Bricco della Regina Anna

As so often happens with us on weekends, bnopen and I find ourselves with little or no food in the kitchen and no desire to shop and cook. Thus the quest for good food, good wine and not too far from home led us to the top of Queen Anne Hill and Bricco. A great little wine bar with an interesting menu. We were there pretty early in the evening and had no problem getting a coveted seat at the bar. This place is not very large with only 6 tables in the restaurant and seating for about 20 in the bar. The staff are generally very knowledgeable about wine and the select import beers they serve. They also do a good job of making you feel welcome and comfortable. This is very important when the bill comes and you see that you are going to plunk down 2 bills for wine and cheese!
The wine list is decent, with good selection of moderate price wines. We have been introduced to several that have become favorites. Tonight we started with a French wine, mostly because I am trying to expand beyond Walla Walla and Napa. This is a Chateau St. Georges 2002 ($65). It is a blend of 60% Merlot, 20% Cabernet, and 20% Bouchet grapes. This makes for a "big" wine , but is very smooth with little acidity. I recommend letting it decant for at least 15 minutes as is the case with most French wines. This wine went well with our starter of Delice soft cheese, Rogue River blue cheese, Gouda cheese, and hot Sopresatta ($16). Bricco has an extensive selection of speciality cheeses and meats from Salumi Cured Meats. The list can be a little intimidating, but the staff are well versed on each item and can make great recommendations. The plate also includes bread, a grape jelly and a marmalade that goes well with the cheeses. I have yet to figure out how meat and cheese can leave you wanting more to eat.............
This Salmon Brusschetta is a bnopen favorite. Bricco uses -Ceci, Pesto, Sweet onion with goat cheese, Pepper-garlic smoked salmon w/crème fraiche & dill ($4). In previous journeys I have enjoyed the Polenta cakes with marinara, mozzarella and basil ($8). It could easily serve as an entree.
Bricco also serves up some terrific salads made with fresh local products. Prices range from $5 to $14.
Also on the menu are 5 different Panini that is served on Macrina olive bread with a small side salad for $11.
At this point our wine was gone and we (I) felt another bottle along with en tree's were needed!
We selected a little less bold wine from Australian Bird in Hand ($62). Their 2005 Shiraz has flavours of plum, blackcurrant and cracked black pepper and aroma of dark cherry, smoky oak and blackberry. This selection complimented both the baked ziti with marinara and a four cheese crust ($10) and my choice of a natural porkchop in a raspberry-apple marinade ($15).

The menu also offers:
Fresh Dungeness Crab Cakes ($16) Lamb Sausage with Marinara ($11) Veal and Spinach Manicotti with marinara and béchamel sauce ($13) Vegetarian Lasagna- eggplant, ricotta, four cheese blend, basil and marinara ($13) White Truffle potato gratin ($11) Orzo stuffed tomatoes with cheese ($8) Roasted Acorn Squash with brown sugar and butter ($7) Roasted Brussel Sprouts with bacon & a honey- mustard vinaigrette ($8)

With a little wine left, we finished with an excellent production of chocolate soufflé with molten chocolate center & a scoop of panna cotta gelato ($8)
Bricco della Regina Anna
1525 Queen Anne Ave N
Seattle, WA 98109
206-285-4900
Monday thru Sunday 5 pm to 1 am

Paragon

Like 5 years ago Carbo and I use to go to Paragon Resaurant & Bar to listen to our friends play live music. A quick scan of their website and I see that they still have a weekly live music schedule. When I walked in about a month a go with a few family members it appeared as if nothing had changed. The place is pretty spacious with a long bar and more casual seating up to the back where you get a table with a cloth. Paragon was not our original destination but we made a quick decision in our hunt to get a table on a weekend.

We started with some really nice wine but my mind escapes me on exactly what it was....

L. had a nice piece of beef. The truffled fingerling potatoes that came with the steak were amazing -then again its really hard to mess up anything with truffle oil.

My mom went with the salmon. I know I live in the salmon capitol of the world but I am not a fan. I do not touch salmon unless it is completely dried out and smoked. The dish looked great and the chef was nice enough to make sure the sauce on the mushrooms did not contain any veal broth because my mom is a pescetarian (she abstains from eating all meat and animal flesh with the exception of fish)

I think it was because of L. that I grew to like scallops. Perhaps it was one too many bad experiences in the past but I am a huge fan if they are cooked right. I love the thickness of scallops and how they hold flavor. These scallops were covered in lobster sauce and served over beluga lentils, bacon and rainbow chard. They were amazing.

Paragon has a small limited menu but they have a nice handle on all the dishes. I won't run back there to eat but I will keep it in mind if I happen to end up on the top of queen anne hill.

2125 Queen Anne Avenue North
Seattle, WA 98109
Lunch: M – Sat @ 11:30am
Brunch: Sunday @ 10am
Dinner: Every night @ 5pm

Happy Holidays: Ten Mercer

Wow, its been a minute. Lots of holiday things happening! Earlier this month I had a night out with my mom. She took me to see the Nutcracker and then out for a late meal at Ten Mercer.I had a great time at the ballet. I have been going to see this show since I was a little kid. I remember one of the first times we went to see this show in Milwaukee. I was completely mezmerized by the stage and this old theatre. Now, I will tell you that I have only ever been to one ballet and that is the Nutcracker.I know for a fact I am not going to be impressed by the dancing, I just love chillin with my mom. I guess I have a holiday tradition after all...

So back to the food. Well my mom and step dad live in the neighborhood and they are regulars at this spot. I have been here a few times and have always had pretty solid food. Nothing I would tell you that you are missing but definitely a place you can try.

I had the Washington Chicken. The "rosemary garlic fingerling's" were quite tasty and the garlic crust was bomb. This was a great piece of chicken and was cooked perfectly. It was so juicy, flavorful and very savory. The portion was enough for me to take home and enjoy the next day.


So yeah, I mentioned my mom and step dad are regulars...well it just also happened to be the last night for one of their favorite bartenders. We all toasted him and celebrated with some mighty fine champagne.

And also some jager.

yikes. I worked the next day.

Ten Mercer
10 Mercer Street
Seattle, WA 98109

Panos Kleftiko

I first was first introduced to Panos Kleftiko in Queen Anne for my girls birthday party. Now everyone is going to have to give me some slack on this one. This place has no website so I am unable to go back and tell you exactly what we all ate.

I do know that the birthday girl had fish.....hopefully she can comment and let you know how it was and, uh what it was.


L. had pork chops... and look to the back of the photo and you can see the big bread bowl which I imagine was filled with meat? mike can help with with this...

I think ndrwmtsn had lamb balls?


I had a chicken dish that came in some foil nest. The boneless chicken breast was split in half and filled with cheeses. The spice covering the meat tasted a bit like oregano but I am sure it wasn't. I was hoping to be blown away by the flavors but they didnt capture me at all. I thought the carrots were cooked to perfection but the rice was cold and bland.


I do not have any pics of our appetizers, but they were really good. The baked feta was fabulous and the tzatziki was some of the best I have ever had. The momentum of the meal was going well until we ended up waiting for a few hours until we got our dinners. After some nice appetizers, I was underwhelmed with our entrees... but overall I can tell why people keep going back to this place. I will definitely go back.

Thanks for the introduction k.