Monthly Archives: December 2013

Butter poached lobster – Luce

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Butter poached lobster - Luce
Sweet yellow corn, green strawberries, radish. Tasting menu $95
Luce, San Francisco CA

Another interesting flavor and texture combination from Luce, and I think a successful one. I don’t think I’ve ever come across green, unripe strawberries as an intentional ingredient before. They actually have a great texture and flavor profile (I grew up on a berry farm so I’m quite familiar). I also loved that there was a corn puree, roasted corn kernels, and shaved baby corn on the plate. And let’s not forget the beautifully poached lobster! Noms!

Black-eyed Susan vine
Black-eyed Susan vine (Thunbergia alata, Acanthaceae), Kentfield.

Beet-cured gravlax crostini – Percy’s & Co.

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Beet-cured gravlax crostini - Percy's & Co.
Pickled onion, caper, parsley, cheese spread. Happy hour $3
Percy’s & Co., Seattle WA

Wow, this was both a beautiful and delicious dish! And for only three bucks! I was first struck by the amazing color of the beet-cured salmon. There was a striking ombre effect from orange to pink. All the flavors were lovely and I only regret that I didn’t order more, but we only ducked in for a quick pre-dinner happy hour.

Beautiful dawn
Eerily beautiful morning colors, Renton.

Bulgoki beef buns – Rikki Rikki

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Bulgoki beef buns - Rikki Rikki
Three steamed asian buns, filled with bulgoki beef and wild greens. Happy hour $5.95
Rikki Rikki, Kirkland WA

Uh, that’s a new spelling of the word! I guess that’s what you get when you order a Korean style beef packed into Chinese steamed buns at a Japanese sushi restaurant, lol! These buns were ok. They didn’t have the great Korean bulgogi flavors that I was expected. At two bucks a pop, I really can’t complain too much though. They’re a great value!

Lake Washington
Lake Washington along I-90 E Channel Bridge.

Pork belly pancake – Revel

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Pork belly pancake - Revel
Kimchi, bean sprouts. $10
Revel, Seattle WA

This restaurant specializing in Korean comfort food is awesome! All the food tastes great and although I’m not Korean, I can imagine that this is how comfort food would taste like there. The one downside that I noticed was that the service was REALLY slow with long, awkward pauses during service. I’m sure it’s because the kitchen in continually slammed (this place is popular) so the food trickles out. This savory pork belly pancake was delicious, and the sauces at the table were fun to mix and match!

Assorted sauces - Revel
Assorted sauces.

Kwanzan cherry blossoms

Kwanzan cherry tree (Prunus sp., Rosaceae) with double pink flowers.

Muscles from Brussels BPA – Urban Family Public House

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Muscles from Brussels - Urban Family Public House

A pale ale in the Belgian tradition. Clean grainy malt character provides crispness to a soft, delicately fruity yeast with earthy, spicy hops in the finish. Notes of pear, hay and earth. 16 ounces $5
Urban Family Public House, Seattle WA

This was a tasty local brew by Urban Family. I enjoy Belgian style beers because they tend to be lighter and easier to drink for me. The Muscles from Brussels went down smoothly but still had a lot of flavor and personality.

Fountain of the Northwest

Fountain of the Northwest, by James FitzGerald, Intiman Theater at Seattle Center.

Wagyu filet “carpaccio” – Luce

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Wagyu filet carpaccio - Luce
Crispy sweetbreads, barley scented beef consomme, summer truffle. Tasting menu $95
Luce, San Francisco CA

Wow, this was a successful dish for me! The thinly sliced beef was delicious and the toasted barley pieces were fun to crunch. The deep aroma of the beef consomme was wonderful and the crispy sweetbreads were rich and tasty too. The summer truffle had a mild aroma, but had a great flaky texture that added to the dish.

Heirloom melon soda - Luce

Heirloom melon “soda” with olive oil.

SF modern home
The evolution of San Francisco homes, Noe Valley. Every now and then you’ll see ultra-modern homes beside your typical SF buildings.

Cocktails – Percy’s & Co.

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Sankey Sour cocktail - Percy's & Co.

Sankey Sour: bourbon, aperol, fresh orange juice, egg whites, angostura bitters and house made sour mix. Happy hour $8
Percy’s & Co., Seattle WA

The cocktails at Percy’s and Co. are pretty frickin’ amazing! They make all their tinctures, purees, and sour mix in house so they’re not your generic mixers. The combination of flavors in each cocktail tastes great and they’re all expertly made.

Herrick Helper cocktail - Percy's & Co.

Herrick Helper: sage infused bourbon, grapefruit juice, house made sour mix and topped with soda and fresh sage. Happy hour $6

The Eagle sculpture

The Eagle, 1971, painted steel, Alexander Calder, Olympic Sculpture Park.

Spicy tuna roll – Rikki Rikki

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Spicy tuna roll - Rikki Rikki
With green onion, cucumber, avocado. Happy hour $5.95
Rikki Rikki, Kirkland WA

I think that spicy tuna rolls are always a safe option for me because the addition of sriracha to the chopped tuna seems to cover up some the imperfections the roll may have, lol! It’s not the classiest roll, but I think it’s delicious. 🙂

Metal and glass fence
Decorative metal and glass fence, Ballard.

Pastrami reuben and French onion soup – Savour

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Pastrami reuben and French onion soup - Savour
Pastrami, choucroute au champagne, gruyere, Thousand Island dressing and greens grilled on a ciabatta. Half sandwich and soup $9
Savour, Seattle WA

Mmm, this was a great tasty lunch for under ten bucks! The pastrami reuben was delicious and the choucroute au champagne was a nice twist. The French onion soup was also yummy and perfect for the cold day.

Elliott Bay
Elliott Bay from Olympic Sculpture Park.

Duck confit hash – The Coterie Room

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Duck confit hash - The Coterie Room
Brunch special with duck egg, Fresno chilies.
The Coterie Room, Seattle WA

The has was pretty tasty and filling, but the duck egg on top was kind of unappetizing because it had a weird texture as if it had been sitting under the warmer for too long. I also wish that you could taste more of the fresno chilies in the hash.

Seattle Great Wheel
Seattle Great Wheel from the Alaskan Way Viaduct.

Baby beets – Luce

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Baby beets - Luce
Lightly smoked with fig branches, pickled cherries, black olive, fresh ricotta. Tasting menu $95
Luce, San Francisco CA

I can certainly appreciate an artfully plated dish, but this is going a bit far maybe. There are literally only four tiny pieces of beets on this plate. I understand that there are many components here, but give me some more damn beets! LOL, I’m only slightly joking… The beets were delicious, and so were the pickled cherries. I think that was a beet gelee too, but don’t quote me on that.

Blooming chalk lettuce
Blooming chalk lettuce (Dudleya lulverulenta, Crassulaceae), West Field Road.