Viso Vitamin Drink

Most energy and sport drinks just taste so...fake, even if they work. But I'm a sucker for packaging. I had to try Viso, a line of all-natural (or at least a lot more natural) vitamin fruit drinks out of Portland. (visit their site at www.drinkviso.com) It comes in three flavors: Razz, Strawkey or Pina, and each are available organically sweetened or au natural. You still get that little aftertaste of the packed in vitamins and electrolyte stuff, but the flavors are light and fresh. And they're cheap—around $1.70 most places, including many Thriftways. Leave a comment if your store carries them.

Viso doesn't contain any caffeine or the other not-sure-if-it's-bad for you taurine, like other energy drinks. Personallly, I've always avoided those boys more because they taste like crap than any harmful effects. (And that Red Bull stuff makes me feel and act like a crack ho.) So forget Red Bull & vodka. I want Strawkey and dark rum, Pina with Metaxa, and Razz with Danska Grapefruit vodka. And in the bar that lives in my brain? I just put them on the menu.

Topics: Eats report

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The Curse of Grand Central Bakery

OK, normally I would not consider my own, or anyone's, personal gastro-intestinal reactions to restaurants to be worth noting. And certainly it's unfair to the establishment since, hey, we're all different. But I can't help wondering about this. Years ago, I went through a period of having lunch at the Grand Central Bakery Cafe in Pioneer Square. Eventually I realized, no, there was just no mistaking it, the place was giving me a stomach ache every single time. So I stopped going. Many years passed, I left town, came back, the place was completely remodeled, its lunch menu completely changed. And so I decided to join one of my delightful co-workers there for lunch yesterday. Nothing fancy. A sandwich, soup. And got the IDENTICAL stomach ache. Is this possible? Anyone have any insights for me?

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One More Vietnamese Restaurant on MLK to Check Out

Huong Giang and Salima, the two restaurants I profiled this week, aren't the only Vietnamese restaurants to open up on MLK Way after Sound Transit mucked up the street. Besides Joy Palace, the Chinese-Vietnamese dim sum house I wrote about back in August, Saigon Pearl, a rather ordinary Vietnamese restaurant in the Pike Street QFC complex, recently took over a failing hot-pot restaurant and have turned it into a bar, lounge, and upscale restaurant.

Saigon Pearl II is pure ambition, a warehouse space with a huge flat-screen TV on one end and shiny surfaces everywhere. The menu is geared toward Vietnamese American diners rather than outsiders, and features tempting, hard-to-find dishes like sauteed frog, goat hot pot, and grilled wild boar — plus another menu of not-translated "drinking snacks" designed to accompany bottle upon bottle of 33. I didn't include Saigon Pearl in the review because I stumbled on the place too soon after its opening date, and the staff didn't have it together yet. However, based on the fragrant banana-flower salad I tasted (rather than the gringo-friendly fried noodles the waitress foisted on me), the place is worth keeping an eye on. If anyone goes, let me know what you tried.

Saigon Pearl, 5178 Martin Luther King Jr. Way S., Seattle, 760-9293. Open for dinner and late night.

Topics: Restaurant Buzz

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McLeod Residence at Your Service

Today, Lele McLeod was kind enough to show me around the soon-to-be-open McLeod Residence at 2209 Second Avenue. The gallery portion of the space opens January 5 as part of Belltown's first Friday art walk.

Something about McLeod Residence reminds me of my much-lamented old living room—the original Speakeasy cafe. Though they're nothing alike, McLeod has that potential to fill many needs of many people at many different times and sometimes all at once. The layout and fun melding of design is cool comfort, stopping way short of trendy.

Light boxes were still being installed in what will eventually become a cafe space. An open call for artists led to the photographs that will fill them. One room is decked out as a turn-of-the-century parlor, complete with Northwest paintings of the period curated by Jay Franklin. A third room is painted black, perfect for multimedia installations and snogging.

McLeod is still part theory, and as of next week only part open. You can book it for private parties or view the gallery during the week from 10am to 6pm. Memberships are available for a limited time, worth it for the free once-a-year club rental fee. The cafe and bar will open in early spring. For more information, visit their site.

Topics: Events

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Cara cara mia

I've been known to get a little obsessive about certain fruits. Seems like every year or two I zero in on a new variety and then must eat it, pounds at a time, until the cravings pass. This fall I developed a thing for Honeycrisp apples, which I had never seen in Bay Area produce markets. Before that, there was the year of the Rainier cherry, the year of the white peach, and the long era of the lychee, when I'd make my friend Denise, who worked in San Francisco Chinatown, notify me of the first fresh lychee sighting each June.

Last year, my F-OCD fixed on this fruit. The cara cara orange isn't exactly new — it was introduced to the United States from Venezuela in the late 1980s — but in the past couple years it has moved from specialty food to mainstream, from pastry-chef cult ingredient to universal accessibility. A low-acid variety of the navel, the cara cara looks like a pink grapefruit, tastes like a less-rich version of the mandarine with a subtle rosewater scent, and makes for addictive snacking.

I have been eyeing cara caras at local markets for the past two weeks — still at specialty prices, sadly — but now that I'm ridding the house of Christmas cookies and moving into recovery month, it's time to see if we can rekindle the spark. Has anybody else spotted these oranges in bulk?

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Lyden Shellfish Gets Its 15 Minutes

Olympia-based Lyden Shellfish will be on the boob tube next week, on an installment of "America's Heartland" (episode #215), a show featuring our nation's diverse agribusiness. Tune into KCTSD2 on Saturday, Dec. 30, at 2 p.m. ET to catch Laurra Lyden-McGregor talk about the business of bringing Manila clams and Pacific oysters to market. McGregor is the grandaughter of the company's founders and knows all about the harvesting process, which takes place at night during the fall and winter months.

FYI: Lyden Shellfish is available at Whole Foods and Uwajimya, among other stores and restaurants.

Topics: News

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Tubs Subs: North Seattle Sandwich Heaven

I know that Seattle born people hate to listen to us interlopers from east of the Mississippi go on and on about how much better this and that is from whence we came, but... On certain culinary topics it's true. I crave the sub sandwich; and no Banh Mi, no matter how garlicy, can fill the void. Don't get out of the city much, so I thought Tat's in Pioneer Square (an East coast deli-cheesesteak-sub hybrid), was the only option. But they're like a Thai restaurant with Chinese food and Pho—too much that leads to not enough.

Then my broham took me to Tubs Subs in Lake City for lunch. They toast the bun, have a two page menu of specialty subs, offer chocolate cake (an important totem), and are absolutely packed for lunch. I had the Godfather, with lots of roast beef, salami, and provolone—riffs on a classic with the addition of pesto mayo. About as gourmet as they get, about as gourmet I want to see. I wanted to hit the guy next to me on the head with my Izze soda and steal his French Dip (broham swears it is extra fine).

If you live around Lake City, Tubs closes after rush hour but before prime time. It's up there, but a perfect "on your way" grab—to the mountains, Vancouver, or uh...Lynnwood. Wait, they have one there. too.

Tubs Gourmet Sub Sandwiches

11064 Lake City Way NE Ste 16
206-361-1621

4400 168th Street Ste #201
425-741-9800 

Topics: Eats report

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New Baguette Box to Open in Fremont

Delectably messy Vietnamese sandwiches are set to arrive in a new neighborhood. Run by Eric Banh of the scrumptious (and yes, loudly formal) Monsoon, Baguette Box is expanding into a two-sandwich-shop-chain, with its second location to open in the first (or second) week in January.

You'll now have a new place to get your fix: a richly sauced, sweet Drunken Chicken sandwich, addictive truffled fries, or high-falutin' banh mi—tastier by far than the bargain $2 versions you can find in the ID. A slather of rich, garlic-pungent aoli adds complexity to the baguette's crisp pickled veggies, delicately fried tofu, and cilantro. Sandwiches are not small, and ARE messy, so bring your appetite...and a pile of napkins.

Baguette Box is spreading the love: a very good thing. Now I only wish they'd expand their hours beyond 8 p.m., so when I really want to spill Drunken Chicken down my the front of my shirt, they'll help me out with that.

The Fremont street location is still elusive, but I'll post an update when I hear back. If anyone knows, please pipe in with the address.

Topics: Restaurant Buzz

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New Year's Eve Dinners

If you haven't yet made plans yet for the turn of the year, and want to head out for the night, time may be running out. We've collected a list of restaurants that promise to usher in the new year with style, swank, and good food.

Check out Molly Lori's post for a list of New Year's Eve dinner options, many of which are linked to tempting, multi-course menus.

And drink up!

Topics: Events

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Last Minute Dessert Ideas

Soooo, you've been asked to bring dessert to some holiday gathering and (like me) you've got zero baking talent. What to do?

Three ideas:

If you're eating with foodies, ask them to crank up the heat after dinner and serve new holiday ice cream flavors from Mora Iced Creamery. You can buy the local company's fresh, artisan ice cream in its Bellevue Square shop. Go for eggnog, pumpkin pie, peppermint (white chocolate with candy cane pieces), or ginger flavors.

If you're going to a function with kids, pick up some of Oh! Chocolate's chocolate-dunked gingerbread men for the wee ones and some rich truffles for the adults. The chocolate maker's Seattle location is in Madison Park, 3131 E. Madison St., 329-8777.

If you're supping with cake fiends, then you must call Capitol Hill-based Coco la ti da. Sue McCown's December holiday cake is the "Cheers Santa Baby." It's a ginger spice cake with eggnog buttercream. You have to place your order by this Friday, December 22.

Good luck, and happy holidays!

Topics: News

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New Year's Eve Dinners

Places that we know are having New Year's Eve din-dins:

35th Street Bistro

Barking Frog

Beato Food & Wine (new in West Seattle, 923-1333)

BOKA Kitchen + Bar

Canlis

Cremant

Coldwater Bar & Grill

Earth and Ocean

El Gaucho

The Harvest Vine

The Hunt Club

Icon Grill

Mulleady's Irish Pub

Palace Ballroom

Six Seven restaurant

Tulio Ristorante

Waterfront Seafood Grill

Yarrow Bay Grill

Call now so you don't end up with seats next to the bathrooms. Also, let us know if you find other spots ...

Topics: Events

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The Gift Of The Mount Horeb Mustard Museum

There are currently 17 different mustards living in my fridge, and I couldn't pare it down. I need every single one. One of the greatest websites is the Mustard Museum of Mount Horeb, Wisconsin. (where else?) You can shop for as many mustards as you like, and the mustard museum gift packs them for you. It's simple and makes a great gift. You don't have to tell people how to use it (like truffle oil), and... It's mustard! Everybody likes mustard!

My pet mustard is the bright green Edmond Fallot Tarragon Dijon, mildly spicy and packed with fresh herb flavor. It tarts up a quick cream sauce, is essential for my slow-baked salmon, and belongs on every roast beef sandwich. And I get my Pudliszki Musztarda Sarepska to put on kilbasa to remind me of home. It's a spiced mustard, along the lines of Dijon...but more subtle and perfect for SAHY-sage.

Topics: Cook This

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Where do you go to escape Christmas?

I just received this question from a reader:

Will you please help the Jewish, the bitter, and the Buddhists by providing a listing and/or articles on things to do/what’s open on Christmas Day? 

Ever since I escaped the restaurant business, I have been required by (maternal) law to spend December 25 cooking for my immediate family, so I'm not a great source of ideas. Any of you have good suggestions beyond the traditional Chinese-restaurant-and-movies outing?

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Best Post-Drinking Brunch

I breakfasted at Ballard's Senor Moose Cafe recently. The place has cute, Mexico-influenced decor and a homey feel. Get there early on weekends since the Leary-Ave.-based space fills up quickly.

I enjoyed everything except the scramble I had with nopales (cactus). The cactus had a green-bean-like texture and bland taste that didn't enhance the dish's flavor at all. I ate around it, wrapping my eggs and black beans in the corn tortillas provided. (A very comforting combo, especially after having a few cocktails the night before.)

On foodie blogs I scoured and at our table, the favorite breakfast item tried was the Huevos Motulenos, eggs served with slightly smoky ham and perfectly cooked plantains. The Huevos Rancheros, which were deliciously wet, were also a hit.

Topics: Eats report

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Foodie Events, and a Holiday Beer Fest, this Weekend

The Elysian, a favorite Capitol Hill brew pub, opened a second location in September; if you haven't visited their new downtown space yet, this might be a good time to stop in. Belgian Noel Week at Elysian Fields offers a tasting of Belgian holiday ales on tap, including their own version, Elysian Bête Noel '06. Sample a variety of Belgian brews, from Delirium Noel '06 to De Dolle Still Nacht '02 to N'ice Chouffe '06. Prices vary. Elysian Fields, 542 First Ave. S., 382-4498.

For more food news & events, visit the expanded web version of Food Files.

Topics: Events

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Eastsiders: Why Cross the Bridge for Bulk Spices?

I received an email from a Bellevue reader asking if she needed to drive over to Seattle to buy the bulk spices I praised in my cinnamon taste-off last week. The answer is no.

According to the spice buyers at Madison Market and PCC, they buy from the same source, an Iowa-based co-op named Frontier Natural Products. And PCC has stores in Kirkland, Redmond, and Issaquah.

But if you haven't been to World Spices, in Pike Place Market, where I purchased Saigon cinnamon, you really should make a trip for the smells alone. 

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Skipping Away

According to this morning's P.I., Edmonds-based Skipper's has filed for bankruptcy after having fallen far behind on its payroll taxes, among other issues. There are probably several theories as to why Skipper's fell out of fashion and faces its current plight. Here's mine: Back in the 80's, when I was a practicing Catholic, if it was a Friday night during Lent and you were a Catholic family in the north end, Skipper's was simply where you went. There were often two hour waits for tables. Didn't matter. We couldn't eat meat, and the Northgate Skipper's (now a Seattle Crab Co.), with its porthole windows, fisherman's nets and lacquered wood seafaring decor, was a bona fide destination. Didn't hurt that the beer flowed rather freely as well, as Catholic families tend to like their hooch.

Now I haven't been to a Skipper's in years, but last I visited the Ballard depot (slated to be closed under the company's Chapter 11 agreement), the decor was sterilized to the point of nonexistence, the service was amateur hour, and the menu included Vienna hot dogs. I can't think of any combination that sounds nastier than Vienna hot dogs and fried fish. That makes the unholy Taco Bell-KFC union seem like Ashford and Simpson by comparison.

Topics: News

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Lutefisk Really Does Taste Like They Say

I have been itching to try lutefisk since I went to college in St. Paul, and the Lutheran church across the street would host an annual lutefisk fund-raising dinner every December. I was too terrified to go then, but over the years I've grown even more curious about this legendarily off-putting Norwegian treat. So when I moved back to Scandinavian country I started looking around for a chance to sample this ... well, would you call dried fish soaked in lye a "delicacy"? (For a rather vivid description of a lutefisk factory, click here. For a picture of lutefisk, click here.)

So this past week I went to Anthony's out on Shilshoe Bay. Every December, Anthony's lutes its own Pacific red snapper (aka yelloweye rockfish), and serves it up, boiled, with a salad, boiled potatoes, boiled carrots, and drawn butter. All for $16.95.

I expected lutefisk to taste like fish steeped in caustic chemicals, but Anthony's version was anticlimactically mild. There was a little fishiness to the aroma, to be sure, but it made Mrs. Paul's seem pungent by comparison. More disturbing than the lack of odor was the fact that the fish was translucent, and when I took a bite, I realized that my friends back in Minnesota had correctly described the texture as "fish jello." I added salt, then lemon, then butter, then more salt. Nothing. The anti-flavor is actually what sent me packing, but not until I'd eaten enough to preserve my pride.

Don't want to spend $20 on a culinary dare? The IKEA restaurant is selling lutefisk meals this month for $6.99. Good luck to you, and uff da.

Topics: Eats report

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Pre-Opening Dinner at Qube

I had the pleasure of attending a well-orchestrated media event at Qube the other night. The Asian-French restaurant at Second Ave. and Stewart St. is opening Friday and this was a trial run for the staff. The eatery will serve entrees such as miso-marinated black cod, but its pièces de résistance will be its Qubed sets. We got to try them.

I chose the Vegetarian set, which, like the Surf set and the Turf set, consists of three courses of three different ingredients, prepared three different ways. (The courses are cubed, get it? Michael Mina would be proud.)

After a few specialty cocktails (yes, the alcohol was flowing all night), we sat down to our sets, which were excellently paired with wine, bubbly, sake, or dessert wine.

The first course's ingredient was butternut squash. I dug the butternut squash tempura with soy-daikon dipping sauce.

The second course's ingredient was mushroom. The shiitake and cashew potstickers were the best of the three mushroom creations (though the portobello and tofu "burger" won for originality).

The final course was "granites" (various fruit-based ices). I traded my friend Dot for her chocolate mousse trio, where the dark chocolate version stole the show, hands down.

The space is modern to the max, with bright green and International orange punches of color and a long communal table that's bar height.

Topics: Eats report

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Canal Street Coffee

Two doors down from my favorite language escuela, Seattle Language Academy (just off the Burke-Gilman in Fremont), is the brand new Canal Street Coffee. It's a former house that's now painted in yellow and raspberry sherbet tones. Inside, the space is super clean and white. They serve Bellingham-based Tony's coffee and, as of yesterday, the usual array of pastries. The art on display was funky/cool and I loved the salvaged train announcement board upon which the drink options were written.

Topics: Restaurant Buzz

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From Stumptown to Seattle, With Foam

You know Vita, Vivace, Umbria, and Zoka,

Lighthouse, Fiore, Top Pot, and Victrola . . .

But in P-town, Stumptown is the leading coffee roaster, carried by many of the top restaurants and fellow coffee houses. The less-than-a-decade-old company has been a media darling of the coffee world, an example of the ethical-indie coffee scene, paying top dollar for everything from their beans to their baristas.

Stumptown plans to open a new cafe in our town, on 12th Avenue near Seattle University. Not so unusual, its founder Duane Sorenson is a Seattleite. The company has already started courting clients and will set up a local roaster. This is to go with their obsessive insistence that wholesale customers receive the freshest coffee possible, meaning they have said "no" to any coffee houses and retailers outside the PDX area until now.

Any Stumptown sitings at your local cafe? Start looking... 

Topics: Restaurant Buzz

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Menu for Hope III

Chez Pim is the blog of San Franciscan and professional eater Pim, and it's a solid read if you're looking to travel and eat well while you're at it. In the last five years, her recommendations and reviews have catapulted her to the upper echelons of blogdom, with food bloggers of discriminating taste gravitating toward her and each other.

For the third year, they've united for the Menu for Hope fundraiser. In 2005, $17,000 was raised for UNICEF, and this year the cash will support the UN World Food Programme, which meets emergency and everyday hunger needs around the globe.

Basically, it's a raffle, and each $10 donation affords you one raffle ticket toward a prize of your choice. The prizes are arranged into categories like "A Meal of Your Life" (fancy dinners at world-class international hotspots) and "Delicious Experiences" (having coffee with a famous chef).

In the "Tasty Treats" category, Seattleite Orangette is offering up a dozen handmade chocolate-capped coconut macaroons (AKA multiple orgasm) delivered to your door. Oh oh oh!!! I just can't think of a better present. Look up her prize code and other West Coast-related ones here, and stick a fork in your Christmas shopping for the gastronomes on your list.

Topics: Blogwatch

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QA Pizza Countdown

A Queen Anne business owner told us about Sorrentino Trattoria & Pizzeria, opening in the old Firefly/Lumette space at 2128 Queen Anne Ave. N. After a few calls, I gathered the following info: It's going to be from Fabio Bonjrada and his Mamma. Fabio's brother Corino, along with biz partner Giuseppe, has his hands in a couple restaurants around town: La Vita e Bella (Belltown), Mondello (Magnolia), and Di Vino wine bar in Ballard.

Sorrentino will have a wood-fired pizza oven and will serve the best dishes from various Italian regions. It's set to open on December 18, if all goes well.

Also be watching for the second Via Tribunali, which will open next year on Galer St. in Queen Anne.

Topics: Restaurant Buzz

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Try Your Hand at Sweet Architecture

Trek to Kirkland tomorrow (Saturday, December 9) for a bit of seasonal food craftiness.

Celebrate your inner architect by constructing your own gingerbread house under the expert guidance of pastry chef Jessica Campbell. This Gingerbread House Extravaganza cooking class promises to supply budding culinary architects with all the imaginable trimmings to help craft an elaborate edible dream house. Hands-on class for ages 7 and up. $49. 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Yarrow Bay Grill, 1270 Carillon Pt., 425-889-9052, www.ybbeachcafe.com.

If you're reading this and have attended this class, I'd love to hear about (or see) the results.

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Boy, Toi

Toi, the gorgeous little Thai restaurant-lounge on Fourth and Stewart, has the most important thing right: its food is super. But I'll be damned if my experience eating there last night didn't rank high among my most schizophrenic nights of dining of all time. In terms of getting our drinks and dinner ordered, the service was marvelous. But when it came time for dessert, our waitress all but disappeared. Then, once we got our order in (fried bananas, green tea ice cream and chocolate chip ice cream cake, all delicious), it took longer to get our dessert than it did to get our apps and entrees. Then there's the vibe: The restaurant's really narrow, and we were seated in a booth near the bar, where a half-dozen belligerently drunk meatheads were conversing loudly. By loudly, I mean shouting; I couldn't hear myself think. When we complained good-naturedly to the waitress, she did squat. I've got nothing against belligerently drunk meatballs; heck, I've been known to play that part on occasion myself. But a quaint, upscale Thai restaurant isn't the place for them, and the restaurant staff should have either asked them to tone it down or booted them out.

Then again, with the frat-tastic Jack Johnson playing on the house stereo, it must have been easy for these blokes to confuse themselves into thinking this was their kind of place. One or two Jack Johnson songs is excusable (barely), but the Jack Johnson didn't let up for the full hour-and-a-half we were there. I didn't know the guy had a box set out. Still doesn't mean you've got to play the whole damn thing. So Toi: Please decide what you want to be when you grow up. You've got all the tools, baby — now a little focus is in order.

Topics: Eats report

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Drinks, Pudding, and Pasta

It sounds strange, but it's fantastic: black sesame pudding. I just tried some at the three-month-old Saiko Bakery Cafe on The Ave. The little Japanese sweet shop also serves azuki bean buns and matcha cheesecake. I'll be back.

I had another worthy dish at Assaggio Ristorante yesterday, the Cappelletti Mauro (one of the most popular items on the menu), named for the Italian restaurant's owner. It's hat-shaped pasta stuffed with cheese and topped with a creamy tomato sauce, eggplant, and prawns. If you go, ask Mauro to tell you about the Caesar salad foam he tried at Asiate in NYC.

Finally, I washed everything down with Beachcomber's Punch at the new Hula Hula. Despite the word "punch" in the title, it's balanced and not too sweet. I remember it contained bitters and falernum. Yum ... and it was served in a funky cup. While there, be sure to eye the lights made from puffer fish.

Topics: Eats report

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Why the Internet is for Holiday Shoppers

I seem to have inherited the Groucho Marx gene. I haven't joined a club since sophomore year in high school, even when the benefit of doing so would be having artisanal bacon shipped to my door once a month.

But your dad, great-aunt, or godkid may look more fondly on club membership, and they'd certainly appreciate a gift that keeps on shipping. Desperate for gift ideas? This Senselist directory of [you name it]-of-the-month clubs opened my eyes to a world of possibilities. Chocolates and beer I'd heard of. But avocados? Chicken soup? Electronic kits? Wow.

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Murray's the Man

I'm ashamed to admit I've only enjoyed the Zig Zag Cafe from its awesome little patio when it's warm out. In other words, I've never watched the inimitable Murray Stenson in action, I've only tasted his drinks from afar. The man is a machine. Anybody who hasn't watched him mix cocktails or tested his booze acumen needs to hotfoot it to the Hillclimb and see firsthand what I'm talking about. I've been known to bitch about the lack of quality bars near the Weekly's offices. No more.

Topics: Boozamahol

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Pho Sure

Lately, Seattle food bloggers have been focused on finding ways to deal with the onset of winter, whether diving in the San Juans (Margaritas and Mad Hatters) or holing up at home with baking projects (Orangette). One of my favorite ways to pass the endless expanse of night—not to mention generate some much-needed warmth—is by dining on that simple, elegant Vietnamese staple, Pho.

Pho-king highlights the best pho from San Francisco to Toronto, with a headline riff on Run DMC's "King of Rock":

I'm the King of Pho/There is none higher/Sucker recipes can call me sire 

Indeed! Chicken noodle soup-from-a-can has nothing on the soothing combination of broth, noodles, and meats (or tofu) dressed up with lime, chilies, basil, bean sprouts, 2 dollops of hoisin sauce and 1 of sriracha (or maybe that's just me). Pho-King mentions Pho Cuong in Tacoma, and makes the obligatory reference to Bellevue's What the Pho?, but allows Than Brothers to chiefly represent Seattle. Though there are dozens of pho eateries in town with their particular take on the dish, many will agree that the chain is King. Is it the flavorful, not-too-salty broth? The creampuffs?

I also want to recommend Capitol Hill's Ballet as the sole place I've found to offer broccoli, carrots, and tofu in your pho. Vegetarians, rejoice! That said, be sure to let us know which pho house is your favorite, and why.

Topics: Blogwatch

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Winter Beer Fest Best

This weekend, Hale's Brewery hosted the Winer Brewfest. I had to taste and dump, braving the strange looks when I handed people an unempty glass. Though a dozen 2-ounce pours of extra-strength winter ale in a half hour is my idea of fun, I thought it unwise before work. One of the things I noticed: Some of these beers were damn hoppy. I know we grow the stuff, but does that mean we have to use ALL of it? Call me old-fashioned, but winter is for malt, and some of the beers were too hopped up to enjoy the flavors of their other ingredients. The hops were like a hyperactive kid: "Look at me! Look at me! Hey, you're not looking!" And I was all, "Shut up! Gawd!"

But the majority were delicious, though it was a challenge to warm them up fast enough so they'd really give up the goods (more strange looks). Baron Brewing Company's Liberator Doppel Bock was one of the standouts. The smell and flavor had a note that reminded me of toasted rice, like the kind in green tea. It was dark chocolatey and smooth, more like a stout. It had me drooling for a hearty beef stew.

Elliot Bay Brewing was there representing my neighborhood with its Noale Holiday Ale, an unfiltered Dunkelweizen. It was rich and hoppy, but not so hoppy you couldn't pick out the hearty dark flavors of coffee and spice. I liked it so much, I went to the pub the next day and had one with my shroom-n-swiss burger. Big Time Brewery Yulefest Winter Ale was bursting with chocolate malt flavors. It was the kind of beer I was thinking about on the way in. Some chocolate stouts can taste a little flat, and this beer had none of that. It was creamy, nutty, a little toasty—an ale in stout's clothing.

Pyramid had two vintages of their Snow Cap Strong Ale—the '03 and the '06. Pyramid's winter beer is probably the most widely available, and it's been a top winter offering the last few years. Snow Cap is complex but not complicated, with tons of subtle flavors. Tasting the 2003 reminds me how awesome craft beers get with a little age, if I can keep my paws of them for that long. And as always, I loved Elysian's Bifrost. They just brew the most balanced and interesting beer, and it all seems to be aimed at me. A little sweet, a little bitter, with a cool Belgian character shining through.

Topics: Events

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Bottle Rocket Cafe

Julie Bergstrom and Allen Chapman will soon be introducing neighbors to their new baby: the Bottle Rocket Cafe. It's opening in the Asteroid Cafe's teeny former space at 1605 N. 45th St. in Wallingford. (There's no connection between the two restaurants.)

In the mornings, the Bottle Rocket will be open for espresso (from Cafe Lucca), pastries, and house-made treats such as zucchini bread. At lunch time, you can get soups, salads, and sandwiches; for dinner, eat in or take out entrees like grilled salmon.

Saturday, December 16, is the targeted launch date.

Topics: Restaurant Buzz

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Osteria La Spiga to Open This Monday

Osteria La Spiga is scheduled to open its new 12th Avenue location on Dec. 11, with a menu inspired by chef Sabrina Tinsley's recent trip to Italy's Emilia-Romagna region. The menu features such tempting treats as truffle-infused egg with micro-greens, prosciutto crudo, and grilled venison with mustard chutney. Osteria La Spiga's new home (an expansion and upgrade from their previous spot in the QFC complex at Broadway and Union) is in the 1920s Piston & Ring Building at 1429 12th Ave. This newly remodeled space promises a bit of old world charm to go with a newly expanded menu. Let's hope the menu tastes as good as these items read.

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Two Great Tastes That Taste Great Together

If you need an after-work fix, or an excuse to cut out early (if 5:30 is early for you) try this unusual tasting event, TODAY, (Tuesday, December 5) at 5:30 p.m., a tasting of Piper-Heidsieck Champagnes with fine artisan chocolates.

Perhaps you'd like a bit of a head start on what to get your favorite foodies for the holidays, or you just can't resist a bit of bubbly and some dark, rich, chocolatey goodness. ($40 members/$45.) You'll have to make your way to Graham & Dunn PC, a law firm located on Pier 70, at 2801 Alaskan Way, Ste. 300, but the goods are tempting.

For more food news & events, visit the expanded web version of Food Files.

Topics: Events

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Koots Anticipation

Soon we won't have to drive to Bellevue to visit Koots Green Tea. The Japanese chain of tea shops will be opening its first Seattle location (and second U.S. location) in the 2200 complex at South Lake Union. Of course, Starbucks has a store there, too, and it’s already open. (They were giving out coffee today as part of a community open house.)

Finding ourselves at Lincoln Square yesterday, my coworker and I sampled some of Koots' green tea—served in a tall ceramic mug—and a delish yuzu cream dessert. We didn't sit in the tatami mat area; we chose the roomy leather lounge chairs instead. Overall, very relaxing ... not too chain-y feeling at all.

Topics: News

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Hot Pretzels and Cheap Brew

A banner outside of Capitol Hill’s Café Metropolitain enticed us enough to try happy hour there earlier this week.

PBR lovers were definitely in the house. The perfect pairing food for the evening? A hot pretzel ($1.50) served with Grannie’s sweet & tangy mustard.

We also sampled the bar’s refined Absinthe ($7), which doesn’t have any hallucinogenic properties but has a soothing black-licorice taste, and a pretty Parisian Sunset ($9), which contains Belvedere Cytrus, Grand Marnier, Chambord, and a splash of Champagne.

Overall: We gave the bar's cheesy Parisian décor a thumbs down; the hot pretzel and the beer deal warranted a double thumbs up.

Topics: Eats report

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