to kick off my bright and beautiful sunday morning, i put on my walking shoes and sauntered all the way down through belltown toward downtown. as i trekked along first avenue, i admired the lovely modern architecture evident in all of the new condominium buildings. this is definitely another one of my favorite things about seattle. even though old school seattle-ites might not agree, i absolutely adore the modern buildings set against the natural backdrop of trees and water. i'm simply in love with this amazing visual juxtaposition of old and new. and as you can tell, i can't seem to say enough about it. and better yet, on this gorgeous sunny day, i could see the snowy top of mt. rainier past the water. and it was pretty amazing.
as i passed through belltown, i stopped at macrina bakery, known to be one of the best bakeries in town. i must've stopped in really early b/c there were still breakfast/brunch seats to be filled! even though i wasn't very hungry then, i decided to stock up for later, and i picked up a plum roll (like a cinnamon roll but filled w/plum filling) and a nutella brioche, as well as a half-priced (that's what got me) chocolate chip apricot cookie and a soy latte (my new fave). i munched on these sweets over the course of 2 days, and even though they would've been much better nice & warm, i couldn't have asked for better pastries. these treats were scrumptious indeed.
http://www.macrinabakery.com/
after a bit more walking, i made it to pike place market (and the adjacent sanitary market). OMG. there were so many sights & sounds that i can't begin to describe it. i was literally here for hours and hours. and i probably could've stayed a few more. (which is probably why i had to come back the next day!) i started off wandering in past the mini-donuts -- and i had to get one. unfortunately, they only sold them in 6! and i didn't have the appetite, so i told the guy i'd come back. to which he said "come over here. it's your lucky day." and he gave me a powdered one to try! i'm sad that it was stone cold, but i'm happy that i got one for free. YAY!
after that, i sampled some dried fruit & veggies at a neighboring stall, before trying out some smoked salmon from a really cute fishmonger at the infamous pike place fish. i have to admit that i was delighted when he dared me to do an oyster shooter. b/c i LOVE fresh oysters. and when he dared some guy nearby to do one too, i offered to buy him his oyster shooter! it was SO spontaneous and SO fun and SO good -- and now i have a shot glass to remember the experience! (FYI that i passed through the market the next morning and my cute fishmonger asked if i wanted another oyster shooter. to which i responded that it was just too early for that!)
http://www.pikeplacemarket.org/
i spent the next few hours wandering up and down the aisles of both markets, sampling yummy treats (like truffle oils), and wishing i had the appetite (and the tummy) to try all the lovely things i saw -- savory & sweet piroshkies, roast pork buns, grilled cheese sandwiches, spanikopitas. i decided to be good and just pick up a few items to send home and/or tide me over. it was all so enticing that i was amazed that i was able to hold back as much as i did. but if anything, the market is more about the experience than the purchases. it was exciting enough to be surrounded by so many great tastes and flavors. i couldn't have asked for a better morning!
after the markets, i made my way down to the ferry terminal, and i took the ferry over to bainbridge island and back. seeing as how i was on foot, there really wasn't any point to setting foot on the island. but having the brisk wind against my face and through my hair was worth the trip. and the view was quite spectacular too!
http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries/schedules/current/index.cfm?route=sea-bi
by mid-afternoon, i decided to meander my way back to queen anne. when i was almost there, i decided to veer off towards the water instead. and i ended up on broad street, heading into olympic sculpture park, which is a SAM installation. because i hadn't really wanted to go inside a museum on this trip (i mean, why go inside when you have nature outside?), this was the perfect combination of modern art & outdoor space. plus i was thrilled to be so close to the water! although the park was a bit challenging to figure out at first (due to some dead ends), i managed to find my way w/o too much trouble.
then i ended up walking straight into elliott bay park! even though the stretch was beautiful all the way down to the grain elevator, be forewarned that the walk is LONG and there is NO way out except at the other end. you're pretty much locked into the park by the railroad lines until you run into a pedestrian bridge at the far end. i was worried at first b/c i didn't see anyone looping back. that is, until i realized that everyone probably just kept going! what made the trek fun was checking out all the dogs. i swear they were all SO cute. i was seriously aching w/desire.
http://www.seattleartmuseum.org/visit/osp/
http://www.portseattle.org/community/resources/parks/index.shtml
after a serious schlep back to my hotel, i was all ready to pass out. fortunately/unfortunately, i was on my way YET AGAIN to another dinner reservation. this time, i was headed to monsoon in capitol hill for some yummy vietnamese food! everything else i'd been had focused on northwest cuisine, and by this point, i was totally ready for some asian flavors. at first, i was sure i could walk to capitol hill. as soon as i checked the map, i realized i was definitely WRONG. thankfully, i was able to catch a bus and i made it to the restaurant with a few minutes to spare. as i strolled through the neighborhood, i realized that this was where i'd want to live if i ever moved to seattle. a quiet neighborhood w/small houses and a few streets of yummy eats. as i've gotten older, i really think i've come to appreciate how nice it is to come home to a quiet house. i certainly think i'd be happy here. especially if i had access to great food!
as monsoon's first guest of the event, i was seated right away. the restaurant had very relaxing decor -- i felt like i was walking into a zen retreat. i was surrounded by light wood, and there were bamboo hats on one wall, and soothing black & white photos on the opposite wall. i was offered a lovely menu that was filled w/yummy-looking appetizers and entrees. even though it's hard to eat alone (i mean, my tummy is only so big), i decided to order a few smaller plates to try. before i forget, let me say that the waiter was really pushing for the entrees, where he said the chef could layer more flavors and demonstrate more creativity. to which i responded (in my head, of course) that a good chef should be able and committed to doing that in his appetizers as well. hmph!
at any rate, i decided on 4 dishes: the shrimp & avocado roll (that the waiter suggested), the squid stuffed w/duck meat, the pork ribs, and the mixed mushrooms. first off, the roll was typical in terms of texture, but bland in terms of flavor, w/any saltiness coming from the dipping sauce. the squid & duck dish was more of a novelty if anything, and it was challenging to taste the duck in the squid -- salt was missing yet again. the ribs were flavorful, but way too saucy for my tastes, which forced me to leave 2 out of 5 ribs sitting on the plate. (i didn't even want to wrap them up! shocking, i know.) out of all 4 dishes, the mushrooms were by far the best. rather than using shitakes, the chef sauteed 2 different kinds of mushrooms (the names of which fail me at the moment) in some sort of garlic spice sauce. it was SO good. pretty much perfection. this place definitely warrants a second visit -- the rest of the menu totally suited my tastes. next time, i'm bringing my appetite!
http://www.monsoonrestaurants.com/seattle
before i forget, i wanted to mention that, right across the street from monsoon, were apparently 2 places that i REALLY need to try: kingfish cafe (where i saw a human head-sized piece of red velvet cake being served) and high 5 pie (which sells full-size and mini-size pies) -- both of which were recently profiled in different issues of seattle magazine. (can i tell you how much i love city magazines?? new york and los angeles are currently on my coffee table! ok, well, close by if not right on it....)
http://www.thekingfishcafe.com/
http://www.high5pie.com/
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