Oddfellows Opens Windows

This is how Oddfellows handled a recent sunny morning. Not a bad place to breakfast on a sunny day.

Barrio Brunch: Vegetarians Get Creative

Barrio instituted a weekend brunch earlier this month, and we ate there this past Saturday. At 10 a.m., we were among a handful of diners taking advantage of a rare sunny April morning here in Seattle. We chose a table overlooking 12th Avenue and observed two women meeting each other for brunch - one had just scored a great parking spot and both were trying to figure out how to use a credit card for the parking meter.

Brunch started off promisingly. Ever since reading Jonathan Kauffman's Barrio review last month, I had been wanting to sample the Michelada Barrio - made by mixing "a nothing of a beer on top of a quarter-cup of red-brown sangrita, then rimming the glass in crunchy fleur de sel and black pepper." It was a great improvement on a Bloody Mary and a drink for which I will make a return trip. The beer gave the drink some refreshing carbonation. As Eric sagely noted, I would probably have been as pleased with any brunch drink that gave me an excuse to have beer for breakfast.

In contrast to the abundance of cocktail choices, there were only a handful of vegetarian options for brunch. When Eric asked our waiter for a recommendation, he walked away promising to come up with something. He then recommended the huevos divorciados - two fried eggs, one with red sauce and the other with green. Eric said that the sour/tangy tomatillo taste of the green sauce overwhelmed the other ingredients. I had better luck with my choice - the chilaquiles of the day (sans the rib-eye). The chilaquiles were nothing like I had in Mexico. However, they were delicious in their own right - limey, cilantro-laced and delicious. Barrio uses the smaller, thinner-skinned limons used in Mexican cooking. The limons have less acidity and more aroma and sweetness. We both agreed that Barrio was worth a return visit - for the chilaquiles and the Micheladas alone.

Victrola Reimposes Ban on Weekend Wi-Fi

photo courtesy of niallkennedy via Flickr CCL

Be warned - after a year long respite, Victrola customers will (once again) not be able to park & surf on their laptops on weekends. For those of you needing a Wi-fi fix, stop by at Hillside Quickie - they have free Wi-fi.

Boom Expands Happy Hour

After work yesterday, I felt like having a cocktail before heading home. Luckily, Boom Noodle is on my way home. On nice warm days, their garage windows open to the outside. There were only a few people sitting at the bar. I found out from the super-friendly bartender photographed above - that Boom has expanded their daily happy hour from 4 to 6 to 3 to 7 pm. I had the refreshing, not too-sweet mojito pictured above. For food, I had the miso broiled rice cakes and the chilled sesame tofu - enough for a wholesome vegetarian meal really. I will definitely repeat this experience.

Linda's Patio

After work, we joined up with much of Capitol Hill and had beer and fries on Linda's patio. No need for the heater lamps - as it was in the 70s. It doesn't get much better than that.

Ballard Market

I ventured over to the Ballard Market today and was so impressed with the variety and abundance on show. We made stops at Tall Grass Bakery (try the Sesame Twists), Sidhu Farms and the fruit vendor photographed above. Cannot wait until the Broadway Market starts up on May 10, 2009. We started off the day at Cafe Besalu and the uniform praise for their baked goods is well-deserved (the cardamom pretzel reminded me of Indian sweets). I had the Leek/Goat Cheese quiche and it rivaled some of my favorite quiches from Boulangerie Nantaise.

Anchovies & Olives

I finally had the chance to try Anchovies & Olives this past week. We stopped by at 6 pm on a Wednesday night (this proved to be a fortuitous time as the place was nearly empty and A&O does not currently accept reservations). I am a big fan of Union and Tavolata, though I agree with the criticism that both places (especially Union) have a corporate look to them. Myself, if the food is nearly always well-prepared, the waitstaff and bartenders professional, and overall a great value - I can overlook the lack of atmosphere and soul. A&O benefits from the open kitchen, its small size and the large picture windows. These facets lend it the feel of a neighborhood restaurant. Immediately after we sat down, the waitress asked us if we wanted prosecco. We were later nonplussed to find that each glass was $10 (would have been nice if the house wine was priced a bit lower). We also ordered the Columbia City Foccaccia (served with Arbequina Olives) to nibble on: at $2, this is the best value on the menu and I would recomend it to anyone concerned about going hungry at A&O (e.g. Yelpers)

Whenever I go to a seafood restaurant, I try to make choices based on sustainability. To read about the consequences of choosing farm-raised salmon & tuna every time you eat out, read this Bittman column. My authority on this is Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch - and I was able to access most of the data on their new cool iphone application. Shellfish are generally good choices - so I opted to try the Cherrystone Clam and the Kusshi Oyster for starters. I was a little disappointed by the lack of heat in the Clam, as it was to be served with a bit of chili oil. For my main dish, I chose the Daurade (more prosaically known as porgy here in the U.S.) with Gnocchi and Nettles (no Pancetta). The fish was nicely cooked with the skin kept on and crispy - and the flesh tender and moist. I could not taste the nettles (but maybe this was a good thing) and the Gnocchi was tender but a bit bland. The dish was well executed if not memorable. We opted for an Umbrian Red (well priced at $32) for the wine accompaniment - it was a good choice as the wine was light-bodied with fruity notes. We opted for the cheese plate to close out the evening. All in all, this was a satisfying but somewhat pricey meal (tab with tip was over $85 each). Next time, I will probably skip the Prosecco and the cheese plate.