La Casa Del Mojito

La Casa Del Mojito...

Upon invitation to dinner from our friends who hold down the Wallingford/U-District area they picked this spot they've had many a good time at... including Valentines Day...awwhhh. They have been talking about it for months and finally our schedules all lined up for the night. From the outside you would not be able to tell the amazing menu they have inside. The restaurant was filled with some college kids and some obvious regulars. Colorful artwork lined the walls, everything from paintings to tapestry stuff. I could tell moments after sitting down that the food was gonna be really damn good.

We started with some cocktails. The clear winner for me was the mojito...which was exactly what I needed. As my lady friend put it...it had the perfect amount of mint- making it not just a rum and soda. L. had the Caipirinha, which if you didnt know is the national drink of Brazil made with Cachaca (basically distilled fermented sugarcane). I thought it was nice, but a bit too sweet for me. These drinks were strong and will only set you back 7bucks. I am pretty sure we had more than one round.

Since we were all starving we started with Luam's Platter. This plate came decorated with Yuca Frita, Tostones, Maduros and Guasacaca. I can try and translate this appetizer for my non latin food experienced readers. The Yuca Frita is on the top right, kind of like a fried potato but a lil' more sweet, but still kinda starchy. The Tostones are on the top left of the plate and are fried plantain cakes, they were my favorite!! I love anything that resembles a chip. The bottom of the plate were the Maduros, which to me was just like a pan fried banana but more chewy. I thought it was nicely prepared, but a bit too sweet for me. And right in the center was the Gusacaca which is basically guacamole... Oh snap, I have no idea or I cannot remember what is on the bottom of the plate side left!!!! Someone who was there who might be able to help...???



So onto the Entrees. Below was the coveted Vaca Frito, which two of my fellow diners ordered. This meal consisted of shredded beef mixed with some garlic, onions and lime. Hell, I do not eat beef but was convinced to just taste it....so I did and it was so BOMB. The beef had a crispy deep flavor which pretty much melted in your mouth. The rice and beans (Congri) were also nice and spicy and carried the best flavor which was most likely the juice from the Vaca Frito. This fabulous dish also came with a few more of those plantain cakes and will set you back about $12.95.



RB got down on the Milanesa Carne. This dish looked awesome because it pretty much came with fries (Papas Fritas) and some tasty white rice. I didn't taste his dish, but it looked simple but solid, also $12.95.



I love fish, especially when I do not have to cook it. After some advice from others who had visited this spot...I was steered towards the Pescado Frito. I loved this dish, simply because all of the elements on the plate had their own place. The white fish was dusted with a some seasonings and flour then pan fried. The white rice was again, very tasty and the ensalada was very simple but perfect for the meal. I really like hot sauce so we asked for some and we ended up getting two great sauces, I wish I would have taken a picture! The one that I favored was made with habanero peppers, and it was amazing. I ended up asking what all was in the recipe and come to find out it was just peppers, garlic and oil. I need to make this.



The service was good, the owner was chill and the atmosphere was perfect for date night.
I will go back....soon.

5253 University Way NE
Seattle, WA 98105
Reservations: 206-524-4615

Los Angeles: Sun, Food and Tres

I haven't been to LA in years...until last week. For my birthday I decided to purchase myself a gift and that was buying tickets to see Mary J. Blige and Jay Z at the Hollywood Bowl. After a few cocktails one night I mentioned I was going to a friend, who in turn told another friend and next thing you know we all ended up in LA and booked rooms at The Standard.

Well, this is a food blog so lets get started.

Day 1.
After getting off the plane and heading to our hotel we stopped at Los Burritos on Sunset (4929 W Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles) The "natural juices" sign caught our attention as well as the big outdoor patio. I guess this is a chain spot with close to 10 locations around the city.

I went with a chicken taco and a fish taco. The chicken taco was tasty and fresh and the salsa came right on with just the right amount of heat. The chicken was nicely cooked but it needed a bit more seasoning. I also enjoyed the fish taco which was extremely deep fried making the sour cream so-so necessary to kill the dryness. The fish was coated in what tasted almost like a curry seasoning. We also got some chips, cuz i LOVE chips. This was a nice quick meal before we hit our hotel for some draaaanks.


So we hit the liquor store and grabbed some drinks and then we did this...


After the show we did a mini pub crawl back to the hotel where we ended up eating in The Standard's 24/7 Restaurant. Several of us at the table ordered the chicken sandwich which was pretty damn good, it came on a big spicy jalapeño biscuit. The chicken was fried and the soft biscuit was a great touch. I ended up eating half at the spot and the other half the night before we left straight out the mini fridge in my room. Both times the sandwich was great, if anything it just needed more mayo. Oh yeah, and it also needed to not be like 12 bucks without a side. Welcome to Hollywood.

Day 2.
One thing pretty awesome about The Standard is their pool and with the sun blazing at 930am two of us took advantage of the opportunity. We ordered two cups of coffee and then TWO carafes. Our first carafe was some sort of coconut margarita. This was the truth. It wasnt an overpriced weak ass cocktail it came correct with the alcohol and the coconut flavor was amazing.

By the time we ordered our second carafe we had made a new friend, Bruno, our poolside server. Bruno was amazed at the fact that the two of us were that ready to party on a Thursday morning. He was a good dude and on our last day at the hotel he gave us a hug goodbye. Don't worry Bruno, we will be back.

The second carafe was a watermelon mojito. Again, the drink was nice and the flavor was so natural it did not taste all gross and sugary. I cannot figure out how they got these strong fruit flavors without syrup. I am a fan of the carafe even though they set you back at 40 dollars a piece! The thing is, one drink is $12 so why not make a budget decision and go for the goods.

We waited for everyone to get up and then we all needed to eat. One place on everyones list was Roscoe's. It was a meal we all shared together and it was really chill. All of us were feeling the effects of partying and traveling so a nice meal of grease and carbs was totally appropriate. With 5 locations in the LA area we ended up at the one closest to our hotel in Hollywood.

I went with the SCOES which is basically 1/4 Chicken cooked southern style and 2 waffles. A few others ordered this as well. Someone also ordered an omelet and RB went with some smothered chicken, grits and greens. I tasted all of it except the omelet. This place rules. I loved the chicken and thought it was exactly as I expected = BOMB, and the waffles were perfectly cooked. The tastes really do come together and you need to eat a piece of chicken with a bite of waffle dipped in some syrup. It is the truth, ain't just a gimmick.

We did some shopping then took a nap. Later that night we ended up across the street from our hotel at this strange little place called Cabo Cantina (8301 W Sunset Blvd). This place was everything I imagine Spring Break would be. Girls with half shirts, guys with backwards visors and loud obnoxious music. Earlier in the day we were intrigued by the signs of good cheap tacos and drinks. Apparently we missed happy hour because our tab ended up being ridiculous. Again, welcome to Hollywood. The margaritas we pretty good, a little sweet for me.

I got down on fish tacos. The spicy mayo like salsa sauce was a nice touch. The fish was a bit fishy but the overall dish was pretty good, but the portion was way too much for me considering I ate a basket of chips and downed two drinks.

More drinking ensued and then we hit a club. After the club we hit another mexican spot by our hotel called Pinches Tacos. The outdoor deck was nice because the LA evening weather was super comfortable.

I ate two chicken taquitos which were great and they were on some real budget food because they only set me back $4.50. The guacamole was tasty and fresh, I also liked the flavor of the chicken mixed with the cheese. Damn, I love taquitos...keep reading.


Day 3.
Day 3 included a quick morning stint at the pool with a fruit plate and one drink. Then next thing you know we headed out for some shopping over on Fairfax. After shopping L. and I got scooped by his Dad and we headed over to Pasadena and had a really nice meal at Cafe Santorini. I had a big seared ahi tuna salad which was dusted with a light lime ginger dressing. The salad was really what I needed after all fried food. Then again, the friend wonton chips on top of the greens were quite tasty. While we were eating we got down on a couple bottles of champagne which made the whole meal even more enjoyable.

Once again I will make the announcement about me and dessert and how they just don't mix. HOWEVER, this was no joke prolly the best Tiramisu I have tasted in a long long time. I am not sure if it was the tasty cocoa powder or the fine custard coating on the rum soaked lady fingers. The raspberry sauce that the dessert was sitting on was also amazing, it was fresh and made with real raspberries.

So after dinner we went back to the hotel, drank a lot, celebrated J.'s bday and stayed up til like 430am. This was the night I went back to my room and pounded water and ate the other half of that chicken sandwich.

Day 4.
I rallied the troops so we could get up early because we were hours from having to get on the plane to come home. Before we left we had two things to do. The first was to hit Santee Alley for some shopping. We really wanted to get breakfast first but it didn't seem to work out. (Thanks for nothing A.)

So we ended up in the Alley, had to pay 50 cents to go to the restroom and then stumbled upon some street side mexican food. Once again I went for the taquitos. What made these different from the Pinches taquitos was the dripping cream and the nice hot sauce. The chicken wasn't as good but the sauces more than made up for that.

Because it was our last day we were on a mission to eat and eat and keep eating. I think I was trying to eat off three days of partying. While we were waiting for RB to hustle some jeans and some shirts we ended up getting down on some sidewalk grub. This $2 treat was one of the best things I ate in LA. Corn coated with butter, hot sauce and cheese. Damn.....

Tres

So the very last thing we had to do was hit Venice Beach. This was the perfect end to our trip because we got to walk around and enjoy the last bit of sun. After 2 hours of walking around we got hungry again. We really set out to just get a snack but ended up with more food than a small army would need. You would think that at a place called Big Daddy Pizza we woulda just grabbed a slice....but we didnt.

I went for the chicken chunks and fries. Uh...this was a whole chicken that they blew up and then fried the busted pieces. The chicken was sitting on top of sliced potatoes "fries" which were undercooked and nasty. I am still also not sure why they need to serve this to you in a damn tortilla bowl? Whatever, I ate a few chicken bites covered in the best thing on the dish (RANCH) and then it hit the trash. I do not even know what the hell that chicken was seasoned with.

L. got some fish and fries and also went for the churro. Nothing like some fried fish and some fried dough. He claims it was all good, but damn he got those fries too and they were not whats up. (Wait...hold up, is that t-shirt a picture of MJB and J Dilla!?!??!)


Before I say farewell, I need to leave you with one more picture from our Venice Beach snack time. A. ordered a turkey leg....and boy was it disgusting. What the hell. No comment. Don't worry, she didnt eat it.


Goodbye LA! I didnt eat that many meals but I know I gained 2 pounds! I am gonna bet most of that came from the drannnnnnks.

The Chapel Bar

Next time I see this posted: "Drink Specials — Daily 5pm - 8pm and midnight to close. All martinis, only $5 each." ...I might just pass or make sure I have a ride home.

I went to the Chapel website to see what the hell this martini was called but they dont have them all listed. They have like close to 30 choices from gin, vodka, whiskey and also tequila...The one that we both had was made with tequila and pomegranate juice. Dont be fooled by the color of this drink it had a LOT of tequila. After the first one, I started to feel like the party was kickin in...on the second one I was convinced I would not be able to walk home. So much for sticking to one or two drinks, I felt like I had 10. Because we were both kinda tipsy we opted for a few small bites. We got both the parmesan-dill potato chips ($3) which were just okay...kinda tasted like Tims Cascade chips with a bunch of seasoning dumped on them. The chips were small and hard to eat...then again I might be different when your sober. It is hard to tell in the photo...sorry its a former mortuary and its dark!


We also got the Wildcard ($14) which according to the menu includes "todays top fare, cured meats, cheese & vegetable salad"I wish the photograph would do this justice because it was pathetic. I was tipsy so we laughed it off but I would never order this again. It had two small pieces of prosciutto, two peppercinis, a couple slices of brie, strawberries and small bits of cauliflower all on top of some mixed greens.

All in all I had fun, just hanging out, it is a cool place to have a few drinks after work. I love sitting at the bar in the really high stools and watching the bartenders make all these cocktails. I will continue to go to Chapel and make my way through their drink menu but I think I will forgo the food.

1600 Melrose Avenue
Seattle WA 98122
Sun-Thur 5pm-1pm
Fri-Sat 5pm-2am

Back at the Redwood

So its hard to not go to a place that is within two blocks of your house even if you reviewed their food once and were not impressed. Whatever, they have good STRONG drinks and they are always empty around 6pm. Welcome back to the Redwood.

My brother wanted to grab some snacks to celebrate my recent birthday and once I mentioned this place had food, he was very curious. The menu compliments the decor with a bunch of bbq southern inspired dishes ranging from burgers to chili. Since the last time I ate at this place, they have made some changes to the menu and from a quick glance it looks like they have more options. The lighting in this spot is dim so good luck making out the pictures.

Here are the amazing deep fried cream corn nuggets:

These corn nuggets were amazing and very hot. I think everyone at the table agreed these were the best dish we had. The dipping sauce was nice and spicy, a hot ranch sauce maybe?

We also tried the green bean casserole:

I do love green bean casserole, but this missed the mark. I think if it would have been hot, it would have been ok. I think casserole should always be served hot or else the consistency is just not tight.

My mind escapes me on this one, it might have been some kind of burger. perhaps the person who ate it can offer some commentary:


I had a foot long hot dog that came topped with BACON and cheese:

This thing was pretty good, the bacon was way overcooked...but it still tasted like bacon so it was a win. In the end its good to know you can get some really nice comfort foods just down the street.

If you are curious about the fries, well they are sweet potatoes. Two of us at the table are not fans and the other one was in love with them. Now me personally, I do not like sweet and so these are not preferred over your regular russet potato. I love salt. My brother schooled us on the best way to cook fries so since I have you here I will pass along this suggestion.

1. Cook your fries in hot oil about 350 degrees til they are lightly golden
2. Pull out your fries and throw them in the fridge until they cool down
3. Throw your fries back into hot oil 350-375 degrees and fry til crispy

This suggestion could make the perfect fry. Who knows, I might try it.

See you at the Redwood, I might be just drinking or eating the corn nuggets.

514 E Howell St
Seattle, WA 98102

The Grill

I'm the first person to admit, Broadway Grill sucks 80% of the time.

For two main reasons:
1. Food is inconsistent
2. Service blows

Now, I had an eye opening experience the other night. My food was just okay. I had the turkey burger (which I swear never comes prepared the same way) and a mixed green salad. The food here is way over priced for what you get. I realized something else after talking with a friend the next day...the food prices have continued to rise just like the cost of living here on cap hill. Another damn reason to get mad at the condo uprising.

ANYWAY. Two things. The Grill has daily specialty cocktails, every night of the week. You can get these cocktails any time of day for the same price. Now some people might shake a stick at the prices, but one thing you can always count on at that place are the heavy pours.

Now on to the golden ticket of my last visit.

One word. Bernice.

This woman destroyed the game. She was the best server I have ever had at that place. Even though she was slammed she did her damn thing. Never ran out of water, drink or service. After delivering the check she didn't ghost for three hours she picked that debit card right up and handed it back with a smile. I have never seen someone handle their business quite like Bernice. She also truly appeared to be the only one working who had a fucking smile on her face and a little hustle in her walk.

Bernice, I will go back to the Grill because of you.