Southern Key: bourbon, cointreau, bonal gentiane-quina. $9
Staple and Fancy, Seattle WA
Old Pal: Canadian whiskey, dry vermouth, campari. $9
Mmm, I’m really getting into different whiskey drinks. Another sign that I’m getting old, lol! These were delicious and reasonably priced.
Olympic Iliad sculpture, 1984, Alexander Liberman, Seattle Center. Steel cylinders painted an industrial red.
House-made chorizo sauasage, organic bell peppers and tomatoes scrambled with three eggs and topped with queso fresco, sour cream, homemade slasa and fresh green onion. Served with a warmed flour tortilla instead of toast. $14
Portage Bay Cafe, Seattle WA
This place was packed with a line out the door! Thank goodness we had reservations. I don’t completely agree why this place is super popular though. I get that they use fresh, mostly healthy ingredients but their preparations aren’t anything special. I expected a little bit more considering their shear popularity. The food was good, but I thought it was overpriced for what it was. And the service was random and slow at times.
Coffee.
Pike Place Public Market sign at the corner of Pine and Pike.
$3
Tall Grass Bakery, Seattle WA
I was very much disappointed by this! It was too dense and doughy to qualify as a brioche in my book. I also thought it would pack more flavor, but it was surprisingly bland and the strongest flavor was of the undercooked doughy center. Boo!
12 oz latte. $3.45
I went across the street and grabbed this at Java Bean.
Father and Son fountain, 2005, Louise Bourgeois, Olympic Sculpture Park. Stainless steel, aluminum, water and bronze bell.
Whenever I’m back visiting Seattle, my large family scattered throughout the Puget Sound usually finds a day when we can all get together and catch up. These parties are fun because I get to see all my brothers and sister, nieces and nephews, and any random relative who has been invited. Here are some pics of some the food that I snapped throughout the day.
Smoked chicken wings. One of my brothers has really gotten big on smoking things so he made these amazing chicken wings for the party. They were super tender and juicy and had a great smokey flavor!
Frying lumpia. No Filipino gathering is complete without these delicious babies! We fry so many of them throughout the day that we have to do it on the back patio so the house doesn’t smell like oil all day.
Freshly fried lumpia. These are SO good straight from the fryer. My sisters always let me steal a few before they even make it to the table. Noms!
BBQ’ing steack and corn on the cob. Our family gatherings never have a food theme. We just make anything and everything we feel like eating. Heck yeah!
Beef tostada and grilled short ribs. See what I mean? Our stomachs know no culinary border. You certainly have to be prepared to eat all day during these parties.
Jello – a kaleidoscope of colors. These look labor-intensive to make especially considering the amount of colors they used. Regardless, they were yummy!
Pancit. This isn’t a very good pic because this was the last of the stuff. I kept forgetting to take pics earlier cause I was too busy stuffing my face, lol!
Tacoma Narrows Bridge “Galloping Gertie”. I’ve always thought this bridge was really beautiful. I cross it every time I drive back home.
Bunuelos: donuts, date jam, spiced honey, date-olive oil ice cream. Summer prix-fixe menu $38
Tinto, Palm Springs CA
Mmm, I love bunuelos! These were pretty good and I enjoyed the date-olive oil ice cream too!
Chocolate flourless cake, chocolate mousse, passion fruit sorbet.
I think this was just a little too rich for me after a large meal. I couldn’t only eat a few bites before I had to quit. The flavors were good though.
Pink crown of thorns flowers (Euphorbia milii, Euphorbiaceae).
Schooner Exact Gateway Golden and Scuttlebutt Brewing Anthony’s pale ale. Happy hour $3.50 each
Anthony’s HomePort, Seattle WA
Sound Brewery Sommerweizen and Fremont Brewing summer ale. $3.50 each
You really can’t beat a nice cold beer bayside on a warm sunny day! The Pacific Northwest is lucky to have many great microbreweries for people to enjoy. Ahhhh!
Seattle Space Needle.
House made brioche doughnuts, apricot creme patissiere filling, chocolate sauce. Gilt City brunch menu
Twenty Five Lusk, San Francisco CA
Ugh, the doughnuts were super dry and dense! They tasted old. It’s unfortunate that the one real misstep of the meal occurred at the end. The apricot filling, however, was delicious and the chocolate sauce was rich and tasty.
Coffee.
Coffee service.
Half pint Anchor Steam ale.
Now this is my idea of a coffee and doughnut service! They randomly throw in some beer – heck yeah! 🙂
Smokey Bacon Mac: rich and bold with smoked cheddar, jack cheese and bacon.
Homeroom, Oakland CA
Danielle P.
Mac the Goat: rich and tangy gresh chevre, sliced scallions, served with crispy breadcrumbs and drizzled with olive oil.
Rye Hook: Ballard street twist off the pretentious Manhattan made with Old Overholt sweet vermouth and bitter served up. $7
Hattie’s Hat, Seattle WA
We slipped into the bar area late one night and grabbed seats at the counter. They have an extensive cocktail menu – heck yeah! I tried a couple whiskey drinks and was happy. 🙂
One-Legged Duck: Bulleit bourbon, fernet, galliano, orange bitters. $8
Orange squid bike rack, Seattle waterfront.
Merluza En Salsa Verde: sea bass, cockles, salsa verde. Summer prix-fixe menu $38
Tinto, Palm Springs CA
The sea bass had a light and fluffy texture but it was definitely on the salty side. The cockles were ok but the sauce was too starchy and pretty much set while we were eating, gross! They didn’t have much flavor, but then my tastebuds were fried from the salty sea bass.
Moules Basquaise: mussels, chorizo, sauce basquaise, french fries.
I wasn’t expecting this. The mussels were shell-less, and they tasted really sour especially when paired with the salty fries. Part of the fun was lost because there were no shells to dig through. And the sauce tasted suspiciously like chili – odd.
Jumbo Rocks campground, Joshua Tree National Park.
Six pack served with cocktail sauce. Happy hour $5
Anthony’s HomePort, Seattle WA
I don’t get people who are afraid to get dirty while eating. I don’t mind peeling my own prawns, cracking my own crab, sucking shrimp heads, whatever it takes to get my delicious food! I think it’s more fun when you get a little dirty while eating. That’s why I’m not afraid of eating ribs or whole crawfish in groups. But to each his own.
Happy hour casualty! This wasp didn’t make it. 🙂
May 30th, 2014. Bremerton, WA
The presentation is definitely more basic this time around.
Paddle boarders on Shilshole Bay.
Rye whiskey, lillet, cynar, orange zest. $8
Ballard Station Public House, Seattle WA
This bar didn’t exist the last time I was up in Seattle so we visited it this time around. It’s actually a smallish space, but very cute and warm with all the exposed brick. They have a decent specialty cocktail list too. They could use another bartender though because it was very slow going to get any drinks.
Railroad themed artwork at Ballard Station Public House.
Vittle Monster 