Skillet: Food That's Worth the Perpetual Wait

If you go to Skillet on a weekend, there's a good chance you'll have to wait to be seated.  Just wait.  I swear, you won't regret it.  This is comfort food at it's absolute finest.  This place initially got its humble beginnings as a food truck concept.  Now, there is a glorious diner space located on the corner of 14th and Union.  The place is hip yet cozy, has it's own version of a Bloody Mary that is made with their trademark bacon jam infused vodka, the bartender rocks, and there a gaiter (translation: gay waiter) working there who has the most amazing eyes ever. 

Every time I have been there, I intend to try something new.  Yet, I never do.  That is because Skillet happens to feature the very best version of a grilled cheese sandwich known to modern society.  This foodgasm on a plate features 4 different kinds of cheesy gloriousness and you can get it with the bacon jam (which you totally should unless you don't eat bacon for whatever reason).  This paired with the signature Bloody Mary is like the grown up version of a Kraft American grilled cheese with Campbell's tomato soup that you likely endured on chilly winter days growing up (or not).  Apparently they also have the best burger in Seattle, which goes well with one of their grown-up milk shakes. 

For us, this is the perfect compromise place to take less adventurous friends or family members or their spawn for brunch, lunch, or dinner.  The items on the menu look somewhat familiar so it sets one at ease, yet there's enough of a spin on the classic to make you feel like you are trying something new even if you go back and order the exact same thing each time like I do.  I don't even bother saving room for a dessert here because the food is that damn good. 

Elderly Haven: Nell's on Greenlake

Normally when we go out to eat somewhere, I totally remember every last detail of the meal well after the fact that I ate there.  One night, my dining/life partner and I were in the Greenlake area for a music performance of a friend of mine. I remember the coffee shop we were in for that performance vividly (Forza), I remember the music, I remember us strolling on the sidewalk after looking for a place to eat, I remember walking into Nell's.  I also remember that we were by far the youngest people (and most under-dressed unfortunately) in the restaurant and that there was an entire table of elderly couples celebrating a birthday and the men were all wearing bow ties.  I cannot, however, for the life of me, recall what we actually had for our meal that night.  This means that it wasn't horrible, the service was average, the setting was a bit fancier than expected.  This also means that the food was not all that memorable.  It did not call out to me "you must come back again for more".  I wish I had nicer things to say about this place because if you look at their menu online, it actually looks quite creative. 

Great location.  Okay cocktails.  A bit spendy, but potentially a romantic date night.  I am tempted to go back just so I can have something more substantial to say.  Of course, I'll need to wait about 25 years so that I am actually in the diners' demographic. 

I would skip this one and go back to Forza instead for the salmon salad and a glass of wine.

http://www.nellsrestaurant.com/

Ha!  Just found pictures of what we had!  No idea what it was though.  I think mine was some sort of french onion tart, my main squeeze appears to have had the duck, and then it was a fruit panna cotta from what I can tell with the picture.  Thank goodness for the iPhone for this reason.

 

Oy Vey!

All I can say is I am so grateful today that this place was within reasonable walking distance to our house. I woke up craving the hell out of French toast. Pretty sure I must be dehydrated or have officially gone crazy from being snowed in/home bound 4 days in a row because it is not like me to want so much sugar first thing in the morning. French toast at 11:30ish, makes sense. French toast at 8 am, not so much. However, like manna from Heaven, Goldberg's Delicatessen rained down it's challah goodness upon me.

I have eaten at Goldberg's numerous times and have had mixed experiences with the service. Today it was super slow service, but I have to take into account that they only had 2 servers and the place is fairly large so even though it was only half full (or was it half empty?) that is a lot of customers per server. Having family with extensive restaurant industry experience helps me be more aware and understanding when it comes to stuff like this, so I am going to let this one slide because the server was very polite the few times she was able to make it to our table. Today I ordered the Crispy French Toast, which consists of some super secret batter mixture and cornflake coating deep-fried (another thing I usually don't crave) with whipped cream, butter, syrup, and the token side of fruit so that you don't feel like such a schmuck for eating something so obviously unhealthy. My life partner opted for sweetness as well, also uncharacteristic of his preferences for breakfast, by choosing Sofia's Trio of Blintzes. Both were good choices and maintained the consistency I have come to expect with Goldberg's. I will say that the Crispy French Toast is a rather large dish so either plan on leftovers or find someone to share with. As I sit here grazing on the leftovers, the food passes my still good when eating cooled down and straight from the box test. It's killing my motivation to go to yoga class however as I slip further into my carbohydrate coma.

Aside from having good food, Goldberg's is conveniently located off the I-90 in Factoria, offers extensive menu options including traditional Jewish dishes, has plenty of seating, is family friendly, boasts a full bar, and also does take-out. All in all this is a place I will continue to go back to, and not just because I am a total Judaicaphile (I blame growing up in an area with no Jews and only 2 synagogues in the entire state). Whether you want breakfast (served all day!) or something more along the lines of Matzo Ball Soup (better than your mother made if she ever made such a thing), Goldberg's truly has something for everyone. I have tried items from all sections of the menu and have yet to be let down (FYI: the pastrami sandwich rocks). Oh, and I have yet to order dessert here as I am always way too full by the time that option presents itself, but word on the street is that it's pretty good.

http://www.goldbergsdeli.com/

My All-Time Favorite Place in Seattle

And this isn't cheating because I have in fact eaten here since I have been back. Twice actually. For whatever reason, I hold a special place in my heart for Capital Hill's B & O Espresso. A friend introduced me to this place the first time I lived here and I have continued to patronize this place ever since. I am not sure what it is that makes it so special: the jovial owner making the rounds and ensuring customers are enjoying his food, the servers remembering what I typically order (even when I would come back to the area on vacation and had gone months between visits, which is cool yet eerie), the extensive and fantastic dessert menu (seriously, I have tried multiple desserts here and have thoroughly enjoyed each one, especially the chocolate pot), the atmosphere of being in an old building with antique decor, or the feeling of friendship and happy memories this place brings.

I have always been in love with this place, but not the parking. The parking situation is beyond a bitch. Sorry to swear, but there is really no other way to put it. If you live here and have ever tried to park in the Capital Hill area, then you understand what I mean. Even worse, my old go-to pay lot is now turned into some ridiculous community garden/park in an area that already has a parking shortage. I have had to pretend to be a customer at Half-Price Books at least twice now just to get my B & O Espresso fix. Just thought of the irony that it's my fave place and I heart coffee yet never order espresso drinks when there. Hmmm. . .

Anyway, I am super sad because this place has been on the "tear this down and make another multi-story structure" list for quite some time, and now after 6 years of being rumored to get destroyed so the space can become over-priced condos in a sea of an already excessive amount of over-priced condos, it looks like B & O might truly be at risk for being no longer. I sincerely hope not because I know I am not the only one who considers this place special. There are many other regulars, many others who plug into the wall and spend endless hours on laptops while sipping tea, many others who meet there for brunch with good friends or enjoy adult beverages with dinner while catching up on the latest news. There is an undeniable camaraderie and magic that happens while dining at B & O. Try it while you can and no matter what time of day, do yourself a favor and order dessert.

http://b-oespresso.com/

All Hail the Dumpling Tsar of Fremont

This was another place stumbled upon by accident and another place that was so tasty I had an uncontrollable urge to go back right away. It almost killed me to wait the 3 days between visits. Pel'Meni Dumpling Tsar is tucked away in a building in an alley close to the Lenin statue in Fremont. It shares space with a tattoo shop and a hot yoga studio bizarrely enough. It's essentially a food stand when it boils down to it complete with an erasable menu.

There are only two food options: beef dumpling or potato dumpling. Really that is all you need when food is done so flavorfully. What makes the dumplings so delightful is the sprinkling of curry, dollop of sour cream, handful of freshly chopped cilantro, and the siracha rice vinegar sauce that goes on for extra punch. I read an online review the other day that said the potato dumplings were bland and that it would be best to avoid this place if you are a vegetarian as a result. As someone who is currently on day 19 of vegetarianism, I can say with all assurance that the person who wrote that is obviously a douche with no sense of taste because even something as simple as a potato wrapped in dumpling pastry made from scratch can have a superb amount of flavor if done right and I believe Pel'Meni is adequately named as the Dumpling Tsar. This food is great for soaking up beer (hence their extended post-bar closing hours) and makes a good lunch to take home from work right before the worst snowstorm Seattle has seen in decades (the dumplings were still warm when I got to Bellevue from Fremont, that's how awesome they are). The token slice of bread that comes with each order (because you didn't consume enough carbs already) make a great vessel for consuming the sauce left in the bottom of the biodegradable container when the dumplings have been successfully consumed. Have a bar of Theo Chocolate (a local fair-trade organic chocolate bar making company with unique flavor combos) and you are all set to get down with your Fremont-loving, hippie/grunge, Seattlite self. Наслаждайтесь!

http://www.pelmenirestaurant.com/

Why Did I Not Bring My Camera?

Part of my New Year's goal (not a resolution, dammit) is to feel healthier this year, whatever that means to my body so I decided to undertake a 30 day vegetarian challenge just to see if 1- I could do it and 2- feel a difference. All I can say is praise the culinary gods for Cafe Flora in Madison Park because normally I would not be able to trick Jacob into being excited about going to a vegetarian restaurant. He appeases my kooky endeavors though so when I got to choose our restaurant and he found out it was vegetarian, he very kindly went with it. Neither of us regretted that choice as Cafe Flora is a shining example of how awesome vegetarian food can be when done right.

This place has the most interesting menu of all the vegetarian restaurants I had Googled. I was beyond excited to try it. There was no way to mentally prepare for the euphoria that was about to take place the night we went there though. I tried the Portobello Wellington and Jacob tried a complicated polenta dish that looked like it came from Bon Appetite magazine. His dish was an indescribable extravaganza of flavors. My dish was classic cuisine at its vegetarian finest. We also shared a pretty tasty salad as an appetizer.

The highlight for me was the dessert. Everything looked so good, it was nearly impossible to decide. We ended up with the Oui Oui Cherie!, which was a chocolatey, caramely, mound of fantasticness that causes me to slip into a musical dream sequence and make up my own words. Even if you are not vegetarian or dining with someone who is, you have to add this place to the list of must-try restaurants in Seattle. We sat in their "garden" area and it was very relaxing in addition to being some of the best food I have ever eaten. It is by far the best vegetarian food I have ever

consumed and it made me think that if the food at Cafe Flora is indicative of what veg meals should be, then consider me converted. If I could eat there every day I would never eat meat again. For real, it's THAT good. So good, in fact, they have their own cookbook. Oh, and try some tea while you are there. Just trust me.

http://cafeflora.com/index.php

Jewel of India Indeed

Since my beloved works for Microsoft (who doesn't in this area, right?), we are able to get some pretty sweet deals at local businesses including restaurants. One night while craving naan and korma, we relied on the guidance of this massive corporation and discovered the joy which is the Jewel of India restaurant located in the University District. This is another place that I had concerns about because of location and appearance, but the food by far exceeded expectations.

I ordered a vegetable korma, spice level 5 stars, and let me tell you they are not messing around with the heat. Holy Hindu Cow, that korma was hot! And I loved every sweaty minute of it. I don't know about my other Caucasian Asians out there, but it has been my experience in that past that as one who is very fairly complected that sometimes my spice requests are not taken seriously in restaurants. "Stupid white girl. She has no idea," I imagine the servers thinking as I boldly order the hottest hot sauces available. There have only been 2 other times where the food was exceedingly hot thus meeting my expectations, both of which occurred in the past year and both of which were in Phoenix. One was a Nigerian restaurant and the other was a place that served "ridiculously hot" hot wings, which is funny since when my friend asked me how hot I wanted my wings I told her "ridiculously hot" not knowing anything about the menu. But I digress. . .

Jewel of India is a gem of a place in the midst of college students, hipsters, and passers through. The husband and wife team that own it are fantastic, the food is homemade, and I swear they have the best garlic naan ever. Better yet, if you live close they deliver. We don't so those dreams of Indian food appearing at our doorstep were shattered. However, we determined they were worth the drive even if we didn't have our magic discount card. Plus, I love supporting local places with genuinely nice proprietors. Two korma covered thumbs up on this one and pass me some water!

http://www.jewelofindiaseattle.com/