Seattle, Washington

[Lunchbox]

We did a trip to Seattle in March and had such a great time eating our way through town.

This isn't everywhere we ate but these are the standouts...

We managed to get a last-minute rezzie at Canlis which was about 1/2 mile from our Airbnb. I was stalking it for months and never was able to get a spot. But persistence paid off because a few days before we left I managed to snag a table. It's fine dining and worth every penny, even if the food was just kinda meh. But I still recommend it for a couple of reasons. One, they had just gotten a new chef behind the stick and I think she was still trying to find her footing a little bit. I'm certain they've figured it out. Two, the service is impeccable. Their staff is trained so well and they really go above and beyond. They found out we were foodies and the whole kitchen staff gave us recs on where to go with our kids, etc. It was so cool that they did that for us. And three, the room is gorgeous. The view is amazing. They don't make 'em like that anymore. It's a really special place. Their Canlis salad (recipe here) is pretty famous and it was pretty dang good.

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I found Beth's Cafe after an exhaustive search for a breakfast spot that wasn't just coffee and pastry. (Imagine that, Seattle has a lot of coffee places. ) I'm so glad we found it and made the trip out to try it. It was so good that we went twice during our week's visit. They have a really cool history and they even shut down for a while but they're back open regularly. It's card only these days (they're not in the greatest neighborhood and they used to get robbed of their cash so they decided to only accept cards to prevent this.) It used to be 24 hours and they got known for their 12 egg omelettes. I opted for a 6 egg and it was good! 12 eggs was way too rich for my blood (eggs are expensive!)

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Of course, we did the famous Seattle Pike Place Market. That place is amazing. Don't forget to check out the gum wall! We had an Airbnb so we were able to buy some fresh af halibut cheeks. We poached them at home and they were absolutely amazing. It doesn't look like much but this was one of the best meals we ate while we were there. And yeah you work with what you've got in an Airbnb kitchen, so don't judge me too hard...

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[exit2lef]

I'm headed there in early November for a conference and will keep these in mind. Did you eat anywhere in Capitol Hill or Downtown, including the Pike Place Market?

[Nightbloom]

I stayed for a delicious weekend there a few years ago following some meetings. Shoot, plus COVID, so actually it was 2017, DAMN! Anyway, the standout meal was omakase at Sushi Kashibahttps://sushikashiba.com. It was the best I'd had outside of Japan and I'm sure it's still slays. Do some research, though. Back then, you had to line up early and either get in at first seating or secure a reservation for second seating. Totally worth it!
I shared my specific pics and tastes on IG at the time [so many #s hahahahaaa]

[exit2lef]

I stayed for a delicious weekend there a few years ago following some meetings. Shoot, plus COVID, so actually it was 2017, DAMN! Anyway, the standout meal was omakase at Sushi Kashibahttps://sushikashiba.com. It was the best I'd had outside of Japan and I'm sure it's still slays.
I shared my specific pics and tastes on IG at the time [so many #s hahahahaaa] https://www.instagram.com/p/BUrj03ygqK3 ... FlYzFmZQ==
Do some research. Back then, you had to line up early and either get in at first seating or secure a reservation for second seating. Totally worth it!

2017 was the last time I was there too. This looks promising. Thanks for the tip.

[Skillet Doux]

Oh, man, I have SO MUCH to say about Seattle. I've been up there 5-6 times in as many years for various reasons, and I've had so much wonderful food over those visits. Rather than trying to do the monster post, I'm going to drop them in here one or two at a time as I get around to it.

STRONG second on Sushi Kashiba, BTW. But I'll come back to that.

I am a tremendous fan of Taylor Shellfish. Unfortunately, so is the rest of Seattle. I've only been to the Capitol Hill location, but I can't imagine a better way to do local seafood. It's a small raw bar with wine and beer and a stunning (if limited — this is a good thing) seafood selection.

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I believe they source exclusively from their own farms up and down the Washington coastline, and everything they serve is just perfect. The oysters are definitely the main event, so if you're an oyster geek, you're going to be in heaven. You'd better believe the staff at this place can talk about them at length. And they know how to handle them.

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On this particular visit, if my notes are correct, I had Virginicas, Fanny Bays, Fat Bastards, Kusshis, Shigokus, Kumamotos, and Olympias. And I think we only hit about half of the day's stock.

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You're also in geoduck country here, and I flipping LOVE the geoduck sashimi. They'll pull a big ol' specimen right out of the tank and slice it up for you, always separated into the siphon and the mantle — sort of the light and dark meat, so to speak. This is a category of seafood that tastes so much like the ocean and whose flavor is so dependent on the waters in which they're farmed.

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And the crab! Dungeness, natch. This one's steamed and chilled, and then they serve it with a "sweet chile aioli" though I recall it being more herby than spicy. More of a chilled, light cream. (Pehaps the menu was outdated?) In any case, this blew my mind.

In any case, this is just a "go and eat whatever fresh stuff they have" kind of place. But get there early or go during off hours. I tried last trip during the pre-dinner hour (stupid) and bailed after I was quoted a two-hour wait.

Still thought about it.

Taylor Shellfish Farms
taylorshellfishfarms.com
(Multiple locations around Seattle)

[exit2lef]

I made it to Taylor's Capitol Hill location. It's a small dining room surrounding tanks full of shellfish with an open kitchen in the back. I'm not a big fan of raw oysters, so I went with the moqueca, a Brazilian seafood stew. Taylor's version (of moqueca, not re-recorded albums) involved mussels, clams, rockfish, and shrimp in a coconut milk sauce with tomato and bell pepper. There was also a generous scoop of white rice to absorb of some of the extra sauce. It had a nice slow burn that was extinguished with a pint of Deep Draft Brewing "Ke Koa O Ke Kai” (Warriors of the Sea) session IPA.

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Alas, I didn't get to Sushi Kashiba because my conference sessions ended too late to join the line outside. I did stop by to scope it out and learn the system for a future visit. While I was in the neighbhorhood, I went next door to Cafe Campagne, a classic French restaurant that has been around for a long time in the Post Alley. The cool, rainy, and windy weather on that day was hardly unusual for Seattle in November, but to a visiting Phoenician, it felt like winter. That was sufficient justification to indulge in some cassoulet.

Campagne's hearty rendition included lamb, sausage, and duck with the usual white beans and bread crumbs. The cassoulet arrives at the table in the cocotte used to cook it, the server spoons a little onto the plate, and the customer then adds more as needed from the seemingly bottomless vessel. Cassoulet is something I enjoy once in a while in Phoenix at the Farish House. I also make it occasionally for pot lucks and special occasions. It was good to enjoy another restaurant's approach to this classic.

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I'm not much of a late night eater, but due to flight timing, I needed a place open after 9 PM near my hotel. Ba Bar, a sort of trendy Vietnamese place with cocktails worked out well. I had an entree of lemongrass rockfish with rice and cabbage salad, pandan soft serve for dessert, and the current cocktail special, Dora’s Dram with mezcal and peach liqueur, to drink. This was a fun place that I'd gladly visit again, particularly if in need of a meal on the later side.

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[Lunchbox]

While I was in the neighborhood, I went next door to Cafe Campagne, a classic French restaurant that has been around for a long time in the Post Alley. The cool, rainy, and windy weather on that day was hardly unusual for Seattle in November, but to a visiting Phoenician, it felt like winter. That was sufficient justification to indulge in some cassoulet.

I think this was one of the places that was recommended to us by the Canlis staff... Your post makes me wish we had tried it. Although our weather was damn near perfect by Seattle standards and it never rained hard enough while we were there to push us in that direction. That looks good!

Mrs. Lunchbox and I have been talking about cassoulet all summer, we're just waiting for it to cool down a little bit to make it. I've never made it before, but Kenji's write-up on it takes most of the intimidation away.

[exit2lef]

Mrs. Lunchbox and I have been talking about cassoulet all summer, we're just waiting for it to cool down a little bit to make it. I've never made it before, but Kenji's write-up on it takes most of the intimidation away.

I actually brought some to a potluck at your house, organized via a previous version of this board, many years ago. I took Kenji's shortcut and used chicken thighs and didn't bother with duck fat. It wasn't as good as what I had in Seattle, or even at the Farish House here in Phoenix, but it was almost totally consumed by the time the party was over. I'm sure you'll do even better.

[M_L-H.P.A.]

Also +1 for Taylor went there twice last time i was there. I also went to Ba Bar and it was solid. I went to a few other spots and my brain is blank right now.