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........