Seattle in June!!!

Pesto Man · Posted: Tue Apr 08, 2008 3:04 am Post subject: Seattle in June!!!

Hey guys remember me? Sorry I have been away for so long but the trials and tribulations of being a "simple pesto maker" have been taking up a great deal of my time......

at any rate , Mrs Pesto and will be visiting the Pacific Northwest for the first time for 3 days (June 15-18th) where she will be attending a special Libraries conference and I will be most happily along for the ride....any suggestions as to what and where to eat (and drink) would be greatly appreciated

Also I would be most pleased if I could meet with any C+Z's of the west coast variety.....
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I would like a gin martini, straight up, olives on the side, as dry as my wit, as clean as my conscience.
and... as cold as my heart!!!!

Griffin · Joined: 09 Jun 2006 Posts: 932 Location: England

Hurrah! Pesto Man Returns! I know nothing about the Northwest US... just good to see your face back here again o mighty one!

May your basil never wilt and your cheese never be too whiffy!

And... welcome home!
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Barbara · Posted: Tue Apr 08, 2008 11:03 am Post subject:

Hey Pesto Man good to see you.
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Barbara

Erin · Posted: Tue Apr 08, 2008 12:24 pm Post subject:

First off do not get the Seattle 'Rough Guide', it is condescending and snide. The Food Lover's Guide has great info, even if the author is a bit stiff, http://www.amazon.com/Food-Lovers-Guide-Seattle/dp/1570614180/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1207653711&sr=8-1

Check out the Dahlia Lounge's Tastes series, http://tomdouglas.com/dahlia/tastes.html . They haven't set up the summer schedule yet. Dahlia is a Tom Douglas resto and although he is a transplant, he truly is Mr. Northwest.

Mee Sum Bakery is so worth the visit. Their humbow alone is reason enough.

I can and will go on, but I need to get to my day. Where are you staying?
The Inn at the Market is wonderful, as is Hotel Monaco. Even the Westin isn't bad, and it's in a great location.
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"It's watery....and yet there's a smack of ham."

"It's hot ham water."

ericajones80 · Joined: 04 Mar 2008 Posts: 14 Location: PA

i just saw something on the food channel the other day about a place in seattle that made huge pancakes
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Erin · Posted: Wed Apr 09, 2008 6:42 pm Post subject:

This is a great site to find out what's happening in the Seattle food scene.

http://www.seattledining.com/
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"It's watery....and yet there's a smack of ham."

"It's hot ham water."

Chicago Bear · Joined: 02 May 2005 Posts: 240 Location: Chicago

Pesto man! It's Chicago Bear, and I've been off the air for a long time too. Unlike politicians, I become silent when I have nothing to offer. But, I am going to Seattle tomorrow morning to visit my daughter and her family. We're having dinner at Wild Ginger tomorrow night, and at Eva's Saturday night. I'll give you a report when I get back to Chicago. Our favorite restaurant so far is Seastar, which is in Bellevue. Why? Because Seastar has the best king crab legs I've ever tasted. The first time we went, my son-in-law and I both ordered them, and when we got our first bite, we looked at each other and said, I didn't realize crab legs could taste like this.
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The goal is to fit it all in.

Erin · Posted: Thu Apr 10, 2008 6:34 pm Post subject:

CB- That was awesome. If they still have the laquered duck at Wild Ginger it is worth a go. I have never been to the other restos you mentioned though. I am eager to hear your thoughts. Good to see you!
_________________
"It's watery....and yet there's a smack of ham."

"It's hot ham water."

varnadore · Joined: 19 Mar 2005 Posts: 26 Location: Renton, WA

While you other half is out conferencing you might go visit the campus of Seattle University. The grounds are wonderful and the chapel a little gem. I was up last week and then ate at Cafe Presse a wonderful little student bistro a couple blocks away-it was great -Chicken liver pate for breakfast! There are a lot of students fron Tulane at SU-they were excepted and sponsered to come up after Katrina.
www.cafepresseseattle.com

Pesto Man · Posted: Fri Apr 11, 2008 10:07 pm Post subject:

THanks guys my laptop is getting well filled with links (good thing free wifi connections seem to be widely available) Speaking of links here is a neat one to the local Farmer's mkt orginization
http://www.seattlefarmersmarkets.org/ Farmer's Mkts are most important!!!

C.B. anxiously awaiting your report and glad your rescent silence hasn't prevented you from being well!

Varnadore, the tip about the University sounds like a good one although a high consentration of "tulies" is hardly a selling point.....L.S.U. fan here

Laughing

_________________
I would like a gin martini, straight up, olives on the side, as dry as my wit, as clean as my conscience.
and... as cold as my heart!!!!

HeidiH · Joined: 12 Apr 2008 Posts: 5 Location: Seattle, WA

I'll second that, Caffe Presse is great! If they allowed it I would move in and sleep behind the bar. Make sure to check out the coffee shop next door too, Stumptown Coffee Roasters. Caffe Presse often has a wait for dinner, but you can hang out at Stumptown and they will come and get you when a table opens up.

Some of my favorite places:

Brunch
Macrina Bakery (Belltown)
Monsoon (Capitol Hill)
Volunteer Park Cafe (Capitol Hill)

Dinner
Green Leaf (International District)
Dinette (Capitol Hill)
Via Tribunali (Capitol Hill and Queen Anne)
Crush (Madison)

Non-foodie things to check out: The downtown public library designed by Rem Koolhaas, the Elliott Bay Book Company, Theo chocolate factory tour (hm, I guess chocolate is food...).

Have a good trip!

Erin · Posted: Sat Apr 12, 2008 3:17 am Post subject:

oooh yeah, Elliot Bay Book Co. is great. They always have really great writers in for readings. The library is supposed to be amazing, I haven't been back since it opened. A friend of mine works there and I can't wait for my first trip.
_________________
"It's watery....and yet there's a smack of ham."

"It's hot ham water."

Chicago Bear · Joined: 02 May 2005 Posts: 240 Location: Chicago

I'm back from the Pacific Northwest. Without a doubt, Wild Ginger is worth a visit! My daughter, son-in-law and I were tempted to order virtually everything on the menu, and very nearly did. We started with grilled oysters wrapped with bacon, salmon on skewers and potstickers. And from there, we went on to Seven-Flavor Beef, Duck with plum sauce and small bao's to make duck sandwiches, halibut with some kind of green stuff on top, and catfish in a curry sauce. Every dish was excellent, the service was terrific and there was an airy feel to the space with lots of energy from young people in the bar area getting mildly toasted after work. We liked Eva's too--it's in the Green Lake area. But I think, for a visit to Seattle, it's not memorable enough to pick over other offerings. One place that I would recommend, which is close to Pike Place market, is the Steel City Diner. It's not a diner. The seafood is excellent, and it's a very nice place for lunch.
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The goal is to fit it all in.

gingerpale · Joined: 23 Jan 2006 Posts: 1324

Chicago Bear, is this the same daughter that accompanied you to Greece a few years ago? Now married in Seattle..? Nice to have an excuse to go to good food destinations.

Chicago Bear · Joined: 02 May 2005 Posts: 240 Location: Chicago

Excellent memory, Gingerpale. In fact, I have two daughters. Seattle daughter is in her mid-30s, has been married for nine years, and now has a small son who is nine months old. She and her husband are complete foodies, one of the reasons that I LOVE visiting them. The other daughter, the one who went to Greece with my wife and me two years ago, is 20 years old, and a sophomore at the University of Illinois. She's the one that I talked into going to Africa with me in 2003 and again in 2005. She loves food too, but not every kind of food. Seafood, for example, is off the list. organ meats, I don't think so. Will not order foo foo creations. Thinks there's something wrong with me for liking brussel sprouts. She could be right, actually.
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The goal is to fit it all in.