Seattle Metblogs » food

Ballard’s The Counter Burger is now open

Patricia Eddy — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 22:23:16 +0000

On Monday, the much anticipated Counter Burger located in the new Ballard Blocks opened.

Counter Burger has been “previewed” several times already on several different blogs. So far, the buzz seems to be favorable.

We checked it out during one of their preview parties, and the food was excellent. I’d be interested to hear if anyone has been there in the past two days.

Be sure to follow them on Twitter as well. They often tweet specials or coupons.

oh dear. thai tom closed for health violations

josh — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 20:05:35 +0000

Thai Tom, the uberpopular, tiny, and always crowded restaurant and main reason for venturing into the northern reaches of the Ave in the U-District has been closed for a variety of hygiene and safety reasons by the County.

snapshot from kingcounty.gov

(via @andypixel)

the knee high is open [olive way remains so hot right now]

josh — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 16:37:15 +0000

photo by david choe / invisible hour [flickr]; more in his knee high photoset [#].

The Knee High, a speakeasy-themed bar opened quietly over the weekend. They’ve taken over the small space left by Il Forno, the quiet pizza parlor on the street level of triangular apartment building occupying the intersection of Olive and Bellevue [#] that closed last fall.

When I dropped in early Saturday the evening, proprietor Jack Valko was stationed in the velvet curtained vestibule greeting curious visitors. Inside, the cherub mirror mural survived the remodel [#], which brought mottled blue walls, glitzy chandeliers, several cozily arranged tables, and a bar that fills the back of the room. The menu features a couple pages of clever Prohibition-inspired cocktails and a small menu. Around our table good things were said about most of the drinks (priced in the $7ish range), a chicken pot pie seemed well received, and I was especially thrilled to find among the food selections a pretzel with rarebit. This, alone, would have enough to win me over. Paired with the more sour than sweet drinks, though, the place enters cat’s pajamas territory.

The place was comfortably full when I left and rumor has it that crowds arrived throughout the evening; so it sounds like they’re off to a good start. I hope to return early and often to make my way through the cocktail list.

// the knee high; 1356 Olive Way.

oddfellows is coming, soon!

josh — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 23:59:53 +0000

Capitol Hill Seattle brings welcome news [chs] about Oddfellows, the latest from Linda Derschang and Erica Burke. According to Joey Veltkamp, they’re on track to open the cafe + bar at the end of the week in an unexpectedly open and light space. In his report about the opening, he gets a description of the idea for the place from Linda:

… a comfortable all day, all night neighborhood hangout. It will be lighter and airier and (gasp) no taxidermy! It will also have an adorable outdoor patio (15′ish people). [joeyveltkamp]

Most amazing of all, it will be open at 7 am. I imagine that this means that they’ll have to do some serious recruiting for morning people to join the usual team of late risers and night owls. In any case, it sounds like a great addition to the corridor and it will be nice to have another cafe close to Cal Anderson now that Vivace has moved on to the North end of Broadway.

partisan scoops: molly moon debuts baracky road

josh — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 01:49:34 +0000

As if you’ll need an excuse to get ice cream this sunny September Seattle weekend, all the incentive you’ll need to pay a visit to Molly Moon in Wallingford on Saturday afternoon comes in the form of Baracky Road:

… tomorrow we will debut Baracky Road ice cream with celebrity scoopers: Congressman Jim McDermott, Dave Hernandez of the Shins, King County Councilmember Dow Constantine, and John Roderick of the Long Winters. [mollymoon]

From 1 to 3 pm you can get a cone filled by indie rockers rubbing elbows with local politicians behind the counter. All proceeds from the chocolate-chocolate-hazelnut-marshmallow concoction’s debut will go to Democrats Work , and you can donate to the Obama campaign.

(Molly Moon’s Homemade Ice Cream is at 1622 ½ N 45th St; If Rocky Road’s not your thing, go for the Vivace Coffee, or, for something more subtle, the honey lavender.)

best news ever? molly moon coming to capitol hill next year?

josh — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 17:10:58 +0000

Via Capitol Hill Seattle [#] comes the amazing news that Molly Moon Ice Cream, which has been keeping lines of people spilling out onto the sidewalks of Wallingford all summer with their delicious and inventive flavors, is planning to open a second location in the Oddfellows building early next year. [urbnlivn] With deep fried goodness from the Pike Street Fish fry and a delightful urban park just steps away, this makes some sort of productivity-stalling trifecta for any marginally pleasant day.

Just imagine the possibilities if someone could figure out a way to open an actual beer garden in Cal Anderson.

farewell marjorie

CeRo — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 17:26:33 +0000

photo by Taylor Hain [flickr] via our group pool [#]

A couple of weeks ago, I saw a column [times] about how the cute little Belltown restaurant, Marjorie [#], was losing its lease. I immediately thought, “Dang it, Beth!” [mb] Although not quite a “landmark,” this adorable and quirky space was/is a nice place to go for dates and/or to sit on the patio and enjoy a nicely made cocktail. The warm intimate feel paired with the personal service was always a hit.

This morning I received the official news in my inbox:

“it is with a heavy heart that we announce marjorie’s last night…
after 6 beautiful years at our belltown location, and without a new home lined up as of yet, we have decided to end on a high note.
on september 6th, our last night, we will host a wine dinner.”

Former Marjorie chef and current Tavolata chef de cuisine, Matt Fortner, has created the wine dinner menu, of which there will be two seatings (5 and 8:30). Since the restaurant is on the small size, both seatings will be sure to sell out. Reservations are necessary [opentable] and the cost will be $150 per person, which isn’t bad for 8-ish courses and wine pairings.

If you’re not up for a fancy-schmancy dinner, make sure to stop by on the next nice day between now and the 6th and check out that off-the-street patio. Personally, I will mourn the loss of the perfectly made beignets and look forward to Donna Moodie’s new endeavor.

address: 2331 Second Avenue | Seattle, WA 98121 | phone: 206.441.9842

Yet Another Ballard Burger Joint – Hamburger Harry’s

Patricia Eddy — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 04:01:25 +0000

I never went to Sea Breeze. Or whatever was there before Sea Breeze. I drove by every day, often kind of wistful at their fireplace and somewhat sad that there never seemed to be more than three or four people inside. So I wasn’t all that surprised when they closed. I was surprised, however, when I found out there was a burger joint going in there.

A deep fried burger stuffed with jalapenos and cheese

Did we really need another burger joint? After all, there’s Lunchbox Laboratory, Zak’s, Scooter’s, Zesto’s, Ballard Brothers, and if you are going to or from Ballard, there’s even Red Mill. So another burger joint? Really?

We stopped in to Hamburger Harry’s about 10 days ago (about 2 weeks after they opened). Then we went back about a week later. Overall, I was pleased. They have a straightforward menu. A handful of appetizers, about 10-12 burgers, 10-12 sandwiches, and a few salads. The burger that I had the first time was tasty. I tried the bacon cheeseburger because that to me is about the gold standard for any burger joint. It was quite good. Not spectacular or anything, but it was cooked with just a hint of pink (and not at all dry), had three or four strips of bacon, and the right amount of cheese – enough to taste, but not enough to make a gooey mess of the whole plate.

Each burger or sandwich comes with bottomless steak fries. These were a touch disappointing. They weren’t bad, but they were a little floppy. However, they were perfectly salted. The onion rings my husband ordered were excellent. Extremely lightly breaded and very thin. They really almost melted in your mouth.

Nachos at Hamburger Harry's

The one dish that didn’t work for me was their nachos. As you might be able to tell from the photo, they were actually fried rice crisps. In theory these were the perfect idea. In practice, notsomuch. They couldn’t support the weight of the chicken and cheese. I ended up eating the nachos with a knife and fork. The chicken was moist and sweetly spiced and there was almost the perfect amount of cheese. The pico was fresh and tasty.

Service at Hamburger Harry’s is great. There’s always at least two servers checking on you, though they aren’t obtrusive about it. They are friendly and happy to answer any questions you might have about the menu. There’s a full bar, but only a handful of beers and wines.

Prices run about $9-$10 for the burgers and sandwiches.

Hamburger Harry’s
2409 NW Market St
Seattle, WA 98107
(206) 297-8000

Cuban Roast Overload – There is no such thing!

Patricia Eddy — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 18:08:11 +0000

If you’re in the Ballard area, you have probably heard of them. If you’re in the Sunset Hill/Golden Gardens area, you’ve probably smelled them. If you’ve never eaten there, you’re missing a fantastic experience!

Paseo in Ballard

I’m speaking, of course, of Paseo, the Cuban sandwich and entree joint that has been feeding Fremont for years. My husband introduced me to Paseo the very first weekend I came to Seattle. I was hooked on what used to be known as their ‘Midnight Cuban’, a roasted pork sandwich with jalapenos, lettuce, grilled onions, some sauce (that for all I know could be just mayo but tastes like manna from heaven) all on a sourdough roll. It’s some sandwich. It’s a sandwich you must unwrap as you eat to keep it from falling completely apart. It’s a sandwich that will break hearts and motivate you to go to the gym JUST so you can eat more of them.

My only complaint about Paseo was that they were in Fremont and I live in Ballard. While that doesn’t preclude going there, it does mean that going there requires either a car or a bus ride and a little planning ahead. Now, I can have Paseo any day I want (other than Sunday as they’re closed).

Roast Pork

The ‘Midnight Cuban’ is now known as the ‘Cuban Roast’. If sandwiches aren’t your thing, they have great entrees as well. We got a box of pork and rice the other day that was practically enough for two people. Add in a side of onions and spicy black beans and you’ve got an entire meal.

Paseo is cash only, and during standard mealtimes there will definitely be a line, but the line moves quickly and it is well worth it.

Paseo
6226 Seaview Ave NW
Seattle

Savor Seattle with a Food Tour

Patricia Eddy — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 22:22:37 +0000

So what do you do when you’re new in town, have a background in the food industry, and are passionate about extraordinary dining experiences? You make it a point to try as many local restaurants as you can so that eventually, you can share those restaurants with as many people as possible.

That’s exactly what Angela Shen did when she moved to Seattle. In July 2007, she started Savor Seattle Food Tours with the Pike Place Market tour. Just a few weeks ago, she opened a new tour – the Downtown Seattle tour. I was fortunate enough to be able to attend a Downtown Seattle Mini-Tour just the other day and I have to say that those two hours were among the happiest my taste buds have spent recently.

Full details after the jump, but for now, I’ll tease you with a shot of the delicious pizza our group shared at Serious Pie.

We started the tour in the upper lobby of the Mayflower Park Hotel. The Mayflower Hotel is the site of the first daylight bar in Seattle, Olivers. If you’re looking for a classic martini, Olivers is your place.

Seared Halibut at Andaluca

From there, we entered our first restaurant – Andaluca. A lovely table was set just for our little group and glasses of their special, secret Sangria were poured all around. Executive Chef Wayne A. Johnson was quick to appear and spent a few minutes with us. He has an interesting philosophy. He believes that chefs should master the techniques, rather than cuisines. If you know how to saute, or grill, or sear, then you will be able to saute, grill, or sear any type of cuisine. Flavors can be experimented with, techniques are less forgiving. This is a philosophy I will be soon practicing in my own cooking endeavors.

We were treated to a seared halibut skewer with roasted tomato beurre blanc. Andaluca has recently overhauled their entire menu after Chef Wayne took a trip to Spain. He was intrigued by the idea of Pintxos and the vast majority of their menu now contains Pintxos. Choose two or three as a meal or order several to share and then choose from one of their large plates for dinner.

Next we started the walking portion of the tour. Up and over and around and soon we were at Serious Pie, Tom Douglas’ newest restaurant. Serious Pie produces an amazing pizza, in part because of their dough. They use a wetter dough, with more yeast, very much like a foccacia dough. It is cooked between 680 and 700 degrees in their pizza oven. Many of the toppings are not even added until the pizza is halfway done. Serious Pie believes that cheese makers do not spend all of their time making cheese for restaurants to cook the heck out of it. They strive to only melt the cheese, not cook it.

After our group munched on several slices of pie, it was time for a slightly longer walk down to Pike Place Market. Angela regaled us with history the entire time we walked. Even locals will find her engaging and passionate about Seattle.

Steamed Mussels with Balsamic Vinaigrette

Next we walked past the fish mongers and to Place Pigalle Restaurant. Seth and Lluvia Walker, the owners, spent a few minutes with us and served us Steamed Mussels Pigalle. I’ve never met a mussel I liked until this dish. The mussels are served with a vinaigrette of bacon, celery, shallots, and balsamic vinegar. I ate every bite and used the slice of toast to sop up every ounce of the sauce. They explained that seafood in Seattle tastes different (and in their opinion better) than seafood anywhere else because the amount of fresh water runoff from the mountains we have affects the salinity of our coastal waters.

Our last stop on this mini-tour was Gelatiamo. Of all of the places we visited, this was by far my favorite. Why? Well, because the owner, Maria Coassin, was so very passionate about what she does every day. She comes from a family of bakers, but she didn’t want to get up at 3 am to bake bread, so now she gets up at 5 am to make gelato. All of her gelato is made fresh daily. It isn’t hard to make gelato, according to Maria. What is hard is coming up with the recipes to make good gelato. Maria is a scientist as well as a chef. For every gelato flavor she creates, she must be sure that the ingredients form a perfect equilibrium with solids and liquids, fats and non-fats. Gelato actually has less milkfat than ice cream, yet you would never know it given the richness of her creations. We sampled a lemon gelato and a hazelnut gelato. Maria was a joy to listen to and you can really see how much pride and investment she puts into every day at Gelatiamo.

If I’ve tempted you at all, you can take the full, 3 hour tour for $65. It includes stops at 5 additional locations and you will definitely end up with enough food for a very full meal. The tours run Wednesday-Saturday from 2pm-5pm and there is plenty of alcohol involved (though you’ll need to be 21 to partake of that part of the tour).

Savor Seattle Food Tours
1-888-98-SAVOR (72867)
www.savorseattletours.com