Weekend of Meals on the Hill

I've been on vacation for the last two weeks and, despite the wacked out weather, it's nice to be back on the Hill.

In celebration of being back, I've been eating out as often as possible. This weekend I hit the following:

Saturday

• Breakfast @ Joe Bar. I ordered my standard jamon and greyere crepe and Irish breakfast tea. I also threw in large glass of AJ, which was awesome.
• Lunch/Dinner - At home.

Sunday

• Breakfast @ B&O. The best meal of the weekend. My usual chorizo with ranchero scramble. Hold the potatoes and add fruit. Mocha.
• Lunch @ Bill's Off Broadway. Something was off with their crust, which soured the whole pizza experience. I'm hoping the dough just wasn't given enough time to rise, which caused it to taste flat and dry. I usually love their crispy, greasy crust!
• Dinner @ the Vegetarian Noodle Bowl. My first time here and I wasn't impressed. I ordered their tofu satay appetizer as my meal, having had a big lunch and breakfast. The tofu was tolerable, but their peanut sauce was dripping in grease. My eating companion also thought the Thai iced tea was "earthy". I'm not sure if that is a good or bad thing.
  

Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner for Darfur on Tuesday

Dine for Darfur is back on Tuesday (3/4). You could have all three meals at participating locations on Capitol Hill....

We went to the Coastal Kitchen for last year's event. It was a packed house! I'm going to try Via Tribunali this year.

Cafe Vita
Cha Cha Lounge
Coastal Kitchen
Linda's Tavern
Pagliacci Pizza
Quinn's
The Broadway Grill
Top Pot Doughnuts
Via Tribunali

Seattle Culinary Academy

"This is one of Broadway's best kept secrets," a customer informed me one day. It is true that many people are unaware of all that the Academy has to offer. You can buy artisan breads and European style pastries at the student operated bakery that is located near The Buzz espresso stand. Additionally, the Culinary Academy operates two restaurants and one express lunch option that features delicious cuisine prepared by the students Tuesday-Friday.

Seattle Culinary Academy Vision Statement: We envision a world where chefs equitably impact human and environmental wellness through culinary education.

Seattle Central Community College
1701 Broadway

Hours of Operation:

Breads and Pastry@The Buzz Tu-Fri 9:30am-4:00pm
Square One Bistro & One World restaurants, offering seasonal international cuisine with a NW flare Tu-Fri 11:15-1:00pm
Chef's Express, a quick way to enjoy a gourmet meal Tu-Fri 11:15-1:00pm

Two Late Night Food Options

Has anyone else had the predicament of finding food near Broadway late at night? I know that after a couple of beers at the Stumbling Monk, I want to get some food into my body in order to feel alright in the morning. There is always the Broadway Grill or Charlie's, but sometimes it is more convenient is to take something to-go. In an effort to be fair there is also Dick's or Jack In the Box, but I'd still rather find another option. On that note, I have discovered two fantastic late night options: Tacos Gringos, open Tu-Sa 8pm-2:30am and Amante Pizza and Pasta, which is open until 3am every night. Both are located on the 1500 block of E. Olive Way.

At Tacos Gringos there are three taco options at $2/ea, two meat and one veggie. (I tried goat for my first time and it was great.) The tacos are on the smaller side, but that makes them perfect for a late night snack. At Amante's they had four types of slices available and I was impressed by the quality of my late night slice. After all, even though it's the wee hours of the morning, it is still nice to eat something that's delicious.

Kurrent Ice Bar = kold.

I hadn't realized the space formerly occupied by the Green Papaya (underneath the Press apartment building on the corner of Belmont and Pine) was filled by a new tenant. Kurrent opened way back in August... I'm behind the times, but I haven't been missing much in my opinion. (Sidenote: I also hadn't realized until last night that the Seahawks were in the playoffs.)

I made my way to Kurrent in the pouring rain last night, only to find a super cold, uninviting interior all the way down to the strip of ice down the bar and on the taps. Okay, okay, it's an "ice bar". "Kurrent"="modern", I get it. But the decor was a turn off. There has to be a way to do it in a more comfortable, inviting way. It felt sterile and boring.

We camped out on the high chairs and tables, both of which were wobbly. The seats near the fire looked more fulfilling, but were unfortunately already taken. I did peak my head in the back room as well, but found it stark and didn't want to get lost in its desolation. (We were the only customers in addition to those near the fireplace.)

I ordered a lemon drop... $7 on happy hour. It came in a tall, silver metal martini glass with about 2.5oz of liquid in it. It was tasty, but most of was spilled by the tipsy table before I had a chance to drink it.

I was prepared to try their food, but couldn't figure out how I was going to balance it with my drink and the table and my chair all moving in different directions. So I passed, and went to Mama's for a slice instead.

Sweet stuff in the neighborhood

Daily Candy's local edition is asking readers to choose Seattle's sweetest things. Two of the neighborhood's newbies are in the mix in the Word of Mouth division. Take a minute to cast your vote for Quinn's or Cafe Presse.

Wassail Winter Ale @ The Deluxe

The Deluxe has a nice selection of Winter drinks right now... I tried the Full Sail Wassail Winter Ale that they have on tap last night. And for a dark beer, which I don't generally like, it was very good. Kind of spicy sweet.

Some other Wintery drinks that I remember are a Hot Buttered Rum and a hot chocolate concoction with peppermint schnapps and some other mixings.

I also have to say that Eric is my favorite waiter there. I totally have a crush on him.

Sipping a double ephemera hot chocolate.

Sitting in the Westlake Dilettante yesterday (and the day before that actually... long story), made me think that our Dilettante on Broadway could use a face lift.

The pic above is from my camera phone. See the shiny-ness?

Broadway's has a better selection of chocolates, and a larger menu. But it'd be great to also have a cozy space to sit and sip a double ephemera hot chocolate. Yum!

I finally made it to Artemis...

I've known about the Artemis Cafe & Bar since before they opened their doors, as I indirectly know both of the owners.

It took this review in the Seattle Weekly to finally get down there... It's hidden, very nicely, at the corner of "Bellevue, Bellevue, Bellevue", which is pretty much northwestern-most part of the Hill.

We arrived at about 7:30pm last night with no reservation. (I'm not sure if reservations are available, actually.) With a 40 minute wait ahead of us, we were quickly ushered to the bar where we tried their Lady Sidecar (very good) and another mixed drink concoction... I can't remember the name. Midnight something... also very good.

The wait time couldn't have been as long as predicted. Before long we were seated, very luckily, in the back section near their large window overlooking Queen Anne, the lake and the Space Needle. I was super impressed with the atmosphere... The restaurant is a converted neighborhood grocery market. Now it's flush with deep, rich hues of red and prussian blue. Warm lighting.

With three people in our party we went for two large plates and two small plates, including:

1. (Small) Fava bean hummas with pita slices
   
2. (Small) Seared tuna with an olive topping
   
3. (Large) Chicken tagine with cous cous (We had to look this up on a cell phone before ordering. I heard the table next to us asking what "tagine" meant as well.)
   
4. (Large) Paella
   

I'm not a foodie by any means, but everything was very good. My favorite was the seared tuna, by far.

I was also impressed with the chicken tagine... I don't usually like chicken, as it's typically hidden under a layer of seasoning. This dish, however, had a kind of light flavor that was slightly sweet.

I'm looking forward to going back. They had a schedule of jazz trios coming in on Saturdays throughout December. And they are having a New Year's Eve dinner with a special menu that would be very tempting if I weren't already hosting a party of my own.

4 random bits of Broadway-related food info

Dig in.

• Metroblogging Seattle says there's a new taco joint down Olive Way
• Quinn's is averaging 3 of 5 stars so far over in the Stranger reader reviews
• 6 restaurants open late near Broadway
• Seattle Times recalls Seattle's restaurant history, Broadway "fern bar" Boondock's, Sundecker's & Greenthumbs
  

No, I don't want broadband with my pizza. Thank you.

I'm rarely on the hill for lunch because I work downtown, but today was an exception because of the holiday. Broadway sure is abuzz in the afternoon.

I stopped in to Pagliacci's for a few slices of their Mushroom Primo pizza. The place was packed.

I found a seat near the front of the restaurant sandwiched in between a mother with a large stroller, and a Clearwire sales person who had his sales materials strewn over a couple of tables.

I knew right when I sat down that the sales guy was going to try to talk to me. He had that look in his eye. Or maybe I was just jaded from being approached so many times by Clearwire salespeople on the street and in malls.

The sales guy had obviously made a connection with one of the employees, who stopped by a couple of times. A potential sale?

I buried my head in The Stranger to try to avoid contact, but unfortunately looked up just as the guy was leaving. I hope the look on my face when he flashed his business card my way was enough of a response to convey what I was thinking. You see, my mouth was full so I couldn't speak. I was eating lunch!

Staking claim in a busy restaurant to try to make some sales is a new low.

Quinn's leaves comments

Cool to see the folks who manage Quinn's wading into the Chowhound fray. It's a challenge to do this kind of communication right but it's such a useful way to address problems head on and win the hearts and minds of eaters and readers. After writing about businesses on Capitol Hill for about two years, one of the biggest surprises has been how few stores and restaurants get involved in the conversation or contact us -- guess what businesses, we're always on the hunt for something real to write about. If you have something to say, get on the Internet.

New Restaurant Sighting

Looks like a cafe or a really tiny restaurant of some sort is soon to be opened on Thomas Street between Summit and Bellevue. Yours truly will be first in line. Or at least in spirit?

Things you'll like at Cafe Presse, things you won't

Ryan is a busy young man so figure we'll help out our Broadway neighbors with a post or two every now and again. Seattle Weekly has a mildly interesting take on 19 hours in the life of 12th Ave's Cafe Presse documenting the eatery's ebb and flow from breakfast to post-midnight snacking. Based on our visit to Presse and other eyewitness accounts we've documented from friends, here's our simple guide to the menu.

Things you'll like
The olives
The falafel
Le croque madame
Le grilled sardine sandwich
The draught Stella

Things you won't
The steak tartare
The salade niçoise

We look kind of boring de-suggesting the tartare and the nicoise while recommending falafel and beer but so be it. Feel free to counter/support in comments.

View the entire Cafe Presse menu here.