All posts in: Summer in Seattle

19 Sep 2011

Summer in Seattle: Poppy

This series was a little hard to manage this summer, but I was talking about Seattle so often on Yow Yow! that I’m sure you all felt pretty informed. Since summer officially ends this week, this will be the last post in the Summer in Seattle series. Everyone one needs one friend that is an extreme foodie. For me, that friend is Samantha. Every time Samantha and I get together, we will treat ourselves to a fantastic meal out at one of our favorite restaurants in Seattle or a place that we’ve been dying to try. Samantha and I have this mutual agreement that we are willing to spend money on good food no matter what. Yes, we are your average poor college students, but we enjoy eating well. Is that so wrong? We put food first. If it’s between eating at a restaurant that is cheaper, but convenient and average in taste, Samantha and I will choose to go the distance for greatness. I think you get the point.

I have been itching to try Poppy for as long as I can remember (probably at least three years) after receiving a recommendation from a friend. Since it was a talked about Capitol Hill restaurant, I figured it would be the perfect place to dine at. We ate outside and sipped on summer cocktails with our meal. Aside from being a foodie, I’ve also got this slight problem with food. I get bored with it. I can’t stand large meals that are bigger than my face because after eight minutes I just get tired of eating it. My jaw gets tired (which I’m sure is just in my head,) I start swirling things around on my plate with my fork. I’ll ask for a to-go box for half my meal and finish it at home. I’m not a picky eater, but I need to have a variety. That’s why Poppy was perfect for me. At Poppy, you can order “thalis,” which are a number of small dishes (either seven or ten depending on your appetite) with six or nine little plates and one main course – usually meat or fish. The restaurant highlights seasonal ingredients as well as the best flavors in the Northwest. The menu also changes about every month so you’re able to try out a number of rotating dishes throughout the year. There’s even a dessert thali, which I cannot wait to try! Uh, can you even imagine?

When Samantha and I first looked over the menu, we were only able to recognize every other word on the page because we hadn’t heard of some of the ingredients. We each decided to choose different thalis so that we could try each others, but we were nervous of what we were getting ourselves into. We felt like we were on Top Chef trying all of the unique concoctions, but were shocked to find that in the end we loved EVERYTHING on our plates despite not knowing what most of the dishes were. It was a fun experience though and definitely not like anything we’ve ever had at any other restaurant in Seattle. I’m sure we’ll be retuning the next time we are reunited, but this time we’ll take a snapshot of our dessert thali for you!

25 Jul 2011

Summer in Seattle: Capitol Hill Block Party

[Cults]

[Cults!]

I am currently in recovery mode from the most strenuous and quite possibly the best weekend I have ever had this summer! This weekend was full of music that I currently love and music that I look forward to hearing more of. Not to mention, Seattle was finally experiencing a burst of summer! – But seriously, it’s about time. For all of you that were able to come out and experience what it was like to partake in Capitol Hill Block Party this year, I hope you all had an incredible time. For those of you that couldn’t make it for whatever reason that may be – I’m sorry. Maybe next year? For people that just choose not to go…well I suppose it’s not for everyone.

[Being constantly drenched at the festival]

Bands I saw:

Fucked Up
Kurt Vile
Thurston Moore
Cults
The Head and The Heart
Ghostland Observatory
THEESatisfaction
Campfire OK
Battles
The Cave Singers
Explosions in the Sky

Pros:

Cafe Vita Bean Room Venue
Cafe Vita secret bar upstairs
Beautiful weather!
Coupons to Madewell and AllSaints
Vitamin Water Social Club w/ free Vitamin Water and USnaps
Street Meat
The lazer show during Ghostland Observatory
New friends
Smaller Crowds
Shorter Lines
Dancing and stomping to Campfire OK
My friends getting me autographs from all the members of Cults

Cons:

A bucket of water to the face during the water fight
Wishing I was watching the performances from a rooftop instead
Wishing couples just…wouldn’t. In the crowd.
Not being able to find the rummage sale
$4 PBRs at Sole Repair

For full coverage, visit Capitol Hill Seattle

There’s always this misconception that the career of a booker isn’t challenging and that “anyone can do it,” but the truth is that like every job – it isn’t easy. (Shocking right?) I found this interview with Capitol Hill Block Party booker Jason Lajeunesse extremely interesting!

25 Jul 2011

Summer in Seattle: Whoopie Pie Bake Off

Two weeks ago, I heard word of the Whoopie Pie Bake Off going on at Oddfellows and decided to go that same day. I wasn’t exactly sure if spectators would be able to sample any of the whoopie pies, but I figured it couldn’t hurt to try and see. I could not believe that there were a little over a dozen variations of pies right in front of me. After the judges were handed their sampling plates, it was basically a free-for-all. Many of the individual whoopie pies were cut into quarter slices for the perfect bite! My favorite ended up being the chocolate whoopie pie filled with cream and strawberries. I didn’t keep track on who exactly took home the winning prize, but if you’re interested in the full coverage of the event, click here.

09 Jul 2011

Summer in Seattle: Homegrown

A couple years ago, Jeanette and I had a “Seattle Day” in which we ventured to various neighborhoods and spots in the area for a day of dining, thrifting, and acting like tourists. Along the way, we found ourselves in Fremont and hungry. Not too familiar with the area back then, we decided to walk around until we found something that would fit our mood. Homegrown was a cute little restaurant that we had both never been to before so it seemed like the perfect choice for us. Also, we had come to the conclusion that sandwiches were totally a lunch meal.

The sustainable sandwich shop utilizes ingredients that are organic, local, and all-natural. In addition to sandwiches, they also make soups, salads, and some of the best potato chips I’ve ever had. Since then, Homegrown has always been “our” spot and we’ve made it a tradition to eat there at least once a year – although I wish it was more!

Last week, instead of going to the Fremont location, we went to their shop on Capitol Hill which is nestled in Melrose Market, another place that I was just visiting for the first time. I ordered the classic “Turkey, Bacon, and Avocado” – my go-to favorite! I don’t think I’ve ever consumed a sandwich that fast. Well, dearest Jeanette is leaving me for London in just a few days so it looks like we won’t be able to make another stop there anytime soon, but I’m not sure I can wait for her for several months to go again! Here’s hoping that I can stay a good friend.

Visit Homegrown online here or visit them for reals at their shops in Fremont, Capitol Hill, and Queen Anne.

08 Jul 2011

Summer in Seattle: Wasabi Bistro

Since this is my last summer as a student, I have been living it up before I face reality and enter the real world. I’ve spent a great deal of time cooking my own meals, but then there are times when I just want to eat out especially since Seattle is home to some of my favorite restaurants! I’ve actually got quite a few “Summer in Seattle” posts for you, but I’m running a little behind.

Two weeks ago, my three dearest friends from high school were in town so we decided to go out to my favorite sushi restaurant in Seattle – Wasabi Bistro. One of my girlfriends who goes to school out of state had been looking forward to this day for a very long time and since we’re both 21, we wanted to go all out with our order and order our first drinks at Wasabi together.

Wasabi Bistro was closed for many months for their remodeling, but now they are back and better than ever before. The interior of the restaurant is significantly larger with two party rooms instead of one and extra seating extending past the bar area, which wasn’t there before. In addition to being larger, the restaurant is brighter with accents of white and lime, which help to open up the restaurant a bit.

I ordered six pieces of nigiri and one order of the Rockstar Roll (king crab tempura, avocado, tobiko, topped with sockeye salmon, sesame sauce, and spicy mayo) Welp! I’m pretty sure I ordered the most and felt the fullest after dinner was over. I know everyone always says to know your limit with drinks, but at 21 – I’m still learning my limit with how much food I can consume. Despite my full stomach and my inability to move at all once I got home, the meal was worth it and at the end of the day – that’s all that matters, right?

21 Jun 2011

Garden Party Goodbyes

Yesterday, my dearest friend Megan organized a garden-party-themed going-away for our friends John and Lauren! It was the most adorable little setup that reminded me of something straight out of the themed event blogs that I peruse so I thought that I would share with you all some of the details from it. The surprise party took place in Megan’s backyard, which was transformed with strung-up lights, strewn pictures, candles everywhere, a playlist full of assorted music that included folk, swing, and some Beach Boys, and delicious treats and champagne! Megan had originally thought of speaking to some deck contractors in Denver to get an idea about having a new deck installed (not just for the party!) so she could spruce up her backyard a bit, plus it would be a great addition to the festivities, but with the timeframe, it was too close, so she’s postponing that for now, however, everything else she did was unbelievable, a truly amazing going away party.

I had helped her put everything together ready for the party, as she had asked me for a little helping hand, however she designed the whole event and it turned out amazing! John and Lauren were so touched by it and couldn’t have thought of anything better before departing. Megan did mention that she had even reached out to a service like trugreen new jersey way to come and sort out all of these nasty weeds she had growing in her garden, and they did a fantastic job. Everything was perfect!

Summer in Seattle: Remedy Teas

At the start of last summer, I created a post about all of my favorite things to do and favorite places to go to in Seattle for those that were familiar with the city and for those readers who might be interested in passing through or visiting. This summer, I am thrilled to say that I will be living in the city because that means I will have the opportunity to enjoy the things I love here while also branching out to some new places as well that I wouldn’t normally have time for during the school year. This new series (as titled above) will be called Summer in Seattle: and will feature mini reviews on events, places, and restaurants that I will visit throughout the next couple of months.

Tonight, I went out for tea at one of my favorite tea shops in Capitol Hill, Remedy Teas. It’s funny that I call it my favorite because the last time I was there was years ago when I was buying a pea-green teapot as a gift for someone. To be honest, I think I enjoy the place so much because the idea of getting tea is classy. Coffee is cliche, dessert is whatever, but tea – no one grabs “tea” anymore and that statement was not made to make me sound more hipster. As you enter into Remedy Teas, test tubes of assorted teas line the entryway. Making your way to the counter, you will find several teas made available to you to sample. The shop has over 100 different kinds of flavors and you can choose to have it there, take it home, or make any tea iced – which I learned tonight when I ordered an iced raspberry luxe. Remedy Teas is kind of like a child’s dream come true. I never hosted a tea party when I was a child, but for some reason, being there makes me want to live out that dream. How can you not when there are 100+ assorted teas, pastries, and delectable tea sandwiches?

To learn more about remedy teas, visit their website here.