The End of The Tour

I haven’t been thinking about food lately. I don’t want to force it, plus it’s been so hot lately that I wanted to take advantage of the free vitamin D while it lasts.

creamy clam chowder
with bacind and parsley oil

The final stop on the #tourdetom was Etta’s. After a long weekend of eating, I was glad that it was the final destination.

I will say it now: Etta’s has the best clam chowder I have ever tasted. Yes, the “Rub with Love” salmon was good and yes the Fish Monger’s Stew was good, but the creamy clam chowder with bacon and parsley oil was the most memorable.



grilled wild king salmon, sauteed greens,
cornbread pudding, shiitake relish

Etta’s is my second favorite dinner spot within the Tom Douglas family. Being close to the market allows one to take in one of Seattle’s tourist attractions and then have a great meal.

It was a great meal to end the #tourdetom with. When I do the tour again (“when” not “if”) I will be doing the tour in a different order. I feel like I have had the full Tom Douglas experience and look forward to going back to some of the restaurants.

It looks like I have to stop typing now because RussTwoey the cat keeps jumping on the keyboard and won’t go away.




oysters

tom's tuna sashimi,
green onion pancake, tobiko

washington beef strip loin, english peas,
roasted porcini, mashed yukon golds,
mushroom jus

fish monger's stew:
pacific northwest seafood,
spring vegetable broth, tarragon pistou



chocolate and malted milk cake,
malted chocolate cream, cocoa crispies


That's all I got...


They All Can't Be Perfect

triple coconut cream pie
with white chocolate and toasted coconut

Sometimes you go to a restaurant and your server just isn’t that pleasant. Sometimes it feels like the server just doesn’t want to be there and that serving your table a hassle. Sometimes it doesn’t matter how good the desserts are when the server makes you feel as if you and your friends are an inconvenience to her. At least that’s how I now feel about Seatown Seabar & Rotisserie, the seventh stop on the #tourdetom.

The triple coconut cream pie with white chocolate and toasted coconut is a must have and I did notice it was at several other Tom Douglas places so you can avoid the not-so-nice server at Seatown. 

Lamb caramelized garlic - red wine glaze

Side Note: Seatown was the one restaurant on the tour that was an unannounced visit. Herschell Taghap, Social Media Manager for Tom Douglas Restaurants, had a list of the tour stops and let the restaurant managers know when we were going to be visiting. Seatown was not on the list and an executive decision was made the day of to try to fit it in on the tour.

The hostesses were super nice and we had two people recognize us and even comp’d us a dessert, but what we all took away from the experience was the server’s attitude toward us. Boo.

Tom’s big breakfast - roasted corn,
walla walla onion, green beans,
 poached egg, garlic yogurt,
toast, octopus

Lola. Lola. Lola.
I had heard Lola was "the place for brunch." It was busy when we went around noon on Sunday. Our reservations for 12:15 and we were seated by 12:45. While we waited for our table, we sat in the lobby of Hotel Ändra and watched people check out.
Since it was lunch, I opted for the lamb kabobs. However I did split an order of pancakes with a coworkers daughter. The kabobs were good, but the pancakes and the maple sausage were better. I've been around the block and love me some good pancakes and sausage, this was the ultimate pancake and sausage plate. It was so good that I forgot to be bothered by the waiter not ever filling my water glass.

pancakes and pork-maple sausage,
vanilla mascarpone, maple syrup

The food at Lola was great, but I'd only go back if I could find a time that was less busy as it took what seemed like forever to order and receive food.

That's all I got...

Belltown VD

The past few years I have thought that Belltown was one of the places you go when you want to contract a VD. It used to be Lower Queen Anne, specifically Pesos. But these days I am pretty sure it’s Belltown; pretty much all of it. I don’t have firsthand experience, but I love my stereotypes and prejudices enough to feel strongly about it.


goat cheese and lavender fondue,
wood grilled bread, cameo apples

Knowing that the fifth stop on the #tourdetom was in the heart of Belltown, I was willing to risk it. Purell in hand, I made my way to Palace Kitchen for dinner. I often have a bottle of Purell close as I never know when I may need to traverse into Belltown. I had no expectations for this restaurant. I knew very little about it except that it was a Tom Douglas establishment in Belltown.

washington king salmon,
smoked mushroom vinaigrette,
sauteed prosser farm greens
and yukon gold mashed potatoes

Knowing that we were on the tour, we were seated right away without having to wait. We started off with drinks and appetizers. Everyone loved the fondue sans me. It’s not that I didn’t like it, but I am a man of simple tastes so the goat cheese and lavender fondue was too fancy for me. It was a far cry from the melted Velveeta I so love. Between the fondue, plin, and wings that we ordered, my favorite was the plin. Anytime you have ravioli filled with roast pork and chard, you are going to get my vote.

rotisserie chicken,
rhubarb and strawberry jam,
sauteed prosser farm greens
and yukon gold mashed potatoes

Out of the entire tour, this was the only time I had food envy. I can sit here and tell you how delicious the rotisserie chicken served with sautéed Prosser farm greens and Yukon gold mashed potatoes was. I can tell you that the Washington flat iron steak, blue cheese, cured chili and charred sweet onions was delightful. I can even tell you that the Washington king salmon with a smoked mushroom vinaigrette was enjoyable. What I cannot tell you is how good the Palace Burger Royale is. Being a burger guy, as soon as it was delivered to the table I couldn’t take my eyes off of it.



palace burger royale -
1/2 pound of handground chuck,
bacon, cheese,
dahlia bakery onion bun, fries

From start to finish I watched as someone else got to eat the burger as I sat back and enjoyed my meal. A tear came to my eye as the entire half-pound of hand ground chuck on a dahlia bakery onion bun with bacon and cheese was devoured.

As the meal came to an end and we were leaving the restaurant I knew only one thing for certain, I’m going back to Palace Kitchen and I’m getting the burger.

That’s all I got…