Salumi

I had read about porchetta sandwiches at Salumi.

Salumi makes handcrafted cured meats and is located at 404 Occidental Avenue South.

Porchetta--$12.50. We took this to go and ate it at the airport 4 hours later. Probably not fair to judge it after such a wait but I thought the sandwich was just okay. There wasn't much flavor and there was no crispy skin. I still like Roli Roti's porchetta sandwich better. They're located at the Ferry Building market in San Francisco.

One of the specials of the day was Beef Tongue. The tongue tasted like pastrami.

2019 03 19

Grand Central Bakery

We happened upon Grand Central Bakery while we were touring Pioneer Square.

It's located at 214 1st Avenue South. There are other locations in town and in Portland as well.

I like their Ginger Molasses Cookies--$3.25. Thick and chewy but still with a nice crispy exterior.

2019 03 19

More Seattle Sights

The Seattle Public Library Central Branch is located at 1000 4th Avenue.

Pioneer Square is the birthplace of Seattle. You can take an underground tour of the city that was covered when the city rebuilt itself after the Great Fire of 1889.

You can pick up a walking tour map of Pioneer Square at the Klondike Goldrush National Historic Park.

Occidental Square is a public park with tables and chairs, as well as a giant chess board and other games. It's located in the Pioneer Square neighborhood. You can enjoy your lunch outside.

Glasshouse Studio, located just a block from Occidental Square, sells glass art. There is a hot shop inside where you can watch the artists at work. 

King Street Station 

It's an operating Amtrak station.

Union Station was built as a competitor to King Street Station. It served the Union Pacific Railroad.

The central hall of the Union Station, which no longer operates as a train station.

We could tell we were near Chinatown.

View of Mount Ranier from the city. This is a rare sight.

2019 03 19

Il Corvo

We had lunch at Il Corvo Pasta.

It's located at 217 James Street, near Pioneer Square. It's only open for lunch Mon-Fri, from 11am-3pm.

We got there at 10:30am and were 2nd in line. Ten minutes later, the line was down the block.

Focaccia--$3.75.

Kale Salad--$5.25.

They make 3 pastas daily--$9.95 each. Pappardalle alla Bolognese. This was amazing. Their pasta is homemade and this was served al dente. The sauce was delicious.

Fusilli with Spring Onion, Artichokes, Capers and Preserved Lemon.

Mezze Maniche with Pancetta, Asparagus and Mustard Seeds.

2019 03 19

Piroshky Piroshky

Piroshky Piroshky is another popular place in Pike Place Market. There's always a long line.

Fortunately, there are other outposts. This one is in the basement of the Columbia Tower. See, no line. As an added bonus, they have Happy Hour twice daily Mon-Thurs: 8-10am, 2-3pm when all their piroshkies are $3 each.

Smoked Salmon Pate. This has cream cheese, dill and onion. The smoked salmon is subtle.

Beef & onion. This is reminiscent of Argentinian beef empanadas. It doesn't have egg though. This was my favorite piroshky. 

We also tried beef & potato but I thought it was too heavy on the potato.

2019 03 19

List Restaurant

I discovered List Restaurant in Belltown. They have Happy Hour all day Sunday & Monday, 4-6:30pm the rest of the week and additionally 9pm-midnight Tue-Thur. During Happy Hour, the Food List is 50% off, a bottle of white or red wine is $19, a glass of white or red wine is $5.50 and beer is $4.50.

List Restaurant is located at 2226 1st Avenue.

Grilled Octopus with Citrus Emulsion--$8 during Happy Hour. This was amazing. The octopus was so tender.

Homemade Gnocchi with Truffle Cream--$9. The cream sauce was delicious.

Lettuce, Goat Cheese and Pear Salad--$5. So refreshing.

Grilled Chilean Sea Bass--$9. This was amazing. The fish was tender and it came with a barley risotto.

This was the best meal we had in Seattle and it was such a bargain.

2019 03 18

Elliott's

Elliott's is located along the waterfront at Pier 56.

Happy Hour is Mon-Fri 3-6pm. Get there before 3pm or risk waiting in a long line.

 Beginning at 3pm, oysters are $1.50. At 4pm, the price goes up to $2 and at 5pm, up to $2.50. The oysters served on the day of our visit was Mirada Oysters.

There are other Happy Hour items. Black Bean Mussels--$4. Fermented black bean sauce, fresno pepper, cilantro and lime. This was very tasty. The sauce was so good.

I ordered some rice to eat with the leftover mussel sauce. 

2019 03 18

Ivar's Acre of Clams

Ivar's is another place known for clam chowder.

There are several locations. We went to the Acres of Clams, located at Pier 54. You can dine indoors or order at the counter and take your food to the outdoor patio. 

Clam Chowder--bowl for $6.25. The chowder was tasty but it needed a little more clam. Fish & Chips--3 pieces of cod for $10. The cod were thin.

2019 03 18

Biscuit Bitch

We had breakfast at Biscuit Bitch.

There are several locations. We went to the one at Caffe Lieto, 1909 1st Avenue.

We arrived at 10 am on a Monday and there was a line. Order at the counter and wait for your name to be called. There are a few tables outside and a counter inside.

Bitchwich--$6.40. Egg, cheese and choice of meat--I ordered sausage. The other options were bacon and Spam. The biscuit was incredibly light and delicious but the sausage was disappointing. I wish it had more sage flavor. There was supposed to be remoulade sauce but I didn't see much of it in my sandwich.

Straight Up Bitch--$7.10. Biscuits & Gravy. The gravy had a good flavor but it needed more sausage in it.

2019 03 18

Ellenos Yogurt

When I mentioned I was going to Seattle, I was told I had to go to Ellenos Yogurt.

It's located in Pike Place.

I ordered the Passion Fruit yogurt in a to-go cup for $4. I'm not a yogurt fan but I have to admit this was the best yogurt I have had. It was even better than what I had in Greece. The yogurt is thick and so creamy--YUM!

2019 03 18

Starbucks Reserve

The first Starbucks Reserve Roastery was opened in Seattle in December 2014.

It's located at 1124 Pike Street, just 9 blocks from the original Starbucks in Pike Place.

Rare Starbucks Reserve coffees are roasted onsite and Starbucks Certified Coffee Masters are on hand to educate.

Try coffee flights or something from their Specialty Beverage Menu.

2019 03 17

Salt & Straw

We opted to get dessert at Salt & Straw.

Salt & Straw is located at 714 E. Pike Street. It started in Portland but is venturing into other cities.

Sea Salt with Caramel Ribbons & Cloudforest Chocolate Hazelnut Cookies & Cream--two scoops in waffle dish--$6.95 + $1.25. I liked the Cloudforest Chocolate but there was too much salt in the Sea Salt. I still like Screamin' Mimi's in Sebastopol better.

2019 03 17

Cascina Spinasse

I was excited to try Cascina Spinasse. It was featured as having one of the best Italian dishes on Food Network's "Top 5 Restaurants."

Cascina Spinasse is located at 1531 14th Avenue.

Amuse Bouche of Anchovy on Buttered Crostini. The butter was a little thick for my liking.

Prosciutto di Parma--$28. Pio Tosini 14-month aged prosciutto with marinated apples and toasted mustard seeds. This was delicious! The prosciutto melted in your mouth.

Insalata di Cicoria--$14. Chicories with an anchovy vinaigrette, hard-boiled egg and parmigiano.

Tajarin con Burro e Salvia (butter & sage)--$15 for appetizer portion/$26 for entree portion. This was not good. The pasta was too mushy and the butter was too heavy.

Tajarin al Ragu--$16/$28. Fine hand cut egg pasta with pork and beef ragu. This was the dish that was featured on Food Network. The ragu was good but I thought it was too heavy for the tajarin. It overpowered the delicate egg pasta.

Cavatelli al Ragu di Agnello--$16/$28. Cavatelli with Lamb Ragu, Rosemary and Parmigiano. This was much better than the tajarin. I was afraid the rosemary would be too much but it was barely perceptible. I really liked this dish.

Broccoli con Bagna Caoda--$11. Roasted broccoli with bagna caoda. The anchovy in the bagna caoda gave the broccoli a nice kick.

2019 03 17