Stayed at the Inn on the Market, a few yards from Pike Street market, which was expensive but delivered: a two floor suite with market and sea views, knowledgeable concierges, a limo pick-up at the airport (not complimentary) and all-round very good service. My Beloved managed to eat two breakfasts one morning (one purportedly ordered for the Munchkin - I was saving myself). Okay, I might have tasted the eggs and bacon. If anyone doesn't know Pike Street market, it's vastly larger than you think at first glance. The narrow, covered strip of stalls which runs a couple of blocks parallel to the waterfront conceals extra floors, passages, galleries and cubby-holes. You could spend two days here, not least to sample the food: there are clothes, craft and souvenir vendors too. There is truly nothing like it in New York, and that's apart from the popular fish throwing and the big bronze pig (which Munchkin had to be hauled away from). Buskers and orators and local loons complete the scene.
You can graze through the market on free samples - I especially enjoyed comparing five or six spoonfuls of pepper jellies (Mike's? Mickey's?) - but we paused for a mid-morning snack at one of the open lunch counters. Hot clam chowder - the white (Boston) style - full of flavor and dangerously hot potato pieces. Across the street, Beecher's is a store making home-made cheese products, but also - and more promisingly - stocking a range of regional artisan cheeses. I picked up some Sally Jackson wrapped in Chestnut leaves, a well-aged Wynoochie blue, and some local Tomme, and nibbled some less interesting Jack of non-natural flavor.
Exercising before lunch, we walked all two blocks to Union restaurant where - thanks to Leslie - we took a bite with a range of grandees from this (and other
) food sites. Great to see you all. Union is a sleek, modern boite on a busy street corner, and given the prices I was amazed it was so quiet on a weekday lunch hour. Three courses prix fixe for $20, if I remember rightly, with choices for each course. I made no notes, but recall expertly seared chunks of lamb tongue in salad - snappy and salty on the surface, soft within; enjoyable blue snapper and even better crispy sea bass entrees; and juicy beef from a neighbor's plate. The kithcen happily prepared some simple pasta for the toddler. The desserts looked fine too, but I stuck with cheese. It would have been interesting to see what the kitchen could do with their dinner tasting menu, if we'd had time. Trundled downhill, fortunately, to the water front, and messed around with amusement arcades and the Old Curiosity Shop, until slumber overtook the junior member of the party. This afforded a chance for a snack. We ended up in a Seattle "landmark" - Ivar's, Acres of Clams! A big, rambling unpretentious seafood joint with water views. I was sceptical of the menu, but fortunately we wanted only oysters and beer, and both were available.
Cutting matters short, we prepared for an early dinner. The Dahlia Lounge has actually moved since I was last in the city. It's a colorful, bustling bistro, appearing to cater for a local business crowd in the early evening. It was the least knockout of the Seattle restaurants we tried. If it's not too crushing, I'd say it was a good example of a breed you might find in any regional North American city: the above average bar and grill, with some modern (in this case, Asian) accents to a fairly safe menu. Perhaps that's unfair on one visit? The plates were certainly stacked high. I started with several big chunks of chilled crab meat, served in individual little pots, topped with a light clam sauce, and festooned with breadsticks. My Beloved hit the foie gras trail as usual; okay, but slightly overcooked to my taste. The entrees were so large and contained so many components, that we tended to hand around mouthfuls, and it all got a bit mixed up. I know my Beloved got about half a duck, well-roasted and tender, with a stack of spicy rice. I had a chunk of quite acceptable lamb loin, served with some disappointingly doughy and cheesey potato croquettes. The Munchkin sampled a slightly more unusual dish: risotto of vegetables, first cooked, then used to sandwich slices of more vegetables (mainly squash), and cheese, the whole thing then toasted. It was actually quite nice in a comfortable sort of way.
I don't know how we tackled dessert, but we did. Ice cream for the ladies, and freshly cooked donuts for me, shaken with sugar at the table in a brown paper bag. I liked the pot of strawberry jam which accompanied them, but I confess I saved half the portion for next day's breakfast. There were enough to feed the table.
Groaning, we repaired to a small area of park land at the far end of the market, and relished the site of young people singing with guitars, taking drugs and complaining about the government, under a lovely night sky. I regretted skipping the recommended Le Pichet, but did manage some quality time with a pint of Pilsner before retiring.
I like this place.
