Trade Route Brewery

My next research project - Trade Route Brewery

Enjoying the Joker Ale. Need to find their MangoWeizen. Sounds delish.

Great Breakfast - Maggie's Family Restaurant

On Lake Street in Wayzata, MN, Maggie's Family Restaurant is a local "joint". 8:30 am, we walked into a dining room of locals enjoying their favorite. Their specialty is  the French Toast and it did not disappoint. Soft on the inside but not soggy, crunchy on the edges but not hard, subtle flavor but not too sweet. A drizzle of syrup was the perfect finish. Yum.

5 out of 5.

Lions Tap in Eden Prairie, MN.

Reported to be a great burger joint. Thought it was just okay. Crinkle fries from a bag. Patty size was kinda small. Beer (Heartland Honey Bock and Riverwood Red) was just okay as well.

On a scale of 1 to 5 (5 is best), this gets a 3.

Salmon-chanted Evening (July 9, 2011)

Great fundraiser organized by Tom Douglas. A nice little picnic in the park across the street from Etta's, just North of Pike Place Market. $15 per person with proceeds going to Seattle Arts Department. Yummy salmon, corn on the cob, fresh green beans, etc. Tom was at the head of the serving line, doling out the salmon topped with a tomato chutney. (What's the difference between tomato chutney and salsa? About $5 a plate. HA!!)

Several more dates this summer. Here's a link if you're interested.
Salmon-chanted Evening

Red and Bleu Burger

Angus Burger topped with bleu cheese crumbles and cab sauted carmelized onions. Great flavor combination. No bun necessary. The 1/2 lb ate great with a fork. Perfect match with an ice cold beer.
Time to bust out the BBQ and experiment.

Updated July 2011 - Forgot to cite the source of the yumminess... The cafe at the Luxor hotel. Go figure. 

Recession Relief Saturdays @ Desert Fire in Redmond

Yes, you read that right. $1 Bud Light in the bar during Recession Relief Saturdays at the Desert Fire in Redmond Town Center. They have a short but good list of other Happy Hour tidbits to help fill your stomach while you're watching the sporting event of the day and enjoying those incredibly cheap beers.

Also of note, all you can eat Taco Tuesday's from 5 to 9pm for south of $6. Of course, that night the beers are full price.

Guess you can't have too much of a good thing, eh?

I thought I would post this in case I forget, must be the freakishly nice weather outside that reminded me of this. On a recent "mancation" I figured out an easier way of making good use of a fifth of tequila and not having simple syrup on hand for scratch margarita's (laziness really). This is my take on a frozen version of a lime Rickey. Pre-flight check: blender, ice, tequila and frozen limeade. Pretty simple, pour half a fifth of tequila of your choice, Sauza or better please, into a blender, one can of frozen limeade, equal parts ice and one can of water, blend and you have yourself a delicious frozen beverage that will have you wishing you had bought more frozen limeade! 2 cans for every fifth or bottle of tequila, should make about 10 servings. Cheers!

Homemade street tacos

If my current profession doesn't work out, I might have to figure out how to be a street-food vendor. If todays experiment is any indication, I might be able to make a go of it.

Oversized corn tortilla heated on hot flat skillet until the floppiness is gone. Still pliable enough to fold without breaking but stiff enough for a "crunch" when eating. All without oil. Delish foundation to build from.

Simple filling of a touch of shredded cheese, pollo asado and shredded cabbage. That's all. The pollo asado has been mixed with a spicy adobo sauce and is the only enhancement present. Just a sprinkle, dash and dollop of each of these simple ingredients - customized to individual taste - and voila!! Fabulous food magic. Pair with something cool and refreshing, serve in a wonderful sunny outdoor location. Magic!!

Pine Lake Ale House

Black Raven Scotch Ale and onion rings.

The beer was good - dark and bitter. Only lightly carbonated, the way I like it.

The rings were greasy and bland. A beer batter but not as flavorful as I would have expected. The food here tends to be just okay but it's in a food desert so it's able to stay open. Oh, and the service, while friendly, is slow. Good when you don't have the inclination to leave the hood.

The Rock - Renton

The Rock at the Landing in Renton is one of my favorite hangouts for catching up on piles of work without being at my desk. The booths in the bar are spacious and the place is 75% windows making it a rare and bright bar space to hang out in.

The Suicide Blonde is my favorite beer and paired with the Mozzarella Garlic Bread is just about as close to perfect bar food as it gets. When something more is called for, the dry rub Chipotle Wings are a welcomed addition to the party.

The only (serious) downfall is the very long wait between ordering and delivery to your table. This is going to sound funny but if you're really hungry, this isn't the place for you. We were told that the food is run in batches through the ovens so depending on how busy they are and how backed up, you could be waiting quite a while. We're talking as much as 20 - 30 minutes. The food is good, just be prepared to wait.

Still one of my favorites but I'm very aware of when it works for me and when I should find somewhere else to feed my hunger.

On my list of things to enjoy as the weather gets better. 


The Redmond Two-Step
Equipped with a few tables and a tiny bar, Redmond beer and wine store Malt and Vine (maltandvine.com) doubles as a sipping spot for serious geeks, who wander in on Wednesdays to try the cask of the week. Nearby, visit stellar brewery Black Raven (blackravenbrewing.com); the staff taps a firkin, an 11-gallon cask, every Wednesday at 4pm. 

Patio Food

Breaking the rules a little bit here but have to comment on the wonderful nosh we had at an impromptu get together on my patio last night. Wonderful friends, great weather and some lawn furniture made for a memorable evening of laughter and nibbling.

One of new additions to the normal noshing was Rougette, a creamy soft ripened cheese from the makers of Cambozola. Similar to it's blue veined cousin, this wedge of creaminess has all the smooth, buttery notes without the pungency of it's blue-veined brethren.

We also served up Strawberries sliced in half with Jarlsberg cubes. Very yummy. Even yummier was taking the same half slices and filling them with a mild goat cheese. Great dessert, especially when served with a glass of red wine.

The treat for the night was bagels with smoked salmon, cream cheese, etc. A little red onion, a little diced hard boiled egg and some capers created quite a myriad of flavors that blended just right.

The most unorthodox treat was "ghetto nachos". A bag of Nacho Doritos topped with diced hot sausage, jalepenos, Sriracha sauce and a jar of nacho-style cheese sauce like substance. Like being at the ballpark without dropping a ton of cash.

No restaurant review but that's just geography. Food can be great no matter where your eating it.

Blogging 101

Thus starts another adventure in blogging. This time, with two new co-authors in tow and an entirely new slant on the ranting and raving - FOOD!! Specifically, dining out. 

We're all frequent diners and foodies, both personally and professionally, and we're always looking for new places to go and things to try. Join us as we dish up our opinions (often dissenting, always interesting) on the good and bad places we find to whine and dine. Pull up a chair or belly up to the bar and bring your friends. The more the merrier at this party. 

New spots for the list

I wanted to share some new spots I am happy to report on, well the second one I'll have to try another time since the line wrapped around the corner, sign of a good place for sure!

 

I took my folks out for fish and chips at Ivar's salmon house on Northlake this weekend, currently my vote for best recent happy hour place, if you're looking for fish and chips and some chowder with a great view right on the lake, this is the place plus happy hour is everyday from 3:30 to close!  Its in the lounge part of the restaurant aptly named the Whale Maker Lounge.  A half dozen oyster shooters for $5 can't be beat.   

 

The second place I had heard about a few months ago by way of Seattle Met magazine for top rated seattle restaurant destinations, something about grits and bbq creole shrimp hit a chord with me and knew I had to try it.  Sunday was decided as our breakfast day out and I wanted to try something new.  I happen to find it on Urbanspoon as a top rating for breakfast, so we drove there at around 10am on Sunday and the line wrapped around the corner. Its right next door to Peso's on Queen Anne if you're familiar with that place which also is a good breakfast joint but there was a line there too.  We were on a tight schedule of errands for the day so we decided to skip it and went to CJ's eatery in Belltown which was a good plan B and one of my old go to's after a good night out in Belltown. Definitely Toulouse Petit is on the books for next time.

 

http://www.toulousepetit.com/ 

 

- Michael