Sunday, January 31, 2010

Dinner at Twigs, Wandamere, Spokane.

Asian chicken salad. This was really nice. The chicken is sesame seed-crusted! I don't really like sesame seeds or chicken, but this was sooo yummy! They didn't taste like sesame seeds at all, but gave a unique crusting to the perfectly tender chicken.

Seared & curried ahi tuna sandwich. I really wanted this to be amazing, but it just wasn't. I like the whole idea of it and the pita they use was really lovely, but the flavor just wasn't there. Saying "curried" says boldly flavored, but this was bland. :(

Thai peanut sauce pizza with chicken. Nothing I'd order again. The Thai pizza at CPK and at Rock City are just so much better.

Overall--Twigs is still hit and miss in my book. At least there are hits though, right? Slowly, but surely figuring them out.. :)


Main Market, Downtown, Spokane.

Main Market, which opened last week, is a great addition to downtown Spokane. I would say it's Fresh & Easy meets Madison Market--it's a smaller space with specialty grocery products, but the interior is definitely more kitschy and Brit-style.

Produce walk.

Take Away. Again, British!

The lovely lady who gave me tons of samples! :) Feel free to ask for samples! But do support them and buy something.

Take-away case 1. I got the eggplant-parm sandwiche. It wasn't my favorite, and a lot of that was because they don't cut it in half, nor do they run it through an toaster for you! Outrage! ;) They just have a microwave you can use, which is fine, but a proper hot sandwich is much nicer.

Rimas got the (Vietnamese) BBQ pork sandwich. Thank goodness for Vietnamese sandwiches in Spokane! Only, they didn't call it Vietnamese, which I think they should fix. That's what it is, and most people in Spokane probably don't know that that's what it is so they should be informed. In any case, I didn't get this because, as a spoiled San Franciscan, I refuse to pay over $3.50 for a Vietnamese sandwich. And why should I!? ;)

Take-away case 2. I got the blood-orange quinoa! It was fabulously fresh and tasty. I only wish there were more blood orange pieces. The quinoa was great though and my first quinoa, actually! Yay. I have a feeling I'm going to be adding quinoa into my grains of choice. ;)

Take-away 3. Rimas got the cauliflower (bottom center) and really liked it.

Take-away 4.


Everything in these cases looked good, and prices weren't ridiculous. They will definitely need more seating though..

Aside from the limited parking, strange layout, too-trendy interior, and slow check-out, Main Market has a nice little thing going. Gosh, that sounds like I'm knocking-it hard! I really do believe the interior will get old and look tacky though. With service--they've only been open a week and I'm sure they are still working out the kinks.

It'll be interesting to see how Spokane responds to this endeavor. I love that that part of Main St. is developing with so may cool spots though (Magic Lantern, Saranac posted below!). Spokane is finally developing neighborhoods! What will this part be called? It's pretty much Main & Divis.. hmmm..

I do hope Huckleberry's continues to do well though. They sort of revolutionized grocery shopping in Spokane. I still like them more than Main Market because of their layout and their (Huckleberry's) cold and hot deli foods. Again, Main Market is a great addition though and I'm really not trying to knock it! Go! Buy! Eat! :)


Saturday, January 30, 2010

Tomato, artichoke, walnut and brie stuffed peppers.

Chopped up artichokes and tomatoes, mixed with candied nuts, chunks of brie and Trader Joe's Everyday Spice mix. Instead of using olive oil I just used a little bit of the oil from the artichoke jar.

I stuffed that bell pepper like it was the last meal I was every going to eat! Haha. Kidding. This single bell pepper was dinner though so I did stuff it pretty well. It's amazing how much you can actually fit into one of these!

Baked baked baked.

Mmmmmm. Since this single bell pepper was dinner I probably should have added some rice or couscous to this, but it was still quite filling and delicious. :)

Friday, January 29, 2010

Much love for the Magic Lantern Theater, Downtown, Spokane.

What a great space in Spokane. Main is seriously kicking some neighborhood arse right now, and kudos for doing so! The theater is modern-simplistic meets raw-indie.

The Inlander published a nice piece on Joe Davis (owner) and the re-opening of the Magic Lantern Theater. Joe is captured perfectly--cool, funny and definitely a transplant. ;) I think the fact that he's not from Spokane gives him the edge that'll lead to beautiful success.

Madeleine's cookies. I had one of these. It was excellent. I'm kind of craving another now..

Joe, hard a work, using those surgeon hands to make a great cup of coffee. :) Probably the best coffee prices in town and serving DOMA, too!

Joe and Scott. These guys are great. Go see them. Go see a film. Go. Love. :)

I, actually, have yet to see a film, but I definitely want to hang out here and have coffee and cookies. :)


Modest meal at Saranac Art, Downtown, Spokane, WA.

Rimas and I at his art show (with Gabe) in Saranac.

One of Rimas' tucked away pieces. I like this one.

This is how artists make party food. :)

Very yummy salsa!

This was a very fun evening with good people and I like the Saranac space. Such a fun building with Isabella's and the Magic Lantern Theater.


Agave Bistro, Downtown, Spokane, WA.

Ceviche. Not Judi's favorite. Not mine either, but it wasn't bad. The paprika chips there are nice--I like the long strips for dipping/eating. It definitely wasn't your typical light ceviche though. Even from the look it's quite dark and quite salsa-like for a ceviche.

Prawn salad. This was an amazing latin dance party in my mouth--mmmm!

Wild boar. Very nice. The boar was tender, flavorful and went nicely with the light beans, rice and slaw.


I had been wanting to try Agave Bistro for awhile now so I'm very glad I finally have! The interior definitely could be better, but Ian Wingate (of Moxie) didn't disappoint me with the food. It's definitely in my Top 10 Spokane restaurants, and I want to go back--now! :) The menu was large and stimulating. The portions were a well sized (At Moxie, too!) and the flavors are a breath of fresh air for Spokane.


Thursday, January 28, 2010

Amazing garlic mac & cheese casserole.

Oooh man. I found this box and it wasn't expired so I thought I'd try putting it to some use.. Boiled the macaroni..

Chopped up some onion, a small potato and one large yellow bell pepper. Sauteed those babies with some garlic-herb seasoning..

Added the macaroni, some chopped up sausage, jalapenos, a little milk, a bit of butter and, of course, the cheddar! For an added creamy yumminess I decided to add havarti, too. :)

Mixed, spread evenly in the pan, and ready to bake! I mixed in a bit more of the garlic herb seasoning, too. :)

Annnnnd baked. Annnnnd amazing! :)

This really was quite delicious. I had it as a side with a simple side salad and a bowl of soup. It wasn't too salty, wasn't too cheesy (If I was going for proper mac & cheese I would have just added some havarti to the box.), the garlic-herb flavor came through, and the jalapenos added just the right kick. :)

Monday, January 25, 2010

Open-faced veggie sandwich.

Now, this wasn't meant to be two open faced sandwiches, but it kind of turned out that way.. On the far (top) side we have sundried-tomato pesto, orange bell pepper and crisp romaine. On the near side we have cilantro-jalapeno hummus, harvarti and artichoke hearts. Both sides were on a whole wheat bun. Since I don't like deli-meat on my sandwiches, I opt for super tasty spreads and some nice cheese--it works. :)

Deviled eggs.

I've been craving deviled eggs for awhile now so I decided to make some! I thought it'd be fun to experiment with some ingredients that I had..

Clockwise: classic with paprika, sundried tomato pesto, feta cheese.

Sunday, January 24, 2010

Michelle made white chocolate cupcakes.

For once it wasn't me baking cupcakes for the house! Haha. These were from Michelle's mix that I posted awhile back. I'm sad to say I was very disappointed with the mix. Michelle did a good job, of course, but the cupcakes were just dry and flavorless. :( Instead of the frosting in the mix, Michelle used the Betty Crocker buttercream--probably a good move. ;)

Saturday, January 23, 2010

Lunching at Latah Bistro, South Hill, Spokane.

apple-cheese salad beecher’s flagship cheese, apples, white balsamic-honey dressing (V)

Not enough cheese, but the butter-lettuce was so fresh and crisp and delicious! The dressing was nice, too, but overall, it was just a little too simple (Even aesthetically, no?) and I would have preferred it tossed.

mushroom pizza crimini mushrooms, coppa, smoked mozzarella & caramelized onions (V)

Very yummy mushrooms, but the overall pizza wasn't my favorite and was more like a flatbread, really.

Now, this isn't to say that Latah Bistro is bad. The food there is usually very good, actually. I just should have gotten their lunchtime French-onion soup and sandwich deal. ;)


Friday, January 22, 2010

Veggie and cheese quesadillas.

Onions, red bell pepper, black beans, corn, tomato and a little taco seasoning.

Tortilla, "Mexican" cheese, and my veggie mix.

And perfection! :) We had these with a little sour cream and Tapatio!

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

The everything-I-love-in-a-salad salad.

Crisp romaine, artichoke hearts, dried cranberries & pomegranate, fresh feta, red bell pepper, honey toasted walnuts, balsamic vin dressing and cracked black pepper.

Monday, January 18, 2010

Brunch at Glo's, Capitol Hill, Seattle.

One of their wonderful eggs benedicts with spinach, bacon and some other yummy things. The eggs were so perfectly poached. The hollandaise wasn't quite as thick as I like it to be and was a little bit light, but that was actually great for this morning! :)

Rob got the corned beef hash and eggs. I had a bad experience with corned-beef so I don't go there, but Rob apparently loves this here! :)


Morning mini food tour with Pat, Pike Place Market, Seattle.

Caramel cheesecake from The Confectional, and about to go into Beecher's for some handmade cheese!


Yelp

Meringues at Le Panier. Such a wonderful little French bakery.

Yelp

Pat, picking out our piroshky at Piroshky Piroshky. :)

Yelp

Pat at the original Starbucks. Not super amazing, but a fun Seattle destination.

Sunday, January 17, 2010

Ice cream at Molly Moon's, Wallingford, Seattle.

Again, no photo, but I got the "Scout" Mint, which is made with Girl Scout Thin Mints. Unfortunately, it's better than it sounds. It simply did not have enough flavor. The other flavors are great though! Although.. Pat noticed that they completely stole a lot of their stuff from Bi-Rite in San Francisco!!!


Dinner at La Casa del Mojito, Roosevelt, Seattle.

I get a chance to take a photo of my salad, so here is a photo from their website.

I got the Ensalada Caribena and it was a fabulous, light dinner. Everything else there looked pretty heavy to me. I wouldn't trek out there again to go there, but the place was okay. Cute little building, a little hard to get to, and strange hours.




Brunch at Cafe Flora, Madison Park, Seattle.

Hopin' John Fritters. One of the best brunches I've ever had.

Scramble with home fries.

Another of the yummy scrambles with cheesy grits.

Delish open-faced sandwich my friend Nani got.

Beignets w/ raspberry syrup. Very well done.

Cafe Flora is such a cute spot. I love the development on that part of Madison. The food--all vegetarian--is all so scrumptious, too! Everyone loved it. Definitely a new Seattle favorite.