[reese]

unless i can strong-arm my hairdresser into a last minute appointment, i think i have the whole weekend unplanned.

aside from a little gardening, i want to explore some food places i've never been...tell me your seattle food fantasy day - hopefully one that ends with cooking, not eating out - though nibbles along the way are to be expected!

[Abra]

Well, it's raining over here, so I expect you're not getting in a lot of gardening. So, it must be time for a whole day in the kitchen.

If I were going to cook all day, I'd probably start with Vengroff's bread fruit juice dough
Get it started before venturing out. It'll take a long time to proof in this cool weather, so that sould be perfect.

I've also been looking for an opportunity to work through some of these bran muffin recipes, which sound delicious.

It's a perfect day for braising, and if it were me I'd probably look for some oxtails. There won't be many more days for braising before it's too warm.

I've been craving the dandan noodles at Seven Stars Pepper, so I'd probably make it by there for lunch. After that, run by PFI and see what they have today. That place is a kaleidoscope of ever-changing cool foods. Then you could get the oxtails, or some sensational lamb shanls, at Uwajimaya. Their meat department really rocks.

I'm afraid I haven't offered up any new places, but it sounds like a really fun day to me.

[Scorched Palate]

Well, my perfect day would have to be a weekday (T-Fri) because it would involve lunch at Salumi. But if we're talking about weekend-days, here are two itineraries we've done numerous times:

Down to the market, brunch at Cafe Campagne. Spend the middle of the day shopping for dinner fixings, then return to the car and stash the perishables in the cooler (or the chilly car, in winter). Wander around Belltown and the Market area -- sorry, I just can't type 'West Edge' with a straight face -- browsing and grazing as we go. Perhaps stop by Beecher's for some mac-n-cheese for late lunch. Wind up for an aperitif at Zig Zag right when they open, then back to the car and home to cook. If we're having too much fun, they we end up hanging out for another drink (or two ), and then taking a taxi to Palace or walking to a nearby restaurant, and leaving the foraged items for Sunday dinner.

Another variation on this theme: We go to Essential for a great latte and something from the pastry case for a light breakfast, then back home for menu planning, with the entire dining room table buried by cookbooks and magazines. Then we spend mid-day shopping for dinner stuff, and ingredients for the rest of the week's meals. In the right season, the first stop would be the U District or other farmers' market to get the majority of the produce and anything else we can get find there; this time of year, it's either Whole Paycheck, Uwajimaya, or Central Market, depending on what else we need to get -- WF has good cheese, CM has better deli meats, etc. Lunch is grabbed when we start to feel peckish; a recent favorite has been splitting a cheesesteak and an order of fries at Philadelphia Fevre, or each of us going our own way at the Uwajimaya food court. A new find I'm looking forward to adding to this plan: If we've got a Mutual Fish (aka 'Smoochable Fish') stop planned, I'll agitate for lunch at the taco bus, El Asadero on Rainier, before heading home to prep dinner.

There's usually a cheese plate or some other nibbles on the counter while we're chopping, dicing, fileting, etc. Lately our weekend meals have been big, multi-hour projects: the latest mexican cooking project from the Mexico forum, Cam's newfound love of wok-frying whole fish on the turkey-fryer burner outside, etc. It's comforting to me to have a homey project to fill a winter afternoon. I know when summer comes, the meals will be simpler, less constructed... which I am also looking forward to, in its own way.

There aren't any particularly surprising finds in these ideas, I'm afraid. Still, reading them over pleases me. We're actually going to do an abridged version of #1 today, so it was fresh in my mind.

enjoy your weekend!
~A

[LaurieA-B]

I would like to have a wandering Ballard day. Start with breakfast at Cafe Besalu, then wander around to Archie McPhee's, Secret Garden Bookstore, Cookies, the toy shop, the record store... Lunch at Sofrito Rico, or another good spot, then a movie at the Majestic Bay followed by tea at Cupcake Royale. Dinner at La Carta de Oaxaca or Dandelion. If continuing into night, follow dinner with a band and beer at the Sunset or Tractor.

Except for Cafe Besalu, all the restaurants mentioned are new places I've been wanting to try. Maybe this summer.

[reese]

these are wonderful. i was hoping for musings. i think there are many potentially wonderful seattle food days. (weekends and weekdays!)

abra, you're right about the garden...much to my dismay. the weather also did little for my motivation - and i was able to finagle the hair appointment after all, so i cooked little this weekend, and shopped less. i did make pita yesterday - that was fun. oh - and made my first real carbonara. holy heck that's good stuff.

i'd love to hear what other do/want to do...

i want a beacon hill/south end day (PFI, macphersons, fou kee? tacos to sustain, mutual fish - and they will have fresh prawns!, and maybe burien for the illusive (to me) fresh tortillas)

a pike place market day, dawdling at beechers and di laurentis, sharing a sandwich or a cookie from 3 girls, getting some lovely fish or oysters, a ton of produce and dragging the bounty home to play with.

first, i think i'd need to drug rob. he's happy to keep me company, sous if i need it, and always pours me more wine but he really wouldn't enjoy a day of lazy browsing at the market.

[tighe]

LaurieA-B, on Mar 27 2005, 01:51 PM, said:

I would like to have a wandering Ballard day. Start with breakfast at Cafe Besalu, then wander around to Archie McPhee's, Secret Garden Bookstore, Cookies, the toy shop, the record store... Lunch at Sofrito Rico, or another good spot, then a movie at the Majestic Bay followed by tea at Cupcake Royale. Dinner at La Carta de Oaxaca or Dandelion. If continuing into night, follow dinner with a band and beer at the Sunset or Tractor.

What, no pint at Conor Byrne after dinner?

The area aroud the bahn mi nexus at 12th & Jackson would be good for wandering and grazing.

I want to do a leisurly wander of White Center sometime soon.

[Abra]

Speaking of 12th and Jackson, we just had our first lunch at Tamarind Tree. Wowsers! If you haven't been, get thee hence!

[tighe]

Abra, on Mar 28 2005, 05:10 PM, said:

Speaking of 12th and Jackson, we just had our first lunch at Tamarind Tree. Wowsers! If you haven't been, get thee hence!

The very first eG event I participated in was beef 7-ways at a restaurant at 12th & Jackson. I understand that place is gone, but that TT does the same thing. We should recreate the event, although we need to bring back Klink, nightscotsman and MsRamsey to really capture the essence of the moment.

[malarkey]

Ahhh perfect foodie musings.. lunch at Matt's in the Market on a sunny day, sitting at the window table. YUM.

[schielke]

tighe, on Mar 29 2005, 04:09 AM, said:

Abra, on Mar 28 2005, 05:10 PM, said:

Speaking of 12th and Jackson, we just had our first lunch at Tamarind Tree.  Wowsers!  If you haven't been, get thee hence!

The very first eG event I participated in was beef 7-ways at a restaurant at 12th & Jackson. I understand that place is gone, but that TT does the same thing. We should recreate the event, although we need to bring back Klink, nightscotsman and MsRamsey to really capture the essence of the moment.

I think that was my first event too. Ahh the memories.

[Abra]

I think that must have been at Nha Tranh (sp?) I wasn't with you, but we had the Bo Bay Mon there too, my first. Judging by their beef in la lot, I'll bet TT's is even better.