Salumi (Mario Batali)

Hey everyone. Today I visited the Salumi restaurant, owned by chef Mario Batali's family. It has already won several restaurant awards and has been featured on Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations tv show.

Salumi is located at the crazy intersection of Main, 3rd Ave, and 2nd Ave Ext. It's basically right across the street from the Seattle Lighting Store in Pioneer Square. I was told to arrive early if I wanted to get a good spot in line, even before they opened. They have crazy hours.....Tuesday-Friday, 11am-4pm (yup, only for lunch). Luckily, I'm off today! Anyway, I got there about 10:30am and discovered I was the first one in line, but that it was also a little too early. So, I decided to take a walk around Pioneer Square within a couple of blocks from the restaurant. I'm glad I did because now I found even more downtown restaurants to review.

I got back at around 10:45am and there were already a couple of people ahead of me, so I jumped back in line. Immediately after I got in line a surge of patrons lined up behind me. I just beat the huge crowd. One of the waiters/servers/greeters came out with a Salumi chalkboard stand-up sign and plopped it out on the sidewalk, showing the daily specials. I was busy reading the little menu they have posted on the front entrance window, and had already made up my mind to get the porchetta sandwich.

The door opened and people anxiously walked in with big eyes, busting out their cameras, and taking pics (like me). I kept taking pics on my short walk from the entrance to the counter until one of the servers commented politely and jokingly that the flashes were giving her epileptic seizures. I immediately stuffed my camera back in my pocket (I'm sure they get a lot of picture taking because of the popularity of this place). When asked what I would like, I told her I would take the porchetta. She took out a fresh baguette roll, sliced it open, and stuffed it with moist, tender, and delicious marinated, slow-roasted pork, along with onions, carrots, & bell peppers. Wow, it was delicious! Wait, I was just looking at it......that was my thought even before I took a bite. After she handed me the plate, I took it down to the register and paid for the sandwich, a water, and a small cut of their signature Mole Salumi Salami (I'll get to that one later).

I approached the very small "dining area", which was basically one huge community table with a bunch of seats (and two side tables with 2 seats each) and sat down. I immediately began to consume the delicious hot porchetta sandwich with a smile on my face. The servers/greeters there were extremely friendly and hospitable. They offered to pour water/wine and briefly chatted with everyone about how the food tasted and about anything really. I chatted for a bit, but I was anxious to get back to downing that sandwich. I would have to say that they have definitely mastered the art of curing their meats. There was so much flavor in that pork.

Before I got home, I wanted to walk off my meal a bit, so I grabbed my mole salami and went walking around even more downtown. I stopped by Cow Chip Cookies off of 1st Ave and got myself a "calf" size chocolate chip cookie. It's really rich and buttery and was $1.50 for a somewhat small cookie. It was tasty though. Check out that monster "Bull Chip"$6.00 cookie. It even comes in its own box! Back in the day I'd probably get that, but not now.

When I got home I really wanted to try the Mole Salami, with chocolate and spices infused into the meat. I have to say that I was not disappointed. It was very tasty salami, and you can taste a hint of so many flavors.

Anyway, let's get to my 5-doughnut rating system:

• Service, 3.5 doughnuts= Although this is more of a deli type of place where you order the food at a counter, pay at a cashier, and then sit down and eat it, I'd still give them high marks on service. Their staff was extremely friendly and made the place a very comfortable and inviting place to eat. They offered to pour wine and/or water for their patrons, since everyone had their hands full with their sandwiches.


• Atmosphere/Location, 2 doughnuts= This is a very small "restaurant" with limited seating. You would have to be lucky or get there early to get a seat in this place. Most of the orders were "to go". It had a homey feeling where you would sit at the table with your fake family (strangers), since there isn't really anywhere else to sit. I'm fine with that, but a lot of people aren't. It's in a very enclosed eating area. The location is not really hard to find, but it's probably hard to get to during the busy hours. It's located in Pioneer Square and there isn't a lot of off-street parking without having to pay a ton. I'm a city guy, so I don't really have a problem finding a good spot nearby. However, I also got there before lunchtime, so there were more street-side spots available at that time. They're doing extremely well with their small place, but I think customers would like to sit down and eat there if they expanded and there was more room.


• Food Presentation, 3.5 doughnuts= I thought for a sandwich, it was one of the best presented sandwiches I have ever seen. Everything just looked so fresh and delicious. Maybe it was because I was starving and didn't eat breakfast just for this?


• Taste, 4 doughnuts= One of the most flavorful pork sandwiches I have ever tasted. Try the Porchetta sandwich!


• Cost/Value, 3 doughnuts= For the quality you're getting, it's actually worth it. $8-$9 for this sandwich is just a little high for a sandwich though, I have to agree with most people. But if you're not doing this every day, then it's fine. Like I said, the meat was delicious and they served up a generous portion. And they do specialize in high quality meats.

• Originality, 2.5 doughnuts= There are other delicatessens here in Seattle, but none that specialize in curing their own specialty meats like these guys (I think). They've been around for a while and are masters. I guess the store's weird hours (only during lunch Tues-Fri) is original.

• Overall, 3.5 doughnuts= I was extremely satisfied with the food and the experience. I see why Salumi was shown on No Reservations. They definitely deserve more recognition. I just wish they would open later and more often!

Check out their website at http://www.salumicuredmeats.com/

-NMOS

Seattle's Pike Place Market

This one is for all my non-Seattle followers. For those of you who have never been to Seattle and walked through the well-known Pike Place Market, here are a couple of shots that I took yesterday for you to enjoy. I think it's cool to see pics of places you've never been before. Let me know what you think.

The Continental Pastry Shop

I was down in the University District yesterday with the intention of checking out the "Applepalooza" at the Farmer's Market. I managed to get there when it was just ending, so I didn't even attempt to see what was left. However, for all you local Seattle-ites, be sure to check out the U-District Farmer's Market every Saturday morning from 10-2. It's pretty nice.

Anyway, while I was in the area, I had lunch at a Greek restaurant on "The Ave" (what the locals call the main strip near the University of Washington) called The Continental Pastry Shop. When you first walk into the store, there's this glass case that houses a bunch of Greek pastries. There's also a little "store" to the side that sells Greek pantry items to make Greek dishes/desserts. Sorry, I wasn't able to get pics of all that.....but I did get some of the food.

It wasn't really busy at the time, so it was easy and quick to grab a table. The service was very nice and immediately brought out the complimentary ice water (my favorite drink). The atmosphere was very laid back, clean, and somewhat quiet. It was a pretty nice day outside, so there was a lot of natural light that came in sitting by the windows.

The menu displayed a lot of Greek specialties from which to choose. My favorites are usually the lamb and/or chicken slouvaki platters, or just the traditional gyro. After the order was taken, it seemed only about 15 minutes later the food was out. Not bad timing for nicely grilled meats.

I was able to sample a slouvaki/meat platter with lamb sausage and patties, chicken and lamb slouvaki skewers, lemon rice soup, Greek rice and beans, and a lamb gyro. Of course, everything came with that white tszeki (sp?) sauce. Check out the delicious dishes:

Now for my 5-doughnut rating system:

• Service, 3.5 doughnuts= They were very nice, accommodating and attentive


• Atmosphere/Location, 2 doughnuts= The atmosphere was that of a normal cafe type of restaurant. The location is in the middle of a busy strip and there is no off-street parking. You would have to find your own parking streetside or in a nearby pay lot. I'm always lucky with finding close parking, so it's never a huge problem for me.


• Food Presentation, 3 doughnuts= I thought the food looked delicious when it came out. Maybe it was just because I was really hungry. Seriously though, the meats looked freshly grilled, and it was laid out nicely.


• Taste, 3 doughnuts= The lamb patties, skewer, and sausage and gyro were really delicious. They were very tender and had a lot of flavor (lamb usually does). The chicken was just alright. I thought it could use a bit more seasoning. I've tried better gyros, but it was still fresh tasting and had a lot of flavor. The tszeki sauce had a nice tang.


• Cost/Value, 3 doughnuts= The prices were reasonable. I've been to other Greek restaurants and they're usually about the same price for what's offered. This place also offers a-la-carte, so you can get a nice big gyro without the Greek fries and salad for only about $4.95.


• Originality, 2.5 doughnuts= Nothing too original at this place, except that they're also a bakery and a mini-store all in one.


• Overall, 3 doughnuts= This is a pretty good Greek restaurant, although I know of a couple slightly better ones. The staff there are very friendly and hospitable, and the food is delicious. I'd give them a thumbs up.

They don't have their own website, but you can check out a review site here:

http://www.insiderpages.com/b/3723208620

-N

Pal-Do

I believe Pal-Do might be a national chain but I'm not too sure. I do know that there are a couple of these Korean supermarket/restaurants around Seattle. I was able to try one out just recently.

The restaurant is sort of "makeshift" and attacked to a supermarket. It seems they just put up sheetrock to section off this area for a mini-restaurant that only has about 9-10 tables crammed in this area. But, I find that a lot of these small hole-in-the-wall places serve up the best eats (I will be reviewing some of them shortly).

You're supposed to order at the counter, which is actually a cut-out window. They have all the usual Korean restaurant goodies, so I was at least familiar with what I was ordering. Luckily I was able to sample a bunch of dishes like beef soup, japchae (Korean noodles), potstickers, kalbi (marinated short-ribs), bulgogi (marinated thinly-sliced beef), and of course all of those little Korean side dishes that are served to compliment the dishes.

One of my all-time favorite Korean dishes is kalbi, the marinated short-ribs. I love it when they grill it up so there's somewhat of a charred taste to them. The meats are almost always served up on a sizzling hot cast-iron platter (be careful not to touch the metal part). I had the purple rice, which is similar to brown rice with respect to the better nutritional value than white rice.

The service is friendly and they will bring out your order when it is piping hot and ready. They do a great job of making sure you have everything you need but might not check up on you periodically like in other restaurants. It is more of a self-serve place where you even get your own water/tea and stuff like that.

The meats were marinated and charred nicely. My favorite part of eating traditional Korean food is the presence of all of the mini side dishes. I love the mashed potato, sweet soy beans, pickled radish, etc. This place had one I've never tried before.....sliced hot dog in tomato sauce. It was an interesting side with this type of food, but I still ate it and liked it.

And here we go with my 5-doughnut rating system:

• Service, N/A= I don't think I should really rate them on service because a large part is self-serve. They do bring out your order when it's ready, but that's about it. They are very friendly, however.
  
• Atmosphere/Location, 1.5 doughnuts= The atmosphere is kind of unattractive. It's rather enclosed, small, and not in a very comfortable setting. The location is also a little weird. It's easily accessible since it's inside a supermarket, but that's also part of the reason why it's in a weird spot.
  
• Food Presentation, 2.5 doughnuts= I love how the meats come out all charred and still sizzling on those cast-iron hot plates. Some of the side dishes, however, didn't look as fresh and appealing.
  
• Taste, 2.5 doughnuts= The dishes tasted pretty good, although I have tried better. I think the best part of the meal was the kalbi and the sweet soy beans. The bulgogi was good, but I think it could have used a little more flavor. With the different marriage of flavors from all the dishes, everything did seem to work well together.
  
• Cost/Value, 3.5 doughnuts= It's not the best Korean food, but for the price, it's great. I think the big meat dishes were only about $7 each, which isn't bad at all. The kalbi did taste like it would be served in any other really good Korean restaurant.
  
• Overall, 2.5 doughnuts= I think the food here is good and filling. If you have a craving for kalbi and some other fast Korean dishes without spending too much, then this is the place to go. And, if you feel like buying any type of Asian groceries, it's right outside the restaurant.

-N

Orange & Pistachio Marscapone Pie

No, sorry again all.....this is not my work. I had a meeting at work this morning and one of my co-workers brought this in to share with everyone. As you can tell by the pic alone, it is extremely delicious. I asked her what the ingredients were and she said it's pretty simple to make.

First, she took marscapone cheese (it's a sweet Italian cream cheese), mixed and whipped it with whipped cream, honey, sugar and cardamon. Then, she laid it all out on a pie crust and topped it with orange slices and pistachios. Damn, it was delicious. You must try this one out. One of these days I'll actually make something on my own to share. It's just lately, I've been eating for free because a lot of people I know offer me food. Like today I had breakfast and lunch for free (for the most part) at work. Anyway, enjoy.

Chicken & Upo

Some of you might be thinking....."What the heck is upo?". Well, for those of you that don't know, it's a light green squash (kind of like a giant zucchini) that's used in a lot of Asian dishes, like Filipino dishes.

No, I didn't cook this dish myself, even though I know how to. I visited my sister and her family today and they apparently made a Filipino dish called "chicken and upo".....at least I think that's what it's called. Upo goes well with chicken in a stew type of dish like this one. Served over rice, this meal is delicious.

Here are the ingredients:

• whole chicken chopped up into different pieces (you can any parts you want)
• upo
• tomato
• garlic
• onion
• chicken stock (optional, there's already enough water from the chicken and veggies)
• patis (fish sauce.....but also very optional and only in a small amount)

Just brown the chicken in a pot, making sure it's covered during the process because you don't want to lose any of the water. After they look brown and halfway cooked, chop up the upo into small cubes, dice up the other ingredients and throw them all in the pot. Let simmer until the chicken is tender. Enjoy!

Wallingford Wurst Festival

Hey everyone. Sorry it took so long to post another food blog. Anyway, here are some pics of my visit at the annual Wallingford Wurst Festival. The "Wurst" part actually stands for bratwurst. After I heard it the was "Wurst" Festival, I wasn't sure if I wanted to go. But, after it was explained to me, I decided to try it out. The purpose of this event was to raise money for a big Catholic school/church. Since it's technically a "food" festival, I decided to post it here.

Anyway, there was a lot of food (sorry, I'm missing some pics), arts & crafts vendors, & a big bake sale & salmon bake dinner. I just had some noodles and lumpia from a Filipino food vendor. Check out the cool pics below. Enjoy!