Hilltop Ale House, Seattle

Another great meal from my recent Seattle trip was at the Hilltop Ale House in Queen Anne. It was, in fact, Liney's favorite meal of the trip, and it's high up on my list as well. Liney's friend Katie showed us around her neighborhood and thought we might appreciate trying one of her favorite restaurants.

First thing I did was make it apparent that I was from out of town. I ordered a Taunton Blackthorn Cider (delicious, by the way), but on the little list on the table, it was only listed as Taunton cider. When I tried to order, though, I only got a blank look. It took me a minute to realized that pronouncing the name like the similar town in Massachusetts was not going to get me a what I wanted, so I used my best TV Newscaster voice to order a second time, and that cleared it all up.

OK, on to the food. I ordered some curried cashews to snack on while we chatted and enjoyed our drinks. The cashews were delicious and satisfying, and the bowl was huge for only a couple of dollars. The curry was a bit strong on some bites, further proving that these were house-made. I think we (and by we, I mean mostly me) ate only about half the nuts before our meals arrived.

For my main meal, I had the blackened salmon sandwich. The seasoning on the fish was just spicy enough to set my lips tingling, but not so spicy that I couldn't really enjoy the taste. The bread, dijon mayo, and veggies were all good, but the salmon was truly the highlight of the dish. It was served with more potato chips than one person could eat.

Liney and Katie both enjoyed the baked goat cheese salad, with warm breaded goat cheese atop a huge pile of mixed lettuce, pecans, and red onions. It looked fantastic, and to see the two of them devouring them so intently, it must have tasted just as good.

Hilltop Ale House is just the kind of local, homey gastropub that makes a neighborhood feel like home. I'm really glad we got to try this less-touristy taste of Seattle.

Matt's in the Market, Seattle

From doing my diligent work on Chowhound before my Seattle trip, I learned that Matt's in the Market was a must-try. And since it was located directly across the street from our hostel, it seemed like an easy choice. Sadly, I didn't get a chance to go over until after Liney had already left for the airport, so I had to go it alone and sit at the bar area.

Not that that was a bad thing. The bartender was a hilarious guy, and he was just the right amount of attentive. When I was clearly into the book I was reading, he left me alone, but if I was paying attention to the restaurant around me, he was there to joke or offer suggestions.

Since it was my first (and only) rainy day in Seattle, I had to go with a cup of soup. The Carrot Chipotle Puree, served with a drizzle of olive oil, was smooth and creamy, and the chipotle added just enough spice to offset the sweetness of the carrot. It was so simple and delicious that it made me feel like I could throw this together at home with no effort... but I know if I tried, my kitchen would end up a massacre of carrot mess.

And for my meal, I was having a hard time deciding between the lamb burger and the special of the day, a pork sandwich. The bartender steered me towards the burger, saying it was their most popular sandwich. So I trusted his opinion, and man, am I glad I did. This is what a burger should be - juicy meat and toppings that accent the burger but taste delicious on their own. Every part was great on its own, but together, they packed a real punch. The bacon was perfectly cooked so that its crispiness would compliment the chew of the burger. The goat cheese was just sharp enough that it wasn't lost, but it certainly didn't overpower. The onions added a hint of sweetness, and the herb aioli countered with a savory bite.

If I do make it back to Seattle any time soon, I would definitely hit Matt's in the Market again. The view, overlooking the Pike Street market sign, is beautiful, and is a nice respite from the hussle and bustle below.

Black Bottle, Seattle

My favorite meal on my Seattle trip was at Black Bottle, a restaurant recommended by Liney's friend, Katie. We spent a busy day at the Space Needle, the Experience Music Project, and the Science Fiction Museum, and Black Bottle was on our walk home. We sat at the bar and had the pleasure of talking to two excellend bartenders.

The food at Black Bottle is... oh so good. The concept is "small" plates for sharing, but there's nothing small about them. Plates run around $10 each.

The flatbreads (of which we tried the prosciutto and bechamel) are baked in long tart pans, so the edges get slighly fluted. Crispy and gooey, they're they perfect snack for sharing.

We also ordered the lamb plate, which was really a hummus and baba ganoush plate with a couple small lamb skewers. Don't get me wrong, the lamb was tender and very well cooked, but it wasn't the focus of the dish. And while the hummus and baba ganoush may not photograph very well, they taste fantastic. The portions are so large that we were glad we ordered a veggie side for dipping.

Now, I'm never one to go to a restaurant and just order a plate of veggies, but I would go back (if I were in the area) for a plate of their broccoli. It was a huge plate (I mean, huge) of perfectly roasted, deliciously garlicky and salty broccoli. And the hummus and baba ganoush were perfect compliments, adding creaminess to the crunchy veggies. Just thinking about that broccoli has got me jonesing for some right now.

Seattle Wrap Up

I've just gotten home from a 10-day trip to Seattle with my college roommate, Liney, and man, did we have a great trip. While we were planning, people kept telling us that 10 day was too long, and that we needed to rent a car to be able to see anything, but lucky for us, we found that neither of those thoughts were true.

We stayed at the Green Tortoise Hostel, which has possibly the best location in Seattle. It is literally right across the street from the Pike Place Market (where we went almost every day), and it provided easy access to Pioneer Square to the south, Seattle Center to the north, and to all the bus lines for transportation outside the downtown area. At first, we felt a little too old for the whole hostel thing, but the great thing was that the Green Tortoise is not a "youth" hostel - it was filled with people of all ages, and there were even a couple of families there as well.

And like I said, we didn't find the city difficult to navigate without a car at all. The buses were easy enough to figure out, and the city really is a small place and is easy to walk... except for all those damn hills. But hey, when you eat as much as we did, trying to sample so many different foods, you kind of need those hills to keep you in check.

We did tons of touristy things, but lots of less touristy things as well. We visited the Seattle Art Museum, the Central Library, took an Underground tour, walked through the International District including the Uwajimaya Market, enjoyed the view from Kerry Park in the Queen Anne neighborhood, took the monorail to the Space Needle, geeked out at the Experience Music Project and the Science Fiction Museum, were confused by Ye Olde Curiosity Shop, enjoyed the aquarium, geeked out again at the Pacific Science Center, picnicked in Volunteer Park where we saw an outdoor art exhibit and explored the Conservatory, walked down to the Japanese Tea Garden, got spooked on the Market Ghost Tour (I got an orb in one of my pictures!), took in an improv show, took the SubSeattle Tour, saw tons of animals at Woodland Park Zoo, wandered around Fremont and saw the Fremont Troll.

And man did we eat. I knew Seattle had lots of good food, but I didn't know there was this much! We ate at Local Color Coffee, Lowell's Seafood, the Chocolate Box, Guamaya Cantina, Pike Place Bakery, Cherry Street Coffee House, Saigon Bistro, Oasis Tea Zone, Hilltop Ale House, Daily Dozen Donuts, Piroshy Piroshky, Revolution Bar and Grill, Black Bottle, Cafe Umbria, Market Grill, Virginia Inn, Mae Phim, Seattle Coffee Works, Palace Kitchen, Mama's Mexican Kitchen, Le Panier, the original Starbucks, Pink Door, Pike Place Brewery, Tully's, Triple Door, Three Girls Bakery, Red Door, Fremont Coffee Company, Seattle's Best Coffee, Matt's in the Market, and Beecher's Cheese. Yeah, a lot of great places, and there will be a few individual reviews coming up. The only place we missed, due to their short hours, was Salumi, but I guess that just means I'll have to take a trip back, right?