Salmon, Starbucks, Steves, Shopping & Sunshine: A Seattle Trip Report
Jan 28th, 2010, 06:14 PM
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Sunday, January 17, 2010
This morning we returned the car keys to the rental car company and set off in the direction of Pike Place Market for our Savor Seattle market tour (www.savorseattletours.com ). Thanks to a Fodorite post ( I think it was Suze) I knew about this tour and I’m very glad we did this.
The tour meeting point was at the Starbucks across the street from the market. Our guide, Tim, passed out the whisper system and we were off at 10am to tour the market. I was surprised there were as many people on the tour as there were, probably about 20 people.
Tim, our guide was good, funny and informative and the most impressive part was he remembered everyone’s name within the first 15 minutes. We started with a taste of mini doughnuts, they were soft and pillowy on the inside and crispy on the outside. We then sampled tea at MarketSpice and then it was onto the flying fish stand. At the fish stand we tasted the smoked salmon that we had tried on Friday and it was great. Then the “fish guy” opened a package of the pepper and garlic smoked salmon and Oh My God…it was really good. We made a mental note we had to get back here before going home to buy some, it was too good not to bring home with us.
We made our way through the market tasting fresh fruit and the BEST New England clam chowder I have EVER had at Pike Place Chowder. I am not exaggerating here, I lived in Rhode Island for four years back in my college days and thought I had tasted some really good chowder there, but this stuff was like nectar from the clam and cream gods. Obviously we couldn’t bring any home with us...carry-on liquid restrictions you know! But you can order it online to the tune of a $70 shipping charge!
We continued on to Beecher’s cheese shop and had some incredible cheese there. Our last two stops were Piroshky Piroshky for a taste of 2 different kinds of piroshky (one salmon and one meat filled) and Etta’s for a bite sized sample of Tom Douglas’s crab cake. I liked all the samples we tasted and getting a little history of the market was nice too.
At the end of the tour Tim passed out the Savor Seattle discount cards for us to use when shopping or eating at the businesses the tour company has a relationship with. And let me say the list of businesses was a nice length and we used it several times at a few restaurants on the list.
It was about noon when the tour ended and although we had been tasting samples all morning I really wanted to check out Serious Pie (a Tom Douglas restaurant) at 316 Virginia St. (http://tomdouglas.com/index.php/restaurants/serious-pie) .
The restaurant is fairly small and it has high communal tables. We walked in and were able to get 2 seats in the middle section of a table. Our timing was perfect because shortly after we sat down I looked up at the door and there was a large number of people waiting for a seat.
Once I saw the brussel sprouts with pork belly listed as a started I suggested getting an order of that and sharing the buffalo mozzarella and san marzano tomato pizza. It was the prefect choice for us. The brussel sprouts was delicious and the pizza had a perfectly thin and crispy crust. With 2 glasses of wine and the 10% discount from the Savor Seattle card the total cost of the meal was about $40.
Since it wasn’t too cloudy we decided to take the monorail to Seattle Center and go to the top of the Space Needle. I’m really glad we did this, although there was no sun, it was a relatively clear day and I was able to get some nice pictures.
When we came down from the top of the Space Needle we decided to go back to Pike Place Market to get some of the honey and savory jellies we had seen. After picking up the few things we wanted we headed back to the hotel to drop off our purchases and then we decided it was cocktail hour.
We walked to the Mayflower Park Hotel to have drinks at Oliver’s the bar in the hotel (also on the Savor Seattle card!). After a couple glasses of wine we walked over to Dahlia Lounge for our 7:30pm reservation. (www.tomdouglas.com)
We ordered a bottle of Chateau St. Michelle sauvignon blanc and shrimp potsticks to kick off the meal. Mom had never had potsticks and she gave these a thumbs-up. For our entrees mom had the duck and the portion was huge, it must have been good because there was not a morsel left on the plate. I had the salmon with roasted cauliflower. Both dishes were very good (the roasted cauliflower was great!). We also had a side order of brussel sprouts that were light and spicy (it must have been brussel sprout day!) I ended things with the signature coconut cream pie…it was great, creamy, light, and not too sweet. Mom had a limoncello and with 2 espresso to end the meal the total cost was $130, we also got a 10% discount here with the Savor Seattle card (that card was really paying off!).
We walked back to the hotel and were in blissful slumber by 10:30pm!
This morning we returned the car keys to the rental car company and set off in the direction of Pike Place Market for our Savor Seattle market tour (www.savorseattletours.com ). Thanks to a Fodorite post ( I think it was Suze) I knew about this tour and I’m very glad we did this.
The tour meeting point was at the Starbucks across the street from the market. Our guide, Tim, passed out the whisper system and we were off at 10am to tour the market. I was surprised there were as many people on the tour as there were, probably about 20 people.
Tim, our guide was good, funny and informative and the most impressive part was he remembered everyone’s name within the first 15 minutes. We started with a taste of mini doughnuts, they were soft and pillowy on the inside and crispy on the outside. We then sampled tea at MarketSpice and then it was onto the flying fish stand. At the fish stand we tasted the smoked salmon that we had tried on Friday and it was great. Then the “fish guy” opened a package of the pepper and garlic smoked salmon and Oh My God…it was really good. We made a mental note we had to get back here before going home to buy some, it was too good not to bring home with us.
We made our way through the market tasting fresh fruit and the BEST New England clam chowder I have EVER had at Pike Place Chowder. I am not exaggerating here, I lived in Rhode Island for four years back in my college days and thought I had tasted some really good chowder there, but this stuff was like nectar from the clam and cream gods. Obviously we couldn’t bring any home with us...carry-on liquid restrictions you know! But you can order it online to the tune of a $70 shipping charge!
We continued on to Beecher’s cheese shop and had some incredible cheese there. Our last two stops were Piroshky Piroshky for a taste of 2 different kinds of piroshky (one salmon and one meat filled) and Etta’s for a bite sized sample of Tom Douglas’s crab cake. I liked all the samples we tasted and getting a little history of the market was nice too.
At the end of the tour Tim passed out the Savor Seattle discount cards for us to use when shopping or eating at the businesses the tour company has a relationship with. And let me say the list of businesses was a nice length and we used it several times at a few restaurants on the list.
It was about noon when the tour ended and although we had been tasting samples all morning I really wanted to check out Serious Pie (a Tom Douglas restaurant) at 316 Virginia St. (http://tomdouglas.com/index.php/restaurants/serious-pie) .
The restaurant is fairly small and it has high communal tables. We walked in and were able to get 2 seats in the middle section of a table. Our timing was perfect because shortly after we sat down I looked up at the door and there was a large number of people waiting for a seat.
Once I saw the brussel sprouts with pork belly listed as a started I suggested getting an order of that and sharing the buffalo mozzarella and san marzano tomato pizza. It was the prefect choice for us. The brussel sprouts was delicious and the pizza had a perfectly thin and crispy crust. With 2 glasses of wine and the 10% discount from the Savor Seattle card the total cost of the meal was about $40.
Since it wasn’t too cloudy we decided to take the monorail to Seattle Center and go to the top of the Space Needle. I’m really glad we did this, although there was no sun, it was a relatively clear day and I was able to get some nice pictures.
When we came down from the top of the Space Needle we decided to go back to Pike Place Market to get some of the honey and savory jellies we had seen. After picking up the few things we wanted we headed back to the hotel to drop off our purchases and then we decided it was cocktail hour.
We walked to the Mayflower Park Hotel to have drinks at Oliver’s the bar in the hotel (also on the Savor Seattle card!). After a couple glasses of wine we walked over to Dahlia Lounge for our 7:30pm reservation. (www.tomdouglas.com)
We ordered a bottle of Chateau St. Michelle sauvignon blanc and shrimp potsticks to kick off the meal. Mom had never had potsticks and she gave these a thumbs-up. For our entrees mom had the duck and the portion was huge, it must have been good because there was not a morsel left on the plate. I had the salmon with roasted cauliflower. Both dishes were very good (the roasted cauliflower was great!). We also had a side order of brussel sprouts that were light and spicy (it must have been brussel sprout day!) I ended things with the signature coconut cream pie…it was great, creamy, light, and not too sweet. Mom had a limoncello and with 2 espresso to end the meal the total cost was $130, we also got a 10% discount here with the Savor Seattle card (that card was really paying off!).
We walked back to the hotel and were in blissful slumber by 10:30pm!
Jan 28th, 2010, 07:53 PM
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The trouble with living here is we never think to do the tourist stuff like Savor Seattle! I do love Beecher's, though, and often walk down to the Market on my lunch hour for a bit of exercise and to buy some cheese and crackers.
Oliver's is a great bar--I've seen som every famous people there. And Etta's and Dahlia Loungle are at the top of our list if we go out for lunch (Dahlia) or dinner (Etta's).
You certainly did you research. I'm happy that you enjoyed our little city so much. And as for Edmonds and Rick Steves---I love Edmonds; a nice little town with a real Main Street feel. I drive up to the Rick Steves store anytime I need a Swiss railpass; what I save in handling fees more than pays for the short trip and parking.
Oliver's is a great bar--I've seen som every famous people there. And Etta's and Dahlia Loungle are at the top of our list if we go out for lunch (Dahlia) or dinner (Etta's).
You certainly did you research. I'm happy that you enjoyed our little city so much. And as for Edmonds and Rick Steves---I love Edmonds; a nice little town with a real Main Street feel. I drive up to the Rick Steves store anytime I need a Swiss railpass; what I save in handling fees more than pays for the short trip and parking.
Jan 29th, 2010, 04:02 AM
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enzian...
We really liked Oliver's, it wasn't too crowded that night and we sat at the bar and just watched life pass by the big windows.
Funny enough, I felt like I didn't do very much research for this trip. I had signed up to follow the Seattle Maven on Twitter (she's with the Seattle visitor's bureau) and I asked her for some restaurant recommendations, so along with her information and a few other personal recommendations we had a good list of restaurants to choose in the downtown area. And I knew Pike Place Market would be a focal point for this trip...mom and I are budding foodies!
I agree, I thought downtown Edmonds had the perfect main street feel.
I'll try to finish up the report with our Monday adventure in the next day or two. Thanks everyone for reading!
We really liked Oliver's, it wasn't too crowded that night and we sat at the bar and just watched life pass by the big windows.
Funny enough, I felt like I didn't do very much research for this trip. I had signed up to follow the Seattle Maven on Twitter (she's with the Seattle visitor's bureau) and I asked her for some restaurant recommendations, so along with her information and a few other personal recommendations we had a good list of restaurants to choose in the downtown area. And I knew Pike Place Market would be a focal point for this trip...mom and I are budding foodies!
I agree, I thought downtown Edmonds had the perfect main street feel.
I'll try to finish up the report with our Monday adventure in the next day or two. Thanks everyone for reading!
Jan 29th, 2010, 07:19 PM
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Monday, January 18, 2010
There was sunshine this morning! It was a great day. At about 9:30am we wandered over to Salumi (www.salumicuredmeats.com) this cured meats shop is owned by Armandino Batali, yup, it’s Mario Batali’s dad. Having checked out the shop website before going to Seattle we wanted to stop in and buy some artisanal salumi. To our dismay the shop was closed. I think because it was MLK day. No worries, we continue wandering about and stumbled upon Café Umbria.
I didn’t do a lot of pre-trip research other then reading a few Fodors posts and buying a Top 10 Things to do in Seattle guidebook, but I did remember hearing about the Café Umbria. Since we still hadn’t had our morning java, we went in for a cappuccino…it was good stuff.
One other place I wanted to check out while in the Pioneer Square area was the Elliot Bay Book Company (www.elliottbaybook.com). It wasn’t too far from Café Umbria and we browsed the shelves for a little while. I was in search of a recent guidebook for Bologna (I’m going in November) and wasn’t having much luck finding a book with a publication date later the 2007. That is until I scoured the shelves of the travel section. I must have looked up and down those shelves for 15 minutes and just when I was about to give up I took another (closer) look and there, the very first book on the very top shelf, was a small black covered book that had the word Bologna on the spine…Success! Then the moment of truth…what was the publication date…2008…hey, it was better then what I could find at home…off I go to purchase the Wallpaper City Guide for Bologna…yay…more trip planning to do!
After leaving the book shop we made the easy walk over to the Washington State Ferry and bought round trip tickets to Bainbridge Island. This is where I give a shout out to the Seattle Fodorites. I had posted a question before this trip about things to do inside in Seattle thinking if I’m there in mid-January I would need to stay inside, but one reply said that the ferries would be a nice option, they are big, the ride to Bainbridge Island is a short 30 minutes and the ride is smooth. I am so glad I had this little nugget of information. It was a perfect day to take the ferry.
My round trip ferry ticket was $6.90 mom got the senior rate and I think her roundtrip ticket was just over $4.00. We walked up to the ticket booth, bought the tickets and as luck would have it, the ferry was leaving in 10 minutes…perfect timing!
The views were beautiful. When we got to Bainbridge Island I stopped to get a map of the area and we were off. We wandered around this picturesque area and stopped in a few of the shops along the way. While walking we passed by Café Nola at 101 Winslow Way, Bainbridge Island. It looked cute, bright interior and full of people, it didn’t take us long to realize this was where we needed to have lunch!
We each had a glass of local white wine. Mom had the Dungeness crab melt on ciabatta bread. I had the salmon reuben on foccacia bread, both dishes came with perfectly crispy/crunchy french fries. It was a really nice lunch.
After lunch we walked back to the ferry terminal and were in time to make the 2:05pm ferry. Believe it or not, I think the weather was even better at 2pm then it was on the ferry ride in the morning going to Bainbridge Island.
We disembarked the ferry and walked up First Avenue to the Pike Place Market…I know, we stopped there almost every day while in Seattle, but today we had a special purpose…it was time to buy the coveted pepper and garlic smoked salmon. We decided since we were not going to fill an entire shipping box with this salmon (we each just wanted one piece) it was better to carry the salmon home. We were told the salmon would keep for 2 days before it needed to be refrigerated we chose to take it with us without the shipping box. (it worked out perfectly…and the salmon was as good at home as it was when we taste-tested it in the market!).
At about 5:30pm we went to Sazerac (www.sazeracrestaurant.com) at the Monaco Hotel (this is a Kimpton hotel) for happy hour. The bar there was great and the happy hour prices were easy on the wallet…house wines for $3.00 a glass.
Just before 7:30pm we walked up the street to Tulio (www.tulio.com) at 1100 5th Avenue, this restaurant is in the Vintage Park Hotel, also a Kimpton hotel. What a great meal! I started with my favorite drink…prosecco! We ordered the sweet potato gnocchi starter…Oh Wow…this was good…the outside was a bit crispy but as you bite into it, it was soft and creamy.
For my entrée I decided to have the veal chop stuffed with spinach and crispy prosciutto OMG! The chop was HUGE and tender, it was delicious. Mom had the roasted chicken with lemon risotto, the chicken was perfectly tender and the risotto was smooth and creamy. We ended the meal with espresso and limoncello. Also deserving a mention was the olive oil here…it was fantastic. The cost of the meal was $125.
Tulio was just around the corner from the Crowne Plaza and we were back in our room by 10pm and packing up our bags for the trip home the next morning.
Monday, January 18, 2010
Our return flight left Seattle at about 11:30am and was uneventful…no upgrade on this leg, but we did have exit row seats. It was another tight connection in Atlanta, but we made it and did get upgraded for the 38 minute flight from Atlanta to Savannah.
We really enjoyed Seattle and would love to return to explore more of the surrounding area.
There was sunshine this morning! It was a great day. At about 9:30am we wandered over to Salumi (www.salumicuredmeats.com) this cured meats shop is owned by Armandino Batali, yup, it’s Mario Batali’s dad. Having checked out the shop website before going to Seattle we wanted to stop in and buy some artisanal salumi. To our dismay the shop was closed. I think because it was MLK day. No worries, we continue wandering about and stumbled upon Café Umbria.
I didn’t do a lot of pre-trip research other then reading a few Fodors posts and buying a Top 10 Things to do in Seattle guidebook, but I did remember hearing about the Café Umbria. Since we still hadn’t had our morning java, we went in for a cappuccino…it was good stuff.
One other place I wanted to check out while in the Pioneer Square area was the Elliot Bay Book Company (www.elliottbaybook.com). It wasn’t too far from Café Umbria and we browsed the shelves for a little while. I was in search of a recent guidebook for Bologna (I’m going in November) and wasn’t having much luck finding a book with a publication date later the 2007. That is until I scoured the shelves of the travel section. I must have looked up and down those shelves for 15 minutes and just when I was about to give up I took another (closer) look and there, the very first book on the very top shelf, was a small black covered book that had the word Bologna on the spine…Success! Then the moment of truth…what was the publication date…2008…hey, it was better then what I could find at home…off I go to purchase the Wallpaper City Guide for Bologna…yay…more trip planning to do!
After leaving the book shop we made the easy walk over to the Washington State Ferry and bought round trip tickets to Bainbridge Island. This is where I give a shout out to the Seattle Fodorites. I had posted a question before this trip about things to do inside in Seattle thinking if I’m there in mid-January I would need to stay inside, but one reply said that the ferries would be a nice option, they are big, the ride to Bainbridge Island is a short 30 minutes and the ride is smooth. I am so glad I had this little nugget of information. It was a perfect day to take the ferry.
My round trip ferry ticket was $6.90 mom got the senior rate and I think her roundtrip ticket was just over $4.00. We walked up to the ticket booth, bought the tickets and as luck would have it, the ferry was leaving in 10 minutes…perfect timing!
The views were beautiful. When we got to Bainbridge Island I stopped to get a map of the area and we were off. We wandered around this picturesque area and stopped in a few of the shops along the way. While walking we passed by Café Nola at 101 Winslow Way, Bainbridge Island. It looked cute, bright interior and full of people, it didn’t take us long to realize this was where we needed to have lunch!
We each had a glass of local white wine. Mom had the Dungeness crab melt on ciabatta bread. I had the salmon reuben on foccacia bread, both dishes came with perfectly crispy/crunchy french fries. It was a really nice lunch.
After lunch we walked back to the ferry terminal and were in time to make the 2:05pm ferry. Believe it or not, I think the weather was even better at 2pm then it was on the ferry ride in the morning going to Bainbridge Island.
We disembarked the ferry and walked up First Avenue to the Pike Place Market…I know, we stopped there almost every day while in Seattle, but today we had a special purpose…it was time to buy the coveted pepper and garlic smoked salmon. We decided since we were not going to fill an entire shipping box with this salmon (we each just wanted one piece) it was better to carry the salmon home. We were told the salmon would keep for 2 days before it needed to be refrigerated we chose to take it with us without the shipping box. (it worked out perfectly…and the salmon was as good at home as it was when we taste-tested it in the market!).
At about 5:30pm we went to Sazerac (www.sazeracrestaurant.com) at the Monaco Hotel (this is a Kimpton hotel) for happy hour. The bar there was great and the happy hour prices were easy on the wallet…house wines for $3.00 a glass.
Just before 7:30pm we walked up the street to Tulio (www.tulio.com) at 1100 5th Avenue, this restaurant is in the Vintage Park Hotel, also a Kimpton hotel. What a great meal! I started with my favorite drink…prosecco! We ordered the sweet potato gnocchi starter…Oh Wow…this was good…the outside was a bit crispy but as you bite into it, it was soft and creamy.
For my entrée I decided to have the veal chop stuffed with spinach and crispy prosciutto OMG! The chop was HUGE and tender, it was delicious. Mom had the roasted chicken with lemon risotto, the chicken was perfectly tender and the risotto was smooth and creamy. We ended the meal with espresso and limoncello. Also deserving a mention was the olive oil here…it was fantastic. The cost of the meal was $125.
Tulio was just around the corner from the Crowne Plaza and we were back in our room by 10pm and packing up our bags for the trip home the next morning.
Monday, January 18, 2010
Our return flight left Seattle at about 11:30am and was uneventful…no upgrade on this leg, but we did have exit row seats. It was another tight connection in Atlanta, but we made it and did get upgraded for the 38 minute flight from Atlanta to Savannah.
We really enjoyed Seattle and would love to return to explore more of the surrounding area.
Jan 30th, 2010, 02:46 AM
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Great report, LCI! and thank you for your thoughtful reply to my question.
We love to puruse bookstores and I love that feeling of finding the special one I'm looking for--glad you founds your on Bologna. "...like to have current guidebook information", yeah, why I thought it was okay to use my 2003 books to plan our next to trip to Paris is beyond me.
Really enjoy reading your reports!
We love to puruse bookstores and I love that feeling of finding the special one I'm looking for--glad you founds your on Bologna. "...like to have current guidebook information", yeah, why I thought it was okay to use my 2003 books to plan our next to trip to Paris is beyond me.
Really enjoy reading your reports!
Jan 30th, 2010, 04:42 AM
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Thanks again LCI. I enjoyed reading the rest of your report, especially your endorsement of the Bainbridge Island ferry experience (and the restaurant suggestion on Bainbridge!), something I did not do while in Seattle, opting instead for the water taxi to Alki Beach/West Seattle for my "crossing-the-Puget-Sound" experience. Thanks for yet another excuse to go back one day!
Daniel
Daniel
Jan 30th, 2010, 05:20 PM
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Feb 16th, 2010, 06:42 PM
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Hey, I just saw your reply. I'm glad you liked Market Spice tea! Waaaaay back when I was at the U, I worked for the Oceanography Dept on a barge anchored there. One of the profs always brought a huge thermos of Market Spice tea to work. That was my first introduction to it, and smelling it always brings back warm memories.
Feb 17th, 2010, 06:34 AM
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I just saw this thread! We used to live up there (DH is from there) and always visited the RS office before our trips. Edmonds is a great little town. Inlaws live there, so we are there often, which is nice
Feb 17th, 2010, 10:16 AM
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Toucan2...
It's been so cold here in SC lately I could use some of that Market Spice tea!
mms....
I agree...Edmonds is a terrific town and I was only there for 1 day! It certainly left a very impression on me!
It's been so cold here in SC lately I could use some of that Market Spice tea!
mms....
I agree...Edmonds is a terrific town and I was only there for 1 day! It certainly left a very impression on me!
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