Grilled Chicken For Family

I made this quick dinner for my brother and his wife. The weather was perfect so it was a no-brainer to throw some chicken thighs on the old barbie. I use thighs because they are so much more juicy than breasts. The thighs I marinaded in olive oil with rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper; nothing crazy. For veg I tossed wax beans in hot olive oil with garlic, and sauteed briefly then covered till tender. At that point I added bokchoy leaves I tore up and dashed the whole lot with soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, and sugar. Everything over Jasmine rice, because regular rice just pales in comparison, and with the crispy skinned chicken we had a mighty fine dine!

35th Street Bistro

Pictured is the almond crusted trout on mashed potatoes with lemon butter that I enjoyed as an early dinner at this pleasant bistro in the Fremont area of Seattle. If you add a nut crust to any meat I'm probably going to sample, it's a great way to add flavor and a bit of crunch to tender meats. Almonds were a nice mellow paring for the trout and the perfectly smooth and delectably seasoned mash potatoes threatened to outshine the fish for star of this dish. My only complaint was for the undressed and bitter greens on top.

I have to mention that Sarah, my server, did a fantastic job because fantastic is a word not often associated with service in America.

El Camino

Yesterday I had a great little lunch at El Camino in the Fremont area of Seattle. Nothing revolutionary here but for just six bucks you can score these delicious steak tacos, which are featured at the top of their bar menu. The meat inside the soft corn shells was tender and accompanied by fresh cilantro and onions. Included is a bit of guacamole, and while lacking a bit in acidity and salt, was perfectly acceptable especially since there are nice bits of crisp plantain chips wedged into it.

East Meets Lazy

I've been living like a lazy bachelor and not cooking much these last few months but today I roused myself to cook an impromptu lunch. I've been taking advantage of the great farmers market that is held Tuesdays just a few blocks from my residence and getting some really great produce.

I simply sauteed crimini mushrooms with garlic and onion then tossed in spinach and basil at the end with a mix of soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, and sugar. Surprisingly it needed more salt, because the spinach was greedy for it, and a little olive oil at the end added depth of flavor and a better mouth feel. I spooned this mix over some hot pasta and that was it. I think I'll add some red pepper flakes next time but this definitely made for a vegetarian dish you would never miss the meat in.

Imo sushi

Found a nice sushi spot. I sat down for an early dinner at the upstairs bar. The bartenders and regulars at the bar were all friendly Indie vibe twenty somethings. The sushi was good and the music and decor fun and comfortable, lots of seating, I was there on a slow Monday early so I'd be interested to see how they do on a weekend night, I've read on Yelp that it isn't as great when busy.

Seattle Pho

Seattle is a great town for Pho, a wonderful Vietnamese soup with rice noodles and a terrific beef broth. This one I had downtown on 3rd at Cafe Pho and it was very good and affordable. I love this soup because it is filling but not heavy or fatty like most American food. The bun at the bottom was purchased at Sun Bakery in Chinatown and despite the cheap cheese used it was excellent! The dough was sweet and just slightly salty, think ephemerally light cheese pretzel, the big soft doughy kind. I was lucky to get three buns right out of the oven as I showed up at 11 for an early lunch (my breakfast). Not shown are the BBQ pork and curry beef buns I also eagerly consumed.

If anyone out there knows about the Seattle food scene, please drop me a line about any favorite places I should visit. I love affordable ethnic places and the more creative of the high end type restaurants. I'm also looking for foodie dining buddies so let me know!