Randy & Claire's Northern Michigan

Le Pichet “Vive la différence!”

Posted on June 5, 2014 by Randy

Our original intention for this blog was to share our experiences eating at all the great restaurants in Seattle. Two years ago we went through all the online review sites and compiled a list of what appeared, by consensus, to be the best places to dine in the Seattle area. As a matter of fact, we published our “hit list” on one of our very first blog entries. As we wrap up our final sixty days in the area, we are going to make a concerted effort to get to most, if not all, of the places we have not yet visited.

So, during our bus adventure into the city yesterday, we had lunch at Le Pichet. This little French joint comes out on most everyone’s lists of top Seattle restaurants. I have to admit going into this that while I love all kinds of dining experiences; French cuisine is not one of my favorites. My limited experiences have had the following similarities: First of all, French restaurants usually feel a bit “pretentious.” The attitude that comes across is that they are doing me a favor by feeding me, and I am generally unworthy of their consideration. Second, I rarely understand the menu, or even the explanation of the menu. Third, I rarely know what I have ordered until it is served, and even then I am unsure. Finally, most of what I have tasted seems rather bland. To each his own! Vive la différence! It’s all good!

Claire appreciates French cuisine much more than I. She took French language in school, and thankfully she generally held my hand through the experience. We ordered from the lunch menu (Le Déjeuner.) I also ordered a glass of wine so that I would feel less intimidated by the wait staff. Frankly I can’t tell you what we ordered. Claire actually did the ordering for us. What she ordered for herself translated to “Two eggs broiled with ham and gruyère.” What she ordered for me was essentially a sampler plate of thinly sliced sausages, and liver pate. It was tasty. Not, “WOW” tasty, but tasty. Claire seemed to enjoy her eggs and ham, and of course the bread they served was fantastic. Surprisingly the prices were very reasonable, especially for Seattle.

In no way is this intended as a review of Le Pichet. It is obviously a wonderful restaurant for those who truly love French food. I am happy I went there for the experience, plus I get to check one restaurant off our bucket list! Vive la différence!

An intimate little spot

Claire enjoying her eggs and ham

Categories: Dining - Fancy | Tags: French cuisine, Le Pichet, Seattle, Seattle Sixty | Leave a comment

Making Peace with the 255

Posted on June 5, 2014 by Randy

When people ask me about Seattle, I have said “its I nice place to visit, but you wouldn’t want to live here.” The biggest reason that Seattle has not been my favorite place to live is the population density and traffic. Seattle is the city with the fourth worst traffic in the nation, and worse yet it is moving up the list faster than any other city. It is hard to go almost anywhere here without spending part of the trip sitting in traffic. For example last night we went to dinner at a restaurant in our little town of Kirkland. The restaurant is on 6.5 miles from our house, and it took over 30 minutes to drive there!

Because there are more people than roads, and because it is difficult to build more roads given the geography, the Seattle area struggles to figure out transit solutions. The mass transit system is a patchwork of largely disconnected systems. But, there are more busses on the road here than any place I have seen in the world. As a driver, this can be frustrating as there are times when the roads are so clogged with busses, there is no place to drive.

One particular bus that we have been dodging for the past two years is the 255. The 255 runs from Kirkland (where we live) to downtown Seattle and back. As we commute back and forth we encounter the dreaded 255 seemingly at every turn. It cuts us off down town. It blocks us from leaving our neighborhood. It gets in front of us on the floating bridge, and just generally slows us down. I have cursed the 255 more times than Claire would care to count.

Occasionally during our commutes we would joke that “one day we should ride the 255 into the city.” Well, we never got around to riding the 255 until yesterday. After doing our online research on riding the bus, we walked about a half-mile from our house to the bus stop. Within 10 minutes we were in the belly of the beast as we boarded the dreaded 255.

Turns out it was a pleasant way to get into the city! Even with half a dozen stops, it only took 30 minutes to get downtown. And, we learned there is a whole underground transit system under Seattle. The busses and the light rails share the infrastructure and it appears to be a relatively efficient system. We got off at the last stop, which is the International District downtown.

We have never visited this district before, so strolled around seeing what there is to see. If you have been to “China Town” or “Little Italy” in other cities, you would find this area is Seattle pretty disappointing. Not much here other than small shops and restaurants catering to the large and diverse Asian community here.

From there we wondered through the Pioneer Square district, which we have visited many times and ended up in our favorite area of Seattle, the Pike Place Market. We love the market even though it is crazy crowded with tourists most days, especially during the summer.

After strolling the market and having lunch at Le Pichet (a French restaurant we have always wanted to try,) we headed back to the underground bus depot. The ride back to Kirkland was quick since we got out of the city before the rush hour. We feel good that we made peace with the 255 before leaving Seattle, and will probably ride the bus a few more times while we are here.

Lunch at Le Pichet

Harley Guitar Art

Everyone else on the bus glued to their smart phones

Happy Bus Riders

The International District

Waiting for the 255

Underground Transit

Balloon Man

Throw that Fish!

Love the Market!

Categories: Miscellaneous | Tags: International District, Pike Place Market, Seattle, Seattle Sixty | 4 Comments

Posted on June 4, 2014 by Randy

During our last two months here in Seattle, we are trying to do a number of things we never got around to doing while we were working. However, we also have work to do to prepare for our move back to Michigan. So, not every day can we spend all day being tourists in our own city. Yesterday, we spent the morning doing “chores” and then made our very first purchase from Craig’s List.

Moving across the country is an expensive proposition (think tens of thousands of dollars) and we have done it a number of times. One of the things that can get expensive is all the boxes you need. Our consultant from the moving company suggested we look on Craig’s List for boxes. Claire did. We drove less than a half hour from our house and loaded up the pickup with boxes, bubble wrap, Styrofoam peanuts, and other packing materials. $65 in cash and the transaction was complete!

The final resting place of Bruce Lee and his son Brandon.

In the afternoon, we made the pilgrimage to the gravesite of Bruce and Brandon Lee. My son and I were huge Bruce Lee fans, and I suspect the influence of people like Bruce Lee is the reason my son went on to get in karate black belt. The Lake View Cemetery is a spectacularly beautiful place. The trees and shrubs rival a botanical garden, and the ornate headstones are works of art.

The Lee gravesites are simple and beautiful, and we are glad we took the time to pay our respects before leaving Seattle.

Categories: Miscellaneous | Tags: Bruce Lee, Seattle, Seattle Sixty | 1 Comment

Roslyn: The Real Northern Exposure

Posted on June 3, 2014 by Randy

Remember the 90’s TV show, Northern Exposure? Young Jewish doctor fresh out of med school sent to a small town in Alaska for two years of service, quirky locals including a potential love interest for the young doctor; I loved that show! Even though the show was set in Cicely, Alaska, the town was actually shot in Roslyn, Washington.

On our first “official” day of retirement, we fired up the Harley and rode over the Cascades to visit Roslyn. We are having an atypically great weather week here in Seattle. Sunny with temperatures in the 70’s is pretty unusual for June so we are taking maximum advantage of it as we ease into retirement.

Roslyn is about 90 miles from Seattle. Heading east on I-90, we rode over the still chilly Snoqualmie pass. The further you get away from Seattle, the less weird the traffic patterns are. By the time you get to the other side of the Cascades, people drive down right normal! The weather is always different on the other side of the mountain. Temperatures were in the 80’s as we rolled into the sleepy little town of Roslyn. If you remember the opening sequence of the TV show, you have pretty much seen all of Roslyn.

We parked the bike in front of the Roslyn History Museum where we were immediately engaged by one of the local residents. An older gentlemen (I wish I would have gotten his name) complimented us on the bike and invited us into the museum. The “museum” is actually a small storefront filled with antiques, old photographs, old mining gear, and odds-and-ends from times gone by.

Now, I am still getting used to this retirement thing. I generally have a difficult time strolling, chit-chatting, lingering, etc; think Chevy Chase viewing the Grand Canyon in the Vacation movie. But I did my best to S-L-O-W down as this gentleman, who is a life long resident of Roslyn told us stories of his family, stories of World War II, and stories of the mining history of the town.

After our time in the museum, we strolled the town, visited The Brick, the bar where much of the Northern Exposure plots unfolded, and finally had lunch at the Roslyn Café. Claire had a cob salad that included a breaded and deep-fried hard-boiled egg. I had the turkey club sandwich, which was much more than I could eat.

With temperatures in the mid eighties, we stowed the leathers and enjoyed the sunny ride back over the pass. All-in-all it was a great first day of retirement!

The Brick

Lunch at the Roslyn Cafe

Downtown Roslyn

Randy replaces the Moose

Opening scene of Northern Exposure

Categories: Adult Beverages, Dining - Casual, Miscellaneous | Tags: Roslyn, Washington | 2 Comments

Day #1 of the Seattle Sixty: Play Ball!

Posted on June 2, 2014 by Randy

One of the things I have enjoyed most about living in Seattle is seeing ballgames at Safeco Field. There is nothing better that a “dog and a beer” on a sunny day at the ballpark. We have probably seen more than a dozen games during our two years here. Of course when our Detroit Tigers come to town we try and see every game of the series.

When the games have been on weekdays, we often walk the mile and half from our office to the ballpark. On a warm day, it is great to stroll down 1^st avenue, stopping for the occasional adult beverage on the way. Often we would end of at Jimmy’s on First which is a nice upscale bar/restaurant right across from the ballpark. Claire loved the calamari there, which was served as “logs” of breaded and deep fried squid.

This year we had a going away party with our exec team and had access to a suite for game one of the series. We missed game two. But yesterday, on day #1 of our Seattle Sixty, we saw game #3. We had pretty good seats about half way up on the 1^st base line. The only downside was we were in the shade. Even though it was a sunny-mid 70’s day, it was a bit chilly in the shade. But you have nothing to complain about with you are at the ballpark on a sunny Sunday afternoon, watching your hometown team, having a dog and a beer, and enjoying the day.

While Claire has not historically been a sports fan, she does enjoy (or at least pretends to enjoy) a day at the ballpark with me. I enjoy explaining some of the nuances of the game, and baseball has the perfect pace for casual conversation.

Yesterday was no exception, and we had a relaxing afternoon (once we got parked) enjoying the day. It was a perfect way to start our Seattle Sixty!

Categories: Miscellaneous | Tags: Bancino, Detroit Tigers, Mariners, Seattle Sixty | 1 Comment

The Seattle Sixty

Posted on June 1, 2014 by Randy

We admit it; we suck as bloggers… Two years ago when we moved to Seattle we created a blog to share our experiences in “dining and what-not.” We saw our time living and working in downtown Seattle as a great adventure we wanted to share with our friends and family. We started with great enthusiasm, and almost immediately we lost steam (see our blog post “If our blog were a goldfish, it would have died.”) While we were going, doing, and seeing, it became “work” to sit down and write about it. But, with renewed commitment we re-launched the blog and that lasted for another couple of months.

As I sit and write this post today, we have not made a post to the blog in 15 months. As I said, we suck as bloggers. But alas, it is a whole new ballgame! We just retired from our corporate jobs here in Seattle! An now we have a new opportunity which I am calling “the Seattle 60.” We have 60 days here in Seattle before we move back to the Midwest; 60 days with no jobs and no responsibilities; 60 days to do all the things we have always wanted to do here in the Pacific Northwest.

Our Seattle Bucket List

Speaking of new ballgame, today is day #1 of the 60 and we are heading to Safeco Field to see our Detroit Tigers play the Seattle Mariners. Watch this space for REGULAR posts as we share our last 60 days in Seattle (we really mean it this time.)

Categories: Miscellaneous | Tags: Bancino, Seattle | Leave a comment

Birthday Decadence

Posted on March 3, 2013 by cbancino

Daughter, Jessie, was visiting last weekend, taking a break from her low-budget sailing adventure and lapping up a few days of luxury on Mom’s dime for her birthday. Never one to disappoint, I planned a day of spa relaxation and dining decadence.

First stop? Elizabeth Arden’s Red Door Salon in Bellevue. Mmm, I must confess I expected a bit more luxurious, relaxing and spa-like ambiance upon entry, but the services did not disappoint. My “Signature” pedicure, though pricey at $75, was excellent – relaxing leg and foot buffing and massage, hot wax and lovely polish. 90 minutes worth. My feet loved it. Jessie’s swedish massage was also excellent as was her haircut. She felt spoiled and pampered, and isn’t that what it was all about!

Next stop – right across the landing at Bravern to Mariposa, the gourmet restaurant in Nieman Marcus. Mostly, I went for the popovers. If you’ve never had a popover at Nieman Marcus, go just for that experience alone. Freshly baked, warm and egg-buttery on the inside, crunchy outside and served with strawberry butter. The pear and brie panini-grilled sandwich was also excellent, but served mainly as an excuse to get popovers (which come courtesy with every meal).

Next stop: Trophy Cupcakes, just outside of Nieman’s. OMG. Salted Caramel cupcakes. Rich, moist, melt-in-your-mouth chocolate covered with a sweet and salty caramel icing. Yummy.

Fourth Stop on the deca-lux tour: Victoria Secret. What spa-pampered women can say no to sexy new lingerie from Vicky Pink?! Well, neither could we. Alas, no pictures from this part of our day!

And finally, to top off an excellent day, Randy took us out to dinner at Daniel’s Broiler, which has been on our list for some time now. We chose the Bellevue, not Seattle, location – mostly to avoid rush hour traffic. Surprisingly, it is in the Hyatt building on the 21st floor – a little bit tricky to find, but well worth finding. The view overlooking Lake Washington, the Olympic mountain range and setting sun is lovely. The decor is rich and elegant, yet inviting. On the way to our table, the hostess stopped to show off their display of meats and lobster, huge and impressive.

Daniel’s is known for excellent and large cuts of fine beef, and we were excited to discover veal on the menu, a favorite of ours. Jessie ordered a glazed salmon and finished every bite, declaring it excellent. Randy and I both ordered the veal chops – 17 oz. chops, tender, tasty and cooked to perfection. A definite treat, since neither of us has had veal since moving to Washington. Randy also had the “upscaled” mashed potatoes with lobster, the only portion of our meal that did not meet expectations and were just “ok.”

Dessert took our dining experience over the top. Since it was Jessie’s birthday, the waitress surprised her (and us) with a complimentary birthday treat – a trio of desserts, including a hot molten chocolate cake (irresistable), vanilla ice cream and glazed strawberries. Aah, thank you for that treat… but we also had to try the chocolate chip cookie. Another OMG. Imagine salty sweet chocolate cookie dough almost, but not quite, fully cooked and served in a mini iron skillet. Hot. Gooey. Vaniila ice cream on top, just melting. Scrumptious. Thank you, Daniel’s. Service was prompt, professional, friendly, knowledgeable and attentive. The entire experience from start to finish was thoroughly enjoyable. We will return.

Happy Birthday from Daniel’s Broiler!

Categories: Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Melrose Market

Posted on February 18, 2013 by cbancino

Well, this was a fun new find! Today, we decided to explore Capitol Hill and check out Melrose Market. A thanks go to the Alexes, for suggesting we watch Anthony Bourdain’s Layover Seattle episode, in which he eats his way around the city and highly recommended a stopover at Melrose Market.

An old converted warehouse, (wonderful old brick walls, high beamed ceilings, large iron-paned windows) Melrose Market houses several fooderies: a full service butcher with quite an assortment of specialty meats; a gourmet cheese shop; a wine shop; local florist; fresh shellfish and a small gift shop.

At the back is Sitka and Spruce, a small inviting restaurant specializing in locally sourced fare and unusual ingredient combinations. Again, thanks to the Alexes, for the gift certificate they gave us over a year ago. I’m embarrassed to admit it has taken us so long to get here, but we are so glad we did. We loved the open dining table adjacent to the chef’s prep table, making you feel like you were at home in their large country kitchen. We ordered fresh olives, a local goat cheese with apricot spread, cured trout with roasted parsnips and honey cured ham with spicy mustard and sauerkraut. Our favorite was the trout with parsnips – not enough trout on the plate but excellent flavor overall.

Would we go again? Probably not just to dine, as parking is unreliable, and location is off the beaten track for us…but we will definitely take out-of-town Foodies to Melrose Market simply for the novelty of the experience and the quality of the shops and the food.

Categories: Dining - Casual, Miscellaneous | Leave a comment

Resurrection

Posted on February 18, 2013 by cbancino

Our blog has been buried deep within the fog, the rain and the traffic craziness that consumes one in Seattle. But after a been-there-done-that-don’t-need-to-go-again ferry ride over to Bainbridge Island, we have decided to embrace the lunacy. If nothing else, Seattle is filled with culinary treasures and stunning topography (on the rare sun-shiny day). With a resurrected optimistic attitude, we will attempt to revive both this blog and our epicurious spirits.

Our immediate thanks go to Elliott’s Oyster House, a very pleasant surprise and finish to a gray, cold and clammy day. Why a surprise? Because Elliott’s sits smack in the middle of tourista-ville on the waterfront surrounded by ticky-tacky novelty shops, the newly popular Carousel and way too many tourists dressed in appropriate grunge for their visit to Seattle. Who would truly expect good food in this environment?

But good it was. Friendly, prompt service. Fresh, light and open atmosphere overlooking Puget Sound (and yes, a real sun break occurred just as we were being served). And food that did not disappoint. I had the ahi tuna appetizer, which I would highly recommend and readily order again. Sesame seared rare ahi, atop a nest of avocado, topped with a fresh mango salsa and surrounded by a unique soy and lime-ginger sauce. Randy ordered the mussel appetizer in a light tequila-lime cream sauce. I also had a clam and mussel combination, in a garlic, tomato broth. Both the shellfish appetizers were excellent and sizeable – more than enough to satisfy. And the bread! They do know how to do bread- fresh, warm, crusty on the outside and perfect for dipping in the broth.

Thank you, Elliot’s. You’ve given us renewed hope and motivation for continuing to experience and share all that is good about Seattle! You go on our list of favorite places to dine, along with Palisades.

Despite our deep silence over the last few months, we have indeed experienced quite a few restaurants on our original list. What follows is a quick rundown of our favorites.

Palisades on the waterfront below Magnolia: since our first memorable evening there with brother Randy, we have returned multiple times. This is our #1 spot for bringing out of town guests. Easy parking, excellent service, consistently good food, great wine list, beautiful views of the bay, the city, the Needle and Mt. Rainier (when she’s out).
Cactus in Kirkland: bright and festive ambiance, southwest-with-a-nouveau-twist fare. Great for lunch or dinner, Cactus combines unexpected ingredients into flavorful, well-prepared dishes – we love the butternut squash enchilada.
Purple Cafe and Wine Bar in Kirkland: one of our favorite wine-ins before taking in the local theatre. We’ve learned to stick with the small bites menu, tastier and more consistent than the full dinner courses.
Toulouse Petite: another favorite. In lower Queen Anne, Toulouse Petite is a New Orleans Cajun style restaurant, with consistently good food, whether you are there for Sunday brunch, a weekday lunch or special dinner. The menu is extensive, offering unique combinations of ingredients that make eating a flavorful experience. We always come away happily satisfied. Was it the good food, the lively ambience or the bartender’s specials?!
Place Pigalle: a hidden gem tucked away on the waterfront in Pike Place Market. Want to escape the Market frenzy? This is the best place for a quiet, scenic and tasty dining experience. The small and cozy, french-accented bistro overlooks Puget Sound and offers a selection of yummy seafood and pasta specials. It is my favorite go-to dining destination for a break from the crowded and chaotic shopping at Pike Place.

Where to next? With daughter Jessie coming to visit next weekend, I’m sure we’ll experience something wonderful and new!

Categories: Dining - Casual, Miscellaneous | Leave a comment

Oh the places we have seen ….

Posted on September 3, 2012 by Randy

We have already confessed to our neglect of our fledgling blog. We were too darn busy to blog about our experiences dining around the Seattle area. However, I must also confess that we were not too busy to dine!

During the past six weeks we have eaten at a number of places including Canalis (a group dinner for our jobs,) Six-Seven were we actually ate twice (once for lunch and once for dinner,) El Gaucho in Seattle (another business dinner,) Le Grand (in Kirkland,) The Original Pancake House (Kirkland,) Summit House Restaurant (at the top of Crystal Mountain Ski Resort,) Master Burger (Kirkland/Bellevue,) the Barking Frog in Woodenville, and my personal favorite so far … Cactus in Kirkland.

Many of these places we will visit again and write more about the experience. I am especially keen to return to Cactus where we had the most amazing lunch last week. The staff was welcoming and helpful, and the food was absolutely fantastic! More to come …

Categories: Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Le Pichet “Vive la différence!”

Making Peace with the 255

Roslyn: The Real Northern Exposure

Day #1 of the Seattle Sixty: Play Ball!

The Seattle Sixty

Birthday Decadence

Melrose Market

Resurrection

Oh the places we have seen ….

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