Molly Moon's Homemade Ice Cream

Out of all desserts, I favor ice cream more than any. I actually enjoy frozen custard more than ice cream but lets not go there right now. About a month or so I was out to dinner in Wallingford with some friends and we drove by Molly Moon's. 40 or more people were lined up around the block to get in. My friend driving informed me that they supposedly had the best ice cream in town, I immediately became impatient and wanted to get some for myself but we were off to a show so Molly was going to have to wait.

One afternoon a few weeks ago L. and I took the bus to Wallingford to visit our friends and wanted to also grab some brunch (which reminds me I need to write about that place). We ate our brunch and started heading towards our friends house and there we have it...we walked right by Molly Moons. It was the middle of the afternoon and there was still a damn line. We got in the back and waited our turn with the other intersted parties. Just looking around, I was plesently surprised by the selection of ice creams and the simplicity of the space.

As we waited we were able to see and smell one of the employees making fresh waffle cones. Having the waffle irons right out at the counter most likely increases sales, we both got waffle cones.


I went with the Salted Caramel (reminicient of the taste I had from Mark's amazing fudge cake with salted peanut ice cream at Spring Hill) and L. went with the Vanilla Bean.This ice cream was really good it was rich and tasted very fresh, creamy and natural.

If I remember correctly some of the other options that day included Chocolate, Basalmic Strawberry, Maple Nut, Raspberry Sorbet and a limited edition flavor...Baracky Road. Upon reviewing the website, I noticed you can also request flavors! I think someone should make an ice cream that tastes just like Jell-O's pistachio pudding. All of the ice creams are made from local and organic ingredients and the cups are compostable, this place is so green. The place was packed so we had to take the ice cream out onto the street which was fine because all of the screaming kids were a bit too much to take anyway.

I think Molly found the perfect place to set up a place to get ice cream in a community that needed an ice cream shop. By the way, Molly Moon is a real person and she writes her own blog about her ice cream business experiences, check it out!


1622 ½ N 45th St
Wallingford, Seattle 98103
206.547.5105

Open Noon to 11pm
Everyday

Spring Hill

The chef of Spring Hill is one of the funniest people I've ever met. I met him back when he worked with my brother like 8 years ago. I would show up to meet up with them for some late night beers and some great food at the Dahlia Lounge. Mark is a great chef and is truly passionate about food so waiting for him to open his own restaurant was very exciting. My mom and l. nopen invited us to dinner and were also anxious to visit Mark in his new space.

When you walk into the restaurant you immediately feel something interesting is happening-- from the unique but simple decor to the noisy open kitchen setting this place has that it factor. We were immediately seated in a spacious booth where we could easily watch the chefs' make their magic. The place was packed for a Saturday night at 9pm in West Seattle, apparently the buzz is catching on.

The one page menu was broken into three sections: Small Dishes, Shellfish and Main Courses.

We started with a few selections from small dishes, first the roasted beets with pears, salty smoked hazelnuts, rogue blue cheese and a little bit of basil. I love beets and these were perfect with the tangy cheese. We all enjoyed this plate, great flavors.


L. and l. nopen shared the beef steak hot & cold, which is wood grilled rib eye cap steak & raw steak tartare with some potato cracklings. Both of them raved about this dish, I will take their word for it...I can tell you that it had nice presentation.

We also shared a starter from the Shellfish section, the wood grilled prawns & creamy grits, topped with a poached egg, hen of the woods (mushroom) with rich shrimp gravy. I could have eaten this dish and left, it was my favorite thing I tasted that evening. The grits and the creamy gravy matched perfectly with the grilled prawns. The egg was perfectly cooked, I was very impressed. I might need to recreate this myself.


We also shared a few bottles of wine thanks to mom and l. nopen who know way more about wine than I do. Spring Hill has a large selection of northwest wines we enjoyed the nota bene cellars, syrah, 2005. Tasted good to me, but like I said I am not so sure I can tell the difference besides being white or red.


Now onto the main courses, my mom who only eats veggies or fish went for the king salmon. The salmon dish looked interesting and tasty when it came out topped with salmon crackling. I tasted the creamed corn along with the kale which had a hearty taste with a touch of sweetness from the red pepper relish.

L. knew he was going to order the 1/2 pound burger before we even got there. I have met so many chefs whose passion is a good burger and this was no different. The burger is topped with made in house bacon, teleme and special burger sauce. Stacked on the side are hand cut beef fat fries. L. was in heaven, this burger looked very bold and tasty.

l. nopen always takes a chance when he orders. He went with the roasted duck which looked rich and glazed sitting along side a quinoa biscuit. He enjoyed the dish and ate every bite.


Upon reading the menu I wanted to try the pork, but it was out for the evening. I wasnt upset, because I was also interested in trying the halibut. The halibut was coated in a crispy smoked clam panzanella and olive oil sauce sitting on a bed of escarole. The fish was perfectly cooked with a crispy pan sear. The dish was very well designed with a balance of light and hearty.

I was ready to throw in the towel and call it a night when the dessert menu showed up. We all read over the options but to our surprise Mark had his own plan for our dessert choices that evening. He sent out every dessert on the menu. Insane. Amazing.

Made in house sorbet/ice creams. Raspberry, Blueberry, Nectarine, Salted Peanut and Ovaltine.

Fudge cake with more salted peanut ice cream. So delicious.

Damn if I can remember what this was. Blueberry or something...maybe, damn. I don't know, I was on dessert overload. Very good.

Spring Hill is full of northwest fare done right with a simple approach letting the fresh local ingredients shine through on their own. The look and feel due to Mark's partner and wife Marjorie combined with the creativity of Mark's menu have left me excited to go back. Go to their website for better photos and full menu. Congrats Mark and Marjorie.

5:45pm - 11:00pm

4437 california ave sw
seattle, washington 98116

Closed Monday
Reservations accepted
206.935.107

cucina de santis: comfortalian food

the other day A. called me up to see if i could tear myself away from the exciting world of work to accompany him to Cucina de Santis, an italian trattoria (less formal, less expensive than a ristorante) owned and run by a high school friend's family.

apologies in advance for the washed-out photos...the grey skies wreaked havoc on my cam phone.

as soon as you walk in, you're slapped across the face with the fact that the de Santis' are an italian-american family. i loved this neo-classical interpretation of athena bust bookended by a verdant plant and the red strip of an italian flag wrapped around a post. art, dude.

i forgot to capture the portraits on the wall of family in the old country, new york immigrants, sepia wedding photos, and an autographed glossy of rocky marciano:



if the decor weren't so authentic, i would think i were on the hill.

two other amazing features at cucina de santis were the giant wine bottles equipped with dispensing spigots. i've never drunk wine from a gatorade cooler before, but i imagine this is what kids drink from during halftime at their soccer games in italy. instead of orange slices and capri sun, it's cheese and wine.

this place is simple, as in plastic forks and knives in baskets in the middle of rows of adjoined tables and napkins in moretti freebies.

A. and i both got the eggplant parmesan plate (they also serve it as a sandwich on italian bread) which is a huge slab of eggplant cutlets layered with cheese, sauce, and bechamel served with a side of buttered garlic bread. A. got his with meat sauce and i went with the veg, of course. A. said his was good, but could have been saucier.

i enjoyed my eggplant parm. it was well-sauced, moist but not wet, salty, and comforting. the eggplant was sliced very thin and lacked the piney, indescribable chemical taste that sometimes grosses me out about it. the bechamel was smooth and enjoyable as well. my only nit-picly complaint is that i love it hot HOT HOT (temp).

just as we were both finishing our plates, the cook walks over, two giant bowls in hand, and says, "here's a little something just to put you over the edge." then he set down two bowls of penne; one with a vodka cream meat sauce and the other with pesto, fresh parsley, parm cheese, and olive oil. holy crap. i tried to eat responsibly, but i left incredibly full. the above picture features the amount we took home after we picked at the bowl.


Cucina de Santis
1759 1st Ave S
Seattle, WA 98134
(206) 587-4222

little thai: a u-district favorite

a little while back, i had the craving for thai food, and where else would i go but little thai, an underground (literally), family-owned restaurant i've been going to for years. i needed that green papaya salad!!!

this photo doesn't do it justice, but the green papaya salad is the bomb. shreds of crunchy papaya are mixed with iceberg lettuce (yeah, so what, i like iceberg), carrots, tomato, cucumber, onion, red cabbage, and green beans. the salad is super simple; topped with peanuts and dressed with chilies and mirin (rice wine vinegar + simple syrup). damn, it was so perfect.

m was in the mood for rice noodles, so he ordered another oldie but goodie, the phad see iw, which is basically wide rice noodles stir-fried with broccoli, beef, and egg in a thick soy sauce. i love this dish as well; shoot, i even eat the egg it's so deliciously-imparted with that sauce.

instead of ordering my usual (crispy fish in red curry or broccoli in basil sauce), i selected the green curry with white fish. i'll be forthright and tell you that i have no idea what kind of fish i ate, but it was damn good. the curry was immaculate; the fish was tender and clean-tasting; the coconut milk sauce was light, tangy (galanga root), and complex; and the bowl was full of bamboo shoots, green beans, carrot, mushrooms, spring onion, and zucchini. the green curry was a fantastic choice. after i had eaten all of the "stuff," i dumped my side of brown rice right into the bowl to sop up all the curry juices. delicious.

little thai
4142 Brooklyn Ave NE # 105
(206) 548-8009

Half Ass Ranch

Since I spent the entire holiday weekend away from restaurants this post will feature Uncle Bob and his outdoor cooking at the lovely Half Ass Ranch. The Half Ass Ranch is a amazing place located just off I90 on Killmore Road. A group of friends of mine spent the weekend camping at the ranch when we were in visiting eastern washington for Sasquatch.

Upon arrival on Saturday late afternoon we were greeted by Bob and friends. Bob was in the process of setting up his grill and preparing lots of bbq. When the grill was lit and Bob was cooking, I knew this would be a top notch food weekend. Our first meal included ribs, chicken, corn, bread, potato salad and lots of beer. I wish I had a picture of my plate...but I was way too busy eating and fighting off bugs to take a flick.

After a late night of partying we were woken the next day from the smell of burning wood which meant it was time breakfast.

We enjoyed bacon, sausage, grilled potatoes with onion, hard boiled eggs and pancakes. This special sausage was thin and perfectly crispy. It is amazing to have a greasy breakfast cooked on a wood fired grill after a late night of drinking. It truly couldnt have gotten better than this.


We left after breakfast and headed to the festival where we had a blast enjoying local rap-rock group Cancer Rising among others.

After another late night, we woke up to MORE breakfast. Monday we enjoyed some 5.5 icehouse, omelets (made to order), sausage and hash brown potatoes. I gotta say this omelet was so tasty with cheese, green onions and peppercinis...I ended up eating 2!


I had a great time at the ranch and plan on going back again this summer. Uncle Bob was such an amazing host and one of the kindest people you will ever cross paths with. Amenities at the ranch included a huge hot tub, tractor rides, gun range, unlimited beers, fire pit, horseshoes and more property than you knew what to do with. I had an amazing weekend with friends and made a couple more along the way (not including the bugs). Big shout out to the Half Ass Ranch!

El Gallito

El Gallito is a favorite of mine for lunch because it is within walking distance from my work. Sometimes I just get the chips and salsa to go. It is one of those places that when you tell people about it they always know where it is but admit they have never tried it. Even when I lived close to this spot I always thought it was closed.

El Gallito has a solid menu with pages of items that are pretty standard for a classic mexican restaurant. A few weeks ago a few of us stopped there before a late night event and I tried the taco salad. We also enjoyed a few margaritas which were also quite tasty....and strong.

I have had lots of other menu items including tacos, chile relleno, chalupa and enchiladas. All of them pretty good. The guacamole is also right on. This place gets mixed reviews and I myself have even personally been there on a "bad day"...but I like this family business and if you are looking for good mexican food you should try it for yourself.

1700 20th avenue