seattle: my new favorite city - part 1

unlike chicago (which was my former favorite city), seattle has this great blend of urban- and suburban-ness about it. even though it was cold and rainy the first day i got there, i loved that i saw green everywhere. the city as a whole was so...VERDANT. (yes, yes, please applaud my shameless use of GRE vocabulary. though this is certainly A PROPOS, considering that seattle is one of the most well-read cities in the nation, w/bookstores & coffee shops on every other block.) and even though it was painfully annoying that i was stalled twice on my ride from the airport to my hotel, i couldn't get really upset at running into a barge crossing and a train crossing -- i mean, when else would this happen to me?!

at any rate, as i reported in my previous entry, i made it to dinner just about 10 minutes late. and i was lovingly welcomed into the canlis fold. the food and the view were equally spectacular, w/the prawns being the most memorable dish of the night (and the trip), and the dessert coming in a close second for the evening. it was a great way to start the weekend!

unfortunately, my cab driver on the way back to the hotel was an idiot. and i was left grumbling on a random street corner, since i didn't have the patience to wait for him to figure out his GPS coordinates. thankfully, the hotel staff guided me back to the hotel easily, and they were all really helpful during my entire stay. the service was especially important, since they had to make up for the dreariness of the space. everything seemed dimly lighted, which made for a mildly eerie quality. and even though i knew i couldn't be guaranteed a room w/a view, i never expected to be facing a wall! moreover, the heat was on *so* high that i ended up having trouble sleeping. (that being said, i wish i'd been smarter sooner and realized the first night that: 1) i could open the windows and 2) there was a sheet of paper by the phone telling me how to turn down the heat! *sigh* fatigue breeds idiocy. and insanity, from what i hear.) on the other hand, there was a kitchenette! as well as pots, pans, dishware, and silverware! all of which i wished i'd been able to use more. but considering that i was on vacay, i really wasn't going to do more work than necessary. (next time, i say, next time.)

http://www.innatqueenanne.com/

on my first full day, which happened to be a rainy day, i decided to check out a year-round farmer's market in the university (the u district, as the locals call it). the bus system is pretty extensive in seattle, and even though the buses don't come very often, every stop has the schedules printed on it. and i was able to catch a bus straight from the queen anne district (where i was staying) to the u district -- and only a block or so from the farmer's market! this was totally convenient considering the rain and the wind. i decided to pick up some cash and a mate latte before wandering around the market. given how cold the temperature still is at this time of year, i was worried that i wouldn't find any open markets. thankfully, local growers and vendors are thoroughly committed to selling their wares, and i was lucky enough to find my way to them. in addition to being small and manageable, the market had vendors who were wonderfully open and friendly. i had the best time just talking to them about their products, and having them ask about my trip.

http://www.seattlefarmersmarkets.org/markets/u_district

after perusing through the entire market and sampling some yummy treats (including local products like salmon jerky and tayberry jam), i decided to pick up some cinnamon walnut pecan butter, which literally tasted (as marilyn, the vendor, indicated) like a cinnamon roll in a jar. it was a bit crumbly in consistency, but she assured me that it'd be much creamier at room temperature. (i mean, we were standing around in 40-degree weather!) let me say that this stuff cost $14.50 a jar (!!), so the price was pretty steep for all intents and purposes. as such, you could understand my intense dismay when i realized later in the day that the jar had gone MISSING!! i was even more upset b/c i was all ready to send a bunch of treats home to LA (b/c i didn't want to check baggage -- silly me). i emailed marilyn right away to let her know that i'd be willing to pick up another jar if i could find her in the city, and guess what?! she remembered me and offered to send me a complimentary jar! i seriously couldn't quite believe it. i was all ready to seek her out, but instead, she one-upped me (in only the best of ways) and offered me the most pleasant surprise of my trip. let's just say that this is the kind of wonderful hospitality that i found throughout my wanderings in seattle. and i really can't wait to get back for some more.

http://marilynsnutbutters.com/

in addition to my wonderful nut butter, i picked up some delicious rose petal jelly from dale, who was located a few stalls down. he had such an amazing spread of jellies, jams, and eggs (yes, eggs!) -- i wasn't quire sure where to start. but he gave me a little of this and a little of that, and i sampled to my heart's content. i find that most vendors want to stop you after awhile, but he just let me go on at my leisure. i decided on the rose petal jelly b/c it had the most wonderful smell, taste, and texture. i can't wait to put it on my toast in the morning! and because i love indulging in sweets on vacation, i picked up a lovely almond croissant and a sizeable brioche to munch on on my way out of the market. too bad it was FREEZING b/c i'm sure the pastries would've tasted much better warm.

http://woodringnorthwest.com/

as i walked down university avenue, i decided that umbrellas suck. i couldn't hold my bags, eat my croissant, drink my latte, and carry my umbrella at the same time. and when i can't eat my croissant, i'm annoyed. so i decided to stop in at the university of washington store and stock up on some college gear. (i seriously am in love w/college gear, provided that the colors aren't heinous.) i found the perfect grey huskies cap that would eliminate the need for my way too bright bruins umbrella. (oh, the betrayal!) i also picked up an XL kids sweatshirt for just $15! that ultimately kept me warm and fuzzy for the rest of my trip. i was a happy camper. and i felt like a real seattle-ite. (is that the right term?)

even though i was all ready to make a right and start heading over to the next neighborhood, i was drawn to the "u dub" campus. i told myself that i'd just skirt around the edges to take a look, but when i walked over, i realized that i had to take more of a stroll. OMG. i loved it. i'm sure i only saw a fraction of it, but what i saw was absolutely amazing. even in the drizzle (and perhaps because of it), the campus was a lovely green. and b/c i hate grass (yes, i hate grass), i thoroughly appreciated all the pathways weaving in and out of the grassy areas. i loved the architecture of the old buildings. i loved the open plaza area, which made me feel like i was on the steps of oxford in london or trinity in dublin. i even found a huge water fountain with birds taking baths. i think that's what i loved most -- this feeling that i was in europe. i also loved the fact that the campus was immense and rambling, and the buildings were varied in size. at UCLA, everything seems so tall and overwhelming and monolithic, though perhaps i'm just used to it all at this point. at any rate, i really didn't want to leave....

as i made my way towards greenlake/greenwood (what's it called?), where i was supposed to meet junghee & the fam for red mill burgers (supposedly the best burgers in seattle, though what would i know since i never eat burgers!), i passed through wallingford. while it's pretty easy to trek on seattle streets, some areas have more pedestrians than others. that being said, i'd say boston is pretty similar, especially when you consider areas like brookline and somerville that are a bit quieter and more residential. i loved hitting the busy street in wallingford, where both sidewalks were lined with cute coffee shops, restaurants, and boutiques. little did i know that i actually passed by tilth (and a number of notable eateries and dessert spots) on my trek through the neighborhood! (for my tummy's sake, this was probably a good thing.)

sadly, lily was being fussy, and gerald had to take care of her, so junghee drove out from redmond on her own to see me. after some phone coordination, she picked me up in a fabulous BMW SUV. needless to say (now that i know car brands), i was very impressed. (apparently, gerald loves cars. go figure.) i think we were both surprised that neither of us had changed all that much. she's a mom now, but she's just as carefree and laid-back as she always was. and i had to laugh in semi-shock when she told me that she didn't bother keeping the baby monitor on at night and how she let lily cry until she fell asleep again to get her on a regular sleep schedule. (of course, this is due to the fact that all my other friends are semi-obsessive moms! and if you gals are reading this, i still love you despite your neuroses. =P)

because neither of us were very hungry, junghee decided to show me around all the places that i wouldn't necessarily have been able to see on my own -- sans car. before we did anything else, i HAD to go see greenlake. jess had made it sound so lovely, and i'm infatuated w/large bodies of water. so not only did we drive over there, junghee parked the car, and we did a lovely walk around the entire lake. i think she mentioned that it was about 2 miles or so around, making it larger than the central park reservoir, and ultimately lovelier as well. there were plenty of runners, dogwalkers, and dogs -- all of which i love about seattle. especially the latter. i swear they were EVERYWHERE. and i'm so much happier seeing super fluffy dogs in seattle (where they ought to be) than in LA were they're tortured by all the heat and sun (poor things!). it was so great to just walk and talk -- one of my favorite things to do with friends -- and catch up over the last several years of random goings-on. it's really the best thing to do on a cold day. (or any day for that matter.)

after almost forgetting where we parked, we decided to drive all around seattle, passing by fremont, cutting through ballard, crossing the bridge to the east side, breezing through bellevue, and then weaving back through downtown (where pike place market and SAM are located), pioneer park (one of the oldest parts of the city), the international district (measly apparently by junghee's standards), and capitol hill. she even parked at one point to show me houseboats! it was all very cool. like a personalized tour of the city. by late afternoon, she decided that she should head back to the 'burbs, and she dropped me off at the hotel. hugs all around and an invitation to stay w/them at the their new house in july!

this gave me just enough time to drop off my bags and relax a bit before heading straight back to wallingford for dinner. i decided to hop on the bus again w/my $4 all-day bus pass, and i made it to tilth *just* in time for my reservation. unlike canlis, which was totally old school formal, tilth went w/the cozy farmhouse look -- pale green & yellow on the exterior and interior. as soon as i walked in, i was greeted by adam, who'd taken my call the night before and placed me at the chef's counter. while david had suggested that i could get a good view of the kitchen, there was a couple already sitting in the prime location, and so i ended up choosing a seat right by the window (which was pretty darn cold i must say -- i don't think insulation is very good w/seattle windows, b/c i had the same experience at purple a few days later). that being said, i'm so short that i doubt i would've been able to see over the counter anyways -- it was so high! while i got seated right way and offered the menu, my server (who was nice enough) forgot my iced tea and delivered me a dish that i never ordered. these are small details, yes, but the service really does affect the meal. and the meal certainly could've used some help.

super high expectations are never good. which is why i hate it when people say "that was the best movie ever! (e.g., slumdog millionaire)" or "that was the best meal ever! (e.g., tilth)" in my opinion, tilth was so hyped that it became so overrated. i'll keep my review short b/c: 1) this blog entry is already super long and 2) i just don't want to think too much more about this meal (since there were so many better meals). first off, i received a potato leek and fennel salad as an amuse bouche -- plain & uninteresting. next, i got the hors d'oeuvres, which were little round crackers with fromage blanc, fig, and black walnut. while the fig was quite figgy and the cracker had interesting flavor, the fromage blanc was quite crumbly and the dish seemed to need salt. based on derek & melissa's review, i decided to try the cauliflower flan, which they'd raved about. i totally missed the cauliflower and i thought it tasted like some egg dish that my mom used to make growing up. totally below expectations. b/c of the mix-up w/my order, the waiter offered me the carrot risotto to try, and i thought "why not? it's free. and i was checking it out anyways." bad decision. i don't like carrots, plus i thought it was rich beyond words, especially for a veggie dish. i felt like it went straight to the bottom of my stomach. definitely not what i was wanting at the moment. and i couldn't eat more than a few bites. when my pork cheek dish finally came, i was so glad that there was some choucroute to cut the richness. again, the dish tasted like something my mom used to make, so i wasn't finding anything creative after all i'd heard about this place. the dessert was the last straw. i went w/the special, which my server had described as "a kit kat bar" and which i so wish he hadn't done b/c it was NOTHING like a kit kat bar. the server who delivered my dish called it an open faced ice cream sandwich. (needless to say, everyone should communicate better.) i received a theo chocolate feuilletine w/chocolate toffee ice cream. it was super rich, and didn't fit the kit kat description. after all the hype, i was definitely disappointed. tilth, i hope your april menu does better by you.

http://tilthblog.wordpress.com/