Matt's in the Market - We finally got in!

Matt's in the Market

She Said:

As mentioned in our previous blog post, Brett and I ventured out for a little holiday theater fun before Christmas hit. We had been to Theater Sports about a million times (including on our first date), so this neighborhood was nothing new.

We did, however, want to try a new restaurant in the area, since we had been almost everywhere within a mile-radius of the market.

We peeked at a few places, including the mysterious Place Pigalle ... But their menu didn’t quite deliver what we were hoping for, so we thought, AHA! Let’s give Matt’s in the Market one last chance. I say ‘last chance’ because we’d been there several times before, but every time we were turned away – either they were closing (at 9pm??) or were too full to accommodate us.

This time, however, we were lucky. We were seated immediately at a cute little table for two right in front of the action – the kitchen is wide open, which made for a pretty lively dinner.

The menu was great – a wide variety of yummy sounding treats, it was tough for Brett and me to choose. We decided to start with the Pizzetta ($16). And boy are we glad we did – it was amazing. A ten-or-so inch thin crust topped with arugula, spicy Copa, creamy Chevre, and just a hint of fennel, it delivered the perfect start to our impressive meal. It was pretty oily, but hey... it’s sweater season, we can afford to gain a little padding.



For our mains, Brett got the lamb shank (lamb from Ellensburg, $28) and I got the clams (under appetizers, $16) with bread for dipping ($3.50 – the bread cost extra). Both were delicious... Fresh ingredients, bold flavors, we could tell a lot of thought was put into each dish.

We each had a few glasses of wine (about $10/glass) which brought the bill to just under $100 ... A bit spendy for a night on the town, but well worth it.

Not only was the food amazing, the atmosphere in this restaurant can’t be beat – it’s pretty quaint, and the windows on the far wall showcase the Pike Place Market sign brilliantly, illuminating the restaurant with its soft red glow. Perfect special spot to spend a nice holiday meal. Or any meal, for that matter.

We’ll certainly be back in the future, it’s a great place to celebrate just about anything.

xo,
Mandy

RATINGS:

Matt's in the Market
94 Pike St # 32
Seattle, WA 98101-2066
(206) 467-7909



Romance: 4
Cool Ambiance/Interior: 4
All Around Service: 3
Cost: $$$$ = entrees from $22+
Would we recommend it? 5: Yes! And can we come with you?

Happy Holidays!
Love, the Robertsons

This Weekend’s Splurge vs. Steal!

Happy Thursday, dear readers! What are you up to with your sweetie this weekend? Brett and I have a TON going on, including welcoming FIVE Australian visitors on Sunday! We can’t wait to show them some of the fantastic restaurants and hot-spots around fabulous Seattle. That is why we love houseguests: we get to play tourist in our own city!

With that, we will leave you with a couple of good morsels for this weekend’s Splurge vs. Steal, some ideas to treat your sweet. If you decide to partake in the ‘steal’ of the week, you may just run into us! If you do, be sure to shout out a resounding, “OI!” (That’s Australian for “what’s up!”)

Feeling fancy? Throw on a medieval dress and mask, and get ready for the ball! Gage Academy of Art presents a Masquerade Ball & Benefit this Friday, January 29 from 6 – 11pm at St. Mark's Cathedral (1245 10th Ave E, Seattle, WA 98102).

Prepare yourself for an evening of revelry and artistic delights! Join the academy for an elegant feast, bid on unique art experiences, kick up your heels with a ballroom dance lesson, and enjoy performers during a special evening inspired by Italian Commedia dell'Arte.

Celebrate! Come as Casanova, don your domino, or fashion your disguise at our onsite Mercato di Carnevale. Click here for the full night’s schedule, and some great items that will be available at the auction!

Tickets are $175, which includes dinner. The Gage Masquerade Ball & Benefit celebrates the creative power of art-making to transform lives and build community as we raise funds to support Youth Programs and the Annual Fund at Gage. [Photo credits]

*Another Splurge for all you Coug fans! Celebrate Washington Wine’s 9th Annual Auction and Dinner at Chateau Ste Michelle… Go Cougs!

This weekend, why not head down to Pike Place Market? One of my favorite things to do with Brett is catch the bus or monorail ($4 each round trip) down to Westlake Center and walk the 4 blocks down to the market.

From there, we start at one end of the market and work our way down and back, picking up little snacks, fruits, breads, spreads, veggies, pastries, and fruit logs along the way. The market is ‘chock-a-block full’ (Australian for ‘really full’) of farm fresh produce by local vendors. You can’t swing a cricket bat without hitting something you’re dying to sink your teeth into!

Once we’ve gathered enough for a mini-meal, we head to the park at the end of the market ( on Western and Virginia ) and enjoy the meal!

From there, you can continue a historic walk through the market and post alley… you can head up to Cinerama and catch a flick… or you can hit up the Seattle Art Museum. The possibilities of fun things to do in this city are endless, it just depends on what you’re in the mood for!

If you want to be lead through the city by the experts, why not go on a professional tour? Seattle Bites Food Tours, Seattle by Foot, Savor Seattle, and the Market itself (only $10 for this tour!) all offer exceptional tours at affordable prices! Be sure to check them out, and have fun being a tourist in your own city! [Photo credits]

Seattle Date Night: Oui, Oui, Ew Ew!

November 7th, 2009:
Bodies Exhibit and Chez Shea

She Said:

So this weekend, Brett and I decided to take our own dating advice. We both love gross things. We both love bodies. We both love the show Grey's Anatomy. We both love downtown Seattle. We both love beef jerky. We both love Monster Trucks. SO, where can you find all of these things minus the Monster Trucks in one place? Why, the Bodies Exhibit of course!

Saturday night, we headed down to 5th and Pike Street (the old Adidas building across from Banana Republic) and, for $19/per person, gained access to some of the most gruesome and awesome sights of our lives.


We went into this exhibit with only minimal knowledge: We knew that it was a display of once-alive human bodies. We knew we would have access to sights that most people don't get to see without an MD... or jail time. We knew that there was some controversy surrounding the exhibit. Apart from that, we didn't know much. The space was small but held a ton of information. About 7 or 8 full human bodies posed in positions that showed how the muscles and bones and joints work... They had on display black lungs, a cirrhosis liver, a breast tumor, both sets of reproductive organs, gall stones... It had an entire section that showed the nervous system (no idea how they did this... was amazing) and of course, the famous 'body slice' guy...well, a couple of them.


WOW.

Was pretty amazing. VERY gross, but also pretty amazing to see the insides of my body. There was also a booth where you could go and actually FEEL some of the body parts. Yes, Brett and i held brains and liver. We immediately sanitized the bejeesus out of our hands...

...Before heading out to eat dinner!

Brett's original plan for dinner was Sushi. I however, had some apprehension on eating Sushi after seeing what we were going to see ... Once he'd been through the exhibition, Brett agreed. So instead, we decided to wander down Pike Street towards the Market.

We settled for French food at Chez Shea instead (thank GOD!).

We were able to snag the last table in the lounge (lucky... we didn't have reservations and it was 8.30 on a Saturday night!). Chez Shea is a cute little French bistro located above the Pike Place Market. It is small and cozy. The wait staff is super friendly.


We ordered a half-carafe of wine each (Brett the red, me the white) for only $5 per (they each hold about 2 glasses of wine). The white was beautiful! I ordered my meal from the special 2+1 for $25 menu, and got mussels, a crab salad, and small cheese plate. Brett ordered the rack of lamb ($29). Our bread and herb-infused oil arrived and we dug in.

We started to talk about the Bodies exhibit and how we thought it was strange that all the bodies were all clearly of Chinese descent. This of COURSE made Brett want to research it instantly, so he whipped out Wikipedia on his iPhone.

We soon learned that the Bodies exhibit that we had attended was one of two Bodies exhibits touring the world. One (Body World) used full-consenting donors for the bodies displays. The other (Bodies, the Exhibition... the one we went to) was rumored to have used bodies who were once Chinese prisoners that had been executed. And sold to the exhibit. Without consent. On the Black Market. For $300.

Brett and I were flabbergasted! We couldn't' believe what we were reading. It made the whole experience that we had just been through all that more creepy and gruesome!

Brett seriously couldn't shake the feeling. Until, of course our mussels arrived.

(Yes, i started making EXTREMELY crude jokes about 'mussels' ... and the bodies we had just seen... to where Brett almost punched me in the face across the table.)

But all jokes aside, the mussels were AMAZING. They were in a warm butter broth with chunks of chorrizo. The combination of the spicy chorrizo, the salty mussels and the rich broth worked magically together.

Brett's lamb arrived along with my crab salad. Neither of us were overly impressed. Brett was expecting more than just two small pieces of lamb for the $29. My crab salad was tiny and not very flavorful... and it took quite a while for us to get our food. The waitress (she was very sweet!) had to apologize twice for the wait. No matter, we weren't in a hurry. But just make note of that if you're headed to a show or a movie or Showgirls afterwards.

We finished the meal with a small cheese plate that was part of my 2+1 for $25 dish, and Brett had an espresso. We nibbled on 3 amazing cheeses and finished our wine. The bill came and there was a mistake on it (they had charged us for 2 of the 2+1 for $25 AND for Brett's lamb) so we alerted the waitress and she was mortified. Made the change immediately.

We left full and satisfied, and headed home after an interesting evening.

I highly recommend seeing the Bodies Exhibit, even though it did leave both Brett and me feeling a bit dirty.

However, there isn't a lot of opportunity in life to see what we saw on Saturday night... we learned a lot, and i can say it is one of the most memorable Date Nights I've ever had!! (A tip, though -- do NOT go to Sushi for dinner afterwards!)

**Also of note! Chez Shea is participating in this month's Dine Around Seattle: 3 Course Meals for $30! Check out their offerings here!

RATINGS:

Romance: Bodies exhibit: 2/Chez Shea: 5

Cool Ambiance/Interior: Both: 4

All Around Service: Chez Shea: Slow service, but very friendly: 3

Cost: Bodies exhibit: $19ea/Chez Shea: ~$35ea

Would we recommend it? 4: Yes on both, but keep an open mind.

**Photography wasn't allowed inside the Bodies Exhibition, so photos via, and via. Chez Shea photos via and via.

Great Day Date Idea!

A friend alerted me to this fabulous Day Date Idea, so i just had to share!

Guided Food and Walking Tours of Seattle's Historic Pike Place Market

For just $39.99, Walk and eat your way through Pike Place Market! Food tours daily at 10:30 from Seattle Art Museum.

Seattle Bites is a guided walking tour focused exclusively on the heart of Seattle's culinary scene, the Pike Place Market.

This cultural Seattle tour pairs memorable stories of the market and its merchants with delicious gourmet food and drink -- Truly one of the city's most enjoyable culinary and historic tours.

Seattle Bites Food Tours presents a 2 1/2 hour walking tour of Pike Place Market led by local culinary and history enthusiasts including tour founder Jan Marie Johnson. They provide guests with an insider's view of the market, its history and its colorful merchants all with a "permission to have fun" philosophy.

Their signature tour runs daily at 10:30am rain or shine. (Advanced ticket purchase required.)

Our 2 1/2 Hour tour includes these BIG bites and beverages!

• "Artworthy" Smoked Salmon Flatbread with Crème Fraîche
• "America's Best Chowder" - Chowder Hall of Fame
• Gourmet Sausages from a German Sausage Master
• Paris Inspired Fruit and Nutella Crepes
• Authentic New York Deli Bites (imported from the Big Apple!)
• Truffle Butter Adorned Fresh Popcorn
• Artisanal Family-Owned Italian Wine
• Luscious Handmade Chocolates
• Cuisine-Inspired Boutique Sodas paired with your bites
• Decadent Alderwood Smoked Salmon from "The Cod Father"
• Fresh and Exotic Produce of the Season
• And other Big Bites!

All for less than $40! Each guest also receives:

• Seattle Bites souvenir eco-friendly reusable shopping bag
• 10% merchant discounts
• Use of personal and (discreet) listening device

And what better time to tour the market than fall! So be sure to pick up your tickets HERE! And have FUN!

Happy Dating!

xo,

B&M