Scoe and I recently took a road trip down south to check out the flourishing culinary scene of Seattle, also known as the home which bred Starbucks, Microsoft, and Nordstroms (betcha didn’t know that! ). Prior to the roadtrip, I had been researching (endlessly) a countless number of food blogs-mostly from the Urban Spoon site. To my surprise, the number of food bloggers (in my opinion) greatly outnumbered the ones currently found here, in Vancouver. For a while, I must admit that I was kinda addicted to reading the food blogs from Seattle. That sparked an immediate interest and urge (as well as a well-composed (I must say) spreadsheet of ‘Places to Eat in Seattle’.
The hardest task was of course, narrowing the places down from 20+ to about, 5-6. From fusion Vietnamese cuisine to Italian cured-meat sandwiches and fusion food carts (Korean tacos, anyone?), it was not easy, I tell ya!
Alas, the resulting destinations that would be blessed by J & Scoe’s presence (haha) were: Umi Sake House- a hip, trendy, sake and innovative sushi restaurant/bar, Pike Place Clam Chowder- a central locale known for their assorted types of chowders, Brouwer’s Café – a “gastro-pub” known for its fine selection of European beers and Belgian fare, Po’Dogs – a new little joint featuring ‘gourmet’ hot dogs with toppings you would not typically see on your average dog, Txori - a tiny little bar in Belltown offering tapas dishes of Spanish descent, and finally the Original Pancake House – an American chain which serves your typical breakfast fare…with a few specialities
Don’t wanna write tooo lengthy of a post here – hopefully a few notes on each place will suffice :)
Umi Sake House
- popular chowdah joint known for their variations of chowders
- tourist trap, in my opinion – there are so many similar joints alike, in the market, that would serve better quality chowders
- pricey, pricey, pricey
- limited seating
- service is average, at best
- rating: 7/10
Brouwer’s Café:
- restaurant/pub offering above average food of Belgian descent
- located 10-15 mins. of a drive from d/t
- tasty pomme frites with numerous mayo choices, though mussels were disappointingly small!!!
- rating: 7.5/10
Po’Dogs
- relatively new joint offering tasty, gourmet hot dogs
- offers beer
- prices aren’t tooo bad
- the bun is one that acts sort of like a shell/cushion for the weiner – one that would prevent the weiner from slipping! You would really experience the benefits of this while you're eating this, hehe
- rating: 8/10
Txori
Original Pancake House
- American chain that serves your typical breakfast fare…with a few specialites including the Dutch Baby and the ginormous apple pancakes (which I ordered)
- warm, friendly service
- left us feeling more-than-satisfied :)
- rating: 7.5/10
On the drive home, we also stopped in Bellingham to try out a Mexican joint that was recommended by one of Scoe’s friends:
Mi Mexico
- conveniently located across from the Bellis Fair Mall
- vast menu, colourful ambience, friendly service
- huge, huge portions
- pretty tasty Mexican fare
- authentic
-rating: 7.3/10
** All in all, a successful trip! Perhaps, another trip to Seattle will be in the works for the future...considering that there are still 20+ places left on our list that were left untried. Thank you, Seattle!
Love,
foodmatik :)
The hardest task was of course, narrowing the places down from 20+ to about, 5-6. From fusion Vietnamese cuisine to Italian cured-meat sandwiches and fusion food carts (Korean tacos, anyone?), it was not easy, I tell ya!
Alas, the resulting destinations that would be blessed by J & Scoe’s presence (haha) were: Umi Sake House- a hip, trendy, sake and innovative sushi restaurant/bar, Pike Place Clam Chowder- a central locale known for their assorted types of chowders, Brouwer’s Café – a “gastro-pub” known for its fine selection of European beers and Belgian fare, Po’Dogs – a new little joint featuring ‘gourmet’ hot dogs with toppings you would not typically see on your average dog, Txori - a tiny little bar in Belltown offering tapas dishes of Spanish descent, and finally the Original Pancake House – an American chain which serves your typical breakfast fare…with a few specialities
Don’t wanna write tooo lengthy of a post here – hopefully a few notes on each place will suffice :)
Umi Sake House - huge, trendy restaurant known esp. for their special rolls and diff. concoctions of sake-based drinks
- located in the heart of downtown
- excellent, excellent fresh sushi (although it comes with a price!)
- service was average, nothing to boast about, rating 9/10
from left to right: Thunderball roll, Hotter than Hell, Street Fighter Roll, Moonraker Roll
Pike Place Clam Chowder
- popular chowdah joint known for their variations of chowders
- tourist trap, in my opinion – there are so many similar joints alike, in the market, that would serve better quality chowders
- pricey, pricey, pricey
- limited seating
- service is average, at best
- rating: 7/10
Brouwer’s Café:
- restaurant/pub offering above average food of Belgian descent
- located 10-15 mins. of a drive from d/t
- tasty pomme frites with numerous mayo choices, though mussels were disappointingly small!!!
- rating: 7.5/10
- relatively new joint offering tasty, gourmet hot dogs
- offers beer
- prices aren’t tooo bad
- the bun is one that acts sort of like a shell/cushion for the weiner – one that would prevent the weiner from slipping! You would really experience the benefits of this while you're eating this, hehe
- rating: 8/10
Txori
- nice little Spanish tapas bar ideal for a small group of friends or a casual, romantic date!
- delectable cocktails, heavenly tapas & main dishes
- 10-15 mins. drive from d/t (located in Belltown)
- Rating: 8.5/10
Original Pancake House
- American chain that serves your typical breakfast fare…with a few specialites including the Dutch Baby and the ginormous apple pancakes (which I ordered)
- warm, friendly service
- left us feeling more-than-satisfied :)
- rating: 7.5/10
On the drive home, we also stopped in Bellingham to try out a Mexican joint that was recommended by one of Scoe’s friends:
- conveniently located across from the Bellis Fair Mall
- vast menu, colourful ambience, friendly service
- huge, huge portions
- pretty tasty Mexican fare
- authentic
-rating: 7.3/10
** All in all, a successful trip! Perhaps, another trip to Seattle will be in the works for the future...considering that there are still 20+ places left on our list that were left untried. Thank you, Seattle!
Love,
foodmatik :)
