Category Archives: restaurants

The Lovely List | Offbeat Seattle Favorites

April 23, 2012 –

I decided to do a list of things I love about Seattle. You have Ann to thank for this suggestion.

This isn’t an exhaustive list nor is it a typical one. I figure you already know about Pike Place Market and the Space Needle. Who doesn’t? Instead, I decided to share a few of my favorite places in Seattle about which you might not already know.

Enjoy and please feel free to email me with any questions!

The above picture was taken in West Seattle. This totem pole is a small spot, but it boasts one of the coolest views of the city.

If you like combining food, drinks, and crazy movies together, you’ll love the Central Cinema.

For summertime swimming, you have got to visit Coleman Pool. It’s a saltwater pool right on the shores of the Puget Sound. You can even host a private pool party there!

There are two places in this city for extraordinary sandwiches. I mean this. You will be forever changed by the Italian sandwiches at Salumi and the Caribbean sandwiches at Paseo.

While we are on the topic of food, please eat an amazing twice-baked almond croissant at Bakery Nouveaux. For the best baguettes, I prefer Columbia City Bakery.

For a hearty breakfast, I love the Heartland Cafe. I also love the lesser-known Continental Greek restaurant in the University District. You will NOT find a better fried potato anywhere in this city.

If you are here on a Friday night and have a hankering for something different, I strongly encourage you to go to Dom Polski. It’s like walking into Poland and it is SO much fun. Delicious too.

Do you like coffee? I’m an addict. If you are downtown, take a moment to visit The Good Coffee Company. No frills here or fresh cups of coffee, but you can watch them grind fresh beans and learn a thing or two at the same time from the knowledgeable staff.

For a hot cup and a short jaunt from The Good Coffee Company, I love Trabant Coffee on 2nd Avenue. It’s wonderful organic coffee and a well-lit space to rest in an otherwise busy part of downtown.

One of my favorite quiet indoor places is the Suzzallo Library at the University of Washington. The cathedral like space is spectacular and perfect for a quiet moment. Also, the Chapel of St. Ignatius at Seattle University is beautiful. You don’t have to be religious to enjoy the light in this hideaway. It’s a nice respite from the craziness of the Capital Hill neighborhood.

Sunday afternoons are best spent wandering the stalls of the Fremont Sunday Market. Fresh fruits, baked goods, and a thrifter’s heavenly flea market.

There are a lot of places to eat pizza in this town. Everyone flocks to the wood fired pizza joints. They’re O.K., but I’d much rather have a big slice of pizza with fresh ingredients from Proletariat Pizza in White Center. While this isn’t technically Seattle, it’s worth a visit for some of the best pizza I’ve ever had. Also, you can have homemade ice cream across the street at Full Tilt Ice Cream or a nearby pint at Big Al’s Brewery. And, other coolness? White Center has a roller rink too!

Finally, I love the Georgetown Trailer Park Mall. That sounds weird, I know. The trailer park is actually a group of airstream trailers, which were converted into small thrift stores and line one of the alleys in this very cool neighborhood of Seattle just south of Boeing Field. I’ve included some pictures to prove such a spot exists!

I’ll see you later this week. I hope you will try out some of this lesser-known spots in the Emerald City. If you do, I’d love to hear about it!

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restaurants travel

Dom Polski Restaurant | Members Only

January 11, 2010 –

I’m all for exclusivity as long as I’m included in the clique. This is why I was so excited to learn that a “members only” club in Seattle was allowing people to sign up for a 1 day membership in order to partake of an excellent feast. Wouldn’t you sign up to be Polish for a day in order to eat homemade pierogies? Do I even have to ask this question?

The real question is how could I live in Seattle for so long and not have any idea that paradise opens its doors twice a week? How did I not know I could drink fine beers and feast on starchy treats if the mood struck?

It took a Maryland transplant to open my eyes to this gem located smack dab in the center of my old stomping grounds on Capital Hill in Seattle?

I’m talking about Dom Polski. Have you been?

You should. This Friday. I mean it. You will not be disappointed. The place is fantastic. It’s woodsy and 80s prom decor all mixed together. It’s hipsters and old folks hanging out under one roof. Everyone is having a fantastic time.

And, the food. Oh, the food. It was piping hot and so tasty. I loved every bit from the fresh homemade pierogies to the cheesy dessert crepes washed down with dark cold beers.

Heaven.

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meat restaurants travel

Hey Paison!

December 9, 2009 –

Yes. You heard me right. Hey Pasion!

That’s exactly what you will hear yelled out when you walk into this little nondescript deli in Burien, Washington.

For those of you who live in Seattle, that was not a typo.

B U R I E N

Burien, the gloomy suburb to the south is dotted with strip malls and gigantic streets that feed into the airport. And, in the past, I would have said there was little to sell me on the place. However, B-town is going through a revitalization of sorts. There’s a new library. There’s a brewery and a new indie movie theater where you will be able to imbibe alcoholic beverages!

Movies + Beers = Fun

Best of all, there is Hey Paison! If you are anywhere near Burien, I highly recommend you try it. Don’t be scared off by the dreary street on which it sits or the strange quiet feeling of the area. It’s a real gem. These Italian sandwiches are the REAL deal. Thinly cut prosciutto. Sweet peppers and eggs. Cheese steak. It’s a sandwich lovers dream. It is also the latest addition to my list of favorite haunts. I warned K, however. This is not going to be a weekly sort of deal. I might die of a heart attack.

It is a treat. A real treat. I do love Salumi, but this might be better. Dare I say?

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dessert restaurants travel wedding

Essentials

September 15, 2009 –

According to my more worldly friends, there are several things a girl needs right before her wedding.

A massage.

A manicure.

A night out on the town with her crew.

A stiff drink.

I’ll gladly take all of the above. However, I have one more pre-wedding essential to add to the list.

A trip to a fabulous French bakery with her beau.

Oh, and I’ll take some steamy and delicious coffee with that too.

Exhibit A features this final, but abundantly essential, pre-wedding requirement.

I now understand that a good pastry can really take your mind off of the piles and piles of things you left until the last minute. It can be transportive, in a sense. And, while full of things that might make you plump, you might find eating a cube of butter in pastry form decreases stress. You might even add years to your life.

You think I’m exaggerating. I might be. However, I noticed a change in K’s spirits following his ingestion of the buttery croissant at the famous Tartine. He was more upbeat and seemingly inspired to go about a long day photographing another happy couple as they take the plunge.

I was thankful for this. It’s been a busy busy season. But there is much about these days to celebrate. It’s ridiculously important to slow down.

So when you and your sweetie find yourselves sweating over thousands of place-cards made by your loving hands with an exacto knife, scissors and a pretty little stamp, take a load off and head out to Tartine or your nearest and dearest french bakery. The benefits of the butter far outweigh the burdens.

Now, I must get back to it. Just thinking of pastries puts me in far better spirits.

Just 12 days left.

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