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…

White Trash Cheese

As I was eating my Top Pot Donut this morning I couldn’t help but think of the Dahlia Lounge donuts. Top Pot and Dahlia donuts have nothing but the name “donut” in common yet that was enough for me to make the connection. Granted, I love donuts like a fat kid loves cake so it wasn’t hard to go from my Ginormous Top Pot Jizz Bomb to the warm, soft, deliciousness of the Dahlia Donut. 

dahlia donuts
with vanilla mascarpone
and seasonal jam

The fifth stop on the #tourdetom was brunch at the Dahlia Lounge and the donuts weren’t the only thing to grab my attention. Evidently, brunch at 10AM at Dahlia in the summer equals flocks of hot ladies in sun dresses. The food wasn’t bad either.

The donuts at the Dahlia are a must. The fresh, fried to order, donuts covered in cinnamon and sugar served with vanilla mascarpone and seasonal jam are not to die for, but pretty close. As far as donuts go, I can see how one can get addicted to them.

daily scramble -
roasted peppers, avocado,
queso fresco, chive blossoms

The Daily Scramble which is served daily in a scramble form factor was my top pick. It featured eggs, roasted peppers, avocado, queso fresco, and chive blossoms. Alongside the scramble were a buttermilk biscuit, parmesan potatoes, and breakfast sausage. As I was eating this plate of sweetness, I had no idea what queso fresco was. “Queso fresco” just sounds fancy. I am a fan of cheese but I am a simple man with simple tastes. The only fancy cheeses I get are the white trash fancy cheeses like Dill Havarti or Smoked Gouda or Velveeta.

buttermilk biscuit, two poached eggs,
red eye gravy, country ham,
watercress-cherry tomato salad

Other dishes that were ordered on this visit were the omelette with morel mushrooms, charred corn, fine herbs, and parmesan. I’m not sure what “fine herbs” are but it sounds as fancy as “queso fresco” and that was pretty good so they must be too. The biscuit and gravy, two poached eggs, red eye gravy, country ham, watercress-cherry tomato salad was good too. It was my first biscuit and gravy using brown gravy instead of a rich and thick sausage country gravy. However the red eye gravy was tasty. I have no idea what was in it and am assuming it was not made of red eyes.

All in all, the Dahlia Lounge was great for brunch and it being so close to my office, I will be dining there more often.

That's all I got...

Addictions

24oz grilled dry-aged washington rib steak,
country bread croutons, roasted peppers,
arugula, lambrusco spring onions

A good friend once told me that “nothing is an addiction unless you are willing to suck a cock for it.” Thankfully, I’m not addicted to anything. Speaking of addictions, I want to go back to Cuoco for another steak. I want to be clear that I am not addicted to them. However, if there were a steak that one was to be addicted to, it very well would be the 24oz grilled dry-aged Washington rib steak.

The fourth stop on the #tourdetom was Cuoco, found below Brave Horse Tavern. It is conveniently placed so you can stumble down stairs from the tavern into the restaurant. If I had to do the tour again, I would definitely save the best for last and dine at Cuoco for my final Tom Douglas meal.

Where the other restaurants seemed packed and busy, Cuoco felt more private and relaxed. The dim lighting and the near private table made it easy to carry conversations without hearing or seeing anyone else.

There were five of us and we all ordered different entrees so I got to try a lot of different plates. Add three appetizers and three desserts and I left a happy monkey. I am not going to get into all the dishes, but will point out a few of my favorites.

grilled pork loin chop,
roasted baby fennel, grilled apricots,
shaved fennel, almonds

The steak of course, as previously mentioned, was my favorite. It was served with a salad consisting of country bread croutons, roasted peppers, arugula, and lambrusco spring onions. Allison Austin Scheff of Seattle Magazine said the “dressing diminished the meaty flavor of that serious steak.” I think Allison is full of shit, but I’m no expert. I thought the balsamic paired nicely with the steak making the flavor come alive in my mouth.

Another notable was the grilled pork loin chop, roasted baby fennel, grilled apricots, shaved fennel, and almonds. Taking a bite into the piece of pork, I was in my own little world. I didn’t need the fennel, the apricots, and the almonds. They were just added bonuses to an already perfectly prepared piece of meat.

spring lamb ravioli, english peas,
spring onions, rosemary

The presentations of the two meat dishes were gorgeous, whereas the pasta dishes were a little lacking. If the steak and the pork were “A’s” the pasta’s fell to a “C.” It looked like they took the pasta, tossed it on a plate, and said “done.” Maybe they did. Maybe my expectations were too high.

cappelletti, charred broccoli
that was dumped on a plate

At any rate, the presentation didn’t matter once the pasta hit the taste buds. We had the Tajarin, Spring Lamb Ravioli, Agnolotti Dal Plin, and the Cappelletti. All were equally good and worth a try.

If you find your way to South Lake Union for dinner, make your way to Cuoco. But be careful, you wouldn’t want to get addicted. 

That’s all I got…

Brave New World

“I want to know what passion is…I want to feel something strongly.” – Aldous Huxley

These words can be found in Chapter 6 of Brave New World. I first read them in high school and they have stuck with me since. Questions about that passage still roll thru my head as I lay in bed at night. “Would I even know what passion was if I felt it?” “What would it be like to feel that strongly about something?” "Would I be too drunk to notice it?"

* * * *

From the land of sky blue waters...
Hamm's the beer refreshing...

The third stop on the #tourdetom was happy hour at a bar in South Lake Union. I left my office around 4:30 so I could get to the bar and save some seats. The bar was packed and I found myself sitting in the center of a long table hoping the groups at both ends would leave.

In the meantime, I ordered a $2 Hamm's, a pretzel with dipping sauces, and corndogs. As my coworkers arrived at my table at Brave Horse Tavern, so did the food. Two pretzels with pimento-cheddar, sour cream & crispy onion, and smoked peanut butter and bacon dips and three hand dipped corn dogs with smoky ketchup, honey mustard, and ancho cream.

two pretzels with
pimento-cheddar,
sour cream & crispy onion,
and smoked peanut butter and bacon

I had time to kill before I needed to stumble downstairs to Cuoco for my 8:30 dinner reservations, so I sat on that bench at that table at that bar eating pretzels and corndogs and drinking Hamm's for the next 4 hours.

As I sat on that bench at that table at that bar eating pretzels and corndogs and drinking Hamm's for the next 4 hours, I knew that I could have gotten up at any time. I knew that I could stop eating at any time. I knew that I could have stopped drinking at any time. BUT, I DID NOT.

The Perfect Trio

I felt so strongly about the pretzel, corndog, and Hamms combo that I chose not to move for four hours. All the while I kept ordering more rounds of that perfect trio. It was sometime between hour three and hour four that it hit me. I finally know what passion is. I finally felt so something strongly. I can now move on from Aldous Huxley and think about some other random passage in some other random book in some other random time of my life.

 That’s all I got…

I'm Writing About Pie, Seriously

Who doesn’t like pizza from a wood fired brick oven?  “No one” should be the correct response. Anyone that says otherwise should be **** in the  **** with a ******. 

That being said, I think we all can agree that wood fired brick oven pizza is the way to go. The Seattle area is home to a few decent places; Veraci, Via Tribunali, and Tutta Bella are the ones I frequent. It’s pizza so it’s difficult to screw it up. As a fat kid who eats pizza several times a week, I would like to think I know a good pie from a half-assed, half-hearted piece of dough with sauce and toppings.

I have stayed away from Tutta Bella pies lately. They have started to taste like a dry wafer that I have to choke down. Via Tribunali has always treated me well sans the gallon of water I have to drink after I eat a pie so I don’t dehydrate and start to cramp. There’s nothing worse than walking down the street and having a calf cramp so I fall over on the side walk looking like I am having some sort of spastic seizure. I’m not embarrassed because I’m used to it now, it’s just uncomfortable. Veraci is good, but it is in Ballard. Ballard is the second most inconvenient place to get to in the Seattle area; number one is Magnolia.

Enter Serious Pie. With two locations, one on either side of my office, it seems like a prime place to try.

buffalo mozzerella, tomato sauce, fresh basil

The second stop on the #tourdetom was Serious Pie for lunch. We went to the South Lake Union location. “We” being 12 of us from the office. Most were like me, Serious Virgins Serious Pie Virgins. We were sat promptly and threw down a few Rainier Beers while eating a few of their popular pies.

yukon gold potato, rosemary, pecorino

For the non-meat eaters (something I will accept but never fully understand, I mean how can you not like meat?!), the buffalo mozzerella, tomato sauce, fresh basil pie was tasty. It did lack one thing that would have made it a little better I think: MEAT. It still was flavorsome if you’re in to the no meat eating sort of thing.
We also ordered the yukon gold potato, rosemary, pecorino pie. Again it was tasty and again it lacked meat.

The third one that we ordered was the sweet fennel sausage, roasted peppers, provolone pie. Fennel sausage is pretty good alone, and then you make it sweet, and then you put it on a pie? One slice is all it took to sell me on this place. I can look past the previous pies that lacked meat due to the collective flavor of the sausage, peppers, and provolone exploding in my mouth. To me these combined flavors are the new holy trinity of pies. The sum of these toppings is far greater than them individually. 

sweet fennel sausage, roasted peppers, provolone

Everyone likes pizza so everyone should try Serious Pie.
That’s all I got…

Never Under Estimate the Power of Cheese

To me, cheese can take the blandest item and make it better. Take macaroni for example. Alone it is nothing; add cheese and you have yourself one of the greatest dishes ever created. Or take dough, sauce, and meat. It sounds rather boring.  Add cheese and you have yourself a pizza. Cheese, Cheese, Cheese. 

* * * *

The Zach

The first stop on the Tour de Tom was Serious Biscuit. Serious Biscuit is nestled in South Lake Union and next to Soul Wine. It is below Serious Pie and houses the Dahlia Workshop.
Being a huge fan of Pine State Biscuits in Portland, OR, the bar was set high for Serious Biscuit.

Dahlia Workshop

In speaking with Herschell Taghap, Social Media Manger, who was at Serious Biscuit to greet me, I learned the signature biscuit was “The Zach.” The Zach is a buttermilk biscuit with fried chicken, Tabasco black pepper gravy, egg, and bacon. I ordered Corn & Green Onion Hush Puppies and The Zach. After I ordered, Herschell gave me a tour of the Dahlia Workshop where workers were busy making bread and desserts for the other restaurants.

After the tour, my biscuit and hush puppies awaited me.  

Hush Puppies

I never understood the concept of eating deep fried corn bread in a nugget form factor. Rather, I never understood until now. The hush puppies were amazing. As soon as I bit into one I knew it would be back for more.

In trying The Zach, the Tabasco black pepper gravy stood out. Partner that with the taste of bacon, fried chicken, egg, and buttermilk biscuit and you have a quintet of deliciousness. Still, I couldn’t help but think there was something missing. I couldn’t put my finger on it until I saw a picture I took of “The Reggie” from Pine State Biscuits. Like The Reggie has fried chicken, bacon, gravy, with an option for an egg. It also had one thing that The Zach did not. CHEESE. The Reggie has a slice of Tillamook Cheddar Cheese. Because of this, I still think Pine State Biscuits has an edge on Serious Biscuit.

This doesn’t mean I will not be going back to Serious Biscuit. It just means I will be ordering The Zach and asking if they would add a slice of cheese.

That's all I got...

#TourDeTom (A Tom Douglas Experience)

Being from Seattle and being a fat kid that loves food, I have continously heard rave reviews about Tom Douglas Restaurants. I have avoided them due to reasons I can't explain so I won't even try. You are welcome to draw your own conclusions, but they'd probably be wrong.
A week ago I was out with some friends and once again the topic of conversation was a Tom Douglas Restaurant. I had nothing to offer so I shrank in the corner with nothing but my can of Rainier Beer (yes, I am THAT classy).

SIDE NOTE: Rainier was a local beer that was brewed in Seattle for over 100 years (1884-1999). It was sold to Stroh's but is currently owned by Pabst Brewing but is distributed my Miller.

As I sat in that corner drinking can after can of Rainier Beer, I decided enough is enough. The next time I would be in the midst of a Tom Douglas Restaurant discussion, I was going to be in the know. That night as I lay awake in bed trying to figure out the best approach to learning about Tom Douglas Restaurants it hit me. "I am going to eat at every restaurant next weekend" I thought to myself. I jumped out of bed and went to my computer. I used the google machine and created a schedule that would put me at all of Tom Douglas' main restaurants.

The plan was as follows:
Friday
8AM Breakfast - Serious Biscuit
12PM Lunch - Serious Pie
5PM Happy Hour - Brave Horse Tavern
8PM Dinner - Cuoco

Saturday
10AM Brunch - Dahlia Lounge
7PM Dinner - Palace Kitchen
9PM Dessert - Seatown

Sunday
10AM Brunch - Lola
7PM Dinner – Etta’s

It was then that #TourDeTom was born.






That's all I got...

What Am I Doing Here?

I don't even know...

That's all I got...