What time is it...?

(click any picture to enlarge for texture)

I usually find the mall food court a desolate place, especially for pescatarian options, except for the top floor at Westlake (they have so many tasty cuisines!). However, I wasn't at Westlake, White Pepper and I were trolling for sweet jewels at Northgate. I was at a loss, until I realized they have my beloved Taco Time, which offers a fish taco meal (full int'l menu here).

For $5.69 my self-busing tray included a medium lemonade, hearty fish taco, condiments on request, and a box of mexi-fries/tots/(racist term for mexicans which rhymes with "wiener") bites.

Condiments are key here. They ask if you want "hot sauce" at the register, but you must request the jalapenos, which are bomb, btw, because they are lightly pickled yet crisp. Delicious when combined one-for-one with tots. The hot sauce is pretty wack. White Pep best described it as "tomato water mixed with some sort of cornstarch or other thickening agent." Basically it tastes like nothing, but I'm compelled to ask for doubles and basically eat it dripping off of every tot.

Damn the tots were really good this time around: hot, crisp, salty. I couldn't ask for more.

Lastly, the taco itself. The "white fish" was piping hot, and the light breading was crispy. Taco innards consist of fish fillet, an assortment of chopped vegetables, cabbage, and some unidentifiable creamy, ranchy dressing. Nearly everything was on point. My only hang up is the salad that's stuffed inside. Chopped tomatoes, red and green (hollagang!) bell peppers, red onion...I'm down with all of these, but celery?? No thanks! Luckily there wasn't much in this taco, but I've had others that had big chunks of celery in them. Wtf, am I taking crazy pills? I don't want the distinct flavor of celery overtaking my otherwise pleasant fish taco.

Thanks for lunch, Taco Time! I enjoy your consistent turnout of cheap eats.

Piecoras....Eggplant Parmesan

have written about Piecora's great pizza but haven't yet commented on their sandwiches. I can only speak to the Eggplant Parmesan Hero but Piecora's also serves up an Italian Hero and a Meatball Hero.
The eggplant hero came out hot with mounds of breaded slices of eggplant baked with red sauce & mozzarella in a long piece of Italian Bread. This sandwich is enough for two people or maybe you could it kill if you are really hungry. Let's just say, I have had a better sandwich on previous visits. Tonight, the eggplant was really mushy. I even wondered why it was breaded since the breading ended up just melding into the roll. The sauce was quite nice but the cheese was totally lacking....if it would have had more cheese it would have made up for the wack breading. The last time I had this sandwich it was perfect...the eggplant was crispy and the cheese was insane. I am a huge fan of consistency, so BOO to you Piecora's.

I also started with a nice caesar salad, which I might add is pretty damn good. I like my caesar salads more on the lighter side without a grip of dripping cream dressing. This salad dressing was light but with a lot of garlic. The service was b.s. it seemed like everyone was over their shift even though they still had 3 hours til closing. I really like Piecora's, so I will go back....I just know what I am getting into when I go there.

Piecora's
1401 East Madison Street
Hours: Monday-Thursday, 11:30AM-11:00PM
Friday 11:30AM-Midnight
Saturday 12:00PM-Midnight
Sunday NFL Ticket 10:00AM-10:00PM

Assaggio Ristorante

So its funny how many times I have walked by this place but never dined there. Supposedly this place is on the top 10 list of Italian restaurants in the city, Assaggio Ristorante.

I was downtown for a late meeting on Monday and met L. after it ended. I really wanted to try a place I have never been and felt like getting down on some pasta. We walked in about 7:15pm and it was packed! We were quickly greeted with "do you have a reservation"...fortunately for us we were able to make an impromptu reservation for 7:45 so we skipped next store for a quick drink at Lola. The woman running the front of the house was cool, she was very friendly and gave me a call on my cell phone when the table was ready.

When you walk into this place it feels small but the huge Michaelangelo replica murals covering walls really open it up. We were seated at a corner table and greeted by a very serious waiter who spouted off specials. The service started slow, but my guess is the delay was because of how busy it was, so they get a pass. The food was very good, BOMB if you will.

We started with Eggplant Parmigiana which even in its very classical form was very tasty. The tomato sauce was perfectly seasoned and the eggplant was sliced very thin and covered with several layers of melted cheese. I could eat eggplant parmigiana everyday of my life, and this was so on point I was excited to eat the rest of my meal.

Next, I had the Caprese salad which was a very large portion even though my sweet pics below don't show that very well. The salad had 6 big pieces of fresh mozzarella layered with tasty tomatoes, basil and olive oil. The salad came seasoned with salt and pepper and a small amount of balsamic vinegar dotted the sides of the plate. Great, fresh and classic salad.

L. had the Insalata di Francesca. Which was a mix of field greens, apples, pears, pistachios and gorgonzola with a light vinaigrette. I tasted this salad and it was beautiful. The cheese was amazing, I could have eaten a bowl of that cheese on its own. The salad was also big enough for two people to share if you want to save more room for dinner.

For dinner I had the Fusilli Zafferano which was exactly what I was craving. This pasta was not as rich as it might seem being that it was mixed with sausage, pine nuts, arugula, currants and a saffron cream. The sauce was not thick but lightly covering the pasta. I loved the combination of the toasted pine nuts and the arugula. The sausage could have been omitted because it lacked definitive flavor, but I am no chef so maybe it was there for a reason. I am a huge fan of spiral pasta and this fusilli had the perfect consistency. What a great flavor with the saffron and all of the other ingredients. Amazing. The serving was also enough to share, so I took it home and got down on it for lunch today.

L. went for one of the specials... from what I can remember it seemed like linguine, tomato sauce and fresh seafood including, crab, shrimp and octopus. I tasted his pasta and it was hearty and thick. The fish was not too overpowering and simple red sauce was filled with a nice amount of garlic.

By the time the dessert menu showed up, we had to pass. I would love to go back and try some of the other items that caught my eye including the Penne Vodka and the Gnocchi Gorgonzola. Lot of other entree options included chicken, veal, lamb and pork chops also grace the menu. We made it out of there for about $100, but I think you could cut that down if you wanted to share plates.

Without a doubt I am going back. This place rocks some serious authentic Italian dishes.

Assaggio Ristorante

2010 4th Avenue
Seattle Washington 98121
206 441-1399

HOURS

Lunch: Monday – Friday from 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Dinner: Monday – Saturday from 5:00 – 10:00 p.m.
Closed Sundays. Reservations recommended.

Best Value ever

Sometimes people make things that can be so simple complicated. These are not the people you want working your front desk trying to organize paper cups for the water cooler. And then there are people who can find the most efficient way to do a simple task winning them the A+. I'm here to say I just won an A+.

If you are looking for a pleasant variety of food, at very little cost, and in a warm but simple environmnet then tie shoes tight and step out side. You are heading down the street to Whole Foods. Why? Free fucking food you idiot!! They advertise fresh. Original. And someother stuff that I don't pay attention to cause I typically hear one thing$$$$$. Well, I was helping a friend with some shopping. Needed a little snack. Took a walk in the store. Next thing you know I'm looking for a chair to nap in. They have plenty.

Juices...free!
Cooked sausage....free!
Fruites....free!
Chips.....free!

I had such a nice variety and most of the food was unattended so help yourself. Plus, almost everything comes with a toothpick so you don't need to worry about brushing afterwards either.

It's a pretty sweet deal. Nearest one that I know of is located down by REI. Enjoy, and don't tell them I sent you.

Sincerely,
CrumbYum

Lark

For years this restaurant (lark) has been recommended to me and many times I got to the front door and turned around either b/c the wait was 3 days long or the food was too fancy for the occasion. So last night for the first time I tried it and thought the food was great.

We shared 5 plates: Chicken Liver Parfait with Huckleberries, Fennel and Arugula salad with Champagne Vinaigrette, Yellowtail Carpaccio, Grilled Wild Mushrooms and Beef Tartare. All good and the portions were decent. I had heard complaints of "two frog legs served over a carrot stick" but I didn't have the same experience. Split a bottle of Pinot Noir and for something sweet, warm mini madeleines served with a bittersweet chocolate dipping sauce (awesome). Bill was $150.00, definitely not inexpensive but I've seen worse.

Regarding ambiance, the place is kind of bright when you first walk in which I think is a turn off but you get used to it. Service was knowledgeable but slow especially since outside of the mushrooms, nothing was cooked. I'm not in a huge rush, but I will go back.

Dahlia To Go

Occasionally, I remember that the Dahlia Lounge has a small little bakery located directly next to the restaurant. When my brother was working at Dahlia a few years ago, I would meet him there for a quick cup of coffee on his typically 3 min break. He also made me some really awesome provolone and mayo sandwiches that usually cured any hangover I might have.

Well, I was downtown for a meeting on Saturday and needed to grab lunch close to the building. I walked out onto the street and had that flash memory that the Dahlia Bakery had really good sandwiches to go. On this particular day, because the menu changes, I came across a nice fall turkey sandwich special. I typically don't go for this concept of thanksgiving on a sandwich, but this was BOMB. The bread was that amazing combination of crispy crust but soft inside. The turkey was fresh and unprocessed and was topped with some amazingly spiced stuffing, cranberries and a little bit of mayo. Damn. I ate half of it in like 2min. Now I will admit, this sandwich will set you back about 7 dollars but I woke up the next day almost ready to walk down there again and get it. That is how good it is. I am not a huge fan of sweets but this bakery had lots of nice looking things including the amazing and renowned coconut cream pie. They also have a bunch of fresh bread and soup ready for you to take home. I was also handed a menu when I was leaving that included a bunch of seasonal desserts and breads for you to order if you are planning any holiday parties that are in need of some great baked goods.

2001 4th Ave.
Near the corner of
4th and Virginia

Monday - Friday — 7:30 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Saturday — 9:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Sunday — 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Broadway Teriyaki and Sushi

I was excited to finally go out to dinner this week...because I wanted to write a new post.

L. and I went to Hana (219 Broadway E.) in hopes to get down on some teriyaki and sushi. We put our name on the list and were promised a table within 5-10 min. So time passed....and it looked like we were going to get seated and this couple walks in and the lady sits them immediately. L. walked over and the waitress shot him a glance like, "I'm sorry your next."

But that is not what happened.


Another group came in and got seated.


Boo. I was surprised because we go here all of the time...but they have a few new staff members who do not have their shit together. We debated if we should go in and figure out the problem, but I was so irritated...

We left, went to Aoki, which was great (I have written a post about them before). I didn't have my phone so I don't have any photos....but here is a short synopsis. We shared a few pieces of sushi, the highlight again was the seared tuna! L. had chicken teriyaki and i had oyako don. The teriyaki looked really good, but L. can comment on that. I particularly liked the looks of the cabbage salad that came on the side. I loved the oyako don...but I was so full by the time I got it, I only took a few bites. This don came with chicken, egg and onion on rice. It was sweet and had a very home style flavor. Loved it. When I re-heat it I will add some hot sauce.

I love you Hana but your new hostess needs to get her mind right.