Spur.........Molecular Gastronomy in Belltown

After a recent Saturday of wine tasting at several Woodinville tasting rooms the hunger pangs set in. Spur had been recommended by the very talented chef of Dahlia Lounge. It was a great find! The atmosphere is comfortable and clean. The staff is efficient and friendly. Most importantly the mostly small plates are fresh, innovative, and just damn good! It is also consistent. Several visits to Spur have been outstanding.


I feel the bar is the best seat in any restaurant. Most bartenders are knowledgeable of the food as well as the drinks. Spur is no exception. Although our mixologist felt all of the menu items were very good, he was happy to let us know his favorites along with cocktail and wine recommendations.







We started off with crostini topped with smoked salmon on a dollop of mascarpone cream, and a drop of champagne vinegar. This was outstanding! Especially if you could put the entire portion in your mouth at once and experience the explosion of flavors.

We moved onto the Pork Belly Sliders made simply with perfectly prepared crispy pork belly, mustard, arugla, and smoked orange marmalade. The combination of sweet and salty makes this a perfect late night plate with a glass of Ale.









Another great item is the tagliatelle with chanterelles a duck egg and a garnish of parmesan foam. To be honest, the foam was an unnecessary decoration that was a little too foo-foo for me. However the smokiness of the chanterrelles and the al dente pasta all swimming in the broken yolk of the duck egg made you wish you weren't sharing.

The beef carpaccio was pretty good, but the the slow poached Butterfish was a little too bland. It might have suffered because of the big flavors of the previous dishes so I might try it as a first plate in a future visit. None the less, it was a great presentation on the English peas, and morels.
All in all this is a great place and will be a regular stop.

Spur
113 Blanchard St.
Seattle, WA 98121
Daily 5 pm to 2 am
www.spurseattle.com

tavolata tasty vittles

nb: i just gorged myself at an office (pagliacci) pizza party. i really think being uncomfortably full is the only way i can write about all the delicious food i ate the other night at tavolata without getting pissed that i'm not there right now.

i've always wanted to visit tavolata since hearing about their polenta fries (now RIP, i think) served until 2am. don't get me wrong; i don't like polenta fries, i effing LOVE them. unfortunately since tavolata's opening in late 06/early 07, the polenta fries have been axed off the menu.

the space is great. it's a reasonably narrow, slightly industrial space (cement walls w exposed iron bracing) lit by clear glass globe lights dangling from the ceiling like champagne bubbles. the tavola grande running the length of the room's center is inviting and home-y.

ps, i esp like the water carafe brought to every table.

we started with the spiced olives as an appetizer. out came two white, claw foot bathtub-shaped dishes - one with black and green olives and one for the pits. lovely.

also standard were the bread (crusty and chewy) and olive oil. as you can see, the oil to bread ratio was out of whack, but i wasn't complaining. i love a piece of bread completely submerged in olive oil like a sponge. m noted that he would have liked some salt/pepper/chili flake additive in the oil, but i wasn't mad at that.

our second appetizer was the octopus salad. OMG!!! i don't even remember reading the entire menu description of dish, but it was grilled, cool octopus cut into bite-sized pieces tossed with cannelini, minimal red pepper, flat leaf parsley, lemon, salt, and pepper. this was my runaway favorite dish of the night. the octopus had the most delectable, densely-meaty texture of any seafood i've ever eaten. also, the portion was enough for the two of us to have a couple + servings. i can't even describe how great this salad was. if i worked in the area, i would come here at least once a week for happy hour just to devour it.

the table next to us full of pretentious d-bags who couldn't stop talking about how much money they spend on wine/trips/life and who kept referring to co-owner/chef ethan stowell as "ethan" also ordered this salad. for some reason one of the aholes complained, "This neither has the taste nor texture of octopus." i don't know why he would be complaining, unless he really enjoys the tough, chewy, sandy, rotten ocean taste of poorly-prepared octopus. eff you, d-bag!

m savored his liguine with mussels in a simple garlic, white wine, and parsley sauce as if it were his last meal. the mussels were huge but not gross (it happens!), tender, and perfectly briny. the pasta was well-cooked and housemade, btw, as are all their pastas. i say "housemade" since all are handmade except for shapes like rigatoni, which must be extruded by machine.

lastly, i ordered the conghilie (shell pasta) with squid and polpi (tiny octopi) in a bright, simple tomato sauce. the pasta was awesome...i love a thick, toothy pasta like conghilie or orchiette, and it was the right shape to pick up chunks of tomato and calamari rings. the only element my dish lacked was more fresh parsley. i love parsley, so maybe my preference is a little heavy-handed compared to most diners, but damn. every bite i ate that had a couple leaves of parsley on it was the best.

i highly recommended tavolata to anyone seeking a fresh, delicious italian meal. it's not cheap, but it's not as pricey as, say assagio. the menu is brief (as i like it), and they offer several desserts if you're into that (which i am). unfortunately we were in a little bit of a hurry to catch a movie, and i was insanely full. otherwise i would've had an espresso, if not an affogato.


Hours
Everyday: 5PM to Midnight
Reservations are accepted for parties of six or more...otherwise it’s first-come first-serve.

2323 Second Avenue
Seattle, WA 98121
(206) 838.8008

I never knew about Cascadia...

So I had an event downtown and then a meeting, I found myself right in the middle of 4pm downtown business class happy hour. I called up Carbo who works downtown and asked what was up with some happy hour. We were tempted to roll up to our stomping ground aka capitol hill but we decided we would strike down 1st ave and see what downtown had to offer. We immediately found parking right in front of Del Rey. We stopped in a few glasses of overpriced wine and some less than helpful service. I use to love this place because their happy hour is on point and included some tasty fish and chips. It appears as if they have embraced a mexican theme and the $4 happy hour menu now included items ranging from chimicangas to queso fundido. I wasnt quite hungry so I had to pass...maybe next time. Since the service was strange and the place smelled like bleach we decided to go next door because Carbo was telling me about Cascadia's signature Alpine Martini.

I was intrigued by the Alpine Martini because Carbo said it contained a light sorbet doug fir handmade snowball. Typically $11 at happy hour this interesting drink is only $5.50. If you are down with citron vodka this is perfect for you! I rather enjoyed it myself and I dont really like vodka.



It slipped my mind to take some photos but also on happy hour are their signature miniburgers. I had two veggie Cascadia miniburgers and per the bartenders suggestion I added pancetta. Yeah, might seem pointless but I do not eat beef and he said this was a good way to go. The other miniburger options are either beef or salmon. They come standard with lettuce, tomato and pickle. You can add things like bacon for a few dollars more. Other add ons inlcude vermont cheddar, blue cheese, grilled onions, truffle butter, portabellos. Funny thing is, the burgers came out with beef and so the bartender said he would get my burgers and they would be on the house.

Perhaps it was the fact that we had two drinks and they were all alcohol but by the time we paid and left I was adding up the tab in my head and realized that we paid for the burgers and on top of it we paid for burgers we didnt order. B.S. Oh well, it was fun pretending to be downtown business class. I highly doubt I will be inspired to go back for dinner but you never know if the feeling kicks in for a craving for free range chicken with black truffle shroud.

2328 1st Avenue
Happy Hour 5-7pm M-Sat

casual eaters

i was first introduced to casuelita's several years ago when one of my favorite pharmaceutical reps catered a lunch at my work from there. i remember the lunch vividly since it was so unique in a sea of gretchen's boxed lunches and california pizza kitchen's. we had red beans and rice, a sweet/salty red cabbage salad, skewered chile shrimp, marinated pork, saffron-perfumed paella, and a chilaquile-like mushroom dish for the vegetarian. i was hooked. i asked the rep where the food was from, and he told me all about the then-named western vine (on the corner of western and vine in n belltown) where he knew the owner. over the years, i've enjoyed countless happy hours sampling from their long speciality drink list (the bar stocks nearly a hundred rums), several dinners, and even a birthday party. in the first 6 months of frequenting casuelita's, the food was always
on point....but since then each visit has been inconsistent. whether it's the difference between appetizers and entrees, or visit from visit, i haven't had an all-around awesome meal there in at least a year. however, i went there thursday with a couple of friends since suge and i hadn't eaten there in at least a year. please enjoy....

appetizers

the first indication that this would be a good night: my favorite waitress is still working there. she's super nice, attentive, and the topper, i think she's really beautiful. i'm such a sucker, i know but i can't help it. she's really pretty and she doesn't seem to really know it.


plantain tostones, yum. they're a pretty standard caribbean appetizer, but casuelita's serves theirs with their house sweet chili sauce (always bomb), garlic, and their house side salad, which is so simple, but seriously one of my favorite items not on the menu. it's made of red cabbage, tomatoes, spring onions, red onions, carrot shreds, spring greens, and deliciousness tossed in a slightly sweet chili vinaigrette. i don't know what's up with this salad, but i am in love with it. back to the tostones. they were good...salty, garlicky, but they were a little thicker-cut than normal, and thus a bit dense and drier than i prefer. overall not a bad start.


casuelita's is one of few seattle restaurants that serves actual conch fritters. i've had them several times before, and they've ALWAYS been hit or miss. but what the hell, suge decided, let's do it. i think this was my favorite appetizer....it was hot out of the fryolator, salty, crispy, and a surprise. they've changed their recipe for these fritters for the better...previously their conch fritters were more like apple fritters...substitute conch and salt for apples and sugar. this time around, the fritters were more like fried dumplings than thin funnel cakes. the filling was conch, batter, bok choy (non-traditional, i know), and green onions. i could be missing something, but no matter. what you should remember is that it was bomb. again, the fritters were served with sweet chili sauce, a lime mayonnaise, and a scoop of that damn salad!


the last time we ordered ceviche, it was for suge's 30th birthday, and it came in an oversized martini glass. this time, it was a delicious shrimp ceviche comprised of denatured shrimp, lime (duh), tomato, red onion, and cilantro over a light bed of baby greens. some tortilla chips on the side accompanied the gigantic bowl of ceviche. the ceviche was good...and i'm even super picky about the different kinds of shrimp, their doneness and texture. the only thing that i would change is a little more heat. there was some, but not enough for my liking, though that is not the case for everyone.


the last appetizer we ordered were the st croix shrimp. i've never had this appetizer before (due to the fore-mentioned shrimp pickiness) and was pleasantly surprised. the shrimp came on dramatic skewers huddled around a mound of salad and a nice pool of sweet chili sauce. the shrimp was very lightly breaded and then flash-fried to perfection. i will definitely order this again.

entrees

after this bevy of nearly spot-on appetizers, expectations were running high for entrees. the menu has changed a little bit over the years, and this visit offered more vegetarian/pescatarian options as the list of dishes grows.


m ordered the lomo de puerco, which is grilled pork loin served over either mashed plantains or yams (she chose yams) with a chipotle/tomato/au jus sauce, and sauteed onions/red and green peppers/carrots. it looked great, but unfortunately, the pork loin was dry, over-cooked, and toothy. on the bright side, she said the sauce was amazing.


m and suge both ordered the paella, which is not on the published online menu. the seafood paella was saffron-ed rice, clams, mussels, crab claw, carrots, green onion, tomato, and some other ingredients i know i must be overlooking. it looked good, and the flavor was nice, but not as bold as i had anticipated. both m and suge commented that the seafood was a bit dry, and both were a little off-put by the warmth of the seafood, which they're accustomed to eating chilled.


i ordered the esco-veg, which is not on the online menu either. i was thinking about getting the escoveitched fish (which is bomb, huge, and dramatic like an opera set), but i thought it would be too much, especially with all the appetizers we feasted on. i felt almost obligated to try this new vegan item on the menu, but at the same time, it felt almost cheesy to be shackled to my dietary preference. i caved. i ordered the esco-veg. the menu described the dish as a soy patty cooked in the escoveitche style, meaning with a vinegar peppercorn sauce and topped with onions, red and green peppers, and carrots cooked in the same sauce. red beans and rice and a side of vinegared carrots accompanied the "loaf."

after reading that it was a "soy patty," i was extremely wary of seeing a veggie burger on a plate set before me. instead, it was a house-made black bean and edamame steak basically, bursting with deep umame flavor. the edges were crispy as if it were broiled, and the steak soaked up the familiar, amazing sauce. i was thoroughly impressed, and i could only finish half of my plate. i took the rest home and ate it for lunch a day and a half later, and it was just as good. i will definitely order this item again. wow. casuelita's, you have impressed me with your veg-game.


casuelita's was hit and miss tonight...which was no surprise. they must hit the mark more often, because i keep coming back. if you go, i would suggest their happy hour, but if you're looking for a bit of an adventure, go for dinner. you never know what you might get! :)

Casuelita's Caribbean Cuisine
81 Vine St
Seattle, WA 98121
206.770.0155


there's also a cafe version of this spot in judkins park with a limited menu. i've never been there, but that doesn't mean it's not worth trying:

Casuelita's Island Soul
2608 S Judkins St
Seattle, WA 98144
206.329.1202

Organic Coffee @ Cafe Casbah

I was going through some photos on my computer and realized I never took the chance to talk about a small place on 2nd avenue. While stepping out for a weekend adventure with k. we decided to grab a cup of coffee. We stumbled upon this place called Cafe Casbah. I have never noticed this small space hidden on 2nd avenue across the street from crocodile cafe...


They serve a bunch of small pastries and some hearty Mediterranean fare. I made a mental note to come back when I was ready for a meal. We saw a few things come out and they all looked very tasty. They also have a computer set up on the side if you are in need of your internet fix while downtown...and if I remember correctly you can use it for free with your purchase.

Oh yeah, so back to the coffee. It was great. I went for the americano and it was so rich and savory...I loved it. I am a sucker for rich black coffee. k. got down on some chai tea...which almost made me think it was time to go back to chai (i think i over did it in the late 90's)

So check it out if you are in the belltown area...I gotta get back myself and try this food.


2219 2nd Ave # B
Seattle, WA 98121
M-F 6:30am-7pm
Sat-Sun 8:30am-6:30pm