Barbeque

So, I'm not sure but I am prolly the last person in this fucking city to eat at Jones Barbeque.
I think I was expecting for the sauce to explode in my mouth and Celebration to start playing but this wasn't the case. Sure, the sauce was the best sauce I have tasted in a long time. Perfect match of heat and sweet. The people working were friendly...but still something was not right.

First of all they were out of Ribs.

We ended up getting the 3 Way Combo without Ribs and Beef instead. I didn't eat the beef, because I don't do beef. We got greens, coleslaw and potato salad. Coleslaw was good, greens had a bit too much vinegar and the potato salad was just plain.

I know this post might generate some feedback...but damn, I will admit I was not impressed.

Then again, I am going to go back and see if the Ribs are where its at.

oh no kobayashi

My brother stayed with us for a few days a couple months ago and we got hooked on this site
It was here that we spent endless hours reviewing Eater Profiles, Rankings and Records. Funny to think some guy is walking around out there shaking hands and letting you know he also holds the turducken eating record at 7 3/4 pounds in 12 minutes.

We also talked about how much we thought we could eat in a competition. Funny thing is, I entered an eating competition once. It was a pizza eating competition. We went to Hot Mamas, Bills off Broadway and Pagliacci. I lost. But....I did eat one slice at Hot Mamas, half a large pizza at Bills and 3/4 slice at Pagliacci. Now that is nothing to shake a stick at.

My heart is out to you Kobayashi.

Something from the history books:

¿Que nos recomienda?

I know I spend a lot of time eating on Capitol Hill. I will chalk that up to convenience. One thing I do know, is that every time I get a really bad craving for Mexican food I have to leave the Hill. Now let me break it down on the places around here to choose from.

Taqueria Express on Broadway
Taco Del Mar on Broadway
Torero's on Broadway
La Puerta on Broadway (recently moved from Pine)
La Cocina Cantina on Broadway
Galerias on Broadway
Taco Bell on Broadway

96% of these places don't have websites or I would have linked for your viewing pleasure.I have had mediocre if not horrible food at 100% of these places. If I had to rank these places it would look like this from bad to worst.

Galerias
(too expensive for what you get, mean staff. great chips and salsa)
Torero's
(overpriced, salty and questionable meat. yet great staff and good tv)
La Cocina Cantina
(people i personally know have gotten sick eating there. great mexican pizza, good green salsa)
Taqueria Express
(once got a burrito with a chicken bone in it. good authentic menu items)
La Puerta
(overall bad food and service, worst sangria i have ever had)
Taco Del Mar
(wet soggy burritos, overpriced and strange fusion of flavors)
Taco Bell
(do i have to say why? only thing good is anything without meat or at 2am)

Someone please tell me I have just accidentally missed a good place to eat Mexican food on the Hill! Better yet, someone tell me where to eat good Mexican food in the 206!

ps. I would eat chips and salsa at all of the above places, something most places haven't figured out how to fuck up.

AND THE WEEKEND'S WINNER IS...

Between Friday morning and Sunday evening, I ate and/or drank at 10 different spots; Martin's, 611, Julia's, Il Bistro, Purr, Manray, Broadway Grill, Bleu Bistro, Paramount Club and Mexico. Can you guess which was my favorite? Il Bistro.

I love that place. This time I only had appetizers. We had crostini w/ goat cheese, roasted garlic and basil, an antipasti plate and the calamari. Il Bistro has one of the best calamaris in town, not your garden varietal deep fried squid rings, but really good sauteed calamari in a broth that is super--especially for dipping the bread they serve with the appetizers. I had a beer followed by a margarita (trying to cure the old age hangover White Pepper mentioned earlier). I'd never had a margarita there, but I could tell he was the type of bartender could be trusted. I was right.

I also recommend their full dinner. It is not cheap but if your going out for a nice meal it's well worth it. Ambiance also gets two thumbs up, it is in the market but doesn't have any hint of a tourist vibe.

P.S. They serve food until midnight on weekdays and until 1am on Friday and Saturday.

I Love Sundays

Sundays are the only day off that I share with my man. We tend to sleep in, watch movies, and go get breakfast. This Sunday was no different.

To be honest I didn't event know that The Kingfish Cafe had brunch.

Since we started the food blog, I have been more open to listening to other bloggers and their suggestions. So I got out of bed and searched the computer for a new place to go. Living on Capitol Hill and not driving, you can easily get sucked into eating on Broadway. Anyway, I found a few comments about best Seattle breakfast including this brunch menu at Kingfish. So we got dressed and walked up to 19th.

The wait was about 20 minutes, but it was worth it. I had the Good Glory! Grits that come smothered in gravy, chicken and onions. The grits also come with a huge biscuit and a dish of scrambled eggs. He ordered the Chick n' Waffle, which came with two of the best chicken wings I have ever tasted. The chicken skin was perfect and the spices were so right on. Other things that looked good from the brunch menu included Crabcake Dewey and the Country Breakfast. Since I am sensitive to the veggies out there, if you eat eggs, they also make an Eggtorte with peppers, onions and garlic, which sounded very good.

For two people the bill was just under 30 dollars with tip. We also had one orange juice. It isn't cheap, but sometimes you gotta pay more for a brunch like no other in town.

Bleu Revisited

So sometimes, you say something and then you sort of want to take it back.

A post below talked very complimentary about Bleu Bistro (who doesn't have a website or I'd link) and their bartender as well as the kick ass homemade limeaid. Well we happened to be there this past Saturday afternoon and ordered the same thing.

What we got first were two glasses of water from a table outside where apparently the patrons did not stay long enough to drink it. Yes, thats right, we got water from another table. What came next was also something for a "Not What I Ordered" post. One of us ordered their signature vodka limeade and the other ordered whiskey and lemonade. What we got were two candy coated pieces of shit. See picture below:






Because of the camera phone, you might not be able to make out the yellow candy sugar coated rim. Wtf? Now, we both looked at each other like why would you put so much effort into a well drink? Now a statement about consistency should also be made here. People rely on the fact that if they had something good at your restaurant and they come back, they are sort of hoping to get the same thing they ordered last time. I mean that seems so basic. Last time we were there it came in a glass with a straw and maybe a lime.

Anyway, when the order came I also received a vodka lemonade which if you remember is not what I ordered. It took a cool 10 min to get the whiskey lemonade which I will say was VERY strong and quite delicious. And the drink came hand delivered by the bartender with a full statement of apology about the error. So there it is, all the anger I had at a place that had performed so well a few weeks ago...vanished. Seriously, sometimes it really is all about the service.

But two things...don't serve me water from another table-- that is so fucking gross. And not only was the vodka lemonade not what I ordered, even after they let us keep it it was still nasty.

Absolut Pride

Best part of getting older are the awesome fucking hangovers.

I am sure a lot of people can relate to a similar experience that I am about to unfold. You leave work to meet some friends at 6pm and you get home at 1am. But did you happen to also go on a gay bar pub crawl in the search for some food? Well, me and a few other folks did and it wasn't pretty. As a matter of fact it got really sloppy since we didn't accomplish the food part until we reached the last stop. Here is how it went down...

Drinks at Purr....theme night, Homo Hoedown
More drinks at Manray....Geri Halliwell videos
MORE drinks at C.C. Attles...porn and ice sculptures
FINALLY FOOD at Martin's...too late everyone is faded

There is something everyone should know.... Martin's serves a full menu until 1am. And the food isn't that bad. You have lots of options too, like lasagna, sandwiches, tater tots, fish and yes...nachos. The service was good and everyone seemed to be in a great mood. The place reminds me of this spot my grandma use to work at when I was a kid. The amber lighting takes you back to the 70s real quick. I will definitely go back to Martin's, but this time I will go there first.


Happy Pride Seattle!

I DON'T NEED YOUR STUPID LIMEADE

If you ever find yourself in Fisher Plaza, don't go to Sport Restaurant and Bar. I made that mistake for you. It was a rainy Seattle day, and I was with some tourists who wanted to go to the top of the Space Needle. I dropped them off and went to get a get drink while they peered out over the Emerald City. Begrudgingly we headed to Sport, it was really our only option.

From the moment we walked in I felt uncomfortable, making your way to the bar is similar to a maze and everyone (primarily staff since the customers were few and far between) stared as if to ask "why would you want to be here?". All we wanted was a cocktail to which they offered a menu of every one's favorite $10 libations w/ a minimum of 8 ingredients of which only 1-2 are actually alcohol. Nothing looked good. However, down the way one of the managers was drinking from a plastic gallon container, labeled "limeade". Perfect, can I have a vodka & limeade? Well you would have thought I asked for his kidney, after rolling his eyes in disgust and shaking his head towards the other staff also sitting there doing nothing but sipping limeade, he sighed and told me, now he begrudgingly, that I could have the limeade this time, but not to try and order it next time I come in b/c it is not on the menu, but since I had "seen it" he would let me have it. I took the drink and told him he didn't have to worry about the next time. The bartender later told me not to worry about him--to little to late. You suck Sunday Manager at Sport.

Ironically, within a few weeks I experienced the exact opposite treatment when I asked for a vodka & limeade at Bleu Bistro. The bartender (who is adorable ladies) said to me, "Well we don't have limeade but I'm sure I can make it. We make our lemonade fresh so I just have to make it w/ limes". And he did and it was awesome. Thank you cute Saturday afternoon bartender at Bleu Bistro.

Reuben

Those of you who know me well, know that I did not eat meat (except for fish) for 13 years. During this time, I tried many meat substitutes....some of which are not that bad. But one thing I stood behind for 13 years as being the worst meat substitute was field roast. It is no surprise to me that Seattle itself is the mecca of this cruelty free meat.

One restaurant that serves lots of field roast menu items is the Elysian Brewing Co. on Capitol Hill. For some reason even though I have changed my diet to include chicken and pork...I opted to try the field roast Reuben. Even after typing that I am wondering what made me make such an interesting choice and horrible mistake.

Yikes. You can't take dirt, cover it with sauerkraut, sauce, cheese and put it between two pieces of rye bread and call it good. And if you do, you should slap yourself in the face.

You have done me wrong for the last time field roast. It was nice knowing you.

Good vs. Bad, Volume 1: Freedom Fries

Ahhh the french fry...long hailed as one of America's favorite snacks, french fries come in all shapes & sizes, ranging in a variety of textures, seasonings and accompaniments. They can cost $1 or they can cost $10 (I said it crumyum, 10 dollars for fries). But that is what's cool about fries--there is something for everyone. I've taken a moment to outline, in my opinion, some dope fries and some not so great.

The Good:

• Truffle Fries. At this stage we might as well refer to them as pomme frites, they're so fancy. I have found great truffle fries at Union & W. Both have a dusting of Parmesan and are sprinkled w/ truffle oil. W calls theirs sexy fries and they are of the shoestring variety where as Union's are a heartier fry but I think they use more truffle oil. Regardless of location both are gonna cost you about $9-11.
• Speaking of shoestring fries...yum. Which leads me to the Sorrento Hotel. Crispy and delicious. They are not on the menu b/c I am sure they would rather you order the Sonoma County Duck, but if you find yourself in the Hunt Club or Fireside Room get the fries...and don't might the dirty looks when you arrive in jeans and flip flops.
• Dick's. Chances are they're not great in the day time (unless you have been drinking in the morning), but man I love 'em. With the skin on and that the ketchup and broke tartar sauce you get on the side. I've been drunk in other cities just longing for some Dick's fries.
• This could be pre-mature, b/c I have only had them once but Maximilien in the market has Belgium fries for $2.95 at happy hour, 5-7pm and Saturday 8-10pm. Again skin on, cooked all the way through served w/ two dipping sauces (one I think is just mayonnaise) good portion size and you can sit on the deck and enjoy the beautiful view of the sound.
• Bottomless fries at Red Robin. Make sure they cook them all the way through. With such a hearty fry and high volume of fries coming out of that kitchen, I'm sure sometimes they get overwhelmed and it just slips their mind to cook the fries all the way through. But they get a pass especially since they will bring you anything you want to dip the fries in-- tartar, ranch, blue cheese, bbq, honey mustard and they don't charge you $0.25, & they have red robin seasoning salt.
• And of course McDonald's. One of my favorite days was when the story broke that McDonald's cooked their fries in beef broth, and all my faux-vegetarian friends were up in arms b/c McDonald's were there favorite fries. Of course they are b/c beef taste delicious.

The Bad:

• I do not like sweet potato fries. I think they are trendy and will phase out, until then, Union has a sweet potato fry on happy hour w/ this disgusting watery unidentifiable dipping sauce. No good.
• This might not count but I think they deserve a nod as a fried potato. Julia's fried potatoes at breakfast make me want to start the Atkins diet so I can only assume their french fries are equally as bad. Anyone know?
• Polenta fries at Broadway Grill. They are not potatoes and don't even maintain the desired consistency of polenta.
• Kid Valley. Their fries are shitty. As with Red Mill's.

Dick's Wouldn't Run Out of Buns

No they wouldn't and mainly b/c buns are essential to Dick's business. Which is why I'm am always surprised when an establishment runs out of an ingredient that is so key to their being. Take Linda's--it is essential to the business of every weekend brunch hot spot to have a great Bloody Mary and mind you, I do believe Linda's has a great Bloody Mary. For those of you not familiar it is called the Cody Willis Bloody (or something of the sort) and this awesome breakfast beverage is served up w/ a great mix of spices and the ever important huge stick of beef jerky. So one would assume that at the start of the weekend Linda's would be fully stocked w/ the appropriate amount of beef jerky to cover the 100s of CWBs they'll be serving over the next 48hrs. But no, on Saturday, June 16 at approximately 11am--Linda's was out of beef jerky.

Which reminds me, not to long ago at the peak of the Friday morning breakfast sandwich rush, the Other Coast Cafe ran out of eggs. At least the manager looked almost as disappointed as me when he overheard the cashier deliver the news. So we went to Specialty's who fortunately had ordered enough eggs for all their customers. It's called taking inventory...

If you hate your job, quit...

Ahh...Cafe Septieme. I use to hate you, now i just tolerate you...

I love places that serve breakfast on the weekend until 3pm. That is if you get the server who is just as excited to be at work as you are to eat some food. This past Sunday, this was definitely not the case. This gentleman was not happy to be there, nor was he happy to take my order, or bring my coffee, or the side of toast. They also don't give you the option to order a very standard breakfast menu item. "Eggs, bacon, toast and potatoes" ( you can order eggs and potatoes...then sides to accompany it... By then you are up to an 11 dollar breakfast.)

My eggs were rubbery and the potatoes were cold.

Boo.

Top it off, he tried to over charge me...good thing I gave that bill the eagle eye. I sort of had the suspicion this was the type of experience where that would happen.


But....

This guy who works in the evening is spot on. If he hates his job, you wouldnt know it from talking to him. He's honest about what is good and he never lets your drink get empty. It can get kind of expensive if you are going for the pasta or steaks. I stay towards the side of sandwiches and salad. This place also has good dessert and I am not really into dessert. But they have these coconut macaroons that are so good.

Dont eat at the mall....

So whats up with Factoria...that is a whole other post for another blog....

I ended up going with a friend to do some errands and ended up at the Factoria Mall at lunch time. What do you do when you are on limited time and hungry as a mother fucker? Well, you try eating at some nameless, we serve every kind of food, type place. I mean the menu is like follows: pizza, teriyaki, burgers, philly sandwiches, bubble tea, oriental chicken salad and chicken strips. If you are like me, you get confused. You wonder, how can a place serve all these items and all of them taste good. Like, what is the best item they serve!?!?!?

I got a turkey sandwich. I LOVE sandwiches.

This sandwich was like I made it at my house on some, I ran out of any lettuce that had any shade of green in it and all I could afford was some carl buddig meat. And for some reason they grilled the bread but the sandwich was cold. The only redeeming part of the meal were the kids size bag of lay's chips. More than sandwiches, I love chips. Lets also not forget that this shitty meal you just ate cost like $9.65.

Screw you Factoria Mall food. But thank you Nordstrom Rack for the sweet, just in time for summer gold sandals.

Indian Food

So for going on close to 10 years I have been anti Indian curry....today I had some that wasn't that bad. Perhaps all these years that I have stayed away from the classic spice was because of this dish I had at this Indian buffet in Olympia. From what I remember about that buffet is that I sampled a dish which contained curry sauce and hardboiled eggs. If it doesn't sound good, you are with me on this, because it was disgusting. Perhaps it was how it was prepared? After searching the web I found that this is a popular recipe, but its just not for me.

For lunch I went to Chutneys Grille on the Hill--which is on 15th. I was invited by some co-workers so instead of hatin' on the food, I went to get down on their buffet. I cannot tell you what I ate because I am very ignorant about Indian dishes. I had some tofu which was great, and some chicken which was good...and some cabbage salad which basically had mayo and raisins. Now you have to be in the mood for a buffet or really hungry to get the value of your purchase. For 9 dollars you get the buffet and naan which they make for you upon your arrival. Damn, I could go there just to eat that naan. The scene is mellow I think only two other tables had guests and it was noon.

So maybe I will try some other Indian spots or attempt to make some Indian curry on my own. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

One of the worst places to eat in seattle

Since we wanted to start this blog and have people use it as a resource...we need to get a list going of the worst places to eat in the 206.

I think some of the worst food I have EVER eaten in my life was as the Old Spaghetti Factory in Feburary of 2007. Now, let me give you some background into my experiences with this chain. I use to think it was a good place go, once a year, pretty entertaining, to say the least. However who ever was cooking that night, deserves to get punched in the face. I know I fucked up the minute we ordered some appetizers. The shrimp, spinach and artichoke dip reminded me of what it would be like if you ate rotten fish rubbed with a pound of salt. And it is VERY hard to screw up pasta...especially if this is the foundation of your business. Someone tell me how you cook noodles so they are translucent?!

Lets be real, you know what you are getting into when you go there...but damn. I literally could not eat my dinner and I will pretty much put it down if I am paying for it. But hold up, I'm not fully full of hate--not may places you can still go where they give you free shit. Holler at the bread and spumoni.

RIP Spaghetti Factory.

Other places to avoid?

Sandwiches

Is it just me or do we have a lack of solid sandwich spots in Seattle. It very well might be me..not knowing where to go. Here are a few places I think are good.

1. Tats
This place has a solid selection and the people who work there are great. my brother really likes the tat'strami...i enjoy the chicken sub with wing sauce. I should also mention this place really gets behind their philly steaks. Since I am not a fan of philly cheese steaks...i cant back them up. And if you are on some east coast shit, they have tastkakes! the bread here is good and the portions are nice as well. Only thing is--you need to avoid the lunch rush..people line up to get in the door.

2. Honeyhole
Since i live on the hill, this place is within walking distance to my house. even though i have been here like a million times, i always find something to eat. i like the el guapo...and the summer babe...and the egg sandwich...hmmm, the only thing that has done me wrong is the texas tease.
Plus they have a full bar in the evening. The music here is generally good, and even if it is busy you can still eat at the bar.

So here are only a few...let me know where some other spots are!

Worst Pizza in Seattle

Not only is Mario's, located on 1st and Cherry, the worst tasting pizza in the city, but I don't think they wash their hands either. I have been teased to try them out since I love pizza, and they have an attractive sandwich board advertising a slice & a pop for $2.15. My 1st issue was when they rang me up. The fucker charged me over $3 and told me that they had just raised the price. After explaining that they can't advertise one price and charge another he said he couldn't change the price since his manager wasn't there. That didn't sit well and neither did the pizza that I did eat cause I still wanted to give them a try.

My final issue I have is this. I have seen the folks that work there at several bars around town, and it's true, they do not wash there hands. Coming from a place that tosses their own pizza's in the window...well that's just sick.
CrumbYum

Lunch @ Steelhead Diner

So, I realize that a lot of people have reviewed this restaurant, but I frankly like it so much that I believe I have to through in my 50 cent. I've only eaten lunch there, and have enjoyed the pork sandwich and dungeness crab "roll" sandwich (my boss paid that day!). Here are a couple quick bonuses on this place foodwise that is. The bread comes w/ the meal! The butter w/ the bread has some kickass pesto oil drizzled over it!! Food!!! I've only ordered sandwiches so far and the french fries are grubbin. Plus, they have Chrystal hotsauce on the table.

This spot is located right in the market. The other thing I love is I'm a fly fisherman and this place is decked out accordingly. Separating the booths are a display of steelhead flies mounted in steel. Surrounding the establishment are stellar images of mothernature, fish, and flies. I haven't spoken to anyone yet with a bad review on this place although the price is a touch steep. That's why I go for lunch. If anyone has heard anything else on this place let me know cause right now I'm lovin it.
CrumbYum

Not What I Ordered #1

The best thing about a menu is that you get to read detailed descriptions about the items you are interested in ordering.

At my recent visit to ThaiGo on Broadway I experienced one of my biggest disappointments about dining out. I ordered something after reading the description and when it came to my table it included some items that were not listed in the menu. What makes it even worse is that this particular item, which was scattered throughout one of my favorite dishes happened to be my least favorite food in the entire universe. Note to everyone: I hate red bell peppers.

Let me be real though, I like ThaiGo. I like it because the staff are very friendly and the food is actually quite good for a franchise restaurant. I like it because they give you complimentary soup and ice cream. And this past week I liked it even more because now they have beer. One thing I will add is you do not want to show up to eat right before they close, because when they say they close at 10pm, it means the want you to leave by 10.

Oh yeah and the red curry also has red peppers even though it doesn't list it on the menu.

Subway in Pioneer Sq.

If you are ever in Pioneer Square looking for a quick sandwich without spending more than $5, and don't mind smelling like a sandwich for the rest of the day even after you wash your hands, then I suggest you stop in at Subway on James & 1st. They offer a different sub every day, I think it's $3 for a 6", and if you don't like what they are selling just add bacon for 60 cents. That makes everything taste good.

White Pepper

So, I am out to breakfast at Linda's yesterday with a few friends and I started talking about how we should do a blog and talk about restaurants that we go to here in Seattle. I told them about how I really wanted a place to write down all the great things about dining out in the 206...as well as all the places that need a heads up that they might want to make some changes. Interestingly enough, both of them were so interested in the idea we started this blog the next day.

The reason this blog will be different from all the other food blogs is that we are not foodies.

Foodies is a slang term used to describe people with a strong love of fine dining, food and the experience of dining out or creating elaborate meals at home. The term used to describe those who closely follow the openings and closings of new restaurants and the comings and goings of celebrity chefs.

We aren't here to tell you where the next cool place is to grab some food or drinks. We are just a few friends who enjoy a good meal, good service and good ambiance.

Enjoy