Culinary Fool

 

 

 

 

 

As you might notice I’m finally getting caught up on lots of things I’ve been wanting to post about.  And in case you were wondering I really have not been dining out non-stop for the last few days! 

 

It was a month or  more ago that I met M at Voula’s Offshore Café for breakfast.  We’d first thought about going on the first weekend of May, then realized that with Opening Day of Boating Season being the same day and Voula’s location on Northlake that probably wasn’t the smartest idea.  So we delayed a few weeks.  Near the end of June we made our way to the north shore of Lake Union for a Saturday morning breakfast prior to shopping the University District Farmers’ Market, which is just about a mile north. 

 

I’d heard good things about Voula’s for some time but until I checked their website did not know they’d been featured on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives.  Once I arrived I could see exactly why it was chosen.  Voula’s is in an older but well-maintained building in a row of older buildings.  In the front room there’s a big wrap around dining bar and several smaller wood-grained laminated tables.  The back room, complete with sloping floor, is filled with more tables that can be pulled together to seat larger groups.  In fact, that morning one corner was filled with eight or ten cronies who were most certainly regulars. 

 

 

 

 

 

This is the kind of place that still serves generic drip coffee with free refills and Lipton’s tea.  There is nothing fussy or pretentious here. 

 

The servers were mostly older women and I suspect many of them had worked at Voula’s for years.  They had that confidence and efficiency that comes from lots of practice dealing with all sorts of folks, sometimes under pressure, on a regular basis.  Our server was very friendly and helpful. 

 

The menus are laminated plastic and listed the basic breakfast offerings and sandwiches you expect at a diner but also included a couple of interesting options.  One was the Piñata Benedict with smoked pork and chipotle hollandaise sauce in place of the usual ingredients.  That’s what I ordered.  M chose one of the omelets but asked for it to be prepared as a scramble instead and they happily obliged.  I was exhilarated to see that they actually served hash browns with breakfast!  So many places seem to have replaced hash browns with country-fried potatoes of some sort.  I like potatoes of all kinds but love hash browns and miss having them on a more regular basis. 

 

 

 

 

Our orders arrived and we were both happy campers.  The smoked pork was tender and, well, smoky.  The chipotle hollandaise had a nice kick to it.  And the hash browns were great!  Maybe the best I’ve ever had.  M’s scramble was just what she asked for and she loved the hash browns, too!  Good solid fare.  Nothing super fancy and often that is exactly what I’m looking for when enjoying a breakfast out.  Breakfasts aren’t cheap – most run $9 or $10 – but they are certainly not expensive. 

 

This is definitely a place to add to the regular repertoire.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now that we are fully into the summer with good weather stretching out before us for at least the next couple of months, I have a weekend morning recommendation for you. 

 

Tilth, is one of two restaurants in the country to receive organic certification from Oregon Tilth.  It’s located in Wallingford in an old, converted home and has a sun-dappled patio that is perfect for a relaxed brunch.  Brunch is served from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm with a small menu of delicious options.  My dining companion and I opted to split Tilth’s Benedict offering, a Dungeness Crab Benedict and the plate of Mini-Duck Sliders served with fingerling chips. I thhink the eggs were cooked sous vide and were delicately soft and runny as they should be.  The crab was freshly pulled from the sea and the sauce had the perfect lemon tang.  I don’t think there is really any way to go wrong with mini duck meatballs on perfectly sized buns.   I have heard, from a reliable source, that the small chips are cooked in duck fat. 

 

 

 

 

 

I also sampled their special version of a mimosa dressed up with Grand Marnier.  It was good but a little on the sweet side for my taste.  Still, I wouldn’t kick it to the curb! 

 

 

 

 

 

I’m sure that eating brunch inside the home that houses Tilth would be just as enjoyable, still I suggest that you take advantage of the outdoor seating while the weather permits. 

 

206.633.0801

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Although I’ve been handling the recent Seattle heat wave fairly well, last night I decided it was time for a little evening A/C to help me cool down.  To that end I changed my previous restaurant selection for the evening to one I felt certain would provide cooling relief, Barrio on Capitol Hill.  Unfortunately I was wrong about the A/C, although we never really figured out if they didn’t have it or it wasn’t working.  Either way, it was warm inside.  Too warm, really. 

 

 

 

 

Barrio’s interior is filled with interesting lines and elements:  the massive wooden doors that great you at the entry; the curvy bar topped with a mosaic of various-sized and shaped pieces of slightly off-white tile; the tall wooden wrap around booths that reach for the sky; and the room divider made of open squares and filled with large column candles all make their impression.  I’m sure the wall is beautiful at night but at 7:00 pm with the sun still heating the uncooled interior the heat from the lit candles did not help with the comfort factor.  It seems it would have been a good decision to leave them unlit.  My friend who was sitting closest to the wall finally blew several of them out as the heat they produced was more than could be handled.  The interior is much larger than I had expected, yet I’m sure it will be packed on weekend nights. 

 

 

 

 

 

Despite the relative discomfort of the heat we decided to tough it out.  If we sat relatively still and kept a cool drink in hand it was bearable. 

  

 

 

 

 

To this end we both started with cocktails, a Margarita, declared by my friend the connoisseur, to be one of the best ever, and a gin concoction called Cucumber Cocktail #1 for me, which was beautifully refreshing and tasty.  Next we ordered the Ceviche Sampler with three small versions of this fresh fish dish:  halibut with shrimp, pineapple and cilantro; salmon with avocado, onion and chile; and sea scallop with mango, chile and onion.  I liked all three versions equally well but my friend thought the salmon was the best.  The ceviche was served along with yucca chips which were perfectly crispy and had a hint of sweetness, and a plate with limes, chili sauce and salt. 

 

 

 

 

 

Several items on the menu included pork of some sort and all of the items sounded delicious.  We settled on the Pork Cheek Tamale with Salsa Negra.  I’m not sure what the technical definition of Salsa Negra is but this one seemed to include mole which really made this dish. 

 

After the tamale we decided we were just too warm to eat another bite. 

 

 

 

 

 

Barrio is owned by the same group that has the Purple Wine Bar and Cafes.  They seem to have done a good job branching out into this new venue and cuisine, although I’ll really need to come back again to see if that holds true.  This location has been open since December and another is slated to open in Bellevue later this fall.   It will be located in the Bellevue Towers along with a Purple Wine Bar. 

 

I look forward to going back and trying a few more menu items.  Although I’ll make sure I do that on a much cooler day. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I don’t really know as I have much to say here.  The photo might say it all.  But just in case…

 

I waited in line for 10 or 15 minutes and was happy to do it.  I had planned to order salted caramel but tried a taste of honey lavender and decided that was the winner today.  There was a speck of strawberry or maybe balsamic strawberry on my honey lavender and I nearly went back and got a second scoop once I’d tasted that. 

 

But really the honey lavender was perfect.  Not too sweet; creamy without being too rich; lightly flavored lavender that tasted of summer. 

 

It was warm in the shop, the lines were long, the servers were working hard.  They were amazingly patient and pleasant. 

 

Today I was at the Wallingford location but you’d find the same at the Capitol Hill spot. 

 

Perfect summer treat.  Perfect. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

206.547.5105  

 

 

  

206.708.7947