Um... Monday night and no one wants to work so we play dress up with my favorite wig that makes everyone look good.
You a bad MoFo!
Thundercats Ho!
Busted...Oh No!
More Ballard Spots
A few weekends back I dined at Madame K’s. It’s a charming pizza spot located in Old Ballard. Legend has it that the space housed a brothel on the upper floor. Embracing the legend, Madame K’s is decorated in all things brothel like. The red walls create a warm space that’s casual, romantic and definitely a fun place to spend an evening with friends.
The salad was average and the pizzas decent, but it's the atmosphere that’s the real draw. We tried the one and only desert that our waitress highly recommended – the Chocolate Chip Orgasm. Don’t know if it’s worth the rave, but I did enjoy the scoop of vanilla ice cream atop a pancake of cookie dough.
Next stop - Ed's Kort Haus in the Phinney Ridge neighborhood. A divvy bar with friendly service and an exotic menu of meat burgers - antelope, kangaroo, ostrich, reindeer, alligator, camel, caribou and more. Haven’t tried any of the burgers but the extensive beer selection on tap along with the low-key vibe is a win win situation for me. Have you all noticed my love of beer?
Sunday Putterings
Before heading to the Frye Museum to check out Candida Hofer’s The Architecture of Absence exhibit, we grabbed a quick lunch at The Baguette Box.
Located in Capitol Hill, the Baguette Box is Eric and Sophia Bahn’s second restaurant. The siblings other restaurant, Monsoon, delivers a fine menu mixing traditional Vietnamese flavors with Pacific Northwest influences. This chic spot is a must for anyone who enjoys Vietnamese cuisine.
Anyone in Seattle who loves Vietnamese sandwiches knows about Saigon Deli. Much fancier than Saigon Deli’s but still inexpensive and simple, the sandwiches at the Baguette Box are incredible. It’s a casual place with a menu full of simple sandwiches and sides that deliver complex and rich flavors.
The glass of Stella beer was the perfect addition to my Grilled Tofu Baguette with Beet in Garlic Oil Salad.
I love the patterns and symmetry in Candida Hofer’s photos of interior spaces. The more you examine the images, the more obvious the grid of the interior space. I had to resist pulling out a pencil and ruler… I wanted to trace the sharp lines running across the photos from top to bottom and from left to right.
I also love Hofer’s use of natural light and how it affects the shape and depth of the interior spaces that she photographed. Hofer’s technical skill and mastery of the camera creates images far more impressive than a photographer whose mastered Photoshop.
See Dick Jiggle, Part Two
Rachel and I had dinner at Portalis before heading to On The Boards for the Boyzie Cekwana show. Ballard is a bustling place to be and to be seen in Seattle because of new business like Portalis, a restaurant and wine shop. The restaurant space is beautiful… it feels cozy and quaint with it’s exposed brick wall and an inviting bar. The racks of wine for sale in back add a nice touch to this space.
We shared the Warm Yukon Gold potato salad w/ pancetta & watercress, the Roasted free-range chicken sandwich w/ pesto, fontina & fresh spinach, and the Charcuterie plate featuring their house pâté, salami, and proscuitto. I really love restaurants that include mustard on their charcuterie plates. No fuss preparation or presentation with simple ingredients resulted in perfection.
My glass of Hartford Court 2000 Seven Bench Vineyard Pinot Noir from Carneros, California was exactly what I wanted. It’s softer and fruitier than the most Oregon Pinot Noirs that I’m used to. Rachel also enjoyed her glass of the Ben Marco 2003 Malbec from Mendoza, Argentina.
The only let down of our dining experience is the service. The service wasn’t necessarily bad – it was missing. I waited 5 minutes for one of the 2 bartenders to take notice of me before I finally approach one for a drink. It wouldn’t be unusual if the bar was packed but it wasn't. Both bartenders were hanging out pushing wine glasses back and forth. I was a bit surprised considering patrons that sit at the bar do so because they want quicker service and often like to chat up the bartender.
Off we went to On The Boards for The Boyzie Cekwana. The show consisted of two dance pieces, Rona and Ja’nee.
Rona traces the roots of African spirituality. It’s a haunting piece performed by three dancers that blend Butoh, classical dance and South African rock art.
Completely different from Rona, Ja’nee is a powerfully charged piece addressing the issues that plague post-apartheid South Africa, including AIDS, rape, violence and child abuse. The eight dancers yell, stomp, and dance across the stage creating a chaotic yet controlled piece. I was hypnotized until two dancers fully undressed to revel naked bum. Then I wondered… are we going to see a naked dick jiggle? And yes we did. I still don’t understand why we had to see naked dick jiggle across the stage in Forced Entertainment’s Bloody Mess. I do understand why naked dick is incorporated in Ja’nee but is it necessary? Or do contemporary male dancers secretly enjoy being exhibitionists?
We Do Wine
This past Tuesday, Larry and I watched Lura’s performance at The Triple Door. Lura’s music reflects her Cape Verde heritage – a mix of Portuguese and West African beats and rhythms along with touches of bossa nova and jazz.
The show was amazing but it’s hard not to love any show performed at the Triple Door. This beautifully renovated, 1920s-era Vaudeville Theater is an intimate spot with comfortable booths and very attentive and personable service.
A well-connected friend with The Triple Door made a call to management on my behalf. From the moment we arrived, it was evident that my friend pulled through for us. Our host promptly seated us at a prime booth with one of the best views in the entire theater.
Our waiter arrived at our table within seconds of being seated and explained that we were special guests of the evening and that all our wine would be on the house. After he gave us a brief history of the theater, the main wine steward arrived to make a few suggestions. Larry mentioned that he enjoys Australian Shirazes. The wine steward quickly decided that the d’Arenberg’s ‘Dead Arm’ Shiraz, 2001, was the perfect bottle. This bottle is far from cheap and a sure sign that our night would be full of adventure.
Am I the only person is Seattle who doesn't love the food from Wild Ginger? Wild Ginger sits above The Triple Door and provides the food. I liked our appetizer, the Salt and Peppered Squid, but it’s not as tasty as Sea Gardens. Sea Garden does it right - a super light crust and loads of chopped peppers that add a nice kick.
It took me forever to decide on my entrée because most dishes include coconut, peanuts, beef, lamb, or pork. I finally settled on the Seven Flavor Beef minus the peanuts and tofu in replace of the beef. My ‘Six Flavor Tofu’ was disappointing. The heavy and salty sauce overpowered the cubes of super dense tofu. Larry ordered the Mongolian Lamp Chops. The lamb was fatty and the super rich sauce dominated this dish. We decided it was time to move on to another bottle of wine.
The wine steward recommended the, Vignalta’s ‘Gemola’ Rosso, 2001, for our second bottle of the evening. This bottle was much lighter in body and taste than our first and paired nicely with our desserts. Larry’s Vanilla Bean Crème Brulee with star shaped sugar cookies was tasty. My Chocolate Chip Mocha Soufflé was a mixed bag – the first few bites were good but the center was cold.
Our waiter took a liking to us and let Larry and I finished the bottle of wine he bought us while the staff was closing down for the evening. I really enjoyed drinking in the empty theater with no other patrons… it felt like Larry and I owned the place.
Still hungry, the three of us headed to El Gaucho so I could get my grub on. I don’t really remember what we ordered, but I do know that we ordered a ton of superb seafood dishes and another bottle of wine. I love dining at El Gaucho because of its swanky, dark ambience along with the impeccable service and fab menu. El Gaucho could easily double as a Fred Astaire film set.
I’ve also dined at their sister restaurant down the street, Waterfront. Aside from the same impeccable service, amazing food, and wine selection, The Waterfront is totally opposite of El Gaucho. It’s a bright, sunny place with large floor to ceiling windows that look out to Elliott Bay, Olympic Mountains, and more. Our waiter was a young, chatty guy well versed in wine and provided great oyster recommendations. The only down side to Waterfront are the patrons. Where else in the States can you dine in a 5 star restaurant and be surrounded by patrons wearing shorts and Tevas? Come on Seattle… this doesn’t event count as business casual!
Wild Ginger isn’t a place to go if you’re a true food junkie, but it’s worth a try when you’re enjoying a show at the Triple Door. Don't expect much of the food, but do expect a lot from the wine. And if you don’t know much about wine, make sure to ask for one of their wine stewards.
Ballard Spots
Ballard is becoming quite the hot neighborhood in Seattle and it’s easy to forget what Ballard use to be like. Get a taste of the old and new Ballard by starting your evening with dinner at La Carta de Oaxaca then head next door for drinks at The People’s Pub.
La Carta is my favorite Mexican restaurant. Unlike the typical Azteca or Jalisco’s, La Carta is a super comfy, casual restaurant located in Ballard creating authentic Oaxacan cuisine that’s fresh, delicious, and inexpensive to boot. This contemporary spot has beautiful photos lining the walls, a large communal table, simple yet stylish furniture, and a small bar in back.
There’s always a long wait but the super fresh salsa bar and Pozole is so worth the wait. And although the wait can be painful when you’re starving, once you’re seated, the owners provide fast, friendly service.
The People’s Pub has the feel of an old divvy bar minus the smoke… wood paneling, round back oak chairs, and a jukebox. The waitresses are friendly and don’t cop the usual attitude that you find in neighborhood bars. A nice bonus is thier diverse selection of German beers.
I’m headed to Germany in June for the World Cup and I’ve been regularly hitting Die Bier Stube to brush up on German culture. Die Bire Stube offers 14 German beers poured in authentic glassware and every visit I try a new beer. I’ve now added The People’s Pub to my list of German Pubs to get me ready for my upcoming trip!
The British Invasion...
Jaclyn and I co-hosted Rachel’s 30th Birthday party. Everyone asked, “Why the British theme?”... Giles Peterson, of course. Rachel loves Giles and who wouldn’t?
A Union Jack decorated my porch and inside I had plenty of posh nosh pub food and an endless supply of Bass, New Castle Brown Ale, Woodpecker Cider, and Boddington Ale to wash it all down.
The British theme was a hit and so was our ‘Awkward Wall Flower” photos. Before every guest left, they posed with Rachel to reenact awkward moments from our youth. If you need to hire and an awkward model, call Rachel. She mastered the awkward pose by the end of the evening
Rachel makes Andrew uncomfortable.
Helen doesn't understand Tom.
Rachel has a crush on Izaak.
Rachel, get away from my man!
Is Rachel's bling better than my bling? Jaclyn couldn't believe that Rachel's bling is bigger than her bling.
After we finished our grub on, we moved on to the Baltic Room for the Jazzanova show. Jazzanova is a German DJ/ producer collective big on the underground nu-jazz/ future jazz scene and best know for their remixes. Their sound ranges from jazz to dub to Brazilian to hip-hop and beyond. But I’m not so sure if they still deserve to be classified as underground considering The Seattle Weekly featured Jazzanova in their Weekly Notable Show column. I wonder if this is the reason why there were so many bald heads at Baltic Room?
The Baltic Room was chalked full and you had to fight to get an inch of the dance floor. We managed to claim some ground and dance to Alex’s solid set. The best I’ve heard in a long time… How else could I dance for 2 hours straight in 4 in. heels?
Rachel and I with Alex.
Lonely Nights
This past weekend, Rachel and I checked out Amsterdam based company, Kassys’ KOMMER show at On The Boards. This great show about grief, stress, and loneliness is split into two parts – the first part is performed live, and portrays a group of 6 actors as they respond to the news of the death of a loved one.
The second part is a video performance of the actors in their ‘real life’. The camera follows the actors after they have finished the performance that we have just watched. We observe them in their ‘private’ lives, and witness their loneliness.
Watching the actors in their ‘private’ lives was really disturbing…
the frustrated stewardess destroying objects around her and finally passed out on the bed, in the depressing hotel room…
the lonely guy sitting on his bed, binging on anything and everything he found in his room….
and the older gentleman climbing the cluttered stairs to his living room, drinking tea, surround by piles of unpacked boxes, unopened mail, and more junk. I walked away from the show feeling sad, lonely, and depressed.
After KOMMER, Rachel and I headed to BalMar, a comfortable and stylish bar located in the heart of downtown Ballard at the intersection of Ballard Avenue and NW Market. BalMar serves yummy small plates in a two-story building with exposed brick walls. Both floors have a bar along with two pool tables on the top floor. The huge picture window on the top floor makes the BalMar an ideal spot to people watch.
Everything we ordered was delicious and prepared simply with the freshest ingredients. We shared slices of prosciutto on apricot bread with spicy olives, a house salad, spinach with golden raisins and garlic, crispy chicken breast served with vegetables, and persimmon flan.
The bottom floor was comfortably packed but the upstairs was chocked full. This place definitely is a hot spot on the weekends and caters to an older crowd. I won’t hang out here on the weekends but I’ll come back for happy hour during the week.
