Drinks »Victrola

photo411 15th Avenue E
Seattle, WA (and other locations)

While admittedly, I have lots of coffee options still to explore in what is known as a coffee heaven, I hadn’t yet met anything iced quite as satisfying as my old Blue Bottle… until we came across Victrola.

A bustling cafe with beards and laptops that made me feel at home, this Capitol Hill favorite delivers lovingly poured exceptional lattes. Happiness.

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Posted on July 20, 2013

Restaurants »Phinney Market Pub & Eatery

Untitled-15918 Phinney Ave. N, Seattle

I’ve been a bit quiet on my blog lately as our lives are still in constant, slightly exhausting motion. After leaving Brooklyn we were in Colorado for a bit, now in Seattle renting a lovely home but soon to move again as we found a wonderful house to buy in a neighborhood we’ve quickly fallen in live with, Phinney Ridge.

The Phinney Market Pub and Eatery captures the spirit of the area pretty well, even if its fairly new to it. It’s family friendly, relaxed, inviting and just a shade hip – damask wallpaper, tin ceilings and old wood almost even made me feel like I was in Brooklyn.

The food is good, the service comes with a smile and a wooden train set offers fun times for your little ones. I expect this will be a place we visit often once we are finally settled in our new home.

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Posted on July 9, 2013

Spend a Couple Hours »Salon at Kids Club

skc2630 NE University Village St, Seattle

Well. Sigh. The day had to come. We always promised we’d get Van his first haircut once he wanted it. I love his long locks, but it was starting to really annoy him getting in his eyes and mouth all the time. So I mentally prepared for a week or so and gave the local Salon at Kids Club a call.

With car seats, boxes of toys and murals, they do their best to make it a fun environment for kids. From what I could see, some hairstylists were better and more friendly than others and we lucked out with  who not managed a squirmy two year old with ease, but adored his long hair (not even once mistaking him for a girl!) and had no desire to buzz it – which was my nightmare scenario.

Van likes the new do a lot and I get a keepsake lock of hair along with a pleasant if bittersweet memory instead of a heartbreaking one.

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Posted on June 18, 2013

Restaurants »The Monkey Bridge

photo-21723 NW Market St  Seattle

Vietnamese food is rarely awful, but truly great restaurants are also hard to come by. We stumbled across The Monkey Bridge after an appointment in Ballard and were wowed by the juicy, flavorful bahn mi.

Pork and beef were equally noteworthy and indicate that their larger menu is worth another visit. We did take out but the space in inviting and casual and the staff friendly.

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Posted on June 16, 2013

Desserts »Mighty O Donuts

mighty2110 N 55th St  Seattle

Uh oh, could Top Pot not really be “tops”? Jim says yes, that Mighty-O Donuts takes the “cake” but I’m still on the fence (if you’re talking sprinkles vs. sprinkles, though, Mighty-O definitely comes out on top – just look at that beauty).

Whoever is right, though, it’s clear we live in a town where you don’t have to go far to find a good donut. Mighty-O’s are certified organic (no GMO’s!) and made locally and the shop is on a lovely corner that’s great for people watching and has nice sidewalk seating.

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Posted on June 13, 2013

Desserts »Peaks Frozen Custard

peaks1026 NE 65th St, Seattle

Rich and creamy, Peaks Frozen Custard is a local favorite on hot days. So, even though the brand is stocked in grocery stores, we decided to make a trip to their brick and mortar shop as a fun family outing to celebrate the surprising 80 degree weather.

I loved the waffle bowl and enjoyed the cookies and cream while Van chose his first non-prompted restaurant order with “chocolate and sprinkles!!”

They feature special flavors that change daily but always have chocolate and vanilla.

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Posted on June 10, 2013

Spend a Couple Hours »Queen Anne Farmers Market

qafarmEvery Thursday 3pm to 7:30pm from June 6 to October 31, at Crockett Street and Queen Anne Ave. N

Seattle is a city rich in Farmers Markets. This week we headed to the lovely neighborhood of Queen Anne, a quaint area that tops our list of areas to eventually call home.

The Queen Anne Market has the usual suspects of fresh produce (Rainer cherries! Huge fennel! Bright strawberries!) as well as a food truck alley that introduced us to Tandoozy, a naan bread topped with tandoori, rice, spicy sweet potato and lentils (pictured) as well as handcrafted lemon lavendar sodas from The Soda Jerk.

The event is super kid friendly, with tots in every direction and there’s lots of hills to park your wagon or stroller and let the kids dance to music that inspired mine to pull out moves I’ve never seen before. A fun time.

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Posted on June 7, 2013

Spend a Couple Minutes »The Ballard Farmers Market

Screen-Shot-2013-06-02-at-7.29.15-PMBallard at 22nd Ave, Seattle, WA

Several people have recommended a visit to The Ballard Farmers Market and it’s easy to see why.This friendly street fair boasts fresh produce, bright flowers, seafood, meats, wines, baked goods and more.

I can personally recommend the fresh donuts, the incredible Pete’s Perfect Toffee, the selection of delicious cheeses from Mt. Townsend Creamery, sourdough from Tall Grass Bakery, and the local green onions.

It’s such a pleasant environment that even the gimmicky street musicians have a certain charm.

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Posted on June 2, 2013

Restaurants »The Crumpet Shop

Screen-Shot-2013-06-02-at-7.34.14-PMAt The Pike Place Market

Friend Shaun made one important recommendation when we announced our move to Seattle – get a crumpet at The Crumpet Shop.

The charming small bakery, prominently located in the Pike Place Market serves the British classic muffin in a variety of ways: buttered, jammed, with eggs, topped with cheese…

I decided to have my first as simple as possible with just butter and honey while Jim went for it with an impressive creation of maple butter, walnut, cream cheese.

While space is tight, crowds ebb and flow. They also serve scones and coffee.

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Posted on June 1, 2013

Restaurants »Skillet Diner

skillet1400 East Union Street, Seattle, WA

We’ve been told the closest thing to Brooklyn in Seattle is Capitol Hill. Meaning: hipsters and their hip bars and restaurants dwell there. One restaurant always associated with the neighborhood is Skillet Diner. Notorious for long lines, famous for great food in the “now” – like bacon jam bloody Mary’s (which was very good).

The simple but considered presentation and delicious chicken fried steak I had – big, tender cuts of choice meat with a salty, flavorful crust – did indeed remind me of home and made me feel better about all the great restaurants we left behind there. The entire menu was full of promising dishes with lots of pork belly, fennel and beets.

Like so many places in Seattle, Skillet diner is exceptional but there was not a promised hipster in sight. I kind of wanted to see people that dress up for brunch but at 8am, it’s families and olds. Same everywhere I suppose. At least there are no lines at that hour.

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Posted on May 28, 2013

Drinks »Hilliards

hilliardsSeattle Brew in Cans, 550 NW 49th Street Seattle WA

Hilliard’s modern design and small price tag stand out in the sea of fancy beers at the local grocery. The local brewery is making very good beer though, not just pretty cans, with their refreshing Saison tops my list.

They also have a taproom not far that claims to be all ages.. Maybe a visit is in store.

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Posted on May 24, 2013

Recipes »Rain City Burgers

rain6501 Roosevelt Way NE  Seattle, WA

There’s lots of talk about seattle’s Red Mill Burgers. They are featured in GQ’s “The 20 Hamburgers You Must Eat Before You Die“, Oprah is a fan and locals wait on long lines for them.

But for my money, if you had one burger to eat in the city, I’d direct you to the far less known  Rain City Burger.

Don’t get me wrong, Red Mill was very good but it all comes down to personal preference. I don’t like my burgers too substantial. I like them squishy and salty (two things new York’s Shake Shack always got right) and Rain City delivers.

I tried their Rough Rider which has a hint of teriyaki sauce and couldn’t resist the garlic Parmesan fries I saw all the customers eating. Excellent. I will be back.

They also boast all natural beef without added hormones and added antibiotics – a claim that in the past I probably would have not noticed but as our food is becoming increasingly alarming (see the wealth of terrifying Monsanto info out there), it’s nice to feel less like your destroying your body when you indulge in fast food burgers and fries.

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Posted on May 19, 2013

Desserts »A la Mode

alamode5821 Phinney Ave N

While it’s hard to make a bad pie, it’s not everyday you encounter one as unique as A La Mode‘s Blue Hawaiian. With blueberries, coconut, pineapple and sweet crumble; it’s quite awesome.

The small shop, right near the Zoo, is friendly and also serves lollipop pies and a variety of other flavors that I can’t wait to try.

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Posted on May 14, 2013

Restaurants »I Love Sushi

love1001 Fairview Ave. N, Seattle, WA

How very lucky we are. While I thought good food delivery was a thing in our NYC past, we found that Seattle has a service called Eat24 that delivers from restaurants in the area all through an online system. Even better? We found some incredible sushi our first order out from I Love Sushi. It is the kind of sushi people always brag about on the Pacific Coast, the kind of sushi I have been aching for since we got here, the kind I want to take photos of each and every piece.

While I can’t tell you anything about the actual restaurant, I can say that I Love Sushi is excellent. Not only are the basics covered and amazing (tuna rolls? fantastic. California rolls? a step above the usual) but the specials are always impressive. Take the Sushi Train Roll (pictured): pressed sushi w/ scallop, crab, flying fish roe, topped w/ seared salmon, sprinkled w/ sea salt, squeeze of lemon or the Northwest Samplers that feature nigiri made of fresh local fish.

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Posted on May 12, 2013

Drinks »Zoka Coffee and Tea

20130512-182957.jpg2901 NE Blakeley Street, Seattle, WA (as well as other locations)

While there are many, many local roasters and shops to try in the coffee Capitol, so far we’ve been quite happy with Zoka. Whether using their beans (I like their darkest roast, Tuscan Blend) to make at home or having a latte at their large, comfy, and welcoming shop in the University District, it’s consistently good stuff.

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Posted on May 12, 2013

Restaurants »Jack’s Fish Spot Salmon Candy

salmoncandy1514 Pike Place in Pike Place Market

The Pike Place Market, arguably Seattle’s most famous destination, is too vast with too much to offer to write one entry based on one visit, so I will just start with the most life changing.

It’s called Salmon Candy and you can find it at Jack’s Fish Spot. Located across from the one where they toss the fish featured on every travel channel show out there, it’s a friendly place that has fresh fish, a bar around back where you can chow on oysters, fish and chips, and clam chowder (to name a few), and bins of smoked fish.

Salmon Candy was recommended by the man on duty and he certainly didn’t steer me wrong. The best smoked salmon I’ve ever had. So good that I opted to send a pound to my mother in lieu of flowers for mother’s day.

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Posted on May 8, 2013

Places to Visit,Spend a Couple Hours »Woodland Park Zoo

xzoo601 N 59th St  Seattle, WA

Despite long lines to pay for parking and enter, Woodland Park Zoo was a wonderful way to spend a perfect weather Sunday.

With two young kids, you just can’t see it all in one visit, but we made sure to see “real monkeys playing in the trees” at Van’s request, huge elephants, some otters that took a liking to Mimi, and a of couple napping joeys. We rode the beautiful vintage carousel and took time to feed the colorful birds (a highlight for the kids).

The zoo is as green as you would expect from a lush city like Seattle with lots of shady trees, quiet pathways and a big green yard to just run around.

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Posted on May 5, 2013