There are so many changes happening on Capitol Hill right now. It seems like new condos are being put up overnight. Everywhere I look, something is being torn down so that something bigger and taller can be put in its place. While I like the idea of having a denser urban area (less sprawl hopefully means less cars), it makes me wonder when they are going to come after my apartment building. But, for now, the good side to all of this development is that there are a ton of new restaurants opening up in my neighborhood this summer! Let’s see, there’s Cafe Presse, a casual French cafe and newsstand from the owners of one of my favorite lunch spots, Le Pichet. Linda Derschang, of Linda’s Tavern and Viceroy fame, is opening a new place called Smith up on 15th Avenue. Later this summer, the guys from Blue C Sushi in Fremont are supposed to be opening a Japanese noodle shop a few blocks away from us on 12th and Pike. It’s almost too much. We barely have time to visit our standby restaurants as it is.

Last night, we visited another product of the condo boom: Bimbo’s Cantina. Bimbo’s Cantina is the new incarnation of Bimbo’s Bitchin’ Burrito Kitchen, which was previously located down on Pike & Summit until that block was bought to make room for condos. Fortunately for us, the new Bimbo’s is much closer, now located on Pike between 10th and 11th. I’ve always liked Bimbo’s. Their burritos aren’t mind-blowing or anything, but they are good and cheap. Plus, they use lots of organic ingredients. The new Bimbo’s has a slightly more streamlined look. There is still plenty of Mexican kitsch, but it not quite as over the top as it was at the old restaurant. There is a much stronger focus on Mexican wrestler-related kitsch, including a pretty cool Mexican wrestler stained glass window above the door. Bimbo’s Cantina seats around twice as many people as did the old Bimbo’s, which means about 30 plus additional seating at the bar. Whereas the old space was dark and cramped, the new Bimbo’s is spacious and airy. It might not be quite as cool, but I felt really comfortable there.

I ordered what I always order, the “No-Meato Burrito” which is your choice of tortilla (flour, wheat, spinach or tomato) stuffed full with rice, beans (whole, refried or black), lettuce, black olives, sunflower seeds, tomato, cheese, guacamole and cumin-lime sour cream. It was totally messy and delicious. I’m a sucker for the crunchy sunflower seeds. Robert had the “Down Home Burrito” which is filled with a choice of meat (herb-roasted chicken or beef) and garlic potatoes as well as rice, beans, etc. They accidentally left out the meat which, if you’ve ever been to Bimbo’s, isn’t too surprising. He didn’t mind too much, though, because the garlic potatoes were so good. Bimbo’s also offers nachos, tacos and quesadillas and lime jello for dessert for $0.50. The usual Mexican beverages are available including a good selection of cervezas, sangria, margaritas and Mexican sodas. It was a very filling meal and the best part is that, even with beer, we got out of there for under $20!

The Cha Cha Lounge, which is affiliated with Bimbo’s and was previously located right next door, also made the big move up the hill. Now, it is directly downstairs from Bimbo’s. After dinner, we decided to check it out. It is humongous compared to the old Cha Cha. There is tons of seating, including some really nice booths. It looks like all of the leftover Mexican kitsch from the old Bimbo’s was moved into Cha Cha. The walls and ceiling are covered in it; that, combined with the dark red lighting, makes for an otherworldly atmosphere. We didn’t stick around, but it looks like it will be a pretty fun place to meet friends at for drinks. Bimbo’s Cantina and Cha Cha Lounge are located at 1013 East Pike Street.

Yesterday was my birthday. I never do anything too crazy for my birthday. I do like to use it as an excuse to eat lots of good food, though, and this year was no exception! On Sunday night, my family and I went to Kingfish for my annual birthday dinner. I’ve written about Kingfish before so I won’t go into it too much here except to say that, man, their desserts are huge! I had heard that they were “oversized” but apparently I didn’t quite understand what this really meant. We ordered three desserts to split between the seven of us, and we would have easily been satisfied with only two (we did somehow manage to finish all three though!) The dark chocolate cake was an encyclopedia-sized slab, the cherry cobbler was served in a trough, and the strawberry shortcake was piled sky-high with fresh strawberries and whipped cream. It was truly awe-inspiring. If Robert and ever go there alone and want dessert, we may need to go in on it with another table or something. It was so good, I think it would be worth it. The cherry cobbler was my favorite.

My friend took me out for lunch yesterday at one of my favorite restaurants in the International District: Shanghai Garden. We ordered hot & sour soup, mu shu vegetables and spicy szechuan bean curd. One of the things that I love about Shanghai Garden is the table service. If you order soup, they bring it out in a big bowl and then portion it out for each person at the table. They also assemble your mu shu for you, putting the perfect amount of hoisin sauce and veggies into each pancake. I really like the way that Shanghai Garden makes their fried bean curd. Instead of using firm tofu like a lot of restaurants do, they use a soft, silky tofu. It is crispy and light on the outside but soft and pillowy on the inside. The szechuan bean curd was served in a slightly spicy sweet & sour sauce with broccoli and snow peas. We had this with brown rice which was pretty unusual; it was more of a reddish color with lots of darker kernels sprinkled throughout. It was all so good!

After so much dining out, I was more than happy to stay home for dinner on my birthday. I didn’t feel like cooking, though, so I headed down to Pike Place Market after work and picked up some items for a deluxe smorgasboard. I got a really nice piece of freshly-smoked salmon from Pure Food Fish which ended up being way more than I needed (We only ate a quarter of it. I used the rest to make smoked salmon & pickled onion sandwiches on rye tonight.) From DeLaurenti, I bought a small wedge of Taleggio cheese and another small piece of Rogue Creamery’s Smoky Blue from Oregon. If you’ve never had this cheese, you must try it! It is so unusual; it is a blue cheese that has been lightly smoked which makes it taste a little bacony. Mmmm…blue cheese and bacon. But, the true hit of the night was the Taleggio. I just love this cheese. It is kind of stinky, but its flavor is mellow and nutty. And it is so deliciously creamy. I also picked up some Rainier cherries and the last of the local asparagus, which I grilled rather successfully on my little grill pan. To drink, I served another Oregon product: A to Z Winemaker’s 2005 Pinot Blanc. It was a really fantastic wine. It was very full-bodied but without the oak that is usually associated with heavy whites. It just had a really nice, full fruit flavor. Ah, so much good food in such a short amount of time. I can’t wait for my next birthday!

The weather was too nice on Friday to be stuck indoors working so my friend and I decided to take an extended break and venture down to Lola for lunch. Lola is part of Tom Douglas’ restaurant empire here in Seattle, which also includes the famous Etta’s and Dahlia Lounge. Open as of July 2004, Lola boasts of menu of Greek and Greek-inspired dishes. The lunch menu consists mainly of smaller dishes, including a wide variety of meze and kebabs, whereas the dinner menu features more hearty fare such as goat stifado and roasted chickens. Should you ever find yourself wandering around Belltown late one night, keep in mind that Lola has a tasty-sounding “late-night” menu. Lola also offers a weekend brunch and even weekday breakfast.

To drink, my friend and I each ordered a “dry soda” just because it sounded unusual and had good flavors. We later learned that Dry Soda is actually the brand name. Dry Soda is a Seattle-based company. They make sodas that are supposed to be less sweet and “all natural.” I had the kumquat soda and my friend had the lavender soda. There are also rhubarb and lemongrass versions. Both sodas were good, but I thought they could have been fizzier. And, at $4.00 each, I might as well have ordered a glass of wine or something with booze in it.

We started off by sharing an order of the Kalamata-Fig spread which was absolutely delicious. Salty from the olives and slightly sweet from the fig. It was served with small wedges of yummy homemade whole-wheat pitas. For our entrees, my friend and I both ordered the same thing. How boring of us, I know, but we couldn’t help it because this dish just sounded so interesting: Haloumi Cheese & Cherry Kebabs. Haloumi is, not surprisingly, a Greek cheese which is made from both goat and sheep’s milk. It has a very high melting point making it able to stand up to intense frying and grilling. The kebabs were on the small side, although I’m not really sure how much grilled cheese I could eat in one sitting so that was fine with me. The cheese was chewy and meaty and the sweet-tart rainier cherries were a nice accompaniment. I would have liked to see some grill marks or at least a bit of char somewhere – these are kebabs after all – but that’s a minor complaint. The kebabs at Lola are served with pitas and tzatziki and your choice between Greek salad and “smashed” potatoes, which are really more like “cracked” potatoes and were good if a bit dry. Overall, it was a pretty tasty meal. It cost a bit more than I normally like to spend on lunch, but what better way is there to kick off my birthday week than by splurging on food!

Lola is located at 2000 4th Ave, at the corner of 4th and Virginia. Reservations can be made by phone (206) 441-1430 or online via Open Table.

We met friends for brunch down in Georgetown today. Georgetown is a really funky, industrial neighborhood just south of Seattle. It has several cool bars and restaurants, including our favorite summertime pub, Smartypants. Although it is a pretty hip place right now, Georgetown still has a really sleepy atmosphere, and that’s part of the reason why we love it. We have never had to wait for a table at Smartypants; there are always just enough easygoing patrons in the place to keep the equally laid-back wait staff moving, but it is never packed (a refreshing change from the loud, ever-crowded pubs of Capitol Hill.)

We were originally planning to meet today at Smartypants, but, since it is technically a bar, our friends’ little 6-month old wasn’t allowed in. They suggested that we try Hangar Cafe a few blocks down instead. Hangar Cafe opened several months ago. It is located in a little brick house and is very cute inside, with only a handful of tables and a small counter where you order and pay for your meal. There are also some tables outside in the front yard (outdoor seating in Seattle – yay!)

The regular menu at Hangar Cafe is pretty small and basic, but their specials board today had about 10 or more really inventive and delicious-sounding offerings. I chose the asparagus and mushroom omelet casserole which was served with “potato balls” on the side. The omelet was tasty but a tad on the overcooked side. The potato balls were certainly the unexpected highlight of the meal. They were big, round croquettes of peppery smashed potatoes, crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. I’ve never seen anything like this on a breakfast menu before. I love potatoes and this was a really great way to have them. Slices of nutty wheat toast and a nice selection of sliced fruits rounded out the meal.

Hangar Cafe is a place that I am looking forward to going back to. If not for the food and the homey atmosphere, then I will definitely return in the summer for the outdoor seating (complete with a front row view of the planes screaming into Boeing Field next door!) Hangar Cafe is located on the corner of 13th Ave S and Albro St. and is open for breakfast and lunch Monday through Friday from 6:30am to 4:00pm, Saturday from 7:30am to 3:00pm, and Sundays from 8:00am to 3:00pm.

Robert and I have settled into a fairly strict sushi routine over the past few years. Every couple of weeks, when we are craving sushi, we head down to our neighborhood sushi joint, Hana on Broadway, and every time, without fail, we order the exact same thing. We start off with bowls of miso soup. This is followed by one Spicy Tuna Roll and our three favorite nigiri sushi: Sake (salmon), Saba (Mackerel), and Suzuki with Shiso (striped bass). We typically order one other piece of nigiri sushi, usually Hamachi (yellowtail) but sometimes something else depending on what is on special that evening. We used to get Unagi (barbecued eel) but the Unagi at Hana is never served warm like it should be so we have stopped ordering it. We are currently in love with the Saba which has an unusual, briny flavor that is somewhat of an acquired taste. My all-time favorite, however, is the Suzuki with Shiso. It consists of an oval of rice topped with a shiso leaf, a thin slice of striped bass, and a dusting of togarashi, a Japanese red pepper spice mix. The flavors are so good together; the shiso leaf has a unique herbal, citrus flavor and the togarashi provides just a tiny bit of spice. Delicious!

Last night, we decided to break out of the routine. We headed up to the other place in our neighborhood that serves sushi: Liberty. Liberty is a bar, first and foremost. They have a huge selection of liquor and make some amazing cocktails with it. But, in addition to cocktails, they also offer sushi. Cocktails and sushi, what a brilliant idea! The sushi menu at Liberty ranges from the very traditional (salmon nigiri, spicy tuna rolls) to the wacky (the Fishface Roll, for example, which includes hamachi, shrimp, jalapeño, mango, cabbage and wasabi aioli). Since our plan was to go outside of the routine, we opted for wacky sushi. We ordered two rolls: the Alaska Roll, which is salmon, asparagus, avocado, radish sprouts, sesame and tobiko, and the Jamjuree roll (named after the Thai restaurant located next door.) The Jamjuree Roll is made with shrimp, peanut sauce, mint, cilantro, red pepper, cucumber and cabbage. The sushi was okay but not great. Although the Jamjuree Roll is inventive and had a really good flavor, both rolls were on the dry side and the servings were very small. On the other hand, my cocktails were awesome! I had the Jasmine (gin, lemon, cointreau and campari) and the Dragon’s Toe (bourbon, cucumber, ginger water and a splash of ginger ale). I will definitely be returning to Liberty for cocktails, but I think it’s back to the Hana routine for sushi. Hana is located at 219 Broadway E and Liberty is at 517 15th Avenue E.

Robert and I are both sick this weekend. It sucks. Neither of us felt much like going out for dinner so we did something we rarely do: ordered take-out. I don’t have anything against take-out; it’s just not part of our normal routine. Occasionally we will pick up piroshkies from My Favorite Piroshky or burritos from Tacos Guaymas but, for the most part, I either or cook or we dine out in restaurants as these are two of my favorite pastimes.

Last night, we headed up to the Hillside Quickie Cafe for gourmet vegan sandwiches. The Hillside Quickie restaurants are run by the Howell siblings from Tacoma, WA. Their mother, a follower of the Rastafarian religion and diet, began a wholesale vegan food business several decades ago (I remember buying her Jamaican tofu sandwiches in health food stores a long time ago.) These days, the family owns two cafes, the original Hillside Quickie Vegan Sandwich Shop in the U-District and the newer Hillside Quickie Cafe on Capitol Hill. The Capitol Hill location is tiny but cheerful, with lime green walls and about 5 small tables and lots of windows. It mostly does take-out business. Luckily for us, it is located only a few blocks from our apartment.

The Hillside Quickie Cafe serves only organic, vegan foods. The menu mainly features sandwiches and wraps filled with some sort of flavored tofu, tempeh or seitan. Some of the more interesting choices include the Mama Africa which is a quinoa millet burger, the Fire Roasted Yam which comes with smoked seitan and smoked yams, and the Big Fish, a mock fish burger made with breaded tempeh. There are also daily specials including their semi-famous Macaroni & Yease (made with nutritional yeast.) When we were there, the deli case was full of vegan pizzas. I’m not really into vegan food, especially when it comes to pizza, but these pies did look pretty good. One looked like it was spread with baba ganoush and another was piled several inches high with beautiful roasted vegetables.

Robert and I both ordered the same thing, the Crazy Jamaican Burger. And crazy it was! This sandwich consists of a jerk-marinated tofu burger topped with grilled onions, sweet heirloom tomatoes, fried plantains and vegan mayo all served on a hearty wheat bun. I think there was even a thin smear of potato salad in there as well which was totally unexpected. Our burgers came with a small side of barley and vegetable pilaf. It was all very tasty if a bit on the oily side (it may be vegan and organic, but it ain’t low fat.) The tofu itself had tons of flavor and the toppings made it even better. Even the tomatoes were sweet and good. Service can be a bit slow and the sandwiches aren’t exactly cheap ($8 to $9 each), but for the inventiveness and yummy flavor plus the fact that these sandwiches will more than fill you up, it is well worth the price. Besides, any place that serves fried plantains as a sandwich topping is okay in my book. The Hillside Quickie Cafe is located at 324 15th Ave. E.

My mom and sister and I just returned from a short, fun-filled trip to Portland, Oregon. We took the train down which was very relaxing and, surprisingly, doesn’t take much longer or cost much more than it would to drive. Our hotel, the funky Inn at Northrup Station, was located within walking distance of all of the best neighborhoods. We walked all over town and did plenty of shopping. We also visited the Classical Chinese Garden which was beautiful. Mostly, though, we spent our time dining out in some of Portland’s great restaurants. Portland is known for being a really good food city and it certainly lived up to its reputation during this trip. Here are the highlights:

Andina – Andina is a wildly popular Peruvian restaurant located in Portland’s very hip Pearl District. It consistently gets rave reviews from critics and diners alike. The menu features traditional and modern Peruvian dishes and has a long list of tapas-style plates which you can order in small, medium or large sizes. We chose a bunch of small plates to share including marinated mussels topped with tomato-corn salsa, grilled asparagus, an amazingly tender grilled octopus skewer and a Peruvian specialty: causa with smoked trout. A causa is a cake made of lime-flavored potatoes with some sort of filling. It was a pretty stunning dish, featuring alternating layers of lavender potatoes and pink smoked fish topped with pale green avocado slices and black sesame seeds. With our meal, we were also given homemade quinoa rolls with three dipping sauces. To drink, I stuck with a traditional Peruvian pisco sour which was as delightful as the rest of the meal.

Kornblatt’s – When we first arrived in town, we were hungry and just needed a quick lunch near our hotel so we went to Kornblatt’s. Kornblatt’s is a New York style deli known for its Reuben sandwiches. I ordered the bagel & smoked fish combo which is a large toasted bagel, one half piled high with smoked whitefish salad and the other with cream cheese and hand-sliced Nova lox (flown in from New York.) The whitefish salad was really yummy, especially topped with capers and red onion. The lox was good as well. I wasn’t expecting much from Kornblatt’s since it was just a quick stopover meal but our lunch ended up being really tasty. I ate way more than I thought I would and was barely hungry in time for dinner that night. Kornblatt’s is on 23rd Avenue NW, another trendy Portland neighborhood.

Mother’s Bistro – Mother’s Bistro is located in downtown Portland. The focus at Mother’s is comfort food. Not the greasy kind, but the “everything prepared from scratch using quality ingredients” kind instead. We went to Mother’s for breakfast on our last day in town. At Mother’s, you are given a choice not only of what coffee you want to drink but also the method with which you want your coffee brewed (“French press vs. drip?”) I don’t think I’ve ever seen that in a restaurant before. And I’m from Seattle, the coffee capitol! We ordered coffee from Guatemala in a French press. For my breakfast, I had migas which is basically a corn tortilla, pepper and egg scramble topped with salsa and sour cream. It was served with really great home fries. My sister had a tasty mushroom omelet and my mom had the wonderfully tart and sweet blueberry pancakes.

Park Kitchen – We went to Park Kitchen for dinner our last night in town. It is located just at the edge of the Pearl District. With its intimate yet casual setting and inventive menu, which changes monthly and features lots of local ingredients, Park Kitchen is my favorite type of restaurant. Again, we ordered a bunch of small plates to share. We had the chickpea fries with squash ketchup, rapini fondue with hazelnuts and bread crumbs, salt cod fritters, roasted beets with almond tahini and a salad of shrimp, roasted cauliflower and arugula. We finished the meal with a cheese plate which consisted of 3 raw milk cheeses, including one of my favorites, Mt. Townsend Creamery‘s Seastack. The cheeses were served with incredibly light and flaky house-made crackers. Park Kitchen’s cocktail menu equals their dinner menu in originality. I had the Widow’s Kiss: Calvados brandy, Benedictine, Chartreuse and Angostura Bitters. My sister had a pear brandy sidecar and my mom had the Bakers vs. Makers Manhattan sampler. It was an extremely wonderful meal. I highly recommend Park Kitchen.

Pok Pok Whiskey Soda Lounge – Before any vacation, I usually do a little bit of online research to find out what restaurants people are buzzing about in the city that I’m visiting. After reading reviews of Portland’s restaurants, there was one Thai restaurant that I knew I had to try: Pok Pok Whiskey Soda Lounge. Located just south of the funky Hawthorne District, Pok Pok consists of an outdoor takeout shack with a few seats and a tiny downstairs dining room. The food has been described as Thai food unlike any you’ve had before. The focus here is on authentic street foods, primarily of Northern Thailand. For our lunch, we ordered Yam Samun Phrai, which is an herbal salad featuring unusual ingredients such as betel leaf and sawtooth. We also had Yam Makheua Yao, a smoky grilled eggplant salad. It was incredible, the eggplant was lightly smoky in flavor and airy in texture, like little pillows. Finally, we had the Khao Soi Kai which is a mild yellow curry soup made with house-pressed coconut milk and topped with fried yellow noodles, pickled mustard greens and spicy chili paste. Delicious! Our drinks were just as exciting as the food. My sister ordered a bloody mary with Thai flavors, my mom had an apple gin rickey flavored with something called apple “drinking vinegar” and I had the salted plum vodka collins, also made with a drinking vinegar. I had never heard of drinking vinegars before, but apparently they are a big hit in Japan. They were delicious in our cocktails. Our waiter showed us the bottles and told us to look for them near the sake in Asian markets since, like sake, they are a fermented product. I looked for them in Uwajimaya on my way home from the train station, but they only had two kinds, apple and peach, and I have a feeling they are diluted with water since they were located near the bottled juices and teas rather than with the sake. Oh well. I guess this means that I’ll have to go back to Portland soon for my salty plum drink fix.

Everything that we ate in Portland was wonderful. It is rare to not strike out at least once when dining out in a new city so we were very, very happy. And, the best part? It was all totally inexpensive. If you add in one night of dessert and drinks at Papa Haydn, some souvenir chocolates from Moonstruck and a few pints at Bridgeport Brewery, our total food and drink tab for the trip was only about $130 each, including tip. And that means that I can afford to go back again and again and again!

Hidden away back in the depths of the Alley, a two-story retail complex on Broadway, is a little Korean restaurant called Kimchi Bistro. Despite the fact that Robert and I end up at the Alley at least once a weekend, either for sushi at Hana or dinner or brunch at El Greco, we have never been to Kimchi Bistro. It’s very well hidden so that could be part of the reason. More likely, however, it is because I know next to nothing about Korean food. I know that there is kimchi, which I have liked the few times I’ve had it, and lots of beef, which I don’t eat. In keeping with my goal to try some new restaurants this year, we finally decided to head out to Kimchi Bistro for dinner.

Kimchi Bistro is a pretty small restaurant, consisting of a single room with about 10 tables and a tiny loft which may or may not contain more seating (I didn’t check.) Being tucked in the back of the Alley, it doesn’t have any access to windows. But, what it lacks in natural light, the owners have made up for by installing lots of back lit screens and pretty, light colored wood. There is very little art up on the walls. Overall, it’s a pretty plain but warm atmosphere. What stands out most is that every seat is covered by a funny Kimchi Bistro seat cover.

As I expected, the menu contains lots of meat. Most of the rice bowls and soups are made with beef and, of course, there is the famous Korean BBQ. Luckily for me, there is a decent number of seafood options and one or two veggie choices as well. The menu offers a nice selection of Korean classics. There are a handful of appetizers, including a pah jun (seafood pancake) that gets rave reviews from folks on the internets. Soups, bi bim bap (rice bowls), grilled items and other entrees complete the menu. They are currently getting a liquor license so, even though beer was listed on the menu, we weren’t able to order any yet.

Robert opted for the Dohl Soht which is vegetables, beef and egg over rice served in a hot stone pot. I ordered the Vegetable Soon Doo Boo, a spicy soft tofu soup. What came to our table first was a huge sampling of dishes known collectively as banchan. Banchan are flavorful side dishes that are traditionally served with every Korean meal. Kimchi is the most famous of these, but there are many others as I was just in the process of finding out. I love little side dishes so I was really excited about this. We had cabbage kimchi, radish kimchi, shiitaake mushrooms, shredded cabbage with sesame oil and soy and several other interesting items.

My soup arrived next, bubbling feverishly in its hot pot. Soon Doo Boo is made with curds of soft tofu, egg and vegetables, all served in a spicy red broth. I ordered mine medium and it was still pretty spicy. I may try “spicy” next time, although that could be pushing it (they also have an “extra spicy” option for the truly hard core among us.) Robert’s meal also came to the table sizzling away, the freshly cracked egg on top cooking as we watched. The lady who brought it out asked if he had ever had this dish before. He said “no” so she proceeded to show him the correct way to stir all of the ingredients together. She stirred for what seemed like an extremely long time. According to the menu, there are some sort of health benefits that are derived from stirring the meal around in the hot pot. Something about charged ions and chi. I think the health benefits really just come from the exercise you get while stirring for so long.

Robert and I both really enjoyed our meals. Kimchi Bistro will definitely become another one of our neighborhood regulars. On top of the fact that the food is delicious and perfect for our many rainy evenings, the ladies who own the place are extremely friendly and our bill for the evening came to a mere $18! Kimchi Bistro is located at 219 Broadway E. in the Alley. It is open from 11-9 Monday through Saturday and 3-9 on Sundays.

A more appropriate title for this post would be “Drinking Out” because I didn’t actually do any dining when I met friends for happy hour at Vessel yesterday. I meant to. I was just so caught up in reading the fantastic cocktail menu that I never made it to the page with the food offerings. That’s OK; Vessel isn’t really known for it’s food anyway. They’re all about the cocktails instead. They take their cocktails seriously at Vessel, and the artistry and attention to detail that the bartender’s put into every drink rivals anything that the chefs could have cooked up for me to eat.

Vessel is a relatively new bar located in the historic 1926 Skinner Building right next door to the 5th Avenue Theater in downtown Seattle. The first thing you notice upon entering Vessel is that it is super chic. Lots of metal and bright, slightly harsh colors give it a very modern look. A glowing chartreuse staircase is the most striking feature. Upstairs you will find a red-walled lounge area sparsely populated with sofas and lounge chairs. Downstairs is the bar and the main seating area. Seating consists of 6 or 7 tiny tables squeezed together into an even tinier space. If you are claustrophobic, you might just want to sit at the bar instead. Otherwise, you will probably end up knocking elbows with those sitting at the table next to you. It’s not exactly the warmest of places, but since when has super chic ever been equated with warm and friendly? Fortunately, it wasn’t too busy when I arrived so I didn’t have to uncomfortably squeeze my way into a table. And, although my jeans and hoodie look surely wouldn’t cut it at night, the happy hour crowd was more of a mixed bag of hipsters, office workers and older ladies taking a break from shopping. In other words, I only felt mildly out of place when I walked in.

Once I was seated, the waitress promptly brought me a menu and a large glass of cucumber-infused water. The menu features 8 or 9 pages of specialty cocktails, liquors, wines and beer and one page of food. It is the cocktail specials that really set Vessel apart from other bars. Many are originals, and, for those that are not, the menu cites the name of the creator as well as the location and date if known (some date back to the 1700′s!) Bitters has a huge presence on the menu as do some of the lesser used liquors such as Benedictine and Chartreuse. Things that you should know about Vessel’s cocktails: Each drink will cost you a whopping $10. This may seem steep until you factor in that each cocktail consists of a hefty 3-ounce pour. And, all are expertly prepared and beautifully presented. In addition to cocktails, Vessel specializes in ice. They have different types of ice for different drinks. Sometimes it’s hand-cracked ice, sometimes it is a single sphere of super-dense, slow-melting ice. I mean really, who wouldn’t want to pay $10 for super-dense ice alone?

I started out with Vessel’s signature cocktail, the Vessel 75, which is a blend of bourbon, simple syrup, Peychaud’s bitters and orange zest. Topped with a delicious, airy maple foam, it was a very impressive cocktail indeed. I’m not much of a bourbon drinker but this was perfect. Lightly sweetened and aromatic. The wide strip of orange peel even had a very cute star hole-punched out of it. I spent a long time savoring this cocktail; it was worth every penny. I followed this up with the Bramble: citrus and juniper infused vodka, blackberry liqueur, lemon and seltzer. It was served in a tall glass with plenty of beautiful crushed ice. The Bramble was good but not nearly as complex or unique as the Vessel 75.

If you are someone who loves a good cocktail, you will love Vessel. Likewise, if you are a fan of hip scenes and designer furniture, you will also love Vessel. I happen to hate modern furniture and would certainly never qualify as hip, but I enjoyed myself at Vessel nonetheless. 6 ounces of liquor probably had something to do with that. I’ll just have to remember to trade in the sneakers for a pair of strappy heels next time! Vessel is located on 5th Avenue between Union and University. It opens at 11 AM Monday through Friday and 4 PM Saturday and Sunday. Happy hour runs from 4 to 6 every day.

A couple of weeks ago, for my brother’s birthday, my family and I decided to head down to the Kingfish Cafe for some delicious soul food. Kingfish was opened in 1997 by sisters Leslie and Laurie Coaston. Since the day it opened, it has been wildly popular, with lines out the door nearly every night. A word of warning: they don’t take reservations so the wait can sometimes be huge. If you are impatient, like me, your best bet is to get there early. We arrived ten minutes before opening and a line was already beginning to form.

Kingfish is tucked away on a shady street in the quieter section of Capitol Hill. The cafe is understated in its decor but in a very appealing way. It has tall ceilings and big windows which let in a lot of light (when there is light in Seattle, that is.) Large, framed black and white photographs of the Coaston’s relatives line the walls.

The menu at Kingfish features soul food favorites. Although everything sounded good, I finally settled on the crab cake entree for my dinner: three crab cakes with aioli, a roasted yam, and a side of succotash. My mom ordered the fried catfish which was served with spicy grits and collard greens. Robert got the fried chicken, my dad had red beans and rice with andouille sausage, and my brother ordered the gumbo. Everything was simply delicious. The yam was so soft and buttery; even the skin on it was amazingly tender. How on earth do you make a yam skin tender? And, the next day, I actually found myself craving succotash. I never thought I could be this crazy about lima beans.

There are a couple of things that Kingfish does that I really appreciate. One, the menu offers lots of variety but is not so huge as to be overwhelming. Two, most of the entrees come with some sort of vegetable side dish. I hate it when you are forced to order a salad in a restaurant just to get some kind of vegetable with your meal. Three, the prices are completely reasonable. My crab cake dinner, which was a pretty good sized portion, came to just over $12. My dad’s beans and rice were only $11. Now, if they would only start taking reservations so I wouldn’t have to stress about wait times, it would be the perfect restaurant! Kingfish is located on the corner of 19th Avenue and Mercer Street.