Here’s a lengthy wrap-up of the food we encountered in the Pacific Northwest:
Etta’s: Calamari and shrimp and ginger rolls, albacore tuna over risotto and spinach and dungeness crab cakes with asparagus.
Peso’s Kitchen: Outstanding Bloody Marys, breakfast burrito and huevos tacos.
Kells Irish Pub: Corned Beef pasty and clam chowder.
Wild Ginger: Salmon satay, black pepper scallops, BBQ prawns, sichuan green beans, white and brown rice and mango sticky rice.
Piroshky-Piroshky: piroshkies (we tried several on more than one occasion).
Mr. D’s Greek Delicacies: Gyro.
Virginia Inn (went twice): Chicken sandwich, meatball sandwich (one of the best ever and I order these a lot), tuna sandwiches.
Le Panier: brioche, apricot croissant, raspberry croissant.
CI Shenanigan’s (the most mediocre of meals): 1/2 dozen raw oysters (very nice), asparagus wrapped with prosciutto, NY Strip with prawns, prime beef kabobs and prawns and caesar salads.
Renaissance Cafe: 3 Little Pigs eggs and toast, Denver scramble and toast. The owner scrambles the eggs with the steamer attachment on the espresso machine. Heavenly.
Cafe de Paris: mussels, frisee and lardon salad, salade mimosa, duck breast, cassoulet and pomme frites. Cheese plate for dessert. Epoisses and some other cheeses, but I don’t remember because there was Epoisses and it was perfect.
Sylvia Hotel: buckwheat pancakes, eggs, sausage, toast.
Mediterranean Grill: falafel platter and chicken shawarma platter.
Pacific Crab Co.: the best mojito (I joked about running over to the bartender to give him a big smoochie), calamari to start, clam, mussel and chorizo linguine, sablefish and salmon with asparagus and crab and potato salad.
Cafe Mexico: chicken chimichangas, chipotle chicken. Darn good margaritas.
Siam: egg drop and vegetable soup, chicken curry, spring roll, vegetarian pad thai.
Matisse (7 course tasting menu with accompanying wine) and sorry about no French names on these dishes–it was bad enough I was taking notes on an old receipt: salmon pate in puff pastry that was shaped like a gingerbread man (as the amuse bouche); beef broth, wine, truffle and morel soup; lobster bisque and lobster meat on a potato pancake; rabbit, carrots, pearl onion stew; halibut, merguez, caviar with a beurre blanc; peach and raspberry sorbets to clear our palates; venison, asparagus tips, mashed turnip or parsnip, pearl onions with a veal demi glace and a thin waffle-cut potato crisp; brillat-savarin salad; strawberries and Devonshire ice cream; citrus madeleines. One of the best meals I’ve had in a long time.
Gustav’s: burger with Canadian bacon, bratwurst, fries and onion rings.
Enzian Inn: breakfast buffet eaten quickly so we could get the heck out of Dodge.
Lombardi’s: Ravioli and smoked salmon, chicken saltimbocca and salads. Chocolate ravioli and chocolate mousse.
This was like a siren’s call:
The better-half had the pepperoni and jalapeƱos slice and I had the Mediterranean slice.
Amazing. I am hungry now. I had Don Pablo’s for lunch and a bowl of bean soup with quiche for dinner. A steaming hot calimari sounds good right about now.