Author Archives: jltupper

An open letter to the Tom Douglas team.

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Hi! I had hoped to write this yesterday, but I was so exhausted last night that I actually was venturing towards cranky, and one should not write about tasty things when cranky.

Basically, yesterday rocked. There is no better description.

I’ve been a loyal Tom Douglas fan since high school. I don’t remember when I started eating at Palace Kitchen or Lola, but they were always treats. I dragged all my friends to Serious Pie to celebrate whenever possible. Chris and I held our wedding reception at Palace Kitchen. (We had a larger group dinner the night before at Cuoco.)

I had eaten enough from the restaurants that I thought I knew what to expect, and The Bloggess’s words to live furiously happy cheered me on towards setting up this tour. While I am connected to a few larger blogs (more on that another day), I decided that not pulling strings would be fine. I just wanted a really fun day out in the middle of a stressful quarter. It ended up being one of the most fantastic Seattle day trips I’ve ever been on, and I have the team of all the Tom Douglas restaurants to thank for that.

I wish I had all of your names so I could thank you individually, because I know I misspelled most of them in my notebook in my attempt to keep up. From Liana and Lauren, who started this insanity rolling at Seatown Seabar, to Tom himself showing up at Serious Pie, you’re all amazing. I know I’m gushing, but most of you missed me laughing my head off at Cuoco from the sheer amount of pasta the team tried to feed us.

There are over 300 photos. I have class shortly, and I need to stare at my thesis work. But thank you. Thank you for a day that gave me the inability to answer when someone asked what my favorite dish was.

MOD Pizza: college munchies

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MOD Pizza’s pizza must be what college students dream of. A pizza, with anything and everything on it, ready within a few minutes of ordering, for $6.88 + tax. It definitely feels like the kind of place that thrives in the college/tech town of Seattle, and especially around the University of Washington. The chain displays graffiti-stylized logos (‘Are you a MOD?’), papers for local bands on the walls, simple benches and booths, and blue/red/white pops of contrast. Alternative music blasts in the background. A can of Pabst Blue Ribbon beer ($1) is cheaper than the local, non-fountain soda. There’s a pile of foil-wrapped ho ho’s by the register in case you want something sweet to go with your savory. (They do have cinnamon knots, but I have yet to try them.)

The day I went in there was no one waiting in line, so I had my pizza ready within 4-5 minutes, and I grabbed a small booth in the corner. There are small plates for your pizza at each table, in case you had some weird idea of sharing. Forks and knives are available, but I usually don’t bother with them. The crust doesn’t work well with them, and the pizza’s never blisteringly hot.

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The UW Botany Greenhouse: a not-so-secret spot

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The University of Washington campus, that place I call home, is huge. Really huge. It seems large enough when you’re driving by to grab cupcakes at the University Village. It feels bigger once you actually start trying to map your classes and realize it’s a half hour walk between buildings. And for those of us that attend, you end up finding nooks and hideaways even after you thought you knew most of the main attractions.

If you want a pretty day on campus, go to the Rainier Vista. If you want to enjoy an amazing library, Suzzallo’s reading room on the second floor totally has you covered. Me, I love the greenhouses.

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ART Restaurant and the infamous cheese counter

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I adore cheese. I used to pack Cirrus cheese from Mt. Townsend Creamery in my field lunches. One of my all-time favorite foods is nachos, and I’m still sad I’m no longer near a Green Cactus, because I have yet to find a proper equivalent that’s not made by me. (Some days you just don’t want to turn the broiler on.) I’m a wuss towards the blues and the uber-aged stuff, but I’m quite content with good crostini and camembert, and I drag visiting friends to Beecher’s.

Ever since I’ve had enough time to actually hunt down good food in Seattle, I’ve been hearing about ART Restaurant and their cheese counter. I’m a loyal follower of Fran’s, and often visit the store adjacent to ART for my sugar fix. But it was always ‘next time’ for the cheese, because I usually had caramel at that point. This time, I trekked the arduous trip out to 1st and Union specifically with lactose in mind.

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Tom Douglas Mega-Tour 2012

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Hi, everyone! I promise I’ll return to pretty photos and horrible stories – and I do have plenty in the works. It’s that I’m currently in midterms and exhausted from Foodportunity, so you get text instead. And you get my newest idea: the 2012 Tom Douglas Mega-Tour.

Eleven restaurants. Over 4.5 miles of walking. One day of insanity. And I want you to join me.

Here is my schedule:
7-7:30 am: Serious Biscuit

8-8:15 am: Dahlia Bakery

9-10 am: Seatown Seabar

11-11:30 am: Ting Momo

12-1 pm: Dahlia Lounge

1:30-2:30 pm: Serious Pie Virginia

3:30-4 pm: Etta’s

4:30-5 pm: Lola

6-6:30 pm: Brave Horse Tavern

6:45-7:30 pm: Cuoco

8-8:30 pm: Palace Kitchen

Katie Okumura over at Tom Douglas is worried for my health. Chris thinks this is made of pure awesome. Yoni just makes noises; I’m not sure what they mean. I just want to see if I can even do it.

Where do you come in, then?

I have reservations for two at a good number of these places so I can get booths to not distract people as much while I’m snapping away. And I’d really love to have company, and maybe make a new friend or two. And, I admit, I only intend to eat a bite or two at every place, as otherwise I’ll be in pain, so there will be plenty to share. But I can also crack really bad jokes about cupcakes and I love meeting new people. (And I now know way too much about nutria, but that may not be your cup of tea.)

If you’re interested, send me a DM on Twitter, email me, or catch me on campus. Adventures are often way more fun with others.

Dishcrawl review, part II – pros and cons

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As the first post was really long – and without pretty pictures – here are the overall impressions that I took away from my evening with Dishcrawl.

The benefits of Dishcrawl:

  • Attending forced me to – gasp – go out to Ballard and actually try places I’ve talked about. Truly, an achievement.
  • Overall, the food was good, and the service and staff at each place were friendly and helpful.
  • At $30, attending a Dishcrawl is a fairly cheap outing, even if it doesn’t include drinks. You could do far, far worse at that price.
  • I got to test out Uber with a nice discount specifically for the event, which was especially awesome as my bus wasn’t running.

Overall cons:

  • I wanted to photograph things with my DSLR, but every place we went to had mood lighting. Some people were willing to use the flash on their cell phones, but that made me uncomfortable.
  • It became unclear how long we were staying at each place, as things got slightly behind schedule and we only had five minute warnings. I don’t mind relaxing, but I found myself wondering how to pace myself for each mini-meal.
  • It was hard to hear what the chefs and staff had to say at many of the locations, which was something I was excited for.
  • I had a great, great desire for better meal coordination. Carbs/cheese + carbs/meat + fried things = mild nausea. And the stuff at La Isla looked pretty interesting, I just couldn’t handle it.
  • Following from the previous point, smaller servings would have actually been nice.

Overall, I was impressed. Dishcrawl managed to drag me out of Capitol Hill – on a weeknight, no less – and introduced me to places I’d never been to. I do have some quibbles, but I think they’re just getting started in Seattle, and will hit their stride soon enough.

(Full disclaimer: I won two tickets through @kristinpotpie/http://kristinpotpie.wordpress.com/. Chris bought a ticket to join in, but later called in sick.)

Dishcrawl review, part I – the food

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So on Tuesday, Anne and I trekked out to Ballard to join the group of Dishcrawl for a night of culinary awesomeness. The concept is simple: four restaurants, four different bites, all within a few blocks of each other. It’s a great excuse to try out some of the better spots in a neighborhood. I’m going to review three of the places - BalMar, Volterra, and La Isla - as I had to leave early and missed out on killer gelato.

BalMar
BalMar does a great job at setting the mood for small talk. A lovely, darkly stained bar is hidden behind small tables, and candles are everywhere. There’s an area upstairs – where Dishcrawl smartly had us sign in – for parties and events with plush leather seats and stools.After we went downstairs to start the evening, one of the co-owners came out and introduced herself. She then talked about how most people come to the 6-year-old Ballard institution for the alcohol, and she was visibly excited to show us what they could do.The first course of the evening was macaroni and (Tillamook) cheese with fried onions and three petite spanikopita. The macaroni sauce was mild and creamy base with a hint of spice, and was topped by a sharp cheddar crust. The fried onions and crust were the best part of the dish, savory and spiced just right. They served the dish in a ramekin; I think it would have been even more glorious in a shallower dish to let that crust take center stage.

The spanikopita were lovely – and, frustratingly, the only item that focused on leafy vegetables the entire evening. (I find myself lately wanting more kale and less beef in my dinner options.) But they were great little bites, with the phyllo shattering nicely and contrasting with the spinach and occasional morsel of cheese.

Volterra
Volterra has ambience, but in a different way than BalMar, all pale tiled floors and dark wood. The room we ate in was their main dining room, with larger tables so we could socialize with other members of the group.

The chef came by to introduce the meal: polenta with a bolognese sauce and shaved parmigiano-reggiano cheese. The polenta was a creamy, well-executed bowl of winter comfort food, with a rich sauce that worked amazingly well, especially with the provided bread. But there was a lot of it, so I mainly ate slowly and talked to my tablemates.

La Isla
By the time we got to La Isla, we had just had a very large quantity of carbohydrates, so I was a bit nervous – my stomach was already threatening to explode.

There was no assigned seating area here; instead, we sat along the bar, which, combined with the music loud enough to drown out quiet chatter, made group socialization difficult. (Anne and I ended up by ourselves in one section opposite the rest of the group.) The servers brought out chicarrones de pollo, small bites of fried chicken, and carne frita, a mini pork rib with shredded onions.

I admit, I tried only one bite of the chicken, which was mainly grease. I am not going to judge La Isla’s food based on this, and feel it deserves a second chance.

After the food arrived, I realized it was nearly ten, so I called it a night and took a cab home. Next time I’m in Ballard, I need to return to D’Ambrosio Gelato, the scheduled fourth stop on the tour.
(Full disclaimer: I won two tickets through KristinPotPie. Chris bought a ticket to join in, but later called in sick.)

In which biscotti photography eludes me

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Over the weekend I tackled a new type of recipe for me: biscotti. I usually make drop cookies or cakes, and thought biscotti were interesting but too dainty for my kitchen. For I admit it – I am a messy baker, one that trashes kitchen space with abandon until I’m finished working. I will avoid cleaning until the last minute with the excitement of a three year old being told they must eat their spinach. So, they weren’t on my to-do list.

I decided to try biscotti at last, in all honesty, out of being stuck on what to write about for the blog. I wanted to make cookies, but we were out of lemons and cream cheese, and I wasn’t in the mood to make any of the old standards or things that required only egg whites or yolks. So, I found a recipe for chocolate biscotti from Chewy Gooey Crispy Crunchy by the awesome Alice Medrich and went to work.

And they were glorious. Continue reading →

Sweet Iron Waffles – the calm within the storm

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When I was younger, I remember walking by myself around downtown Seattle on a really windy day. Being short and delicate, the breeze pushed me around fairly easily; my friends joked I was a kite without a string. I felt some serious nostalgia about those days last week as I tried to stay upright while waiting for the crosswalk light to turn green to walk to Sweet Iron Waffles.

After I passed that first test – and managed to shut the door – it was relatively peaceful inside. The staff were prepping the waffle machines and eating lunch, and as I ordered another guy joined us to eat a waffle and read the newspaper. You could still hear the wind howling outside, but it was slightly drowned out by Modest Mouse. Continue reading →