Obligatory Seattle Coffee Post

I know it has been a while between posts, I think the Seattle grey got to me, but for a final farewell to an always interesting city, I thought it was only right to discuss something that is basically a synonym for Seattle.... Coffee.

If you ever played a word association game 9/10 Seattle would be with coffee. That may have something to do with the phenomenon Starbucks that originated in the "Emerald City", or I like to think it is because of the 1600+ independent coffee locations in the city. This number even includes the extreme number of coffee roasters located in and around the metropolitan area. There are more than 10 different coffee roasters in Seattle along, these two staggering facts make it extremely difficult to discuss the "best" of the Seattle coffee scene. Instead, I am just going to rant and rave about my favorites ** Disclaimer: these are my personal opinions, and every Seattleite is entitled to them, I know I left many out, there is only so much caffeine one person can handle. 

Hem hem: 

Caffé Umbria

320 Occidental Ave South, Seattle WA

This has to be my favorite spot in all of Seattle, it not only had the best espresso (in my opinion this means the espresso that came the closest to being an Italian) it also had a unique location. Down in the heart of Pioneer Square, this coffee shop ad great outside seating. While there aren’t too many days in Seattle to utilize this seating, I was able to during a nice week in early June, that really did remind me of being back in Italy. It was a picturesque view with cobblestone streets and some quality people watching. If you are looking to get away from it all in the bustling downtown Seattle. This is the place to go. A side note, this brand is still family owned and operated, and believe it or not they came straight off the boat from Italia 3 generations ago. It is a welcoming environment, and you can often find the Italian speaking club there during the soccer games or on Sundays. For me, while not a typical Seattle scene, was just what I was looking for. A home away from home.

      

Botticelli Café

101 Stewart St, Seattle WA      

They brew Café Umbria, so you already know that I love there espresso, the great place about this little hole in the wall, is their staff. They are knowledgeable, friendly, and just over all great people. They made my stay in Seattle just that more enjoyable. Also, I would recommend the macchiato, its just the right amount of milk and espresso. This is the place to grab a coffee on the go, or on your way to work, like I did every day.

Pegasus

131 Parfitt Way SW, Bainbridge Island

While this brand is not as popular as the others, those Seattleites that prefer this brand, are loyal to it. There is a strong cult following behind it, and I can attest to both the drip and the espresso, and tell you it is divine. The coffee shop/roaster itself is located on Bainbridge island, while not in Seattle it is a great place to spend an afternoon or just a couple of hours.

Cafe Allegro 

4214 University Way NE, Seattle WA

This is the original espresso bar in Seattle, and when visiting it is a must go. It is down in the University district, and they do actually roast their own beans, so it does have its own unique flavor. While not my favorite, it is definitely worth it. The space is hard to find, because it is located down an alley, in a non descript store front (extremely Seattle, there are waaay too many clubs and restaurants that enjoy this idea). And there multiple seating areas are always full of students. If the roast tastes familiar,  they owners worked with Starbucks back before it became the iconic brand we all know and love today. 

Caffé Vita

1005 East Pike Street, Seattle WA

This is what I would call the “Seattle coffee brand” Portland has stumptown, Seattle has café vita (and they’re expanding! They just opened up in nyc) Its good, they even have a great roast blending Theo chocolate (a local chocolate company) and their espresso beans which is my favorite. If you had to choose just one to visit while in Seattle, this would be it.

The following shops/roasters in my "other recommendations" section are great too (see this is what I'm talking about, there are just way too many!) 

- Verite Coffee 

- Espresso Vivace

- Café Victrola

- Fonte Café

- Seattle Coffee Works 

And now, my final goodbye from the west coast, its time to continue my adventures back on the east side of this fine country.

-Adventure on!

Amanda 

Salumi

So there are many things from my Italian life that I have tried to find in the states, one of those is a good panini, and mio dio! I found it hidden away, at a not so secret store front, Salumi in the heart of Pioneer Square in Seattle.
A quick background on Salumi, it is founded by Armandino Batali (yup Batali) father to the famous celebrity chef Mario Batali, now when I heard this fact two things came to mind. 1) I love mario! 2) this has to be the authentic scene I've been searching for.  I did my trusty research, and in fact it was even more authentic than I could have hoped for! It runs Italian Hours! (Tues-Fri 11am - 3pm(ish)) when they run out of food, they close. So I had to take the day off of work, and made my adventure down to this Seattle icon.

I got there around 1pm, and it was just a little late, and they were out of almost everything. There was a small line for Salumi, during the summer the rumors are the line gets to around the corner and the wait can be at least an hour. (I told you, a not so secret) I got lucky, it was a mythical sunny day in Seattle, and I only had to wait about 20-30min. The guy in front of me got the last porchetta sandwich (get it if you can!) But they had this amazing red wine salami (their special for July) so I got that panini. I was full, and did not want to stop eating. The panini was loaded with the red wine salami, peppers and onions, and there two special house sauces. This combination just blew me away (and in all honesty, I really want one right now as I write this). As you can imagine everything is made fresh, daily, and on premises. This is the most authentic you can get, with out really going to Italy, and the love and care that this family puts into everything is just incredible. So worth the wait!

Just a heads up, the store front is really quite small, so this is the type of place with maybe 10 tables in the back, but don't count on sitting inside, especially if its raining. But grab your sandwich, take a walk into Pioneer Square, and enjoy the rich history it has to offer about the settling of Seattle, maybe do an underground tour if you dare!

Adventure on!
-Amanda

Brunching Adventure

Brunch is probably my favorite meal and being new to Seattle I needed to find a new brunch place ASAP. After doing some research (Seattle is full of great Cafe's and restaurants) I decided to head out to Glo's Diner (on a cloudy but not rainy Sunday). Little did I know Glo's is a Capitol Hill hot spot, especially for brunch and late night munchies. They're open from midnight to 4pm on the weekends, almost like a Long Island Diner. They're famous for their eggs benedict, and long lines, so be prepared to wait! I was there on a Sunday in February and I waited for at least an hour (for a table for 2) even though they told me the wait was half an hour. WARNING: there is no place to wait outside, but they do have a couple of plastic chairs outside for those who are lucky, so be prepared to whether the elements, this is Seattle after all. To add to the charm, you need to be outside for that fateful movement when they call your name, no they do not take your cell phone number to call you, and if you're not there its on the next lucky group... so beware!

Now this is not your typical diner, huge with numerous tables and barely any wait, there are maybe 12 tables at Glo's diner for a grand total of 48 guests at a time (hence the long wait). But they sure know how to do brunch right. The menu is pretty straightforward and has all your breakfast favorites, but they are flexible and super open to those picky eaters or indecisive menu gazers (me included).  They have everything from pancakes to my favorite,
eggs benedict, and even a few lunch items like salad.

So the food: first I have to mention the coffee (which my followers know by now, I am extremely picky). It was a bottomless cup of Pegasus Coffee, which is  not only local (BainBridge Island, WA) but delicious! If you ever get the chance, head over to the Island to check out the original roasting location.
Anyway.....  I ordered 2 different types of egg benedict at my waiters suggestion one egg of each type-  The Eggs florentine which had spinach, and the California, which had avocado instead of ham. This was the best decision ever. I was able to sample two delicious variations of a brunch staple. I was hesitant and curious about the avocado and eggs, and let me tell you, it was perfect, I would absolutely order that again. Also I had a aide of bacon- to die for. so good. It was definitely cooked to order, and unlike so many other places, because it came out warm, and still a little greasy from that flat top. The food did take awhile to come out, but I am ok with waiting for my meal if I know that it is being made from scratch!

After, or before, your brunch at Glo's diner, there is quite a lot to do in the thriving hipster neighborhood of Capitol Hill. You can pay a visit to the historic book shop at Elliott Bay Book Company or do some window shopping in the boutiques up and down Broadway. This is a great part of the city to do some quality people watching.

So if you find yourself in the Capitol Hill area of Seattle with a growling stomach, stop at Glo's Dinner, grab an eggs benny while reading a book from Elliott Bay Book Company, you'll blend right in!

Adventure On!
-Amanda

Seattle's Cupcake Adventure

I love cupcakes. In fact, in my old stomping ground of Boston, I went on an adventure to find the best cupcakes. So I figured its about time to make a repeat here in Seattle. I put the four most blogged/tweeted/talked about cupcake shops to the test, and have come up with a winner. The test is simple: bake the best red velvet cupcake. I judge on the cake and icing individually, then  together, and of course the ever important icing to cupcake ratio. I am looking for something worth those calories. So the contestants: Cupcake Royale, Trophy Cupcakes,  Yellow Leaf Cupcakes, and The Sugar Rush Bakery.

Shop #1: Cupcake Royale is probably the best known cupcake shop in Seattle, with 4 different locations throuhgout the city. I happend upon the Ballard location on a gorgeous rare sunny day. Most locations also have the Verite Cafe incorporated in it, that serves a decent espresso (see my thoughts about Seattle's espresso scene in a later post). And the inside of the shop itself is so cute, there is a separate section for Cupcake Royale merch, with their clever sayings such as "frostitute". There is such a great atmosphere within this shop that it really makes an afternoon. Also this location is located in the awesome neighborhood of Ballard. Here there are quite a few things to do, such as visit the Ballard Locks, where you can watch the boats come in the from ocean and go out to the sound or vis-a-versa, or find the ever elusive Ballard Fish Lader where on a good day you can watch the salmon jump upstream.

So to the cupcake: it costs the running street price of 3.50 (with a cappuccino you're looking at almost 8$), and was a traditional "southern" buttermilk cake with a hint of coca, with a pink cream cheese frosting and a candy heart (it was Feb after all). The issue here was that it tasted like it was a day old cupcake. Unfortunately the frosting was hard, as was the top layer of the cupcake. I have a feeling that these guys are awesome when you get fresh ones, but alas I did not. The cake was almost moist, and there was the perfect frosting to cupcake ratio, however, that hard outside really put me off. For the "Best Cupcake Ever" it was really disappointing.

Shop #2: The Yellow Leaf Cupcake Shop, this bakery is less known, and yet was featured on the Cooking Channel's show Unique Sweets for their very special "Tomato Soup Cupcake"  (for those very daring individuals). This cupcake shop is located in the trendy neighborhood of Belltown, and is quite a short walk to many main tourist attractions in Seattle. In one direction you have the EMP (Experience Music Project) and the famous Space Needle, and in the other direction you have Pike Place Market.

So the famous Tomato Soup Cupcake was not in the shop when I went, they change their flavors daily, but I was able to get my hands on their take on a red velvet cupcake. Again, this was during February so the Valentines related decorations were ever present, but that aside this was a delicious cupcake. The frosting was a cream cheese frosting, with something extra that I can not put my finger on. The cake itself was just perfection. I also got a cup of their local coffee, and let me tell you, don't even bother. That stuff was not drinkable. Skip the coffee and indulge in the cupcakes.




Shop #3: Trophy Cupcakes another Seattle cupcake "chain" has quite a few stores in the area. I actually stopped in their February only "pop up" shop in Pacific Place and then went to an actual shop at a later date, so I could talk about both experiences. The actual shop was running out of cupcakes by the time I stopped in and it was only around 4, they only had vanilla cupcakes with either chocolate or vanilla frosting, the Pop Up shop had a little bit more variety, albiet still limited. The actual shop located in University Village, has some of the most amazing shopping in Seattle, while the Pop Up shop is located in Pacific Place with even more shopping. Also maybe a 10 minute walk to Pike Place, you really can't get too far away from it here. You really cant go wrong, shopping and cupcakes is the perfect afternoon.

This cupcake was good overall, a traditional red velvet cake with a cream cheese frosting. There was nothing outstanding or special about this cake despite its quality. There were a couple of good things and bad things about this cake.  The actual cake was extremely crumbly and hard to eat but at the same time super moist. The frosting was smooth and almost melting into the cake. It seems like this cake was frosted while hot, but was totally fresh, and made that day, even though it was bought at the pop up shop.

Shop #4: Coffee to a Tea with Sugar (aka Sugar Rush Bakery) is a real bakery located in West Seattle. They have huge kid friendly shop, with a separate back playroom area, as well as a front patio with a couple of tables for those rare nice seattle days. This shop also has a full menu of soup and sandwiches for those lunch time hunger pains. Their coffee/espresso wasn't bad, but not great, with all the other locations this isn't somewhere I would specifically go for coffee.  This place is about a half an hour bus ride from downtown Seattle and maybe a 15 min bus ride from an amazing national park. Lincoln Park is a great way to spend those rare gorgeous Seattle afternoons. This has a pretty rocky "beach" and awesome hiking trails. This is a great park for families, dogs, and those beginner hikers. The awesome thing about this shop was that they sell mini cupcakes at $1.50 and you can actually just get 1! Most shops in Seattle only do mini cupcakes to order and you must order at least 1-2 dozen, so that was a nice surprise to find.

The cupcake, was really quite disappointing, especially after the sign that said "voted best cupcakes in Seattle!" I was expecting a mouth orgasm from these cakes, and needles to say I was left wanting. This bakery used normal frosting, that did not even have a hint of cream cheese anywhere to be found. Also, there was not even enough of this unsatisfying frosting to go around on this cupcake, it was an extremely thin layer. The red heart was also done in plain cake frosting with food coloring, and was an unpleasant surprise to say the least.


And the winner is......
THE YELLOW LEAF CUPCAKE CO!!!!!

So, if you are in the mood for a cupcake, or something to satisfy that sweet tooth, make your way down to the Yellow Leaf Cupcake Co, sample a "unique sweet" and walk those calories off at the EMP! 

Adventure On!
-Amanda

Pike place chowder

So I made the mistake of thinking that getting chowder on the weekend would be a simple thing. And hence the chowdhaaa adventure. I got to the market at 2pm on a Saturday, and decided to go to the world famous Pike Place Chowder after failing to go after work during the week because they close when the rest of the market does (5pm). The line was huge!!! It wrapped down the store and around the corner. And when one has a hungry stomach it only makes for a cranky experience. But I was hoping this "world famous" chowdhaaa would be worth the wait and hold its own against my Boston favorite. A word to to the wise, this is a food stand, yup that means barely anywhere to sit! Maybe 4 tables, most sitting is outside an let's be honest in Seattle that means there's no seating. Even with that long line it only took about 20 min to get my food they have mass service down to an art, it's impressive.

I got their famous "Traditional New England Clam Chowder" in a bread bowl the first time (if you're a real adventurous person try the 4 bowl sampler). I paid 11 for the bread bowl, which I don't think was worth it. Get a large bowl for 3 dollars cheaper, you get a huge hunk of sour dough bread anyway. And also you don't want to fill up on bread, because you're going to want to devour the whole bowl of chowder.Yup that's right, it's THAT good.

All those awards are well deserved. My only complaint if I had to have one would be too many potato pieces and not enough of that amazing broth. In this chowder you get hug hunk of clams, basically whole clams, so you know they came from the famous fish market just a couple of steps away. But in each bite I was getting more potato than clam,  and by the end I was fishing around the potatoes trying for just the clams and broth. But enough negativity, that broth. O MAN. It was creamy perfection, there were subtle hints of bacon, but not too over powering, it had the right texture, creamy but not chunky. It was down right perfection, and I could eat more than a large bowl of that soup. There was something else about this soup that I just could not pin point, some other main ingredient that just added to it. Also, the broth did not over power the delicate clams when you got one on your spoon, they were able to handle their own. This really was the best chowder I've ever had. Kudos!

So "Pike Place" Chowder, yup thats right the best thing to do around this shop is explore the world famous Pike Place Market. This is an intricate labyrinth of levels of indoor markets, which include seafood stands, fresh farm produce, flowers, and local Seattle artists. You can spend the whole day exploring the many hidden treasures located in Pike Place/Post Alley. The lower levels (below street have many interesting craft and hobby shops, where the locals are extremely nice and helpful, you can come out of here with not only a unique experience but gifts and treasures. Pike Place is my favorite spot in Seattle, and is the great start place to explore downtown Seattle. There are so many great food options here that this is a hot spot in Seattle not to be missed!

So on those inevitable cold and rainy Seattle days, grab a cup of chowder and see what mysteries the Pike Place Market has to offer. 

Adventure On!
-Amanda

Bobby's Burger Palace

My most recent adventure has been to Roosevelt Field Mall in Garden City, Long Island to the newest branch of the Bobby Burger Palace chain. This location recently opened, within December of 2011, and I was able to go twice within a week, and had varying experiences. The first thing about this restaurant is the concept behind it. It is semi fast food, with communal seating, meaning you order your food at the registers and have the option to sit in the restaurant at these long tables, or take the food to go. Both times I was in a party of 2, and had no trouble finding seating. The interior is really clean, and quite striking. There is a wait staff that will bring your order (they give you a number when they take your order) and clean the tables and even offer free refills. They were all extremely friendly and helped to add to the experience. This portion of the service both times was incredible. The menu for this place is relatively simple, burger, fries and milkshakes (which can even be spiked!) There are some non-burger options such as salad, and there is the option for a turkey or chicken burger instead of the beef patty. The surprise on this menu is the beverage selection, which includes beer, wine, and Bobby's famous margarita from his MESA Grill.

The first trip was below par in my opinion, and that was because of the register service of the person taking my order. I understand that when the place is packed and they're trying to take the orders as quickly as possible, however, skipping the most important question is a big No-No. He did not ask my how I would like my burger cooked (which is always rare) and when I reminded him, he made some movements on the computer and said that he fixed the order. When my original CrunchBurger arrived it was actually cooked to Medium (at best) it was still juicy and delicious, so I ate it anyway, but it detracts from my opinion of the place. I really could not get over the fact that my burger was not rare. So the CrunchBurger, (I got mine with bacon) Is a simple yellow american cheese burger with a stack of potato chips add on top. "Crunchifiying " your burger is a big thing being advertised at the joint, meaning you can add chips for no extra charge to any burger, it is even the slogan on the back of all the staff shirts. However, after eating a crunchified burger, I did not feel that it was worth it, and in reality after that first bite, the chips did not add anything special to the burger. That texture that should have been there from the chips became lacking after the initial bite and after holding the burger. I had the regular fries, they were good and came with the BBP Fry Sauce, which was interesting. The sauce had an unexpected kick to it, making it a tad spicy, but overall I was not a fan of the sauce, and the fries themselves were only OK. I would not order these again. I also had the dark chocolate shake, which was like drinking a thick and creamy version of hot fudge, which I really enjoyed. The shake variety is awesome, however, I did wish that the "adult" versions had better combinations of flavors and alcohol.

The second trip was even better than the first because my burger was cooked to a perfect rare, it was delicious. This burger was red throughout and juicy to the point that it was leaking from the burger. This was the burger of the month: Pacific Northwest Burger, which had white american cheese, cremini mushrooms, and a red wine BBQ Sauce. One word: AMAZING. I do wish there was more of the sauce on the burger, because not every bite had the complete flavor, but other than that, it was perfection. I had the onion rings, which were good and huge! I want to know where they find onions that big. Also had the sweet potato fries, which I think are the winning side here. They were perfection, they had the honey mustard horseradish sauce, which had a great taste, a little on the honey sweet side, but paired well with the sweet potato. I would absolutely order those sweet potato fries every time I come in.

If you missed the location of this great place, its in Roosevelt Field mall, need I say more? The only thing to do before and after (to work off all those calories) is SHOP! This in my humble opinion in the best mall on Long Island, has all stores from high to low end, and everything in between.

Overall this is a great concept restaurant, and perfect location, I expect it to do extremely well. The menu is affordable, and simple, it keeps to the basics (burgers, shakes and fries) and Bobby Flay threw a couple of well placed surprises as well. So when you need a break from shopping at Roosevelt Field Mall, grab a Burger of the Month and a side of sweet Potato Fries, and relax (and make sure you double check that order)!

Adventure On!

-Amanda

Roxy's GC Adventure

Since the onset of the Food Network show, The Great Food Truck Race, food trucks have been all the rage. There are too many to count in NYC and they have started to take Boston by storm. From the second season of TGFTR, the "cinderella story" truck, Roxy's Grilled Cheese quickly became the fan favorite, but unfortunately was sent home before the finale, and I was dying to try their creations. Being so mobile has its advantages, such as a couple of locations throughout Boston (Coolidge Corner, Northeastern, Boston Public Library, and BU), if you want an update on when and where they will be, follow them on Twitter! I was lucky enough to live down the block from their tri-weekly spot on the Northeastern University Campus! YAY. Let's just say that location has led me to be an expert on their menu. 


Roxy's grilled cheese has a solid menu of various grilled cheeses (and even a few for the vegetarian as well) and different side dishes, (fries, tomato soup etc). I have gone to this truck too many times for lunch after class (or hungover), and the guys on the truck are always amazing. They have such energy, even on the crappy weather days, have great taste in music, and crank out those GC's with speed and perfection. I haven't had a sandwich I didn't enjoy. They bring the upscale flavors, combinations and ideas to a downscale concept. If you see them, the line is worth the wait! 

The Mighty Rib

I had the pleasure to try a majority of their menu, and there are two classics that are my hands down favorite: the Mighty Rib and the Green Munester. These are there staples on their menu, and sometimes sell out! The mighty rib was the first GC I had from them and still my favorite, it is a perfection combination of fontina, caramelized onions and braised short-ribs. (And its the right price.) This gc hits the mouth with such amazing flavor, its hard to believe it came off of a truck. It does have the tendency to get messy and melty, so I suggest eating it as quickly as possible. The Green Munester is munester cheese (obvi) guacamole and bacon! This really struck me as such a unique combination, and I was almost afraid to deviate from my fav mighty rib, but these guys can not steer you wrong. This was heaven. 


As for the sides, handcut truffle fires, sausage gravy poutine, or beer battered Grillo's pickles (sometimes they even have home made tomato soup!) the poutine is where it's at. I had never heard of such a thing before seeing it on their menu, and so I took that flavor adventure, with not knowing at all what it was, and it was one of the best decisions I made. Poutine is fries with gravy and cheese curds, in its most basic form. The poutine at Roxy's is just elevated to perfection, and again, not something you would expect from a food truck, but with these guys its always better to expect the unexpected. 

The Green Munster

I have two different qualms with the guys on this truck, the first is that the special "Fall Melt" was not added to their permanent menu. (understandable i guess when you think of seasonality of ingredients). It is Vermont cheddar, butternut squash, apples and rum soaked rasins. Instead the The second is the price of the duck gc, $11. While I understand food costs, and labor costs, and that you want to make a profit in this world, it's hard to really justify buying a sandwich (off a truck) at that price, hence why I have only had that once, and I know a lot of people who had to go with other options because of that high price.  With that being said, it is absolutely delicious and the epitome of the high class flavor profiles Roxy's is known for to such a rustic and traditional menu.  

Poutine

I would go to the GC truck when its parked either on Heminway or in fron the the Boston Public Library, because these locations lead into a couple of great things to do/see in Boston. The location on Heminway is down the block from the Museum of Fine Arts, which is one of the best museums in Boston. The MFA has recently opened a new wing containing the "Art of the Americas", and always has such amazing collections. Currently, there is a Degas and the Nude being showcased, but keep checking their website for the most up to date information. The location in front of the Boston Public Library leads for some great adventuring of Boston.  This really is a central location, and has many sites to see within in a 5 minute walking radius. Here you can explore the Copley Church/Square, the Boston Public Library, and even some shopping down two blocks on Newbury Street. Or walk down the street to the Prudential Center, where you can pick up the famous Boston Duck Tour, or even do more shopping! 








Grab a Mighty Rib, walk down the block, and go stare at the brand new wing in the MFA. This is a great way to spend any day in Boston. 


Adventure On! 
-Amanda