Life In The Pacific Northwest
We’ve been fans of Zuri’s for months, and head over at least once every weekend. I highly recommend them.
You can watch the video below, or you can head over to the Evening Magazine article here.
Zuri’s has had other media coverage. Check out:
Clearly, Zuri’s is a great part of our community. Though I don’t really relish longer lines, I think everyone should swing by and give them your support (directions at this link).
I’ve driven past Everett’s Vintage Cafe dozens (100s?) of times, but have never made my way down to it. After watching Live In Everett’s YouTube video about it, though, I realize I need to fix that. Of course, after the pandemic lock-downs have passed. Sadly, it’s a bit far away for us to go there for takeout.
While on my way back from Mountlake Terrace’s Double D Meats, I really wanted some coffee…and a pumpkin scone (I love them so). For the coffee part, I opted for a good ol’ pumpkin spice latte. They goofed on a prior order and offered me a free iced white chocolate mocha. So I think “absolutely”! On the drive home, I sipped my PSL merrily. Once I got home, though, I thought I’d take a sip of the mocha. Um…poor choice. The mocha paired, well, horribly with the PSL. I needed to give my mouth a good rinsing.
So, dear friends, when offered a free beverage, take a moment and think about how it will blend in with the rest of your meal.
Friday my son spent the afternoon and evening bulldozed by some virus. Yesterday the wretched microbes fought with my wife. Last night they came for me. Today’s itinerary thus changed to drinking tea while couch surfing with YouTube.
The best part of such (I always look for the positives)? Discovering new talent. Today I found Claire McAdams, photographer and explorer. Her journey through China a few months ago charmed me. I enjoy her energy and quirky sensibilities.
Back in October she posted a video of a day on Seattle (I expect her actual visit here occurred in summer, though. Anyway, I inserted the video below for your convenience and edification).
I liked her choices for her Seattle excursion:
Pike Place Market including:
Dim Tai Fung. They opted for Bellevue, though Pacific Place is significantly closer to Pike Place.
Now, as a life-long Seattleite, what suggestions do I offer?
Hmmm…
Favorite Foods at Pike Place:
And Seattle Center:
I like her venue choices with some additions. If you like music, add MPop. And the Wing Luke Museum offers great insight into the Asian Pacific American experience. If nothing else, their Bruce Lee exhibit garnered high praise.
So, Seattle fans, what recommendations come to mind? And check out her video.
Apparently this is the Top Chocolate festival in North America (is there a more impressive one in Europe? Or South America? But I digress…). More importantly (to me at least) it’s the largest gathering of chocolatiers in the world. As someone who adores chocolate, I find this compelling and more than a little bit interesting.
The event will be November 9 & 10 on Pier 91 in Seattle. Tickets for the full weekend are currently $50, with single day options at $25. There’s also a VIP pass that looks like a blast at $95. These prices are for right now, and will go up closer to the event.
Check out their website for full details and to reserve your tickets.
Update: corrected the dates to November 9 & 10
Our dinner plans this evening include going to Edmonds’ El Puerto. They’ve been a part of our lives for over a decade. And, now, the restaurant is at the end. The owners plan to retire after this weekend. We can hope it’s an April Fools prank, but I doubt it’ll do any good.
Anyway, the place was packed and we decided to head up the hill and half-block to another favorite eatery: Taki Tiki.
I had a BBQ Burger Dip; very yummy! My wife had the mahi mahi fish tacos and was quite happy. We’ve eaten there many times over the years, and tried many of their options. I’ve never been disappointed.
This got me thinking. I think it would be fun to explore different burger places in the region. In south Snohomish County, I’ve eaten at, besides Taki Tiki, Red Onion in Mountlake Terrace, Dick’s, Blazing Onion at Alderwood Mall, Hop Jack’s in Lynnwood (and up in Smokey Pointe), and Hamburger Harry’s (Edmonds). Heading north theres Bob’s Burgers and Brews, and also Ray’s in Everett, Marysville’s AJ’s, Burger Mill, Zeke’s in Gold Bat, Nutty’s Junkyard Grill in Arlington…these are what comes rolling out readily. I’m sure I’d think of others if I gave it time. This is just Snohomish County.
And I already have a bit of a list of places I want to try.
What’s your favorite that’s missing from this list? Tell me which of the above you love, or dislike. I am open to all kinds of ideas. I’d really love to hear your favorites.
I came across this article a few days ago: Barbecue field trip: A Marysville joint takes its brisket very seriously (from the Seattle Times). I work in Marysville, but on the other end of town from Jeff’s Texas Style BBQ. Now, I’ve driven by it multiple times, and had several friends recommend it. And I hadn’t made it IN there. I decided it was time for a BBQ field trip on my own. Thus, today I did that. My boss and I were running around visiting a few projects and the article above drove home the need to give it a try.
My original plan was to try the pulled pork, but they’d sold out. FYI, they do their best to gauge demand and only prepare as much as they expect to sell. And when it’s gone, it’s gone. Nothing is frozen or microwaved. Though inconvenient for me, I do like the model. It’s what takes food from commodity to ethereal.
So I opted for brisket. The verdict? Amazing! I’ve never had brisket to tender I can cut it with a flimsy plastic fork. Smoky, but not too much. Solid pepper notes, but nothing overwhelming. Very well balanced and flavorful. I tried the sauce, and found it lived up to the article. Though I’m quite fond of the sweet BBQ, too.
It is a place I’ll go back to. Multiple times, I hope. Give them a try and let me know what you think. Or if there’s some other place I need to try, leave a note in the comments as well.
Thanks for reading. If you could be so kind, please give this post a “like” and share it via your favorite social media channel. I much appreciate all of you.
​One thing I noticed about the Edmonds Arts Festival yesterday: food. Once upon a time portable food vendors were, well, mediocre at best. Often times they were dreadful, to the point of promising almost certain food poisoning. Quality was job two.
We’ve shifted from food trucks to, um, foodie trucks. Better put, food trucks are evolving. They’re becoming exercises is culinary creative excellence. This change is a beautiful thing, which I welcome. They add a new, positive element to our region’s festivals.
Does this upscaling come at a cost? Are they more expensive, making living in the region tougher for those earning less than the median! Or just uppity, gentrified fare challenging the more traditional palette? It seems we are able to have a blend of costs, foods and styles. So, I’m not concerned. I often wonder about such things, though. I desire the region to be accessible to all.
Higher quality food enriches the whole experience. I’m pleased at this change, seeing it as progress.
If you enjoyed this post, please click the “like” button down below, check some of my other posts, and share on your favorite social media platforms. It helps the site out greatly. Thanks!
Over on Instagram one of my chums, Eat Stay Love posted the photo below:
Their post led to a discussion about great burger places in the region. Funny, but I realize I’ve experienced many and have my “definitive” list of favorites, which stretch from Seattle north to Bellingham.
This my reflexive list. What’s missing? What are your favorites? I’d really love to hear them.
Several years ago, I considered doing a road trip focused on the best burger places. Might be time to consider that one again. What do you think?
Wow, I just tossed out a bunch of expired food. Boxes of stuff that’d migrated to the far reaches of my cabinets. I’m bothered by the waste. One thing in particular got me, though: packets.
Those little packets if sweet and sour sauce, soy sauce, all that. I put in the trash so many. I never use these, as I always have my own at home and my office.
They’re placed in the bag automatically. Along with forks and napkins, which I also have.
These items are pure waste, given for “convenience sake”. Good customer service, I guess, but not environmentally sustainable. Plus, I expect most folks are like me and have no need.
This is an area I need to give some kudos to McDonald’s. They ask if you want ketchup packets, etc, before dropping them into your bag. It saves the company money along with slowing the rate we fill those land-fills.
I’d like “asking before giving” to become the standard. Until then, I need to start telling the good folks who own my favorite take out shops that I don’t need sauce packets, chopsticks, or forks.