Last night, we stopped in to try the natto gnocchi (Yang and Chirchi fold natto into the gnocchi dough, and serve it with walnut-nettle pesto and house-cured smoked bacon), but while we enjoyed it, what won us over even more were the Buffalo chicken livers. Your order will include a nice little basket of pillowy, breaded livers deep-fried and dunked in a spicy, tangy Buffalo sauce. Dip them into some of the accompanying lovage ranch dressing, and alternate with bites of pickled rhubarb.

It’s like bar food meeting fine dining. The result: an incredible symphony of flavors at a friendly cost of seven dollars per order. What a show!

Cross-posted on Seattlest, where “we” = me.

We rarely go out for Italian food, opting instead to make it at home. A plate of pasta is emergency food for us, as we can whip up a mean puttansesca in no time at all.

That said, Spinasse is no ordinary Italian restaurant, and its pasta is pretty extraordinary. But more on that in a moment.

First up was the antipasto misto della casa ($28). It’s an ideal sampler of the six antipasti items on the menu, great for the first-timer to the restaurant. We especially enjoyed the sliced cold poached veal and the salad of chicories and marinated pheasant, but found the anchovies to be a little too salty.

This we ate at one of the communal tables, as the counter was full. Free advice: Wait for a counter seat if you want one. We were told it would be close to an hour to sit there, only to watch as seats opened up just fifteen minutes later. Fortunately, our served sent us over for the next round of open seats, where we waited for our pasta and took in the sights, sounds, and smells of the kitchen – which is why we generally like counter-seating.

While the family-style menus were tempting, we opted for a la carte as we wanted to try two pastas. And we were glad we did. First was tajarin (fine cut egg pasta), which we had with ragu ($19). Very delicate noodles with just the right amount of meat and tomato clinging to them. Fun for the first few bites, but less enduring and enamoring than the maltagliati (random wide cuts of pasta) with chickpeas and prosciutto ($20). Wide noodles please us, and these were perfectly cooked with just the right bite to them.

The pasta portions are not so large, but two orders for two people after antipasti and bread had us fairly full. A side with all this would have sufficed (perhaps some roasted vegetables), but our server had earlier suggested otherwise, and housemade goat sausage with lentils and kale ($24) had caught our eyes. These balls of sausage were glimmeringly beautiful, packing a meaty, somewhat salty punch blunted well by the luscious lentils. We took a few tastes, and packed the rest for the next day’s lunch.

Spinasse is a bit pricey for Italian food, but you’re paying for quality ingredients and preparation. Based on our two-part dining experience, we definitely recommend sitting at the counter. You’re not in bantering range of the kitchen crew, but you can see your pasta-maker cooking up his creations. We know that’s Chef Justin Neidermeyer, but with his ruffled hair and overall look, we couldn’t stop laughing at the thought of Jack Black in the kitchen. To the master of the school of pasta, we simply say, “Bravo, Maestro.”

Cross-posted on Seattlest, where “we” = me.

At Kokiri Korean Restaurant, we tried two types of naeng-myeon. Both are described as “freshly pulled potato noodles” that are served cold in stainless steel bowls and topped with shaved daikon, julienned cucumber, a couple of beef brisket slices, and half of a hard-boiled egg. (There should also be Asian pear, which was disappointingly missing.) The thin noodles are chewy and sticky, so the server wields scissors to cut them at your request.

Mul naeng-myeon (or mool neng myun, as Kokiri spells it) features cold beef broth, and comes with hot mustard and vinegar to add as you desire. The broth is mild and the dish is refreshing, especially on a hot summer day. But, as our visit wasn’t on a hot summer day, and since the steel bowl keeps the broth quite frigid, the dish left us shivering—but happy.

The bi bim naeng-myeon is more like a salad, served in gochujang (red chili pepper paste). This gave a welcomed warming effect, though like the kim chi that came as part of the panchan, it wasn’t as spicy as we’d have liked. Still, it was satisfying, though we continue to wonder: Do restaurants deliberately dumb down the food for people they consider foreign to their fare?

Originally posted at Seattlest (where “we” = me) on June 2, 2008.

Look beyond the short menu at your table (if you can get a table) and ask for the full happy hour menu. There’s quite a selection; most everything is $4, so we got four items, including ahi tuna seared rare “Oaxaca-style,” spicy fried fresh calamari, and a salad of pear and arugula. But we were really here for the burger, specifically, the El Diablo “steakhouse” avocado burger with smoky bacon, jack cheese, red onion, butter lettuce, and tomatoes. We added fries for $1.50 for a nice-looking happy hour plate – and a pretty good deal.

Peso’s does a decent burger with good fixings. Nothing fancy, like Lunchbox Laboratory offers, but with much better service; considering how crowded the conditions were, our server was patient, friendly, and helpful.The downside: Though it’s not fast food like Dick’s, we found ourselves eating quickly and wanting to get out, as the happy hour crowd was rather raucous, and we got tired of screaming at each other to be heard. As at La Carta de Oaxaca, it can be hard to enjoy the food in a noisy environment; then again, most people are coming to Peso’s to get happy over happy hour drinks.

Cross-posted at Seattlest, where “we” = me.

Tidbit, the north Capitol Hill restaurant that’s Italian meets Spanish in a non-fusion fashion, offered us tidbits aplenty during a recent visit. And it was in the tidbits called tapas that we found our favorites—with carryover to other parts of the menu.

Owners John van Deinse and Nicola Longo are welcoming and as warm as the orange walls that highlight the intimate dining room, and we turned over control of the menu to them. We confess we loved the little crock full of rosemary-scented sweet potato fries. Addictive—and fun to dip in a side of whole grain mustard aioli. The aioli was a wonderful match, and would later be a perfect complement to shaved pieces of incredibly tender, grilled leg of lamb.

Equally impressive, and total eye candy, were a couple of arancini—orange balls (arancini means little oranges in Sicilian) that are actually fried risotto cakes made with saffron and tomato, full of melted mozzarella inside. What made these special was the accompanying salsa sciué sciué, (one of the table’s tidbit of trivia cards—nice touch!—told us that sciué sciué is Neopolitan for presto, presto). We think we detected this quick tomato salsa in the garlicky sauce of the shrimp tapa, and wished we had some for the baccala entrée—an interesting spin on fish and chips featuring salt cod and fried zucchini that would have been great to dip in some sauce.

Sauced is what we almost became after drinking the grappa and cello flights that came with dessert. The limoncello went well with the lemon tartufo (gelato with a limoncello cream center), though the nocello (walnut and hazelnut) was most interesting and refreshing. Even more refreshing were Nic and John, who are proud of their place and the plates they serve. Forward or backward (hey…the word “tidbit” works that way—in both directions!), the menu is full of items that, while not home runs, are all solid hits—choice morsels that are certainly pleasing.

Originally posted at Seattlest (where “we” = me) on June 30, 2008.

Dinner was on-site at The Restaurant at Alderbrook, where we put ourselves in the hands of Chef Christopher Schwarz, who sent out small plates of many menu items. The shellfish sampler was a wonderful start: a gorgeous dish highlighted by a pink scallop.

After a couple of competent salads came the most memorable part of the meal: a pair of stellar soups. A coconut-based soup smacked of Thai green curry (though not as strong) featuring sweet potatoes along with peas, pea vine tendrils and snap peas that made the dish ring spring. And a tomato-basil soup was a throwback to childhood days of a grilled cheese sandwich and Campbell’s tomato soup. But this was the adult version, rich and sophisticated, topped with a cheese crouton and a sprinkling of herb oil. Delicious!

From the fresh sheet, we loved the smokiness of the chili marinated gulf prawns, though we picked around the accompanying baby chick peas (as we did with the shellfish sampler). An even better starter was the hot smoked Columbia River king salmon; served with snap peas, pea tendrils, golden beets, and a mild horseradish crème fraîche, the salmon (apparently just smoked) was almost candy-like—in a good way.

Disappointing were our entrées—Anderson Valley lamb T-bone chops (a little gristly) and grilled bigeye tuna (a bit bland)—which were abundant (the full plates had huge portions) and ambitious, but perhaps overly so. Chef Schwartz’s dishes tend toward complex—great when it works—but for these entrées, there were too many ingredients and tastes competing with each other. For example, the tuna came crowded with sweet potato hash, spring onions, brown butter and bacon-braised green beans, and roasted tomatillo salsa.

Alderbrook can be a great getaway for fjord and food fun. We’d encourage you to especially try the soups and seafood starters, and to time your dinner to coincide with sunset, as the water view is special. You can enjoy dessert as we did in the dining room, though note that if kids are about, you’ll likely find makings for s’mores at the firepit. From the tomato-basil soup to the s’mores, the kids in us came out as we retreated to our room, enjoying our relaxing stay.

Originally posted at Seattlest (where “we” = me) on June 16, 2008.

Inside, it’s quaint and charming, with the staff adding to the warmth of the home. The menu changes daily, tilting a bit toward Italian, but reflecting a wide variety of dishes using specially sourced and seasonal ingredients. We decided to let Chef Geraldine Ferraro (no, not the one who said Barack Obama is “lucky” to not be white or female) do the choosing for us. She chose well.

Four Swallows, you had us at duck.

The smoked duck breast appetizer was our first dish. We love duck—the fat, the flavor, and the full-on red color. Several slices swimming in a rich cherry-red wine sauce would have been enough to make us happy, but this dish also featured Persephone Farm greens and buttered brioche along with it. Oh, and wait…hiding beneath…some Delice de Bourgogne cheese. We’re talking triple cream that’s rich, smooth, and slightly pungent. (We purr for pungent.) The dish was delicious—simple and sensational ingredients contributing varying textures and tastes.

The same greens reappeared (no complaint!) in a roasted beet salad with Point Reyes Original Blue cheese, candied pecans, and balsamic vinaigrette. We enjoyed a grilled Carlton Farms pork chop served with red onion marmalade that elevated its elegance, and an Alaskan halibut filet that was perfectly cooked (seared outside, succulent inside) and generous in portion—though some light saucing might have made it even better. The signature bread pudding dessert was heavenly and put the meal over the top. We were full for the 15-minute walk back to the ferry—full of happy memories, particularly the duck.

Originally posted at Seattlest (where “we” = me) on April 28, 2008.

Sazerac’s had a bit of a makeover, with red and amber shades and new lighting creating a chic atmosphere. Tables and table settings have changed; we especially liked the new pig napkin holders. (Then again, we like anything pig.)

Chef Jason McClure sent out 16 dishes. Sometimes-underloved dishes like oysters and oxtail shined in the simplest of preparations, whereas the liver and geoduck were over-adorned in a way that made them safe but lost as ingredients. This liver lover missed the liver taste and texture when crisp-fried in cornmeal and topped with red pepper marmalade and garlic aioli, while the geoduck (which is all about texture) crudo was sliced too thin (impossible to pick up—chopsticks, please?) and overwhelmed by okra pickles, olives, and Fresno chile.

But, what stood out were smoked, saucy dishes. The applewood smoked pork back ribs were cooked perfectly, meat falling off the bone and the cider-glaze finger-licking good. The smoked Oregon quail was the standout dish, offset nicely by springtime rhubarb and a white barbecue sauce made from aioli, crème fraiche, honey, and cider vinegar that was unique and, well, yummy.

Growing up, we never heard of har gow, but we did know ravioli. Unfortunately, it sometimes came in a can. So, when we went to Dulces Latin Bistro and our waiter recommended the roasted red pepper ravioli as the must-try starter (along with prawns a la diabla), we crossed our fingers in hopes that Chef Julie Guerrero’s version would be better than that of our old buddy: Chef Boyardee.

No contest.

These ravioli regaled us. She did the dough right. Perfect texture, with just the right bite, followed by a different sort of bite: that of Mexican chorizo. We loved the spiciness, tempered by the rest of the filling of ricotta and mozzarella cheeses, and served with a well-matched cilantro-tomatillo cream sauce. A welcome wake-up call to kick off the meal! We reached for our wine (they have quite a collection) and relaxed, enjoying the comfort of the candlelit room.

The ravioli would turn out to be the highlight of the meal, and we’re glad to see them as a mainstay of the menu. We hope Dulces will do its Latin dance by daring to add dynamite to some of its other dishes as well. The spring menu is out, and the duck and lavender sausage looks enticing. Take note, sweet Dulces: spicy, or anything bold, is sweet to us.

Originally posted at Seattlest (where “we” = me) on March 24, 2008.

Here in Seattle, there’s a similar situation at Maruta Shoten, the little Japanese grocery store that could, in Georgetown just off I-5.

At 5pm, one of the workers flips the “50% Off” sign and, in friendlier fashion, shoppers grab at the goods on the bottom shelf of the to-go section of the store. “Oh, someone got the last sushi tray!” an exasperated elder exclaims. “What is this?” a noodle neophyte asks, staring at a bowl of yakisoba. “I guess I’ll get the Chinese combo,” another adds.

As for us, we like the bento boxes. They remind us of the compartmentalized TV dinners of childhood, albeit with completely different tastes (without the apple pie portion). For only three bucks, we can enjoy some tasty fish, pickles, potato salad, and vegetables. The rice is starting to dry out (which is why we usually pass on the sushi)—but at this price, who’s complaining? Grab and go; you’ve scored at Battle Bento.

Originally posted at Seattlest (where “we” = me) on March 17, 2008.