Lark

Ahh....Lark.

This "rustic neighborhood" restaurant was on my list of places to visit since it opened. With mixed reviews under its belt, it was time for me to make my visit for dinner. I had a short visit a few months ago for a nice glass of wine and some cheese but it was impromptu and more on a business tip. Upon the invitation from my mom and step dad we made the trip along with L. for a Sunday night dinner. We went early around 630 and were welcomed by the sunshine and rain into this small space with silk curtains and exposed rustic ceiling beams.

We admitted that we had never visited the place for dinner so our server explained to us that in order to enjoy the "range of small plates, allowing you to savor courses of cheese, charcuterie, vegetables, grains, fish, and meats" we needed to order between 2-3 plates per person. Let me acknowledge now that Lark does focus on using products from local farms and artisans. I will however point out that one of the cheeses was from Wisconsin....which is all good in my book.

Speaking of cheese we started with a sample of three cheeses ($12) which consisted of a blue cheese (Blue d'Auvergne) the Piave Vecchio which was a hard cheese and one more ....damn I forgot the name! They were all great, my mom was truly impressed with the blue. I happen to have loved all of them which made the first course great. If you are wondering what the small bowl was ..it was honey...which apparently is a palette cleanser...who knew?


The second item to arrive at our table was the Carpaccio of Yellowtail ($15). This dish was great and everyone loved the yellowtail. I would have been happy to leave after eating the yellowtail and the cheese. Also surrounding the yellowtail were green olives, a hint of lemon and some onions.


Also arriving within the second course was the Ricotta Gnudi. My step dad explained what gnudi was and it was great. Basically it is like gnocci without the pasta. Again, cheese in its pure aged form was perfect. I also loved the peas and pea vines that accompanied the dish and the hint of parmesan cheese.




The meal now began to pick up speed. We began receiving the "main" courses we all selected to sample as well as share with others. As it turns out, all of us ordered things that were particular to the individual, we did not share much of these items....and it wasn't out of greed it was based on interest in the dish.

My step dad went with the Veal Sweetbreads with favas, bacon and fingerling potatoes ($17) I did not taste it...but he enjoyed it!! Also in this picture in the large black bowl were the Mussels with pancetta, calabrian red chile and garlic. I ordered these and they were pretty good. I am now just making my way into the realm of shellfish and have been trying different things....let me just say the last time I had mussels my brother made them and they had red sauce and cheese ie: they were perfect. The broth that came with the mussels was too thin for me. It was clean and simple, the red chiles provided a nice spice but they just didn't carry the heartiness I needed at that moment.


L. had the Pork belly with carrots, pea puree and grain mustard sauce ($16) I tasted this dish and was at first very into the seared part of the pork....after my second bite, I closed up shop and decided that was enough. I think that was the general consensus on this dish. The carrots were yummy though.


Backtracking, I realize that we also got a side of the Sautéed wild mushrooms with
olive oil and garlic ($12). They were too salty for some, but I thought they were nice. I wasn't totally impressed but they were a nice addition to the meal.


My mom ordered the Alaskan King Salmon and it is strange I did not end up with the photo but perhaps that is when the wine kicked in. I do not like salmon unless it is smoked and dried so I did not taste her plate. It truly didn't appear as if she enjoyed it that much because she was pushing it on the rest of us.

We ended the meal with some dessert and we all ordered our own items. It was at this point that my step dad admitted he was still hungry after these small plates. The top dessert is the brown sugar date cakewith olive oil gelato and pine nuts and the bottom item was the valrhona pot de creme with almond croquant. I tasted the pot de creme and it SO rich...let me remind you that I do not really do dessert. This however would be a chocolate lovers favorite.


Which is why I ordered the rhubarb sorbet float with Blanquette de Limoux. Basically I saw another table order this and was impressed. How many times do you get the opportunity to order sorbet and someone shows up to dump champagne on it? It was good. L. had the pineapple tarte tatin with rum caramel and vanilla bean ice cream. He ate it so fast, I never got a bite!

This meal was accompanied by a nice bottle of Barbaresco which I had never had. It was great, nice, tasty wine with a clean finish. I do not know shit about wine, but I will keep this on my list of things to re-order.

This was a complicated dinner for all parties, I never heard anyone really rave about the entire meal and didn't hear the outpour of negative comments either. It was clear to me that my mom might go back for the blue cheese, my step dad for the carpaccio, L. for the pineapple tarte and myself for the champagne covered sorbet. I will leave you with a statement from the website in hopes that you find success with experiencing the mission of the place...

"Sundstrom’s version of small plates is intended to inspire communal dining with waves of courses coming to your table, a blend of simple, seasonal, classic, and adventurous dishes. You dine, talk, and laugh while experiencing more flavors than with traditional entrées."

926 12th Ave
Seattle, WA 98122
tel: (206) 323-5275

Tuesday through Sunday
5:00pm to 10:30pm

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

mee sum transplant

nestled on pike place, mee sum bakery is one of several international options in the tourist-heavy market. their storefront is simple, a little run down, and in need of a good, old fashioned windexing. when my coworker mentioned a new chinese bakery near my office, i had to go for lunch. daydreams of vegetable humbow and sesame balls danced in my head all morning until i took orders from my officemates and headed over to the bakery for a quick pick-up. little did i know that it was mee sum parte due!


my girl sissy ordered the curry beef humbow from the hot case. she said it was bombers. she and her husband hadn't found good bow since they lived in san francisco maaaaany many years ago. as pictured, mee sum also offered chicken bow.


i was excited to sink my teeth into a vegetable bow since i hadn't had a full bite of baked bow in about 8 years. unfortunately they ran out. sigh. however, i did get a taste of my coworker's. next to the vegetable is the char siu bow. sheesh i used to like bbq pork.

the hot case also featured sesame balls, hot wings, crab rangoon, and egg rolls, i just forgot to capture them in my excitement.


mee sum also offered a steam case full of steamed char siu bow, steamed chicken bow, gyoza, and nor mai gai, which is a savory sticky rice stuffed with pork, chicken, a slice of sausage, and dried shrimp. it is then wrapped in banana leaves and steamed to perfection. mmm.


mee sum bakery also had a "wok menu," which listed several standard entrees, like mongolian beef, chow mein, honey sesame chicken, etc. my coworker who suggested mee sum for lunch actually went there once before and ordered the chow fun (wide rice noodles stir-fried with green onions and soy sauce). it was pretty good, simple, and cheap!


you can read the rest of the menu above. i ended up getting a tofu bahn mi, which was okay. the bread was a little dry, the tofu was crispy and good, but there was a severe lack of daikon/carrot pickles, and i didn't get a single leaf of cilantro....only stems!! i also got a sesame ball which was crisp and decent for take out.

i would suggest mee sum to anyone trolling around the udistrict around lunchtime, or even for a snack. i think you best bet is ordering any of the bow or entrees off of the wok menu. it's inexpensive and even offers a variety of bubble teas. this is a great spot for a snack.


4343 university way ne
seattle, wa 98105

nb: the kitchen closes at 9pm but they're still open late for bubble tea

22 Doors

I am hot and cold about 15th avenue on cap hill but when the weather gets nice...I am all about it. Mainly because I work on 18th and the walk to meet people for happy hour is reasonable.

I have been to 22 Doors like 3 times, all of which were for happy hour and a few cocktails. They have a really cute back patio that is perfect for the summer time and rarely packed if you arrive close to 5pm. The menu has that mix between burgers and pacific northwest main courses. The prices range from 5 dollar happy hour to over 12 dollars. I was in last week for a quick snack with a co-worker who suggested we grab a drink or 2 and catch up.

We started with a few drinks. She went for the rose' which was really light and had a hint of fruit. I thought it was quite good and the server told us it was something he also enjoyed.

The name of the drink I ordered has completely escaped me and when I went to the 22 Doors website --it appears as if they let their domain name expire. What I can tell you is that it was basically a "dark and stormy" with a interesting fruit twist. I do not typically order fruit backed drinks but I am a huge fan of ginger beer. It was good, but I did not order two.

Then we got down on some Shoestring Fries which came dressed in truffle oil and a side of rosemary aioli. These fries were perfectly cooked...if you cannot tell from the pic. When I was looking for their website I noticed that lots of people in this city love these fries.


We also ordered the Artisan Cheese Plate which was filled with imported cheeses and cheese from Washington's own, Estrella Family Creamery. I have no idea what exactly we were eating but the cheeses were tasty. Whatever the cheese was on the top-left side of the plate, it was amazing. It was a soft cheese with a little bit of salt.


Our server was cool and friendly, I am sure I will be back this summer.

405 15th Ave E
Seattle, WA
Daily 5pm-2am

TGIF

So I belong to a secret society that visits some of the best restaurants around the world. I am talking about family chain restaurants in the greater king county area. Our small group ventures out to taste these amazing limited time only specials that are backed with multi-million dollar marketing campaigns, complete with flashy commercial ads and slogans.

A few weeks ago on a Friday we went to T.G.I. Fridays to check out the new limited time only menu based on the Food Network's Ultimate Recipe Showdown hosted by O.G. game show host, Marc Summers and the foolish Guy Fieri. If you didnt watch this show basically contestents met weekly to challenge each other on who had the best recipe in six different categories: Chicken, Burgers, Comfort Foods, Cakes, Pasta and Cookies. The winner each week collected $25,000 but also gave T.G.I.Fridays the right to incorporate their winning dish into their menu.

Upon sitting down at the bar and the four of us kickin the night off with a few long islands...we waited for the perfect table. The size of this glass and the amount of alcohol that could be inside was intimidating, but upon one sip, I realized it was all mixer and ice. Boo.

I don't know what I was thinking but the U.R.S. menu did not impress me. The Peruvian Herb Roasted Chicken did not sound awesome, the Ahi Tuna Ciabatta Mini Burgers sounded alright, but I didnt really feel like ciabatta bread and lastly the Chipotle Grilled Steak Sandwich was not going to pop off because I do not eat beef. Out of the four of us only one of us went for one of the special menu choices. Carbo ordered the steak sandwich which is hearty skirt steak, lettuce, tomato and sweet plantains smothered with chipotle mayo on some panni bread. Served with onion rings:

Above is the actual sandwich she got. Below is the picture they use to scam you into ordering it:


The rest of us ordered a bunch of random things including a burger, fish tacos and some sort of Jack Daniels bbq platter. I had the fish tacos and they were decent. The corn salsa was very simple but it tasted fresh. I liked the grilled fish in the tacos too, I mean it has to be frozen but it also tasted fresh for lack of a better word. And whatever the sauce was on the side, some sort of ranch based dipping cream was BOMB. If you don't like ranch you are not cool.



Now, regardless of the fact that our food was in one word "boring", I had a great time. Most of these outings which are filled with endless hours of laughter and jokes have nothing to do with the lame ass American food, it is all about the entertainment.

To get these experience you need someone with a car and some gas.
11am-2am on Fridays

505 Parkplace
Kirkland, WA 98033

You can't miss it, it is right next to a 24hr fitness.

Oregon is for lovers...and the resurrection!

On a recent trip to Oregon, to celebrate B's birthday, and spend Easter with her family, I decided that the perfect first blog for me would be my favorite of all foods.....the cheeseburger. So in an effort to make this as unbiased as possible I decided to try a few burger joints relatively new to me. My original plan was to hit up some joints that aren't locally available. Burgerville, Arctic Circle, and Sonic Drive-In .

The first stop we made was Burgerville, in....... well it was either Kelso or Centralia, regardless it was the first sign I saw off of I-5. The town was rather forgettable. Burgerville promotes it self as being, fresh, local, and sustainable. All of which is rather cool for a fast food burger restaurant. I ordered a Pepper Bacon Tillamook Cheddar Burger Meal with fries and a Mr. Pibb, for $7.63.

The burger was pretty good, I ate it in my truck while B and Bailey stared at me waiting to get back on the road. Well B wanted to get back on the road, Bailey just wanted my burger. The fries were crispy and hot and on the little package said they were from locally grown potatoes. The bacon was actually good for a fast food burger, usually its rubbery and tastes of liquid smoke and cheapness, and the beef was from Oregon Country Beef a naturally raised beef cooperative. Was it the best burger I have ever had at a fast food joint, probably not, but for all the intangibles, if there was a local chain I would partake in the occasional burger.

As much as I love to eat cheeseburgers, it was hard to convince B that it was a good idea to eat one for 3 consecutive meals, especially on her birthday weekend. Burgerville is on the way to Portland, however Sonic is in Hillsboro about 35 minutes out of the way, and we just didn't have he time to get to Arctic Circle. So to redeem my weekend of birthday, burgers, and jesus, I thought it only right to hit up the Markum Inn, home of the Double Jumbo Markum Burger.



The Markum Inn is right outside of Silverton, Oregon. B's mom and her husband own a marion berry farm in Silverton, this is where the family was gathering to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. We decided to go to the Markum Inn for dinner on Saturday. I have been to the Markum Inn before so I knew what to expect, but its hard to explain what its like there, kind of miserable and smoky. The people are 95% local and its a farming community. I have tried to eat the D.J.M.B. before and failed, this is a GIANT burger! Since my burger weekend didn't really pan out I thought it would be a good idea to try it again.




This burger has over a pound of meat, like 6 slices of ham, too many slices of american cheese, and finished with shaved lettuce and thousand island dressing. All of these ingredients make a pretty close to perfect burger for me, but this is just ridiculous. When my burger arrived the table next to us were freaked out that I was going to eat this massive thing. By the time I ate 1/2 the burger I was done, the meat alone was too much, but add ham and American cheese. Commence the meat sweats. I finished the whole thing, with some fries, not cause I wanted to, but for this blog. Unless you are in to burgers the size of your head, and you enjoy sweating while you eat, I recommend the Jumbo Markum Burger, the same as above just half the size. I love the Markum Inn and I wish it were closer to home, same with , Burgerville, Arctic Circle, and Sonic Drive-In. The last two I have yet too try, well....there is always Christmas!

the bold look of kohler

it wasn't long after the agnes lofts went up that boom noodle moved in below. this sleek and simple japachic restaurant turned me off at first. i'm completely guilty of judging by its cover. i assumed it was more style than substance until i read a short review in, of all places, nwsource. the review was complementary and mentioned some japanese dishes with simple, clean ingredients, so i decided that i would eventually take boom noodle for a spin. every time i had driven or walked by, boom noodle was swamped, so happy hour or a weekend lunch were the only visits i considered.


here i just folded up a couple of chopstick rests from the paper wrappers for my happy hour companion and i. it's a little trick that a waiter once taught me at my favorite childhood japanese restaurant, mikado in southcenter (now replaced by a sports bar).


the happy hour menu is a little bizarre, only because they require that each diner have at least one alcoholic beverage to get HH pricing on food. ash went for the chiso mojito (using chiso instead of mint), and i ordered the cucumber mint fizz (sho chu, cucumber, mint, and soda). the drinks were light and refreshingly green. i enjoyed mine, and thought it was perfect for a summer afternoon with the boom's garage door wall open.


the first dish we decided on was the edamame puree. it look a little bit like bright green baby poop, but was delicious. there was a light yuzu flavor to it, and the freshly fried, blue potato chips were a plus. it was also served with eggplant and pickled cucumber. mmm. after we finished everything, we actually ordered another one. ash LOVED this dish.


next came the salmon tataki (seared slices of salmon topped with green onion, bonito flakes, seaweed, sesami seeds, and ayuzu dressing). the fish was tender and enjoyable, though i'm not entirely sure i would ever order this dish again. the tofu was served with shitaake mushrooms, sesamie dressing, green onions, and seaweed flakes. i liked this as well, but it was so simple and ordinary to me that i don't think i would re-order. in fact, the sesamie dressing was pretty forgettable. i only remembered that it was sesamie after rereading the menu.


last came the omakase plate of pickles. omakase basically means "chef's choice," and in general is a chance for the chef to show off his/her skills. the pickles were tasty. there were pearl onions, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, daikon, and carrots. they were all pretty okay...nothing remarkable, not really even all pickled that thoroughly, but they were simple and clean. in my book, that is much better than over-wrought and poorly-executed. my favorite part of this dish was actually the small, tater tot-sized clumps of 10-grain rice. the rice was perfectly sticky, room temperature, and toothsome. i have no idea what the ten grains were, but i'll guess that some of them were japanese short-grain rice, wild rice, wheat berries, quinoa, israeli couscous, and a handful of other tasty goodies.


we went to the bathroom after we ate, and i was impressed by the beautiful kohler faucets. i really shouldn't have been, since the agnes lofts above, boom noodle, cafe stellina, and la spiga are all connected and equally dripping in sophisticated chic.

i enjoyed my happy hour excursion to boom noodle and would recommend it to any one around 12th and pike during HH. it wasn't the cheapest fare, but it was good and a nice, clean divergence from my usual haunt across the street. i imagine returning more often as the weather continues to heat up. also, the dinner menu has some interesting options that i would like to explore...especially the pescatarian sobas.

boom noodle
1121 east pike street
seattle, wa 98122
206.701.9130


NB: we arrived at about 5:30, and the bar was sparsely occupied, and the dining area had only two 4-seaters. we had no problem at all walking in, but i know it's super busy at night, so beware!