions, mushrooms, and spinach in a separate pan and let cool
4. Combine ricotta, mozzarella, and sauteed vegetables together
5. Stuff manicotti carefully as noodles are breakable.  
6. Spread about a cup of spaghetti sauce on the bottom of a 9x13 pan and lay manicotti in rows.  Spread the rest of the spaghetti sauce on top of the dish and layer with extra mozzarella.
7. Place in oven and cook for about 30 minutes covered and leave the last 15 minutes uncovered 

Boiling manicotti

Getting stuffed

Layered in dish

Voila!

The manicotti did not come out as I expected.  The filling tasted too much of ricotta and not enough of the stringy salty cheesiness of mozzarella.  I would definitely add another cup of mozzarella to the filling and would have also added more sauce to the entire dish as it thickens and dries up as it bakes in the oven.  Overall a sad dish for me.  Lesson learned today, make sure I have all the ingredients I need in the pantry before I go to the store!

Cute photo of the day!

No food today, but enjoy this cute photo of a bulldog we passed by in the parking lot!

hello, i want to play!

Visit to the Islands- Part IV

Craving for saimen? Here's a place, Ramen Ezogiku in Puck's Alley close to UH.  They have some good ramen with side orders of mandoo for a reasonable price.  I haven't been there in a long time, but right around the corner is the famous Bubbies Ice Cream where we headed to after lunch.

Ramen time!

I had the Chuka Ramen which consisted of noodles, bamboo, one piece of Japanese char siu, and a piece of seaweed in shoyu broth along with a side of mandoo.  Our mandoo came out quickly and were fried fresh with nice fry marks on the side.  Our ramen followed not much later and they smelt great! The noodles were chewy, yet firm and had a good consistency to it which is a plus for me as I don't like mushy noodles.  The broth itself was also quite good, not too salty and flavorful.  It is a small restaurant and filled up quickly during lunch, but for the quality and prices of the ramen it is worth going to.  

Mandoo with dipping sauce

Chuka Ramen

Next stop, Bubbies!! It's been a super long time since I've had Bubbies and I was excited to go.  I shared a huge chocolate, oreo, coffee ice cream cake slice and ate my own guava ice cream mochi ...... YUM! I love mochi ice cream and Bubbies is the best as far as different types of flavors like Azuki Bean, Green Tea, Guava, Lychee, Mango, Passion, Raspberry White Chocolate, Sakura, Strawberry, and way more! It is home made too which makes it even more ono! It was a good way to end the afternoon.... high off of sugar.

First layer- chocolate, second layer- coffee, third layer- oreo all on an oreo crust!

Ezogiku

2146 Kalakaua Ave
Honolulu, HI 96815

Bubbies Homemade Ice Cream and Desserts

1010 University Ave
Honolulu, HI 96826

Visit to the Islands- Part III

Kuru Kuru time!!! For those of you that have not heard about this place, it is a boat sushi place out in Aiea and is always packed! I had heard about how great the sushi was there, but never tried it until this trip home.  We arrived at around 10:30 am and no, the place was not open at the time, but diners need to come early just to put in their name on a list for the 11 am opening.  The line and crowd was getting a bit large at 10:45, but my friend and I had gotten our name down for two seats at the belt.

Prices ranged from $2.40-$5.75 depending what plate color you chose and options for donburi are also available for $7.95.  The prices are a little higher then Genki Sushi, but the fish quality and selection are much better here.

Cute menu

The first round!

Somen salad

Mmmmmm!

I love sushi!

We ate till we were stuffed! Can I just say that I am a sushi lover, especially for good sushi!! There is currently only one Kuru Kuru on the island in Aiea, but one will soon open out by Kahala Mall so for all you east siders, you can now enjoy good sushi on that side.  The place gets packed and they are open both for lunch and dinner.  For good quality fish at a reasonable price, come here!

Kuru Kuru
98-199 Kamehameha Highway
Aiea, HI 96701-4821
(808) 484-4596

Visit to the Islands- Part II

Here are some things I ate here and there.......

Boots and Kimo in Kailua for some huge breakfast!

Pancakes with Mac Nut Sauce

Corn beef hash omelette

I love fresh cold mangos from home the best out of anywhere! The best feeling is having that juice roll off the side of your mouth as you bite into the juicy, orange, middle of that mango mmmmmmmmmm!

Scoop, slurp, mmmmm!

Late night plate lunch at .... (I don't remember the name). Literally a hole in the wall place that only opens at night for the night owls. Their menu consists of only several items.  It's so simple, cheap, and onolicious!

Shoyu chicken with beef curry combo

Whats being at the beach without a little bit of bbqing! We had kalbi, sausages, and shrimp kabobs all marinated in a special sauce by a friend. 

Kalbi, shrimp kabobs, sausage

Of course also need to hit up Zippy's for a late night ice cream fix! It never fails to amaze me that there are so many people at all times of the hour at this local joint.

Banana Split!

Ok, enough of food for now.  I enjoyed many other things including friends, family, the beach, and sunsets! So many things you take for granted until you do not have them right there. I am thankful for all that God has blessed me with.

Surfing into the sunset

Aloha 'Oe... until next time