Thanksgiving Dinner

I'm a little late in posting these, but here they are! Photos from our Thanksgiving dinner. My boyfriend, his roommate and myself hosted a Thanksgiving dinner for some friends. All of the food turned out great and we all ate way too much. A good time was had by all and I'm looking forward to all the turkey dishes that we will create with the leftovers.

Thanksgiving table before the feast.

Delicious Shrimp appetizer made by my boyfriend's roommate.

My Green Bean Casserole and fresh Cranberry Sauce.

20 lb. turkey prepared by my boyfriend. Absolutely delicious!

Homemade Pumpkin and Pecan Pies made by my boyfriend. Hands-down the best pies I've ever tasted!


I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving with great food, friends and family!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Home Cookin'

So with our economy going in a downward spiral I have tried cooking more at home rather than going out to eat. I have been digging into some of my cookbooks to try and come up with some nice dinners to prepare. I came across a recipe for one of my favorite meals, Chicken Piccata. This actually turned out better than I had expected. Below is a picture of the end result.




The chicken turned out nice and juicy, and it had the perfect lemon flavor. I will definitely be making this more in the future. I'm going to try and work on some variations of this recipe and see how those turn out. If you would like the recipe, feel free to contact me!

Bon Appetit!

Happy Halloween!!!

Barolo

Over the weekend my friends and I celebrated my best friend's birthday at Barolo. This is one of our favorite restaurants in Seattle. We celebrated my birthday here last year and we had a great time. The food was great, the wine was great, and the service was excellent. All the same can be said for this visit also. I called a week in advance for a reservation for a group of 13 people. The manager, Eric, was very accommodating. When you have a large group for dinner at Barolo, you can choose to have one of their set-price menus. These menus include an appetizer, salad, entree, and dessert. The set menu prices start at $40 and go up to $100. The higher the price, the more options you have for the entree and other courses. They are also willing to add some items to the set-price menu for an additional cost.



We started our meal with the Antipasto Misto. This was a nice starter that included eggplant, tomato, olives, mozzarella, salami, prosciutto and some red and yellow peppers. Everything on the Antipasto plate was delicious!






For our salad, we were treated with the Cuore di Romana Grigliata (Grilled romaine heart with Caesar dressing & shaved reggiano). This was by far one of the best salads I have had in a long, long time. It was also my first grilled romaine heart salad. I liked the fact that the romaine heart was served whole and not chopped up. The Caesar dressing was excellent. It was not over-powering at all, so it allowed the flavor of the reggiano to shine through.




For my Entree I chose the Pollo Ruspante Imbottito con Spinaci e Provola (Free range natural chicken with spinach, sun-dried tomatoes & provola cheese). The chicken was delicious. The chicken was stuffed with the spinach, sun-dried tomatoes and provola cheese. The chicken was very tender and juicy. The chicken was accompanied with carrot, asparagus, a potato and a beet. All of which were just as good as the rest of the meal.










For dessert I chose the Torta di Formaggio al Balsamico Invecchiato (House made cheesecake with aged balsamic). This dessert was a perfect ending to what was a wonderful dinner. The cheesecake was soft and fluffy.






Not only does Barolo offer delicious food, time and time again, but they also offer some of the best service in Seattle. This was my third visit to Barolo and the service was just as stellar as the other visits. Ashley, our main server, was outstanding! She made sure we were all taken care of the entire night. I know that with a group of 13 people it can be quite an undertaking to make sure everyone has the best dinner possible, but Ashley made sure our dinner was relaxed and enjoyable. Each course of our dinner came out in perfect timing, and each of us was served all at once, so we weren't all waiting around for everyone to receive their food.

I highly recommend Barolo for a large group dinner, or for any dinner. I also hear they have a great happy hour menu as well. I will definitely check that out soon!

I give Barolo 5 out of 5 Garlic Cloves.

Voila

Tonight my friends and I went to Voila for dinner. This was our second visit to this restaurant. The food during our first visit was so good we decided to pay another visit. Voila is one of my favorite Bistros in Seattle. Voila is just the right size for a Bistro. It's not too large that it gets noisy, and it's not too small so that you feel cramped. Voila has a nice sized bar area. The decor is what you would come to expect for a typical Bistro. Voila feels very comfortable.


Most of the Entrees on the menu sounded very good. I decided to go with the Grilled Pork Chop in Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Lemon, Garlic & Herbs (Cote de Porc Grillee). The pork chop was pretty tender. The olive oil, lemon, garlic and herbs gave it a lot of flavor.

For the sides, we went with the Green Beans (Haricots Vert) and the Frites (French Fries). The green beans were nice and crispy. The frites were pretty good, but they could have had more flavor to them.

I was actually surprised to see that Voila serves Caffee Umbria coffee. Like I have stated in earliers blog posts, it seems as if Cafe Vita has a strong-hold on most restaurants in Seattle. The coffee was good. For dessert we had the Creme Brulee and the Lemon Tart (Tarte au Citron). Both were very tasty and I recommend them both!

I give Voila 4 out of 5 Steak Frites.

Betty Restaurant & Bar

My friends and I planned a Friday night dinner at Betty on Queen Anne. The week prior we had tried to just walk in for dinner, but with Betty's popularity it would have been over two hours before we would have been seated. So we decided to go to another restaurant for dinner, but told each other that we would definitely be back to try their food. My stomach growled as we left Betty due to the wonderful aroma of food. On this visit we were prepared. We made reservations and were finally able to try Betty's seemingly popular menu. I liked the layout of Betty. It is a nice, clean, simple restaurant.




I started with a mixed green salad topped with a light viniagrette and mozzarella cheese. This was one of the better salads I've tasted in quite a while. The greens were colorful and fresh, and I love shaved mozzarella on a salad, especially when it is served with a healthy portion.



Before dinner my friends and I enjoyed some drinks. I tried the Crow Manhattan. Crow is the sister restaurant to Betty, both owned by the same owners. This was slightly different version to the classic Manhattan. This was a good drink to start before the entree was served. It's a good thing we started with some drinks as it took a while to receive our food. Betty is a popular restaurant, and with that comes the wait for your food from a very busy kitchen.




Like I said, we had to wait a while for our food to be served. But let me tell you, the wait was well worth it. I ordered the pan roasted chicken served with mixed vegetables and mashed potatoes. The mixed vegetables were green beans and roasted garlic. The beans were cooked perfectly with just the right amount of crispness. The potatoes were whipped to a nice consistency, and were surprisingly flavorful. I'm saving the best for last. The chicken breast was cooked to absolute perfection. The skin was cooked to a golden brown and it wasn't too crispy. The chicken meat was some of the juiciest I've ever tasted. Only a few other times have I ever had the chicken meat almost melt in my mouth, it was so tender. The spices and herbs seared into the skin gave the chicken perfect flavor. The chicken breast was a generous portion. I would have eaten the bone too if I could. I highly recommend the chicken, and I look forward to coming back to try the tenderloin which looked mighty tasty also. Even though there was a slight mixup on our bill, that still didn't dampen my experience at Betty.

I give Betty 4 out of 5 Martini Glasses.

Kurrent Restaurant & Bar

I was invited by some friends to go to dinner at Kurrent Restaurant & Bar. I was actually surprised that they have a full menu. I've only known Kurrent as a bar, not a restaurant. I also learned that they just opened their sushi bar.

I started my dinner with the Field of Greens salad. This is made up of some mixed greens, diced tomatoes and cucumber, and it's topped off with shallot vinaigrette and toasted almonds. This salad was very good. What I liked most was the fact that the almonds were crushed and sprinkled over the salad rather than being served whole. It gave the salad a nice crunch.

For my main course I went with the Cold Smoked Pork Tenderloin. The tenderloin was accompanied with Asian pear slaw, sour cream red potato mashed and some garlic spinach. The pork tenderloin was good, although I thought it would have a little more flavor. The mashed sour cream red potato was pretty good, although they were a little cold when served. The Asian pear slaw was something I had never tried before and it was pretty good.

The wine we had with dinner was a Sonoma Chardonnay. This was a nice light wine that went very well with our dinner.

For dessert we tried the chocolate banana spring roll and the cherry creme brulee. Both of these desserts were firsts for me. The chocolate spring roll was interesting. It has a unique texture, but if you're a chocolate lover then you'll definitely like it. The cherry creme brulee was pretty tasty too.

With dessert we enjoyed a cup of Caffe Vita coffee. It seems that almost every restaurant in Seattle serves Caffe Vita coffee. I do like their cups!

I give Kurrent Restaurant & Bar 2 1/2 out of 5 forks.

Queen Anne Cafe

I paid my first visit to the Queen Anne Cafe this morning with some friends. The picture to the left shows what I had to eat. I decided to go with the basic pancakes, eggs, bacon and sausage links. Now I know this isn't that original of a breakfast, but when I try out a new breakfast place I usually order the basics to see how it compares to other places I've eaten.

Breakfast is one of the easier meals to prepare, so if you can do it well then there is promise to coming back to try out the lunch and/or dinner menu on another visit. Of course if I have a horrible experience at breakfast, then there's a good chance I won't be coming back, period.

I must say this breakfast was good. It wasn't great and it wasn't bad, but I wasn't expecting all that much with what I ordered. The pancakes were decent, although they were barely warm when I received them, which I don't like because I like spreading butter on the pancakes when they're hot so the butter melts and soaks in. The bacon was crispy, but not over-cooked. The sausage links weren't anything special, but they did taste good. I ordered the eggs over-easy and they were cooked just right. I topped off breakfast with a coffee, which I must say was topped off pretty consistently by our very attentive server.

Queen Anne Cafe is very family-friendly, so if you don't mind a restaurant filled with kids then this is a good place to go. Queen Anne is also a very dog-friendly neighborhood, so if you're a dog lover like me you'll undoubteldy find a couple pooches tied up outside the cafe as well as most eating establishments on Queen Anne.

I give Queen Anne Cafe 2 1/2 out of 5 sausage links.

Vios Cafe & Marketplace

I had lunch today at Vios Cafe & Marketplace with two good friends. This was my first visit to Vios and it certainly won't be my last. Vios is a traditional Greek cafe. When you first walk into Vios you notice right away that it is a very family friendly place to eat. Pretty much every table had some young kids, and there is a little kids play area in the back of the cafe. It was nice to see so many families out to lunch with their kids.



Orders are placed at the counter and the food is brought out to you. I decided to go with the Chicken Souvlaki. The chicken is marinated in oregano, lemon & garlic and served on a pita with tomato, onions and tzatziki. Vios has some of the best tzatziki I've ever tasted. I also had some chocolate cake and a vanilla latte. Both were very good!

I give Vios Cafe & Marketplace 4 out of 5 lattes.

Union Square Grill

I recently had dinner at the Union Square Grill for the first time for a friend's birthday. Their pork chops are delicious! It's a little on the pricey side, but with the great food, service and atmosphere, it was well worth it! If you like art deco, this is definitely the place to go.



I give Union Square Grill 4 out of 5 Manhattans.

El Greco

El Greco is one of a few restaurants in Seattle that has Sweet Potato Fries on their menu. If you haven't tried them yet what are you waiting for?! GO TRY THEM!! They are delicious! You won't go back to regular fries ever again. They even offer them as an appetizer, so you can try them out without having to order an entree. Trust me, you'll love 'em!

I highly recommend the Moroccan Marinated Chicken. I've had this several times and it's always spot on. If you're not a fan of cous cous you can substitute the sweet potato fries with that dish. Now that's heaven! I enjoy going to El Greco because the staff is always so friendly and very knowledgeable about their food. So the next time you're looking for some good food, go to El Greco and order the sweet potato fries.

I give El Greco 4 out of 5 stars.

Chez Gaudy

I think Chez Gaudy wins the award for the best hidden restaurant. Chez Gaudy is located at the intersection of Bellevue Avenue and Howell Street on Capitol Hill. I have walked past it dozens of times, but never knew it was even there. Then one night I went to dinner with some friends and we ended up going to Chez Gaudy. I'm so glad we did. This place is like a hidden gem. First off, to enter the restaurant you have to walk down this little hallway off the sidewalk and enter through a side door. The layout is quite unique. It's chopped up in sections and rooms, which makes it very cozy and a good place to take someone on a date. Chez Gaudy reminds me of the Cellar Bistro on 10th Ave. sans the screaming kids. I love the quirky decor at Gaudy. Another touch I like about this place is how the silverware is placed in a glass on the table. This allows for everyone to grab what they need and it gives the place a more traditional family-style restaurant.

Now I have been to Chez Gaudy plenty of times since my first visit, most recently two days ago. They have a good wine selection and a good mix of cocktails. On Tuesday nights they offer discounts on wine and the menu is exclusively tapas. On my most recent visit I decided to go with the chicken on portabella mushroom. This meal was very good. The chicken was cooked perfectly, and it was very juicy. The portabella mushroom was sitting in a dark sauce that was so good I would have eaten my napkin if it was covered in it. The service was great and our server was very knowledgeable about the items on the menu. I know it sounds weird saying that, because you're probably thinking well of course the server knew what was on the menu, or what is in the dish, etc. Believe me, that's not always the case at some restaurants. Some servers are clueless. Not the case here, our server was very knowledgeable, checked on us just enough to not seem too pushy, and even put up with our wisecrack comments. Chez Gaudy is definitely one of my favorite "regular" eat spots.

I give Chez Gaudy 4 out of 5 breadsticks.

Capitol Club

I've been to the Capitol Club plenty of times, but this was my first time to try out their Happy Hour Menu. Some friends and I met up at the Capitol Club before going to see Young Frankenstein at The Paramount. Most of my visits to the Capitol Club are usually in the late evening to grab some drinks with friends, so it's usually packed with people upstairs. At 5:30, the place is pretty quiet. Actually we were the only people there when we walked in, which was perfect because we were guaranteed a table on the balcony. It was a perfect early evening to enjoy some drinks and appetizers.


The Capitol Club has a decent Happy Hour menu. We tried some of the Fire Roasted Corn (on the cob) with harissa lime butter. It was some of the best corn on the cob I've had, except for the corn on the cob at the Bite of Seattle. We then ordered up some Piquillo Peppers with goat cheese. These were quite tasty! We also ordered the Papas Bravas with roasted garlic aioli (garlic french fries). Those were very good! To finish it off we had some marinated olives and spiced almonds. Everything tasted great, and the drinks are good too! Not to mention the servers at the Capitol Club are very friendly. So if you're looking for a place to grab a quick bite and some good drinks, I'd recommend the Capitol Club.

I give the Capitol Club 3 out of 5 forks.

Acapulco Fresh Mexican

In the past several years I've noticed there have been a lot of Mexican fast food restaurants popping up all over the place. Qdoba Mexican Grill, Chipotle and Baja Fresh are just a few of the Mexican fast food restaurants in the Seattle area. I've been to all three, but I think Acapulco Fresh Mexican located in Redmond is by far the best. I don't live on the Eastside, but me and my friends will travel over to Redmond just to eat at Acapulco Fresh.

Acapulco Fresh Mexican uses all fresh ingredients. They also have a salsa bar with a variety of salsas from mild to hot. Their guacamole is some of the best I've had at a restaurant. My favorite meal is their Chicken Taco Grande. This meal comes with two tacos and a side of beans and rice. The seasoned grilled chicken in the tacos is so tasty. They are by far some of the best chicken tacos I've had. I highly recommend them.

Acapulco Fresh Mexican is definitely a better alternative to all the other fast food places. They offer fresh ingredients, perfectly seasoned chicken and beef, and very tasty salsas. Now if they could just get rid of the cheesy Mexican music that plays in their restaurant it would be perfect! But I know that's just part of the experience of dining at a Mexican restaurant.

I give Acapulco Fresh Mexican 4 out of 5 stars.

Bennett's Pure Food Bistro

Bennett's Pure Food Bistro is located on Mercer Island in The Mercer complex, a new mixed-use apartment/retail building. Even though Mercer Island is well known for it's multi-million dollar homes, it is not known for its restaurants. Last August Bennett's Pure Food Bistro opened it's doors, and it's a long-overdue welcome to a new eatery on Mercer Island that doesn't specialize in fast food or pub fare. This bistro fits in quite nicely on Mercer Island.

I have been to Bennett's twice. Once for lunch, and most recently for dinner. I must say I was quite impressed with both meals. One of the other things I was impressed with at Bennett's is the Bistro itself. The decor makes the Bistro seem like a more upper-scale dining establishment. The staff at the Bistro is very friendly, and they take the time to point out their personal recommendations off the menu. I don't know about you, but I like it when a server recommends food that they have actually tried off the menu.

For my first visit I tried the Grilled Chicken Sandwich. The lightly seasoned chicken breast was served on a toasted herb baguette with Beecher’s cheese, grainy mustard and mayo, crisp lettuce and seasonal tomatoes. The sandwich was very tasty, and the chicken was grilled perfectly. The sandwich came with a side of fruit, which is one of my favorite sides.

My second visit to Bennett's was today, and this time I had a selection off the dinner menu. I decided to go with the Harissa Chicken, which isn't a surprise because I like most anything chicken. The chicken was seasoned with a Mediterranean blend of harrisa spice, fresh rosemary, sundried tomatoes and citrus. The chicken was served with fingerling potatoes and seasonal vegetables. The one thing I like about Bennett's is their portion sizes. Unlike most restaurants who give you enough food for a small family, Bennett's portion sizes are just right, not too much and not too little.

I highly recommend trying out Bennett's Pure Food Bistro. The food is great and so is the service. Bennett's also has a full service deli, not to mention they offer a wide selection of wines. I'll definitely be visiting Bennett's again soon.

I give Bennett's Pure Food Bistro 4 out of 5 stars.