I would rather pee at PF Chang’s than eat there.
I do love their bathroom. Red glass-tiles covering the wall with an oversized round mirror behind the three automatic faucet sinks. Perfect mood lighting. Ceiling to floor walls on three sides of the stalls, covered in tile. A heavy wood door with working lock hangs nicely, making a 3/4 wall. Clean lines, no fluff, a great design for a commercial restaurant bathroom.
Stop by for some vegetarian lettuce wraps, add your own flavor with the sauces, and don’t be afraid to consume too many beverages. You will want to check out the bathroom.
First, a disclaimer: I did not buy Zagat 2009 America’s Top Restaurants myself, but was sent a copy from Zagat for review purposes. (You don’t know me very well if you don’t think I’ll accept freebies.)
Now, the Zagatsurvey itself… Spokane is inexplicably not among the 42 cities covered? Can you believe it? I think it must be a misprint, particularly when culinary lightweights like New York is included.
Oversights not withstanding, I still find the Zagat guide a good travel companion. The picks seem to be on the decent side, as proven by the inclusion of Salumi as one of the top Seattle restaurants. Are they all hits? Probably not, but the guide can definitely assist you off the beaten path, to places that aren’t in the middle of the tourist stream.
As it turns 30, Zagat is still a Spokane Food Blog Recommended Food Guide. Now if you’re looking for a Spokane equivalent… Hey, there’s always those sought after Taste Everything Once ratings.
If it’s Friday, it’s De Leon for lunch. This time, I went for the chili relleno…
Taste Everything Once had 23 reader reviews this week, including two opposing opinions for Swinging Doors, a happy De Leon customer, and a less than stellar Wild Sage experience.
And finally, one review from us (me, whatever), of Vina.
A few weeks ago, I enjoyed a wonderful meal of potatoes and filet mignon. My remaining meat sat close to my portion of stacked potatoes. Which do I eat? In the past there would be no question; I would eat the potatoes. It never would have crossed my mind to go for the filet mignon, let alone any meat at all.
This time, though, I went for the amazing cow. My mind was baffled with the choice I made. Right up until that moment it wouldn’t have crossed my mind to go for the steak. My previous mindset would only allow me to eat the potatoes. Quite a concept to grasp if you are a meat eater, I’m sure. It’s maybe even hard to follow if you are a carnivore turned “veghead,” but these days there really isn’t a question in my mind. As long as it is a great cut of meat from a reputable butcher I vote for eating the cow.
Does anyone want to support a local farmer and buy a whole cow with me? I only want quarter of a it. Do you want the remaining three?
The Omnivore Hundred was (from what I understand) a list published a few months back by Andrew Wheeler, a British food author and blogger. The contents of the list are basically hundred things Mr. Wheeler thinks any good omnivore should have tasted at least one time in their life.
Well, fair enough, I like a good challenge, and therefore I’m going for it. Whenever I attempt some of the stranger things on the list, I will write about it here. For now, the 58 items I have tried are bolded in the list below the cut, with the occasional comment…more->
1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
De Leon, bitches.
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue
8. Bread pudding
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
I’m a huge fan of Movenpick’s pistachio ice cream.
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn, or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac
Read my brilliant post on cognac.
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects
43. Phaal
44. Goat's milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
I’m not a big whisky drinker… Ryan, I expect you to get a bottle of this and give me a sip.
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal
Yeah. No. I think I prefer a Quarter Pounder thank you.
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV
The only way to live!
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis
Sadly never tasted this in Scotland.
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
A Norwegian classic.
75. Roadkill
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant
Never been above a one-star.
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse
Not a fan.
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
De Leon, bitches.
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake
I picture Budweiser (or Anheuser-Busch as it is, but you know what I mean) being a bit like Microsoft. They both have what probably would be the most popular product within each market segment (Budweiser Lager and Windows respectively), they are both laughed at by Better Tasters, and they both definitely want to appear to be better and hipper than they are.
Microsoft tried to achieve this by releasing Vista and the Zune. The former, of course, failed miserably. The latter… It was laughed at, it was mocked, but in general wasn’t considered that bad. Following that line, then: If Budweiser Select is Vista, then American Ale can largely be compared to the Zune.
The picture isn’t lying; this might very well be the first Bud that has some head to it. I kid you not. A mishap in pouring like that would not make much of a difference with a Bud Light, but the American Ale kinda reacted how you would expect any decent beer to react. My first impression was positive.
The color, much like the original Zune, had kind of a deep brownness to it, and a quick whiff… My god, was that hops I smelled?! Well, fear not, it only took a couple of sips before it became abundantly clear American Ale will not be much of a kick in the teeth flavor-wise.
Actually, American Ale is just plain strange. It’s like they took a fairly average ale, combined it with Bud Light, shook it around, and bottled it. When it first hits your tongue you have high hopes, but a second later it all falls apart. Kinda like when you realize you’ll never use the FM feature on your Zune.
I don’t know about all of this. It’s not that Budweiser American Ale is plain awful. If I had to attend a bad concert somewhere, I’d certainly pick this beer over Bud Light. But really, just like I wouldn’t replace my iPod or iPhone with a Zune, I will not replace my baseline choices of beers with American Ale.
Alternate comparison option: Sarah Palin.
Think the west side is only Seattle and Portland? Swallow your pride and give Tacoma a chance; you might be surprised.
Downtown Tacoma is strange. While the city is the size of Spokane, the core feels more urban, buildings wise. This can possibly be attributed to the lack of surface level parking lots, which I am just OK with.
On the flip side, the town feels deserted. Empty. Abandoned. Give Spokane this; you rarely feel alone there anymore, which you couldn’t say was the case just five years ago. I attribute the relatively good selection of restaurants we have downtown to this influx of people. Yes, many prefer to go to The Melting Pot, but to have spots like Mizuna, the .com, and even Neato after the less than stellar years Spokane has seen… Hey, knock on wood, good stuff.
That’s not to say Tacoma is a complete culinary wasteland. Take Pacific Grill for example, a place very much like Mizuna, both inside and out, and not a million miles away in terms of food quality either. I got a perfectly cooked sliced lamb flank in red wine sauce with a goat cheese mash. Awesome. My dining companion, meanwhile, had a filet mignon that looked equally nice.
The only issue with Pacific Grill was the prices. I mean, had Tacoma been New York, then fine, but come on… It’s Tacoma. Go outside of downtown or Old Town, and you’re borderline having bullets whizzing over your head. (Some might call that hyperbole.) For two meals with an appetizer and half a bottle of wine, I would have expected to pay $20-$30 less at a comparable restaurant in Spokane.
Still, you only live once, and you know what they say. “When in Tacoma…”
Recommended Tacoma blogs:
Why buy a chocolate bar when you can drink this instead?
When fall kicks off and the darker beers replace the refreshing grip of the hefeweizen, I always kick off the season with Rogue's Chocolate Stout. Fall can't start without it.
This is a dark beer, and I truly mean dark. Pitch black. Shine a flashlight on it, and it won't penetrate the beer. Even the head has a tan tint to it. The color alone is enough to make your Miller Lite enthusiast take to the hills.
And when it enters your mouth. My god. So thick and creamy you might fear it'll choke you for a second, a choke that would have been the choke of a lifetime. Should the bitter taste of dark chocolate with a hint of caramel-y sweetness be the last thing you taste, then so be it. It'd be a good way to go.
Rogue Chocolate Stout is like a thick winter blanket. It warms you and makes you feel oh so safe. I love it.
Ferrante's single occupant women's bathroom should not be missed. A calm feeling surrounds you as you first walk in. Beautifully lit and decorated. Simple objects placed with obvious intentions. Of course it comes fully stocked with all of the essentials. Wash your hands before you dive into your slice of pizza and take a look.