Saturday morning after digesting our Volterra experience, we journeyed up to Wallingford for breakfast at my favorite local spot - The Rusty Pelican http://www.rustypelicancafe.com/. This was not a new experience, as I have eaten here countless times. However it deserves a review because - in my humble opinion of course - it is a GREAT place for breakfast.
The parking lot behind the restaurant was full, so we found a spot on 45th and entered through the front door. The kitschy decor - in a predominately green shade - is um...interesting, with collector plates and ruby slippers hanging on the green painted brick wall, and other similar decorations throughout. We were fortunate enough to score a comfortable booth on the window looking out on 45th and were both promptly greeted, seated and our water glasses filled.
Our waitress arrived within moments and quickly brought us much needed coffee. I LOVE their coffee...it's dark, rich and is accompanied by real cream in tiny, cold pitchers. I'm talking the kind of cream that is so thick it sluggishly pours into your cup.
We perused the menu and somehow garnered the willpower to resist ordering one of their scrumptious, freshly baked, warm cinnamon rolls (dripping with frosting!), although we have succumbed to this guilty pleasure on other occasions.
Instead, I refrained from ordering my usual Pelican Omelet (Ham, bacon, mushrooms, onions and Cheddar cheese - 10.45) and tried a Magnolia Scrambler (Bacon, artichokes, tomatoes, and mushrooms
scrambled with eggs. and topped with Cheddar cheese - $10.25) This came with a choice of potatoes or fruit (I chose fruit) and thick buttered toast, english muffin, fresh baked biscuits or pancake (I chose whole wheat toast). The scrambler, like every other breakfast I have ordered, was excellent - perfect in every way. I can honestly say I have never had a less than stellar breakfast at this establishment.
My dining companion, not concerned about calorie content, ordered the Country Fried Steak breakfast with two extra large eggs. any style - $11.25. This huge plate also came with the above choices, and he chose potatoes instead of fruit and a pancake instead of toast. He seemed to have no problem finishing every last bite, so I assume his meal was every bit as tasty as my own.
Our waitress was attentive and kept our coffee cups and water glasses full, checked back from time to time and promptly brought the check and handled the payment when we were ready. Always a great breakfast experience at the Rusty Pelican and I have never hesitated to recommend this restaurant to everyone, who have in turn recommended it to others.
I have also experienced lunch, dinner and happy hour at this restaurant and have never been disappointed either with the quality of food or the service. I normally always see the owner/manager of the establishment present and working alongside his employees. His vigilence has definitely paid off because the restaurant seems to be doing very well - give it a try!
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Volterra in Ballard
Last evening my dining adventure companion and I found ourselves in Ballard with no reservations on a Friday evening. We first walked into the Matador Restaurant on 22nd & NW Market Street. Predictably it was crammed full of yuppies drinking and eating with abandon. However, it was a warm respite from the chilly winds outdoors. We put our name on the list and were informed it would be at least 30 minutes.
Rather than standing in the doorway staring longingly at the tables overflowing with happy eaters, we wandered next door to Market Street shoes for a little shopping expedition. After spending $150 on a new pair of very nice European leather sandals, we checked back at the Matador to find we had only moved up one notch on the waiting list.
Since our stomachs were growling angrily at this point, we meandered down the street and into Thai Ku, at 5410 Ballard Avenue NW. I have often enjoyed the dark, almost mysterious bar at the back of the restaurant, so we headed back there to see if there was an available table. Sadly, the bar was full and no tables were available. Disappointed (they have very interesting herbal infused mixed drinks), we decided to keep looking. Although their food is fine, the dining portion of the restaurant lacks ambiance and is very family friendly. Not what we were looking for on a Friday evening.
Exiting Thai Ku, we spied Volterra http://www.volterrarestaurant.com/home.html at 5411 Ballard Avenue. Always a favorite, we headed across the street to see if there might be a table available. To our surprise, there were a number of tables available in the bar, although it was around 7 p.m. by this time. Volterra offers a relaxing ambiance with dim lighting, merlot colored walls, wood floors and dark wainscoting. From our small table in the bar, we could look through into the dining room, which was full. We were seated right away and greeted by our attentive waiter, Leon, as well as the always helpful wine steward.
After perusing the menu, we decided to start with the seared sea scallops appetizer and a bottle of 7 Hills Pinot Grigio. The sea scallops arrived promptly - two very large scallops with a sauté of seasonal wild mushrooms and vegetables topped with roasted garlic aioli. ($13). We were at first disappointed that there were only two scallops, but after I cut mine into bite sized pieces, it did come to six bites.
We pondered our dinner selections while savoring the delicious pinot. I decided on the fresh sheet selection of fresh baked Alaskan halibut with sun choke puree, broccolini, smoked tomato cream and tomato onion marmalata ($24) My companion selected the black pepper wide noodles and oxtail ragu off the regular menu (it is not appearing on their website and I didn't jot down the details).
My halibut arrived in a large shallow bowl, artfully presented. I found it delicious, with both a slight tang and a mild smoky flavor. My companion thought it was slightly overcooked, but he is more of a halibut connoisseur than myself. His oxtail ragu was tasty, the pasta cooked to perfection and very flavorful.
Leon did try to tempt us with the dessert menu, but mindful of my Lent vow (no sweets/desserts/anything that makes life worth living), we declined to even take a look. By the time we left, the bar and restaurant were packed and people were lined up waiting for tables, so apparently this restaurant gets crowded later in the evening. Seems like we made a good choice arriving at 7 p.m.!
A brisk walk of five or six blocks to the car completed our evening - another delightful, albeit spendy, dining experience at Volterra.
Rather than standing in the doorway staring longingly at the tables overflowing with happy eaters, we wandered next door to Market Street shoes for a little shopping expedition. After spending $150 on a new pair of very nice European leather sandals, we checked back at the Matador to find we had only moved up one notch on the waiting list.
Since our stomachs were growling angrily at this point, we meandered down the street and into Thai Ku, at 5410 Ballard Avenue NW. I have often enjoyed the dark, almost mysterious bar at the back of the restaurant, so we headed back there to see if there was an available table. Sadly, the bar was full and no tables were available. Disappointed (they have very interesting herbal infused mixed drinks), we decided to keep looking. Although their food is fine, the dining portion of the restaurant lacks ambiance and is very family friendly. Not what we were looking for on a Friday evening.
Exiting Thai Ku, we spied Volterra http://www.volterrarestaurant.com/home.html at 5411 Ballard Avenue. Always a favorite, we headed across the street to see if there might be a table available. To our surprise, there were a number of tables available in the bar, although it was around 7 p.m. by this time. Volterra offers a relaxing ambiance with dim lighting, merlot colored walls, wood floors and dark wainscoting. From our small table in the bar, we could look through into the dining room, which was full. We were seated right away and greeted by our attentive waiter, Leon, as well as the always helpful wine steward.
After perusing the menu, we decided to start with the seared sea scallops appetizer and a bottle of 7 Hills Pinot Grigio. The sea scallops arrived promptly - two very large scallops with a sauté of seasonal wild mushrooms and vegetables topped with roasted garlic aioli. ($13). We were at first disappointed that there were only two scallops, but after I cut mine into bite sized pieces, it did come to six bites.
We pondered our dinner selections while savoring the delicious pinot. I decided on the fresh sheet selection of fresh baked Alaskan halibut with sun choke puree, broccolini, smoked tomato cream and tomato onion marmalata ($24) My companion selected the black pepper wide noodles and oxtail ragu off the regular menu (it is not appearing on their website and I didn't jot down the details).
My halibut arrived in a large shallow bowl, artfully presented. I found it delicious, with both a slight tang and a mild smoky flavor. My companion thought it was slightly overcooked, but he is more of a halibut connoisseur than myself. His oxtail ragu was tasty, the pasta cooked to perfection and very flavorful.
Leon did try to tempt us with the dessert menu, but mindful of my Lent vow (no sweets/desserts/anything that makes life worth living), we declined to even take a look. By the time we left, the bar and restaurant were packed and people were lined up waiting for tables, so apparently this restaurant gets crowded later in the evening. Seems like we made a good choice arriving at 7 p.m.!
A brisk walk of five or six blocks to the car completed our evening - another delightful, albeit spendy, dining experience at Volterra.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Bahama Breeze - Southcenter
Normally I do not patronize corporate style chain restaurants, but due to the necessity of bi-monthly trips to Southcenter, I have frequently dined at Bahama Breeze. My last visit to this restaurant was on February 14, 2010 so this review will be pertaining to that experience. http://www.bahamabreeze.com/
My son, Angelo, and I were there [out of necessity] around 4 p.m. on February 14th. We were surprised at how crowded the establishment was, until we realized that it was Valentine's Day and many families were celebrating the occasion with an early dinner. Seemed like an odd place and time for such a celebration, but who am I to judge?
I love the decor at this restaurant...very much a Caribbean theme, and the bar is very cool - has the appearance of being outdoors on a covered patio (despite being located in a corner of the large Southcenter parking area). They usually have live tropical themed music playing out here and it has just a generally festive ambiance.
As always, we were greeted enthusiastically and seated fairly quickly. Our waiter was attentive and also enthusiastic...might be part of the job training? My favorite part of the experience was the waiter mistaking us for a couple! My son quickly put this notion to rest by saying "this is my MOM, dude!". Nevertheless, he earned a good tip by this alone :-)
Both the food and drink menus are extensive and tantalizing. Always a difficult task to decide what to order. I generally tend to order seafood, so on this occasion I decided to give the Seafood Paella a try. Paella has been a disappointment at other restaurants, so I did not have high hopes. However, I was very pleasantly surprised when my order arrived. The paella was beautifully presented, hot and very tasty - full of seafood, chicken and sausage combined with a savory saffron rice.
My son was less adventurous. He ordered the oak grilled chicken sandwich and chose french fries as his included side dish (he could have chosen fresh fruit salad or vine-ripened tomato salad or yellow rice with black beans). Judging by how swiftly he consumed it, I would assume it was quite adequate and he shared that it was excellent.
This was probably my fifth or sixth visit to Bahama Breeze and I can honestly say I have never had a bad meal at this establishment. It may be a chain restaurant, but they do it VERY well. In the past I have sampled numerous appetizers and dinner selections. One appetizer that stands out in my mind are the tostones with chicken - awesome! The coconut shrimp are also pretty compelling, although the satisfying crunch of the deep fried coating never fails to fill me with guilt.
So - this will probably be my sole corporate chain style restaurant review, but I do feel this restaurant is unique in that category - very good quality, selection and value to be had here.
My son, Angelo, and I were there [out of necessity] around 4 p.m. on February 14th. We were surprised at how crowded the establishment was, until we realized that it was Valentine's Day and many families were celebrating the occasion with an early dinner. Seemed like an odd place and time for such a celebration, but who am I to judge?
I love the decor at this restaurant...very much a Caribbean theme, and the bar is very cool - has the appearance of being outdoors on a covered patio (despite being located in a corner of the large Southcenter parking area). They usually have live tropical themed music playing out here and it has just a generally festive ambiance.
As always, we were greeted enthusiastically and seated fairly quickly. Our waiter was attentive and also enthusiastic...might be part of the job training? My favorite part of the experience was the waiter mistaking us for a couple! My son quickly put this notion to rest by saying "this is my MOM, dude!". Nevertheless, he earned a good tip by this alone :-)
Both the food and drink menus are extensive and tantalizing. Always a difficult task to decide what to order. I generally tend to order seafood, so on this occasion I decided to give the Seafood Paella a try. Paella has been a disappointment at other restaurants, so I did not have high hopes. However, I was very pleasantly surprised when my order arrived. The paella was beautifully presented, hot and very tasty - full of seafood, chicken and sausage combined with a savory saffron rice.
My son was less adventurous. He ordered the oak grilled chicken sandwich and chose french fries as his included side dish (he could have chosen fresh fruit salad or vine-ripened tomato salad or yellow rice with black beans). Judging by how swiftly he consumed it, I would assume it was quite adequate and he shared that it was excellent.
This was probably my fifth or sixth visit to Bahama Breeze and I can honestly say I have never had a bad meal at this establishment. It may be a chain restaurant, but they do it VERY well. In the past I have sampled numerous appetizers and dinner selections. One appetizer that stands out in my mind are the tostones with chicken - awesome! The coconut shrimp are also pretty compelling, although the satisfying crunch of the deep fried coating never fails to fill me with guilt.
So - this will probably be my sole corporate chain style restaurant review, but I do feel this restaurant is unique in that category - very good quality, selection and value to be had here.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
The Root Table - Ballard
Tuesday after work we headed down Market Street in Ballard to try out The Root Table (http://www.roottablerestaurant.com/) for happy hour. Got there about 5:30 and were immediately seated by a very nice young man who doubled as the bartender.
The furnishings were very unique - loved it! All of the tables appeared to have been made from giant split logs and the chairs, lighting, candle holders, menus, etc. all had the same theme. The table we were seated at was a big uncomfortable, only because the log that held up the table was rather large, affording us little foot room. I compensated for that by moving my leg around the log and resting it on my companion's lap :-) I was especially happy that there was a little space heater right next to our table - it was very chilly out so was nice to be warm!
We ordered the bartender's special drink - a hibiscus infused vodka/soda combination. Very tasty and with a good sized splash of vodka. We enjoyed our drinks as we perused the extensive and tantalizing happy hour food menu.
Decided to start with Roasted Duck Spring Rolls ($5), Market Street BBQ Chicken ($6), Roti & Curry ($5), Sweet Basil Mussels ($6), Blanket Shrimp/salad ($6). Several of these came with different dipping sauces. The plates arrived promptly and we practiced dueling forks over the variety of culinary choices.
Roasted Duck Spring rolls were delicious!!! Bits of duck mixed with greens & vegies and wrapped in rice paper made a healthy and [hopefully] low cal snack. We quickly wiped these out!
The BBQ chicken was tender and very flavorful. Consisted of several large pieces - finger licking good!
We could have done without the Roti & Curry - billed as Asian style pita bread served with house curry. The sauce, like all of the sauces, was flavorful, but the pita bread not so great.
My favorite was the blanket shrimp, served on a bed of a yummy salad. These were black tiger prawns stuffed with marinated ground chicken and wrapped in a fried (?) wonton. I could have scarfed down dozens of these - SO good!
The mussels were decent and came with garlic bread to dip in the sauce, but they were a bit larger than I prefer.
Our attentive waiter/bartender came back to clear away plates and we ordered another round of the hibiscus infused vodka cocktails together with another order of the roasted duck spring rolls and an order of Cajun calamari ($5) with dipping sauce.
I wasn't a big fan of the calamari, basically because it was breaded and fried, but I thought it tasted fine!
Our tab for all this succulent nirvana came to around $50 - pretty good deal for all we had to eat!
Altogether a positive experience and I'm definitely looking forward to a return visit to try some of the other tasty sounding appetizers...not to mention the dinners, which we barely glanced at!
The furnishings were very unique - loved it! All of the tables appeared to have been made from giant split logs and the chairs, lighting, candle holders, menus, etc. all had the same theme. The table we were seated at was a big uncomfortable, only because the log that held up the table was rather large, affording us little foot room. I compensated for that by moving my leg around the log and resting it on my companion's lap :-) I was especially happy that there was a little space heater right next to our table - it was very chilly out so was nice to be warm!
We ordered the bartender's special drink - a hibiscus infused vodka/soda combination. Very tasty and with a good sized splash of vodka. We enjoyed our drinks as we perused the extensive and tantalizing happy hour food menu.
Decided to start with Roasted Duck Spring Rolls ($5), Market Street BBQ Chicken ($6), Roti & Curry ($5), Sweet Basil Mussels ($6), Blanket Shrimp/salad ($6). Several of these came with different dipping sauces. The plates arrived promptly and we practiced dueling forks over the variety of culinary choices.
Roasted Duck Spring rolls were delicious!!! Bits of duck mixed with greens & vegies and wrapped in rice paper made a healthy and [hopefully] low cal snack. We quickly wiped these out!
The BBQ chicken was tender and very flavorful. Consisted of several large pieces - finger licking good!
We could have done without the Roti & Curry - billed as Asian style pita bread served with house curry. The sauce, like all of the sauces, was flavorful, but the pita bread not so great.
My favorite was the blanket shrimp, served on a bed of a yummy salad. These were black tiger prawns stuffed with marinated ground chicken and wrapped in a fried (?) wonton. I could have scarfed down dozens of these - SO good!
The mussels were decent and came with garlic bread to dip in the sauce, but they were a bit larger than I prefer.
Our attentive waiter/bartender came back to clear away plates and we ordered another round of the hibiscus infused vodka cocktails together with another order of the roasted duck spring rolls and an order of Cajun calamari ($5) with dipping sauce.
I wasn't a big fan of the calamari, basically because it was breaded and fried, but I thought it tasted fine!
Our tab for all this succulent nirvana came to around $50 - pretty good deal for all we had to eat!
Altogether a positive experience and I'm definitely looking forward to a return visit to try some of the other tasty sounding appetizers...not to mention the dinners, which we barely glanced at!
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