RoRo BBQ - I went to lunch with a friend here one afternoon. It's in the Wallingford neighborhood. It was really good, actually. Better than Gabriel's Fire, which is in a previous post and the only other BBQ place I'd tasted in Seattle before RoRo. (Sidenote, I drove by Gabriel's Fire the other day and it's shuttered. SAD! Not sad because their food was good but because the people who cooked and served there were obviously very proud of their food, especially their sauces. I'm just sad that a small business bit the dust.) Anyway, I got the pulled pork sandwich and a side of macaroni and cheese and Seattle Succotash (a snazzy little salad of corn and other things I can't recall). It was all definitely delish. The meat was moist and plentiful and served on a soft, buttery, chewy bun (a bun like that is hard to come by); the sauces were great and the sides were satisfying. I will go back when I want more BBQ.
Peaks Frozen Custard - Have mercy! Frozen custard! We need to rewind and do this one again because we did it wrong the first time. It was the end of a long Saturday and we just wanted to get the kids home and in bed so Adam dropped me off, I went in and got two "Cake & Eat it 2's" for us to go. Problem: "to go" custard is just a bad idea all around. They didn't have lids and it started melting immediately. We just need to go back and bring the kids inside because it has an awesome little corner with toys and tiny tables! Yes! Anyway, I got chocolate cake and chocolate custard with caramel sauce; for Adam I chose chocolate cake and cookies and cream custard with fudge sauce. Like I said, it was good, but would have been much better if we could have stayed there and enjoyed it instead of fighting traffic while fending off the screams of tired children. Will we ever learn?
Wing Dome - Meh. Places like this I'd rather not bother writing about, but whatever. Adam was hankering for some wings the other night, so we went to Wing Dome in Greenwood. It was packed and I was regretting bringing the kids. But we survived. He got a basket of 4 alarm wings and a basket of 5 alarm wings. Not being much into the wing thing, I got a blue cheese/peppercorn burger. It was pretty good, but pretty hefty and I couldn't finish it all. Plus Mr. Tiny Noah man had my hands all sorts of tied up, so the best I could do was shove in a few bites of salad and burger with my left hand. Nearly disastrous. Adam's report on the wings: He was sweating on level 5 but not on level 4. They go as high as 7 (can't feel your face). He didn't like them. Apparently other hot wing joints offer heat on whatever flavor you want. At Wing Dome they have a menu of flavored wings and a menu of hot wings, so the flavor you get with the hot wings is just hot sauce. To conclude: meh.
5 Guys Burgers - I took Sienna and Noah to their first movie in a movie theater recently! It was How to Train Your Dragon. Sienna didn't really care for it and instead played with the chair most of the time; Noah fussed; and I kept waiting for it to get less violent and break into some interesting colors. Too dark and the dragons too realistic and scary, if you ask me. But all the moms we went with had little boys, so they loved it of course. Anyway, with about 15 minutes left of the movie, Sienna was done, so we headed next door to 5 Guys Burgers for lunch. I knew she wouldn't be interested, but I was in the mood for a burger. And I'd heard these dudes deliver a fine burger. If you are in any doubt that these dudes deliver a fine burger, just read every piece of paper plastered all over the walls. Their decor consists of one theme and one theme only: framed newspaper reviews and quotes from all over the country going OFF about the fantastic burger you will be delivered at 5 Guys. No humility here. Anyway, yes, it was a good burger. The patty was hand formed, which is a major bragging point on the walls. A far cry from freezer patties with those harsh edges. Who wants one of those? Nobody, I tell you. Then you can choose ANY toppings you want. Brilliant. However, I got a little carried away and ended up with an awfully tall and messy burger (especially because one of the toppings I chose was grilled onions - trying to get my In-N-Out fix). They also forgot my cheese, which I didn't notice until I was almost done. Sad. Yet, a really good burger that I will be excited to eat again someday. Maybe at our next movie theater outing. Don't get the grilled cheese if you go, though. I got it for Sienna but ended up eating most of it myself. It was processed cheese (would that have been the same kind of cheese they'd have put on my burger? I shudder to think of it) and the bread was a mashed down, grilled burger bun. Whaaa? Notice they are not touting their famous grilled cheeses. Oh, and they need to sell shakes. Because I can't just have a burger without a shake. I mean. Come. On.
Veraci Pizza - Every Friday evening the nearby neighborhood of Phinney has a small farmer's market. I'll go with the kids to kill time before Adam gets home (late usually). Veraci Pizza is always there serving up individual slices out of their wood-fired oven. I've gotten a couple different ones and I can't remember either of their names but they were both AH-MAZING. Their pizza has a thin crust with lots of char and it's really wide so you fold it in half (or sometimes I have them cut it in half if I don't want to get too sloppy) and gobble it up. I do remember one kind I tried that had a blob of creme fraiche on it. WHHHHAT? AH-MA-ZI-HING. I crave their pizza on a regular basis and am always excited to go back to the market for this pizza alone.
Half Pint Ice Cream - This is another vendor that's always at the Phinney Market. Sienna looks forward to sharing my scoop of ice cream every time. "Ice cweam? Ice cweam?" I'll usually sample something and then give her the tiny sample spoon for her own tiny biting. She is still at an age where any amount (even the pitiful small spoonfuls she gets) of ice cream gives her a large portion of glee. I've tried the chocolate chocolate chip and the butter pecan. They always have interesting flavors that the lady makes up herself. One I sampled was Earl Grey chocolate (chocolate with a hint of tea flavor). The ice cream is made fresh and it shows! It's got the perfect icy to creamy ratio. I never feel heavy laden after eating it ... but NOTE TO SELF that does not mean I can continue to eat like this and expect to lose pregnancy pounds. Ah well, it's only summer for a short time and I love the memories we're creating as we sit in front of whatever live music act is playing and enjoy our collective scoop of "ice cweam."
Chiso Sushi - We always walk by this place in Fremont and finally decided to test it out. I was hesitant because it looked way too nice for our budget. But, surprise! It was not only affordable, but also kid-friendly. Double booyah. When we sat down to order, Adam stunned me by saying he didn't want to share rolls. We ALWAYS share rolls. After getting over this offense, I ordered two of my own darn rolls, thank you very much: the California and spicy tuna. Adam got a bowl of rice with several different kinds of raw fish on top. I know there's a term for that bowl, but I can't think of it right now. It was a little too fishy for him, I don't think he'll be going that route again. I don't blame him. It looked completely frightening. He had me try the caviar - my first time trying that. Weirdness. My rolls were good. I think we'll go again if we're wandering around Fremont and hungry for sushi.
Pie - This was our dessert after sushi. It's an adorable little shop that makes adorable little pies. Little pies! Did I say adorable already? My daughter especially liked watching the making of the pies; they even gave us a little mixed berry pie for free that was not perfect enough for sale. Adam was dying over it. I would never choose a fruit pie over a cream pie, but the mixed berry was definitely scrumptious. I got a chocolate peanut butter mini pie (the size of a silver dollar) and key lime mini pie. Adam got the chocolate cream pie. The little pies are about the size of a fist. I was wishing I had gotten a chocolate cream for myself because he didn't share much of it with me (what is with his stinginess lately?). One thing that would have improved the whole experience is eating them hot out of the oven. Oh, and a la mode.
Red Mill Burger - Listen, when you're voted the best burger in Seattle year after year after year, you'd better be freaking awesome. When I come with high expectations, you'd better just knock my freaking socks right off. If you're getting what I'm hinting at: Red Mill Burger was a big disappointment. I had the deluxe cheeseburger and it was just okay. I could have probably overlooked the stringy red onions, soggy lettuce and other slipping and sliding condiments if it just wouldn't have been so overwhelmingly large. I've had that complaint before - I think most burgers are just too big. But, yeah, Red Mill was just another big burger place. Nothing special. Am I missing something Seattle?
Scott's Dairy Freeze - Now THIS place probably has the best burger we've had lately. But, sadly, it's not in Seattle. It's in North Bend, about 30 miles east of Seattle. We stumbled upon it when we were passing through a couple months ago. We recently went back when we were visiting Snoqualmie Falls. Not the best customer service and the wait is really long. But it's worth it if you ask me. (If only because watching everyone around you huffing and puffing and rolling their eyes and looking at their watches is just solid entertainment.) It's nothing fancy, just a burger. And that's what makes it so good. Good shakes, good fries. Everything is just good ol' good. I can't explain it. It's just really freaking basic, greasy and good.
Mighty-O Donut - A hoppin' place on a Saturday morning in Wallingford! I was told to try the French toast donut and lemon poppyseed donut. Adam had an apple fritter. The French toast was a bit of a let down. If you hadn't told me what flavor it was, I couldn't have guessed. It was kind of just a plain, fried-tasting donut. I actually felt like it was very fritter-like, without the apples. It didn't blow me away. I liked the lemon poppyseed better. It was just true to the flavor, that's all. I heated up half of it when I got home later and it was a bit better. Why don't places like this (I'm looking at you Krispy Kreme) just sell all their donuts hot? Is it that hard to keep them at least warm? McDonald's can keep a burger warm all day under those heat lamps. Sure, it probably tastes like rubber at the end of the day, but I imagine you'd have a better outcome with heating lamps and donuts. Wait, no, try this. Just pop it in the oven for a sec when I order it. Like Subway and their toaster. There's got to be some perfect little donut-warming toaster out there, no? All I'm saying is: I want my donuts warm. The end.
Wild Mountain Cafe - I went here with my mom when she was in town after I gave birth to Noah. It's just down the street from me, I pass it almost every day on walks or in the car. I'd read good reviews about their Eggs Benedict, so that's why I got. My mom got tahini-stuffed French toast. Mine was delicious. Hers was not so great. And the place smelled like an old folks home. Grody town. Also, it's kind of cute on the inside (a remodeled house with quaintly mismatched chairs and tables), though an eyesore on the outside. In fact, it looks like a bar from the outside because the windows are all dark and they always have this fluorescent-lit martini glass in the window. Meh? We won't be going there again.
Bakery Nouveau - Did someone say I'm not taking pregnancy weight loss seriously? Hmm? Hmm? Let's just say it is a darn good thing this place is not closer to my house. It's a pretty big jaunt just to get this twice-baked almond croissant I'd been hearing about. But let's also just say it was WORTH IT. Oh, mother. I was proud that I was at least able to exercise some restraint and not order the twice-baked chocolate croissant to "take home to Adam." Yeah, right. Next time, next time. So, the almond number is actually quite similar to Honore's one. So, good job Honore! Bakery Nouveau is supposedly the gold standard of French bakeries in Seattle, so, yeah. Good job my little neighborhood Honore! (And curse you for being so close to my house!) Anyway: almond croissant. Crisp and buttery and salty on the outside with those little obligatory chards of toasted, sliced almonds, which give way to layers of soft sumptuousness inside. I can't talk about it right now. Must. Eat. Another. Soon.
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