Elliott's Oyster House

We walked around Seattle enjoying the sun on a beautiful day. We headed down towards the pier.

Walking along the pier to...

Elliott's Oyster House for...

Happy Hour. 50 Cent oysters!?

A dozen oysters for $6!? Pretty much amazing.

When I was researching some restaurants before our Seattle trip, I read some good reviews about this place and their oyster happy hour. 

Black Mussels.

Calamari.

With a pint of locally brewed Hefeweizen.

Original Starbucks

When in Seattle, most everyone visits the original Starbucks, which was founded in 1970. It moved to this location in 1976 and has been a tourist magnet since.

Exterior.

Its amazing that this small coffee shop is the origin of the largest coffeehouse company in the world now, with 17,133 stores in 49 countries (according to Wikipedia).

1912 Pike Place

Everything inside of the store was brown, instead of the green we are accustomed to.

Starbucks Teddy Bears.

There were a lot of street musicians around the Pike Place Market. This day, there was a band playing in front of Starbucks and an adorable girl kept everyone entertained with her dancing. She was so cute and totally feeling the music. I should upload her video...

Piroshky Piroshky

Never seen a Pirozhki shop in America before, ever. Its a Russian bread with various stuffings. While we were walking around Pike Place Market, we found Piroshky Piroshky with an impressive amount of people wating in line. We decided to try it the next morning.

Small shop that opened in 1992.

A lot of different choices.

 

Baked on-site inside the shop. You can see them making it through the window.

Apple Cinnamon Roll

Potato, Onion and Cheese

Because both of these were so good, my sister wanted to go back the next morning to try another one..

Spanich, Egg & Cheese

The dough was so soft and chewy and they were generous with the amount of filling in each bread. They had an article on their window that said Bill Clinton (during presidency) had personally called this store asking them to deliver some of their breads. Guess its famous...

The Crumpet Shop

A couple of years ago, a family friend had brought Crumpets for us when she visited from London. That was my first crumpet and the beginning of a mini-obsession. Since then, I've picked some up at Trader Joe's and Whole Foods, but it lacked the fluffy yet chewy, doughy texture. I was super excited when I found The Crumpet Shop in Seattle.

Exterior.

Small, charming place that opened 34 years ago!

Its also conveniently located in the Pike Place Market.

Ordered the Crumpet with Butter & Honey

This crumpet was the BEST I've ever had, so perfect (But then again I'm comparing it to pre-packaged crumpets).  Toasted surface with the soft and dough-y texture inside. They freshly bake all of their crumpets on-site. Wish I had this near my home.

Molly Moon's Ice Cream

Randomly found Molly Moon's Handmade Ice Cream on the walk home from dinner.

Sign.

We already had dessert but since there were so many people, it had to be good! Couldn't resist...

Menu board.

Small Cone: Scout Mint & Honey Lavender.

They were both really good choices but I especially liked the Honey Lavender. This cone was $1 extra because it was freshly made to order, but it was too sweet and lacked the crispiness of sugar cones that I prefer.. should have gotten it in a cup. 

Exterior.

The fact that they use local and seasonal ingredients (organic when possible) is definitely an added bonus. 

 

Stumbled on this article.

Sushi should not be frozen, defrosted or called poppers...

Safeco Field

While we were roaming around, trying to figure out which train to take back to downtown, a lady asks us if we were going to the baseball game... didn't even think about watching a baseball game in Seattle, but its Ichiro's home! We already had an early dinner so we headed to...

Safeco Field.

Only to find out that they were playing against the Angels, my hometown team!

Really nice stadium with a great view of downtown Seattle.

First time watching Matsui play as an Angel and witnessed his flawless homerun.

And of course Ichiro. The always stretching Ichiro.

Cool artwork made of old license plates.

Mariners vs Angels.

Angels won 5-3.

Cascina Spinasse

After arriving in Seattle, we were starving because we hadn't eaten anything since morning. Our first meal was dinner at Spinasse, which was recommended by my sister's friend.

Exterior.

The restaurant was full already when we arrived around 6PM so we were seated at the bar. This was actually a better experience because you can watch the chefs in action.

They start you off with a Rabbit Foie Appetizer with Balsamic Vinaigarette. Yum.

They were celebrating their 2nd anniversary and were giving each guest a complimentary glass of Rose Champagne. Score!

We started with "Antipasto misto della Casa", which is a tasting of all of their house antipasti. It came on 2 platters:

1st platter: Proscuitto de Parma, Prochetta Tonnata and Salame

All of these were so delicious, especially the Prochetta Tonnata (in the back) which is a slow roasted pork served with maionesse sauce.

2nd Platter: Zucchini in Carpione, Insalata di Cicoria di Campo (Marinated Rabbit salad) and Insalata di Barbabietole e Uovo (Beet Salad)

NV Barbera d'Washington-Cavatappi

Out of their mostly Italian wine selection, we opted to try a local wine. This was a really smooth and nice red wine that went really well with our meal.

Ravioli di Melanzane

(Handmade Eggplant Ravioli with Braised Walnut Sauce)

Never had eggplant inside of a ravioli before but it was so good. There was this bitter aftertaste to the ravioli (sort of like a burnt/smoked taste) which I really enjoyed.

Tajarin al Burro e Salvia

(Handmade fine cut egg pasta with Butter & Sage)

This pasta seemed to be their "signature" pasta because mostly all the guests were ordering it. I really liked the simplicity of the dish but thought that the pasta was way over cooked.

Semifreddo di Gianduja

(Chocolate Semifreddo with dark chocolate and feuilletine)

The combination of the ice cream and the toffee roasted almonds & caramel sauce on the bottom was amazing, the perfect amount of sweetness and bitterness. I could go without the chocolate sauce and the feuilletine though, which was too sweet.

Definitely would recommend eating here when in the Seattle area. Great food, ambiance and service.

Home Sweet Home

Back from Seattle.

Will start the updates tomorrow.

In the meantime, should have trained my dog to do this.

Genious.

Valhalla Table

After reading about Valhalla Table via other OC food blogs, I had to try it. Homemade, all natural and organic sausages... how can I not?

Menu.

Very simple and casual interior.

Went at a weird time so we had the place all to ourselves.

My order: Bratwurst with Caramelized Onions

Bratwurst is my favorite, and this was definitely a tasty one.

My sister's order: Turkey with Sundried Tomato & Romano Cheese with Sweet Peppers

I thought this sasusage was a little salty...

Nice, cold pint of Allagash White.

Love Belgain White Beers!

Off to:

Seattle tomorrow.. can't wait to eat there!

Din Tai Fung (鼎泰豐)

Din Tai Fung in Arcadia probably has the best steamed pork dumplings (小籠包) in this area. I wish they would open a store closer to home.

Exterior.

There's two Din Tai Fungs back to back, this one is the new store.

(Just noticed the girl in the middle... what is she doing?!)

Steamed Pork Dumplings

Shrimp Fried Rice

Steamed Vegetable & Pork Bun

Steamed Red Bean Buns

Inside of the Red Bean dumpling... love this.

Steamed Black Sesame Paste Bun