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

The Bite 2008

Holy Shit! The Bite of Seattle always creeps up on me and then next thing you know I spend the following day hung over, full for weeks and sad that the Bite reminds me summer wont last forever.

For the last few years it has become an annual tradition for myself, babs, leroy and carbo to over indulge. Apparently over 500,000 people attened the 27th annual event this year over the span of three days, we went on Sunday. Carbo and I attempted to take the monorail to the center to meet our eating partners but it was broken down. wtf. So we walked over to the Seattle Center and all met up by the fountain. As always our first stop was The Alley, now hosted by Mr. Tom Douglas. For $9.50 you can sample seven items from a handful of Seattle restaurants and all proceeds from The Alley benefit Food Lifeline. The menu changed from Fri-Sun and after looking them all over, I really wish I would have been able to sample Friday's menu. Anyway, below is the plate followed with what is represented.

Gelatiamo
Chocolate Gelato - Delicious, smooth, rich in flavor but low in fat, this is Gelatiamo's Chocolate Gelato
Volterra
Porchetta Sandwich – Pork roasted with garlic, fennel and herbs on a rosemary roll
Al Boccalino
“Ancient” Roman Meatballs – Meatballs with red wine, honey, cumin, celery and fresh peas
Crush
Crispy Skinned Blue Prawns with Corn Soup and Basil
Green Leaf
Grilled Beef with Lemongrass – Thin-sliced rare beef steak and pork belly grilled on a lemongrass skewer and served with an anchovy pineapple dipping sauce
Lola
Cumin Scented Leg of Lamb, Pita, Tzatziki
Brasserie Margaux
Smoked Salmon Éclair – Smoked salmon and dill éclairs with goat cheese, capers and Walla Walla onions confit Balsamic glaze

My favorite taste was the corn soup from Crush, followed by the pork sandwich from Volterra...as a group traveling with a Fishatarian, we did some trading of bites too. Another part of The Alley is the wine tasting that we also always particpate in for $6.50 you can sample two Washington wines and listen to some smooth jazz. (Get your grown on. )I do not know much about wine, nor do I really remember what I drank....except for the dare I took to taste the blackberry wine, which was not awesome even though the presentation bottle was covered in medals.

After leaving the Alley we headed to the beer garden but not before grabbing some snacks to take with us. Below are a pork sandwich and beans from Famous Daves and some Schezuan green beans from Twist.

The sandwich was pretty tasty, not very memorable though...and the beans were too sweet

These green beans were really good, and the sesame seeds made them extra tasty!

While waiting for L. to meet us we kept laughing about the horrible California Pizza Kitchen cheese pizza that Babs brought into the beer garden. It was hot mess. I am so disappointed in myself that I dont have a photo. When L. arrived we walked out and he hit up Bambuza to get a plate of grilled chicken skewers and some soba noodles, I also dont have a flick of this plate, but it was good and well....exactly what you would expect. We also grabbed a few egg rolls, which were really nice. Babs rushed off to get in the corn line and when we walked up she was there with 4 ears of corn. Perfection.

After the corn we headed down towards the part of the park we had yet to visit and stumbled upon this small lane of little restaurants with small bites...aka "Just A Bite" This is where we ended up finding the 1st place winner for best entree at Divine for their spanakopita. While waiting in line for the greek feast someone showed up with some pasta...which I never got to taste!!!

Besides the spanakopita (which holy shit, I cant find a photo) we also had some phyllo stuffed with pork on top of arugula... and some lavender ice tea.


I was really impressed by Divine's food and I think I will plan a special trip to dine at their location up on Roosevelt. After this I really thought we were gettin close to being done, but instead we headed back to the wine garden and shared a nice bottle of red wine and got down on some of the free Ghirardelli chocolate squares.


After the wine, we decided it might be time for some dessert and we were on the hunt for some strawberry shortcake. Instead of the shortcake, we ended up at Klaissique Kollections’ where L. got a sundae and carbo ordered us some amazing catfish. The catfish won second place in the best entree competition and it was one of the best things I ate all day! Babs also threw a couple fried mozzarella sticks to the mix, but I really at this point have no idea where all the food was coming from!

Brownie Sundae!

Fried Cheese!

CATFISH!

Really at this point we should have just walked home, instead we walked right into another beer garden....and then realized there was an entire section of the Bite that we didnt even visit...oh yeah we needed to find the Alligator on a stick. Too bad they were out of gator but leroy found another replacement. Cheesecake dipped in chocolate on a stick...

I almost died just after taking a few small bites.

Next we went back to Babs and leroys spot and drank some more wine on their deck...this Bite really takes the cake as far as food consumption. I would even venture to say that it comes close in the most alcohol consumed category.

See you next year Bite of Seattle, better bring more gator. Divine your spanakopita better be just as good if I have to take a damn bus to eat it and take a picture.

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