reciprocation (urbanspoon schwag)

It should be pretty obvious that I love urbanspoon. After all, I use their semi-automagical reciprocal link deally all the time (that's those little urbanspoon images you keep seeing in every post).

Well, it looks like they love me back. Check out what showed up in the mail (cat not included).

Thanks guys!

La Isla

What's better than tasty Empanadas with beans and rice for six dollars? How about all that with rum drinks at happy hour prices? (The trick is to get there right before 3pm, order lunch, wait, order drinks. It's a win-win situation, with both wins to you!)

Sorry about the crappy photo, I wasn't prepared.

I have to admit, I'm excited about Ballard's La Isla Puerto Rican restaurant. I'd never been because I had reports of mediocrity and not-greatness. I should know better. While I'm sure my friend's Puerto Rican Grandmother could cook circles around this place, I didn't grow up with it. So I can appreciate La Isla for what it is: scrumptious lunch that's pretty filling, relatively healthy, and six dollars.

Definitely worth a visit, unless you have a Puerto Rican Grandmother. Remember to go just before 3pm.



P.S. They compost their food scraps and cardboard? *swoons*

Mmmm. A chain of pancakes... [The Original Pancake House]

I've been away from this blog for awhile. I think it's because my muse was hanging out at The Original Pancake House in Ballard/Crown Hill. She's all like "independents are all well and good, but sometimes you just have to have a pancake the size of your head." I think she was talking about the Dutch Babies, which are, indeed, head sized.

It is a national chain, but it doesn't feel like one. Except for maybe the shiny, shiny menus.

The Swedish pancakes come with Lingonberries. Also, they are very tasty.

But even though lingonberries are grown locally, they are rather expensive. Maybe the chain insists that they use only real Swedish berries.

Whatever the reason, the above 2/3 size Swedish pancake will run you about the same as this massive attack of pancakes. It brings a teardrop to my eye, archaic music references to my blog, and upsetness to my tum-tum (I love pancakes but they don't love me).

I had to have help finishing these. For me that's saying a lot. A hell of a lot. A phrase which also describes my breakfast.

But enough about the food. I can tell that you're ready to hear about the collectible plates.

It's very much a family place. Folks of all ages are coddled by warm woods and country chairs. And yes, collectible plates line the walls. Just like at my grandma's house. It's not cool But it is nice. Sometimes it's good to get away from cool. Sometimes nice is the only thing that will satisfy.

ps. Here's what it looks like on the outside.

Not fancy, but functional. I think my grandma would approve. I think I do too.

uncommonly common [xxx root beer]

The place to go for root beer.

Do you like root beer? I mean, do you really like root beer? Because XXX Root Beer is some of the best in the country. Do you also like 50's nostalgia, car culture and burgers the size of your head? Then stop reading now and head to Issaquah!

Still here? Ok. I guess I'll have to finish the review.

Did I mention the root beer? This is really good root beer. And it comes in massive, frosted mugs. I must say that the massive, frosted mugs will set you back $3.25. And if you ask for no ice it'll cost you an extra 95 cents. It says so right on the menu. Good root beer doesn't come cheap.

That's a lot of root beer!

There's a reason you'll be needing such a herculean beverage, though. It's to wash down those burgers. The ones the size of your head. These incredible portions date from the 50's, when, as everybody knows, the Greasers only ate once a week. They always ordered things like the Triple XXX burger; a burger the size of your head with THREE patties.

And, incidentally, the only thing on the menu with out a reference to car culture in the name.

All the rest of the stuff is named after car stuff. You might get a 58 Impala, a burger with cheese, bacon, lettuce, tomato, onions, pickles, mayo and XXX dressing. Or a Low Rider which is a burger with bacon, grilled onions, mayo and the ubiquitous XXX dressing.

I had eaten only a few days before my visit, so I got something lite. A Hubcap. See? Car name. It's a chicken sandwich.

Q: how do you know when you're at a greasy spoon?
A: when even the bread is greasy.

Now, this is a Diner/Drive In. Unlike most modern Diners, XXX has not updated it's food for the modern, health conscious consumer. Instead, it chooses to remind us why diners used to be called Greasy Spoons. You expect maybe the fries are greasy. The onion rings; that makes sense. But the bread? What do they do to the bread? Do you see the sheen?

This is not necessarily a bad thing.

But on the other hand. The food is not that interesting. Grease, on it's own, isn't much of a flavor. It is filling though. And that is why I don't have a review of the Root Beer Floats for you. No Room. One day I'll get back to Issaquah and let you know.

When I go, I'm sitting outside. The clutter of random 50's junk and car parts on the wall is just a little too much. And I'm speaking as someone who loves random 50's junk and car parts.

it's not half cluttered.
no. it's all the way cluttered.

It's a good place. An experience. The root beer is awesome. Go very hungry, or just for desert.

Seattle Cheese Festival

I wouldn't be a Seattle Food Blogger if I didn't make it to the Cheese Festival. It's the second year I've gone. It seemed more crowded than last year, even though there were less people. Maybe it was the umbrellas.

People and Cheese

Look at these crowds. They're too big to be fun, really.

More People and More Cheese

What was fun was the "Cheese Nun" movie (scroll down to Friday Afternoon at the Movies). The Cheese Nun, Sister Noella Marcellino, was there to answer questions.

Sister Noella Marcellino, the cheese nun
(sorry about the poor quality photo)

I thought she was just a nun that made really good cheese. It turns out that her desire to make the best cheese she could for her cloister took her to University, where she ended up getting a Doctorate in Microbiology. From there it was off to France to work with cheese researchers. It's a neat story.

So next year I'm just going to the special events. That's where the fun is. The giant crowds around the free cheese tables just aren't worth it. Think about it. How are you really going to appreciate a fine cheese while you're getting elbowed in the face?

TASTE Café

Looking at art is hungry work. That's why it's so great that the Olympic Sculpture Park Café has such good food. It's not even that expensive. I was kind of surprised.

mmmmm. salad

Let's be clear. It's not a destination that's about the food. But the food is good. The 'grown up grilled cheese' sandwich is exceptional. Rakka and I have tried to copy it, but it's just not the same. The salads are really good too.

there it is, the grilled cheese with green apple, caramelized
sweet onion & sharp white cheddar on potato bread

One of the coolest things, other than the actual food, is that most of the containers are are compostable. Even the plastic ones. The cutlery is made of renewable bamboo. That's pretty darn cool.

airy, open, but please, no food in the art

So, go see some sculpture. And get a sandwich.

bamboo garden

I have a lot of favorites. Bamboo Garden is one of them. It's a cheap, all vegan, Chinese restaurant, and easy to get to.

the sign comes with real bamboo!

Strangely enough, pure vegetarian restaurants are rare in Seattle. So, pretty much every vegetarian in town knows about this place already. But it's not all about the tofu and TVP. A lot of omnivores are down with BG too. This may be because we're even shorter on good Chinese food than the vegetarian.

friedee balls (Mandarin Chicken)
a great bet for non-vegetarians

I don't know why this is. We can hardly walk down the street without tripping over Thai, Teriyaki, Phở and Sushi places, most of them good. Why is it so hard to take Chinese beyond overly MSGed Fried Rice? The only places that seem to be able to do it are the vegetarian ones. Bamboo Garden is on the top of my list of proofs, along with vds and teapot vegetarian house.

Crispy Fried Taro Root Patties

Not that I want to imply that BG is super fancy. It isn't. And it's not authentic either. Well, not authentic to China anyway. It is authentic American Chinese food. Fans of the genre need no further explanation.

Kun Pao Chicken

What it comes down to is good, American-style Chinese food at a fair price. The vegetarian thing is just a bonus. Just go for something fried or plain veg if you're not a fake meat fan.