Seattle dining Archives

Culinary Excellence at Le Petit Cochon

March 22, 2017

I had the pleasure of dining at Le Petit Cochon last night for the first time, and all I can say is wow, y’all. Like, super wow. I have a new favorite restaurant in Seattle. Chef Derek and his team are absolutely killing it and while they claim they aren’t for the “pretentious diner”, the dishes are incredibly elevated. They employ a “Nose to Tail” philosophy here which means they use every part of the animal possible and are committed to using only the freshest Pacific Northwest ingredients from local farmers.

Arancini over Oyster Potage

The evening began with a little amuse-bouche and it was the perfect bite to warm up my palate. I was not familiar with arancini, but they are basically stuffed rice balls that are fried (yes, please). Come to think of it, I didn’t know what potage was either (it’s just a thick soup) and it was bomb.

Pork Tartare with Chiccarrones, Nuoc Cham, Carrot Ginger Purée and Peanut

The first real course was a pork tartare. Yes, that’s right, a pork tartare. I have seen lots of steak tartares in my life, but never pork. It was outstanding. I’m looking back at the menu now and realizing this dish had peanuts in it – I hate peanuts and this dish was so yummy, I didn’t even notice. I could eat a tub of this tartare.

Tuna Noodle Bowl: Neah Bay Albacore Meatballs, Ikura Roe, Sesame Noodle Salad, Pepper Purée, Lotus Root Chips, Nori Vin, Cilantro, Mint

This dish was almost too pretty to eat (almost)! I don’t think I’ve had tuna meatballs before; these were fantastic. The noodles were cooked perfectly al dente and the lotus root chips brought the added texture that set this dish off.

Send Gnudes: Ricotta Gnudi, Mushroom Ragout, Nettles, Hazelnut Butter, Black Lemon Yogurt, Sunchoke and Blackbean Vin, Crispy Sunchokes

The name of this dish just tickles me, y’all. I dig the wordplay and I love gnudi! Gnudi is similar to gnocci but better in my opinion because instead of potatoes, you use ricotta. These were like little pillows full of creamy ricotta cheese. Until the final course came (see next photo), this was my favorite dish of the evening.

Olson Farms Phat Ass Pork Chop: Kale Raab, Grilled Carrots, Confit Cherry Jam, Onion Strings, Bagna Cauda Vin, Salsify

I think the photo speaks for itself. Holy cow (pig?), y’all. This phat ass pork chop was so damn good. I left nothing but bone and I was seriously tempted to pick the bone up and chew on it. (Real lady like, right?) I have never had a pork chop so tender and flavorful. I eat my fair share of meat, but I’m really more of a beef girl. This is one of the best pieces of meat I’ve ever had and I’ll absolutely be back to have it again. There’s also a Foie Burger on the menu; that’s on my list of things to eat here next.

Don’t Miss the Last Few Days of Dine Around Seattle!

March 19, 2017

Dine Around Seattle is a magical time for food lovers in this city. We get to enjoy dinners featuring three menu items for a mere $22, $33 or $44 (price points vary between restaurants) and three menu item lunches for just $18 at some of the best restaurants in the city. I love Dine Around Seattle because it gives me an inexpensive way to try all the restaurants that have been on my list the past few months. I visited Chinapie last week to check out their DAS dinner offering, and it was on point y’all (how can you go wrong combining pizza and dumplings? That’s right, you can’t).

Here’s something new to Dine Around Seattle this year that I love. Instead of having to offer a three course meal for a set price, participating restaurants can now offer three menu items – meaning one can be a cocktail. Cheers, y’all! Chinapie is offering a cocktail and two dishes for just $22. It’s a steal! The drink on the right is mine and the cocktail offered on the DAS menu – the Sue’s Lemonade: gin, elderflower liqueur, lemon & prosecco.

For your second item at Chinapie, you’ll choose between Chicken Pho Soup Dumplings, House Ground Pork Dumplings and their Confit Chicken Wings. This wasn’t something I had to even remotely think about – Chicken Pho Soup Dumplings, please!

You’ll select a pizza for your final item at Chinapie, and I went with a classic, the Margherita. What can I say? I love the simplicity of mozzarella, basil & tomato on a pizza crust. Yum. And would you believe you get all this food and the cocktail for just $22? (I promise you’ll have leftovers if you do Dine Around here and if you don’t, well then you’re my hero and we can be dining buddies.)

So make your plans now, people! We are in the last few days of Dine Around Seattle, but you can still enjoy it through Thursday, March 23! Get the full list of participating restaurants and their menus here.

Brunch Bliss at Terra Plata

January 7, 2017

Dining at Terra Plata is always special. In the summertime, there’s nothing better than a late brunch with too many churros and mimosas on the rooftop garden from which the restaurant sources many of its ingredients. It’s farm to table at its finest, folks. But brunch in the winter here can be just as delicious and may even make you forget about this unforgiving cold weather we’ve been enduring the past couple weeks. I recently had the pleasure of brunching at Terra Plata with lovely Chef and Owner, Tamara Murphy, along with a couple of my other foodie friends and what a treat it was! The lineup of food was absolutely stellar, y’all.