Mango & Tomato: seattle

8/31/17

TBT: Postcard From Seattle.

Where to eat in Seattle?

It has been about two weeks since I came back from a week in Seattle where I visited family and friends. This turned out to be more of a vacation/staycation because my sister was able to take the whole time off work and our friend Jenny was visiting from Houston at the same time. We ate, danced, went hiking (!!), saw family and friends, and did some touristy things.

I wanted to give a few shout outs to some of my favorite bites from this trip.

The photo above is from General Porpoise. These doughnuts were worth a hike from the bus stop. I loved the bright interior, gorgeous flowers on the tables, and of course the doughnuts themselves. I had the lemon curd flavor, and was happy that it wasn't overly sweet. Definitely check out this place on your next Seattle visit.

For a neighborhood feel, a great selection of small plates, and a great Happy Hour, we went to Pair. Make sure to order their shakshuka for its smoky flavor, the gougeres if you like carbs, and the daily selection of cheese. The mussels were also superb. Below are the desserts we shared: an in season apricot cake and a mocha chocolate mousse.

For something away from the city, pack a picnic and head out to Taylor Shellfish Farms. Don't forget your oyster knife and patience: shucking 6 oysters takes forever but is so worth it. The view is stunning and makes you forget about reality.

And finally, The Walrus and The Carpenter. Make sure to show up as soon as the restaurant opens to be seated. The oyster happy hour is the main draw, but next time I'll definitely stay for dinner. These oysters were plump and sweet and I did not have to shuck a single one of them.

9/15/16

TBT: Where To Eat In Seattle AND A DIY Magnet Project

I'm back from Seattle. Technically, I've been back since Saturday night, but my jet lag is still strong and my body can't figure out which time zone it's in.

I wanted to share a few photos of a couple new and old places I went to while visiting family and friends in Seattle. Make sure to read/scroll all the way to the bottom of the post because there'll be a super easy DIY project waiting for you!

1. Kobe burger at The Butcher and The Baker. This was pretty spectacular. I skipped the bacon and ate the patty with a fork and a knife because there was no way this monstrosity was going to fit into my mouth. Juicy. Flavorful. Beyond filling. The kale slaw made me feel a bit better about eating so much meat, and I went for an hour walk around Green Lake after lunch.

2. Delancey: this was my second time at Delancey, and it did not disappoint. The short menu changes frequently, so choose whichever pizza sounds the best to you. I really liked that there was an option to choose two different combinations on one pizza.

Not to miss, if you go soon, is the summer squash salad with pickled fennel and pesto.

3. Jebena: Of course there are plenty of Ethiopian restaurants in DC, but I'm always up for having Ethiopian food. This place is small, but has a great menu with options for breakfast, and an incredibly warm and welcoming service.

Have you ever had foul? It's a dish of fava beans topped with tomatoes, onions, feta, chillies and eggs served with warm French Bread (on the left).

4. Bongos: Seattle's weather was perfect for an outdoor lunch at Bongos. The tables and chairs are placed directly into the sand on a large patio...you almost feel like you are in the Caribbeans!

Definitely make sure to get their fried plantains!

While at Bongos, I picked up a bunch of bottle caps and turned them into magnets by adding a magnet (with super glue) to the underside of the cap. How cute are these?

Where have you eaten lately?

9/25/14

Pizza Dinner In Seattle: Delancey

Last week when I flew to visit my family and friends in Seattle, the one place I really wanted to eat at (other than my parents' house because of the awesomeness that is my dad's borsch) was Delancey.

Years ago I read Molly Wizenberg's A Homemade Life: Stories and Recipes from My Kitchen Table and not so secretly hoped that I too will find my ♥ through/because of my blog. It hasn't happened yet, but there's always hope, right?

A few months ago I read Molly's second book Delancey about an opening of their pizza restaurant, and although I really wish the book was written by Molly's husband, I decided that I MUST visit it the next time I was in Seattle. {The book was good, but I would have loved to read it from Molly's husband's perspective.}

And so I did.

My twin Anna and our awesome friend Lera took off an entire day to hang out with me. We met up for dim sum, did a bit of shopping (ok, just 30 minutes of looking around Nordstrom Rack), wondered around Volunteer Park and visited a few museum stores and then headed out to Delancey at 5pm.

God, I LOVED the space of the restaurant. It's this adorable low key neighborhood spot with minimalistic décor and bright lamps and stunning cement tables.

The menu is one page divided into appetizers, pizzas and desserts. The back of the menu lists where the ingredients came from: everything from flour and bread, to olive oil, milk and cream, eggs and even chocolate and sea salt. Speaking of sea salt, it was from Admiralty Salt in Whidbey Island and was incredible.

We started with a plate of Charcuterie, a tomato salad with preserved Meyer lemon, sheep's milk feta and shallot vinaigrette and wood-fired shishito and pardon peppers.

And some fresh bread.

And a bottle of sparkling rose.

Everything looked so good that we were pretty silent for the first 10 minutes other than saying how flavorful, fresh and SO GOOD everything was.

Seriously, this was a dreamy start to a great meal. I was soooo happy!

Once the appetizers were done, we took a bit of a break to catch our breath, to chat and to chat about after dinner plans: walking Lera's dogs and getting beer and dessert. We all love food.

For pizza, we chose white pie with housemade ricotta, fresh and aged mozzarella, garlic and Grana. We added housemade pork fennel sausage to one half and hot salami to the other.

Hot salami won as far as the better topping (at least according to me and Anna). The pizza was crispy, thin, satisfying and perfect. Yes, perfect.

I wish I had room to try a few other toppings. Next time!

Lera and Anna.

That's me.

For dessert we ordered this beauty: Eton Mess: blackberries, lemon curd, cream and crunchy meringue.

I should have taken a photo of the empty dish to express just how awesome it was.

You guys! This was one of the best meals I've had in a long time. Despite my high expectations and anticipation, everything was stellar. Great company, atmosphere, service and food.

This will become a regular on my trips to Seattle.

6/25/12

Where to have Brunch in Seattle: The Fat Hen

Earlier this month I had to take an impromptu trip to Seattle. It was a sad occasion, but I managed to have a little bit of fun nonetheless. One such fun occurrence was meeting Anna and Lera for brunch at The Fat Hen.

The Fat Hen is a perfect example of the type of place you want in your neighborhood: kind service, solid food with an inventive spin, and beautiful decor. On a Sunday we visited this little restaurant, we saw couples having brunch, young parents with their kids in a stroller and a three-generational family sharing a communal table with us.

We ate, sipped on our drinks and enjoyed the Seattle sunshine.

{all photos taken with my smart phone}

To start, I ordered a grapefruit mimosa, while Anna and Lera chose rhubarb fizz (it had sparkling wine, rhubarb liquor and a crystallized piece of rhubarb). Being a copy cat, I ordered that drink as my second beverage.

The menu had everything from eggs and potatoes to pork loin and veal cutlets. I had a hard time deciding what to order.

Luckily, all of us ♥ olives, so we ordered a bowl of the bright green fatty olives marinated with some orange zest as we made our main course decisions.

In the end, Lera got a pork brasato: pork shoulder with red peppers, vinegar and garlic served with roasted potatoes. I loved how symmetrical and arranged the plate looked. The pork was incredibly juicy and tender.

Anna ordered the classic Benedict and added some spinach to the dish. You can read what she thought of it on her blog ;)

I chose quattro formaggi baked eggs: two eggs baked in a combination of bechamel, mozzarella, gorgonzola, emmenthal and fontina cheese. I'm slightly salivating as I type this. The dish came with crusty bread and being a lover of carbs, I ordered a side of potatoes.

What can I say? I would have happily swam in the cheesy baked goodness!

We had no room for dessert. Immediately that is. We bought a few pastries from a bakery across the street and had those hours later.

Do you have a favorite neighborhood brunch place? What do you usually order?

12/6/10

Lunch in Seattle: Nettletown

One of the things I like about visiting my family in Seattle is checking out new restaurants and meeting my twin's friends. While in Seattle for Thanksgiving, my dad's 60th birthday and Hanukkah (can you say a triple threat!?), I just happened to do both: try out a new restaurant and meet Anna's friend Valentina.

When Anna and I drove up to Nettletown, located in the heart of Seattle's Eastlake area, I must admit I had my reservations. It was right next to Subway, which I love on occasion, and looked rather commonplace from the outside. Anna reassured me that Valentina has raved about this little cafe and has eaten there many times. I decided to step in.

Once inside Nettletown, my opinion changed completely. I loved the low key decor, the open kitchen, black board with the menu on it, and overall a feeling of stepping into some one's house. And all this before I even looked at the menu. All three of us decided on a cup of chickpea soup with butternut squash and tomatoes and a sandwich. The lighting in the restaurant wasn't the best for photos, but I tried nonetheless.

First, let me tell you that the soup was perfect for Seattle's cold and windy weather. Both Anna and I were surprised that the soup wasn't pureed, but there was nothing wrong with chunks of butternut squash, plump chickpeas and other vegetables in the flavorful broth. Eating the soup, I decided that the first meal I'll make in my new kitchen (I bought a condo and moved right before Thanksgiving!!!) will be a pot of soup.

Valentina's sandwich, pictured below, was chicken salad: creamy organic chicken salad with celery, lemon and jicama.

I decided to try out a bratwurst sandwich: rain shadow meats bratwurst with caramelized onions and mustard. I'm usually not a fan of mustard, but the whole grain mustard on my sandwich stole my heart and my stomach. The bratwursts were juicy and grilled, and I really liked the bah minh-like marinated carrots inside of the sandwich. The bread was fresh and not overly crisp; I really dislike when the bread is so crisp that it's hard to take a bite of your sandwich.

Anna chose (not pictured) a roast beef sandwich: organic roast beef with spicy miso mustard and really liked it. It's incredible when both of us like the food ;)

Check out the photo below: needless to say, we really enjoyed our lunch at Nettletown. It was a very low key way to spend a weekday lunch and I loved meeting the talented and worldly Valentina.

After our soups and sandwiches, we headed out across the street for cafe lattes and shared a dessert: thanks Valentina for a lovely treat.

If you are ever in Seattle, definitely check out Nettletown. I really should learn not to judge a book by its cover.

8/22/10

Postcard from Seattle: Pike Place Market

I flew back from Seattle last night and have quite a bit of house cleaning, laundry and grocery shopping to do, not to mention paying a visit to the gym! Sigh.

In the meantime, I am posting this postcard from Seattle's Pike Place Market, which has amazingly gorgeous flowers, fresh seafood and produce: Enjoy!

I will try to do my best to get back to posting recipes very soon.

Question: what do you think about the watermark signature I added to the photos?