emmer&rye

emmer&rye
Queen Anne

She Said:

Brett and i had attempted this place a few times, on a whim, and were always turned down without reservations. This place is popular! So, i decided to plan ahead, make reservations for Date Night, and try this place out once and for all.

We'd been to the space countless times when it was Julia's, and were dying to see what renowned chef Seth Caswell had done with this sweet little 100-year old Victorian home up on Queen Anne Hill.

When we arrived, we were sad to see - nothing! It looked almost identical to when it was Julia's, except for a few frames of beans and grains hanging on the walls. No worries. It's a great old house, so there isn't much you can do to the place without ruining the integrity... (or is there?)

We knew that we didn't come for the decorations, but we came for the food. So we continued on.

We had done a bit of research on the place (after realizing how popular it was!) and read that Caswell opened emmer&rye to further his vision of "locally derived, seasonally inspired" cuisine.

Caswell creates dishes that showcase the best ingredients the Pacific Northwest has to offer.

We liked the sound of that!

When it was time to order, Brett and i, with the help of our waitress, each ordered a beer and some apps. The garlicky clams (ham, chilies, toasted baguette $7/$12) and their special, the artichoke hearts salad with goat cheese and vinaigrette.

We devoured them upon arrival. Both were heavy in salt and oil, but the flavor of the clams was extremely delicious. The salad was very small, probably not a great dish for sharing (we were done in two bites!).

Our mains arrived shortly after, and were also very salty.

Brett got the whole roasted chicken ($23) and I chose the wild mushroom dish (goat cheese, new potatoes, wilted greens, $18).

Again, great flavor, but just a little too salty for our liking.

I think we went in with EXTREMELY high expectations, having been turned away twice due to popularity.

We weren't overly impressed, but the reviews on Yelp and various culinary blogs, periodicals, and papers beg to differ with us.

So, perhaps we'll have to try it again.

It's certainly not the most romantic of spots, or the best meal we've ever eaten, but it's definitely worth trying. Chef Caswell has a great story and a great vision, so i'm happy to see the popularity of this place, despite perhaps an off-night when Brett and I visited.

xo,
Mandy

RATINGS:

Emmer&Rye
1825 Queen Anne Avenue North
(206) 282-0680 ‎



Romance: 2 - not really a 'romantic' restaurant. high lighting, uncomfortable old chairs, and not really very intimate seating arrangement. COOL old house. Just not super high on the romance scale.

Cool Ambiance/Interior: 2 - see above

All Around Service: 5 - service was great! Our gal was very sweet and helpful when we asked for advice on what to order.

Cost: $$$ = entrees from $14 - 22

Would we recommend it? 3: Maybe they were having a rough night… but certainly not our favorite "date night" spot.

More photos on our Facebook Page! "Like" us!

Book Bindery: By far, Seattle's Best New Restaurant.

Book Bindery

Queen Anne/Fremont

She Said:


I am not entirely sure how to start describing our experience here. Book Bindery, tucked away in a very unsuspecting building along Nickerson (on the North side of Queen Anne), is one of those places that you can’t illustrate with words. You have to actually go and feel it, experience it, to understand it.

Brett and I went a few weeks ago with some friends of ours for a double date night. Because reservations are hard to come by (they fill up very fast), we were stuck with a 5.30pm dinner-time. Fine by us, Brett and I really are 80 year olds stuck in 20-something bodies. We’re always down for the early-bird special.

Walking up to the front, you wouldn’t know it was a restaurant. Walking in, you still wouldn’t know. We were greeted by a man behind a plywood counter, surrounded by rows and rows of barrels. He offered us a wine tasting. If we weren’t starving, I certainly would’ve taken him up on the offer. Love me some wine.

We continued deeper in, through the rows of barrels, unsure where we were headed. At the end of the warehouse, we found our oasis. A small room, punctuated by low ceilings, dark wood with contrasting cream wainscoting, light blue walls, and delicate lighting… Leather-bound books lined the shelves on the walls. And the kitchen: this kitchen would make any Martha proud. This is exactly what my dream home looked like. We were seated at a table near the kitchen, which gave us a unique view into the inner-workings of this place. The South wall of windows looks into a room full of wine barrels, while the North wall looks out into the waterways of Fremont. So much to look at in this beautiful space.

Service was impeccable. From when we were greeted and seated to the moment we walked out the door, we were taken care of. We felt special. Our waiter was helpful and handy when we asked his advice on what to order. Our glasses were refilled without us even noticing. He was there when we needed, and not when we didn’t. Perfect.

And the food. Oh, the food. It. Was. Brilliant. Small plates, but the richness of the food fills you up and leaves you satisfied.

We were brought an amuse bouche to start with - i love when places do this. It was a beautiful creamy soup. After we devoured those, Brett and I continued with the White Beans and Clams (Chorizo, Tomato, Basil, $12), and our dinner dates had the Sweetbreads (Caramelized Cauliflower, Golden Raisins, Brown Butter Emulsion, $14).

Both were fantastic, and perfect for sharing. (Although, I could’ve eaten it all myself, with pleasure!)

Our mains arrived shortly after our starters were cleared. After some advice from the waiter, I ordered the Caramelized Sea Scallops (Winter Citrus, Sunchokes, Candied Marcona Almonds, $25) and holy CRAP.

I wouldn’t let anyone have a bite, they were too good to share. I’ve never tasted better seafood in my life.

Both Brett and Todd got the Duo of Pork (Roasted Chop & Crispy Belly, Lacinato Kale, White Bean Purée, Maple-Bourbon Jus, $26) while Susan had the hand-made Smoked Cavatelli (Foraged Mushrooms, Pickled Pearl Onions, Foie Gras Emulsio, $18).

They raved as much as I did.

We wanted to take our time with these dishes, as they were truly works of art, but we couldn’t help ourselves. We were done in about 3 minutes.

The bill came, and all of this (plus a few rounds of drinks) came to $200 for 4 people. WELL worth it, for the quality of food, superior service, and the world-class aesthetics of this place. It truly was an experience, being transported into another world for a few hours, one fine Saturday evening.

If you want to impress your sweetie, or just sit back and have an incredible culinary experience, Book Bindery should be first on your list of places to go. And take your time; enjoy the ride. You won’t want the evening to end.

Xo,
B&M

RATINGS:



Book Bindery
198 Nickerson Street
Seattle, WA
(206) 283-2665 ‎
Reservations Recommended

Romance: 5
Cool Ambiance/Interior: 5
All Around Service: 5
Cost: $ = entrees from $14 - 25
Would we recommend it? 5: Yes! And can we come with you?

[Photos via.]


See more photos on our Facebook page!

Pasta Bella – And Beautiful it Was!

Pasta Bella Ristorante

She Said:

You know, there is no rhyme or reason to what Brett and I find ourselves enjoying for Date Night.

We know what drives us mad (pretension, bad service, disrespected ingredients, loud babies in the booth next to us), and we know what we love (thoughtful dishes, unique interiors, family-owned, fresh ingredients, happy staff, personal pepper grinders on each table)... We're sure a lot of this has to do with our moods as we stumble into a joint... which is why you shouldn't take our posts very seriously, EVER, and should try all these fabulous places for yourself before making an opinion.

But every once in a while, even when we're hungry, tired, distracted from a long day's work, or mad at each other for finishing the milk and not picking some up on his way home, we stumble upon a little diamond in the rough.

Pasta Bella was one such diamond.

Brett and i were in the thick of moving - our weekends chock-a-block full of cleaning, lifting, hauling, and collapsing. Our weeknights were full of the same...I wouldn't let poor Brett rest until it was done. It took us forEVER to get into our new place. But we still wanted to keep Date Night going. So we found someplace close. Someplace that would have comfort food to put our tired souls at ease. And we found it here.

Pasta Bella is located on upper Queen Anne - if you don't know where to look for it you may not find it. It's in the top floor of an aerobics/fitness building - but don't let the guilt deter you. It's amazing and totally worth skipping the gym for.

We walked in and were not overly-impressed with the ambiance, but it was small, quaint, and it had personality. We were seated in a booth and immediately greeted by a very sweet waiter who was helpful to recommend what he thought we would like - wine and food alike.

We ordered an antipasta platter (the small size) and when it came out, we thought there was a mistake - it was huge! and SO full of amazing treats. We probably would have been just fine with that as our dinner... but we wanted to see what was next, after how pleasantly surprised we were with the appetizer.

Our meals arrived and were exactly what we needed. Massive amounts of fresh pasta smothered in aromatic home-made sauce, vegetables, seafood, chicken... and it tasted as marvelous as it smelled.

Meals run you about $15 for an entree, but you will have lunch for the next few days when you walk out the front door, doggy bags in tow.

We weren't expecting to find such a sweet little spot in the most unsuspecting of locations, but we're glad we did. (There was even a screaming baby behind us, and it didn't even phase us!) We'll certainly be back, and suggest you try it out if you're ever on the hill looking for some comfort yourself.

Nothing overly-fancy, but perfect for a relaxing and comfortable date night.

RATINGS:

Pasta Bella Ristorante

1530 Queen Anne N
Seattle, WA 98109
(206) 284-9827

Romance: 2 (wssn't overly romantic)
Cool Ambiance/Interior: 3 Funky but comfortable. Like you're in your Italian grandmother's home.
All Around Service: 5: Amazing!
Cost: $$$ = entrees from $14 - 22
Would we recommend it? 5: Yes! And can we come with you?

Images of interior from Pasta Bella’s Website, www.pastabellaseattle.com.

Sushi in Wonderland

March 25th, 2010
Genki Sushi and Alice in Wonderland, IMAX

She Said:

One of Brett's FAVORITE childhood films was Alice in Wonderland. So when we saw a preview for it during our Avatar Date Night at the IMAX, i just knew we had a future Date Night on our hands!

With the film showing at 8pm, we knew we'd have to get a quick bite to eat beforehand.

Quick + Bite + Queen Anne = GENKI SUSHI!

Brett and I ventured to Genki, a small and modern sushi train restaurant located in the LUMEN apartment complex on 5th and Roy, last year when it first opened.

We were bitterly disappointed.

The food was overpriced (for a sushi train), it was over-mayo'ed, and over-rated. Lucky for us, we never put off a restaurant without trying it at least twice, so we ventured back a few weeks ago...

THANK GOD WE DID, it is now one of our favorite stops.

They've revamped their menu to include only 3 price options - $1, $1.50, and $2 -- which means we get out of there almost every time -- fat bellies and fat wallets in tact -- for less than $20!

HOLY SUSHI AWESOMENESS!

And this venture was no exception. In and out in 20 minutes, for $15. Be sure to order the Seattle Roll, Rainbow Roll, Tuna and Avacado, and of course, the MISO soup which is to DIE FOR!

After dinner, we headed to the Pacific Science Center where the IMAX is located -- literally a 5 minute walk from Sushi.

The line to get in was short, but it still took us 20 minutes (in the rain) because there was just one teller in the booth ... and she was selling an annual pass for the Science Center to the couple at the front of the line.

The fact that she was providing excellent customer service to her patrons -- explaining all the benefits of the annual pass, describing each IMAX show that was coming up, and explaining the entire layout of the PAC Science Center, just meant that those of us standing in the line waiting in the rain were getting more and more annoyed and soaked anxious for the film. My only request would be to have more than one person in the booth when a blockbuster film is playing here! :)

I digress.

We headed in and grabbed our go-to IMAX snack, DIBS. Holy ice-cream goodness. And for only $3, it's a perfect IMAX snack. (We of course finished them while in line for the film... don't judge.)

Upon entering the theater, we donned our 3D glasses, sat back and relaxed, ready for an enjoyable film experience! The IMAX is literally the coolest theater you'll ever see a movie at, especially a 3D film. The screen is ginormous, every sound, big or small, that derives from the film surrounds you, so you literally feel as though you are part of the action.

And feeling as though you are part of the action in a film as whimsical and magical as Alice in Wonderland, well, let's just say i had goose-bumps throughout the 108 minutes of this film.

Brett wasn't as big of a fan, as he was expecting it to be more similar to his beloved childhood tale, when actually, it's a sequal to the Disney cartoon... Alice is RETURNING to Wonderland as an adult... and thinks her previous journey there was just a dream.

I for one enjoyed the film immeasurably. I loved that it celebrated oddity (of course i did!) and applauds non-conformity. The colors of the characters were as whimsical as the story, and of course, Johnny Depp blew my expectations out of the water with his portrayal of the Mad Hatter.

There is no better way to see a film as "big" as Alice and Wonderland than at the IMAX, and even though Brett wasn't as overwhelmed by the film as i was, we both had an amazing time, as we always do here. Highly recommend Genki and IMAX as an ideal quick and easy Seattle Date Night!

**BIG Thank You to Philip Cosand for being an excellent host! Your intro to the film was the best we've seen yet! **

RATINGS:

Genki Sushi
www.genkisushiusa.com
511 Mercer Street
Seattle, WA 98109
(206) 453-3881

Romance: 2 -- not really 'romantic', but certainly funky, modern, cheap, and fun!

Cool Ambiance/Interior: Scale from 4: very cool interior!

All Around Service: 4: always quick and simple!

Cost: $ = entrees from $0 - $7

Would we recommend it? 5: Yes! And can we come with you?

Seattle Date Night: Date Night on the Water

August 2, 2009:
Date Night ON The Water - Literally!

She Said:

Brett has found a new summer hobby in the Northwest -- Stand Up Paddleboarding -- and decided, for this week's date night, to take me out on the water this afternoon so I could try it out! The day was perfect -- Seafair Sunday, which means everyone and their mother was out on the water, and day 147 of Seattle's 90+ degree sunny days. Both those ingredients make a great recipe for fun on seattles infamous Lake Union.

There is a handful of places to rent these stand up paddleboards, but we decided to head to the Northwest Outdoor Center, who just recently started renting the SUPs, so not a whole lot of people know about it yet, and we had no problems renting 2 boards on short notice! (NWOC, located on Westlake Ave. near China Harbor restaurant, is known mostly for their kayak rentals. Paddleboards are only $13 an hour!)



We showed up and were fitted immediately with life jackets, given our boards, and were on our way! Unfortunately, we aren't able to bring much along with us, so i was unable to get any photos, but here's a few of Brett on a previous Paddleboarding outing with his friend Jon, to give you an idea of what it is.



Basically, you stand on a surfboard-type contraption, and row using a long oar.

I was intimidated at first, especially since it was a bit choppy on Lake Union due to the high traffic, so i stayed on my knees until i got comfortable (insert crude joke here) ... then, about 10 minutes in, i stood up and was off (it's all about balance!)!

Was so much fun, Brett was a great teacher (and was, for the most part, pretty patient with me and my slow paddling!). We went all the way around Lake Union and into Fremont area... A little over an hour on the water. Our arms got so tired and we were desperate for water, so we headed back in. The whole thing cost us only $30 bucks! What a GREAT way to spend an afternoon! (Note: Be sure to bring bottled water with you if you can. We could have stayed out much longer had we only had some sort of hydration... it's an AMAZING work out!)

After working up a solid appetite, we decided to stick with the 'on the water' theme and headed to Ivars at Northlake, over by Gasworks Park.



They have a fabulous outdoor deck, and the most amazing happy hour (Sundays through Thursdays, 3.30pm to close) which includes $3.50 draughts, and half-price on many of their signature dishes.


[We had a fabulous view of all the boats returning home from Seafair!]
We ordered some great fru-fru drinks ($7.50 each) to celebrate summer, and ordered a couple of dishes off of the happy hour menu. Pita points to start (with hummus, pesto, and olive tapenade, $7), I ordered the Salmon Tostada ($6) and Brett ordered the 'world famous' fish and chips ($7). We sat back, relaxed and enjoyed the view, the drinks, and the company.

About 5 minutes in, our pita arrived, and we devoured it. For $7, It. Was. Fabulous!



Our waiter came by to clear the table, and asked if we were ready for our mains. We enthusiastically nodded, and he was off.

About 10 minutes after that, our food arrived. Brett's fish and chips, and my... errrh... salmon Ceaser salad??? Ummm, not what i ordered... not even CLOSE to what i ordered... but the waiter was off before i could say anything.


[whoops]

Brett dug in while i sat tight until our waiter returned so i could alert him of the mistake... 10 minutes later there was still no sign of him, so i actually headed inside to find him. Once i did, he was terribly apologetic, and promised my tostada would be out in minutes. I brushed it off as no big deal (he was busy, it was hot out, maybe he was hung over?)... and headed back to the table to help Brett finish his fries.

My tostada finally arrived, and it was good.



Nothing spectacular, and Brett did want me to mention that his fish and chips were no way 'world famous', and he bets that not one of his friends in Australia have heard of their glory, but they were okay... None of the dishes really blew us away, but hey, there was outdoor seating, it was inexpensive, and it filled the gap after an afternoon of paddling.

HOLD THE PHONE.

Our check arrived, and, after the Big Tostada disaster of 2009, our bill included the Ceasar salad on it (for $10), but not the tostada (only $6). Brett wasn't willing to alert our waiter to this mistake for only $4, but i was amazed that he hadn't made sure that, after his first mistake, that the rest of the meal was flawless... which includes NOT charging us for his mistake. Typically, a fine dining establishment would've comped us for something... or at least corrected the mistake on the bill... no such luck here.

So, i had forgiven the mistake, but after being charged for it, i just can't let that slide without mentioning it on the blog. Hungover or not, that's a major faux-pas.

So, for the most part, it was a GREAT weekend date!!! I highly recommend paddleboarding to every single one of you -- you will absolutely love it! And trust me, if I can do it, you certainly can! But take our advice -- if you head to Ivar's for a post-paddle snack, be sure the waiter writes down your order, so you get exactly what you want, and don't get charged for his mistake.

***UPDATE! I just received the kindest email from the general manager of Ivar's on Lake Union, apologizing for the lack of service we received while in his establishment -- it was the nicest display of customer service -- I've promised him we'll return to try them out again. Just wanted to update you all, because to me, this is huge -- apologizing for the lack of service and thanking us for our feedback so they can continue to improve. This is a sign of a good restaurant, and a good general manager.

Thanks again, Ron!***

RATINGS:

Ivar's Restaurant
401 NE Northlake Way
Seattle, WA 98105
(206) 632-0767

Romance:
2.5: would be very romantic at night, and was great with the view of the water.

Cool Ambiance/Interior:
3: cool interior--VERY northwest. They have an actual Whale Penis (called the whalemaker) inside the restaurant. That thing is huge!

All Around Service:
1.5: Huge no-no with the Tostada Disaster of 2009

Cost:
$$ = entrees from $8 - 13
(If it's not happy hour, prices are considerably higher. We highly recommend hitting it up during HH)

Would we recommend it?
2.5: Maybe they were having a rough night… but truly, there are too many other GREAT places in the city, we probably won't be back anytime soon.

Another cool thing about this Ivar's, is you can actually boat/kayak/paddle/row up to the dock outside, park, and head in that way. If we had rented the paddleboards for the entire day, we certainly would've taken advantage of this!

Seattle Date Night: Paint Party!

July 9, 2009:

Painting Party!

She said:

Last night was Date Night! And since Brett and i have been hemorrhaging money with our recent travels, and several amazingly full weekends in a row, we decided to stay in and save some money, with an at-home and uber-creative Date Night!

For one of our first dates back in 2008, I invited Brett over for dinner and painting. I'm certainly no artist, and neither is Brett (that was his first painting party), but we both dove in without abandon. It was so fun to do something different and creative, and tease each other about how terrible our painting skills were.

So, when Brett and i were discussing staying in for Date Night this week, he suggested we do a Paint Party, version 2.0! Having loved the last one, I of course was all for it (plus, we get to be in our scrubbies! who doesn't love THAT on a date!).

Since technically it was Brett's turn to plan, he cooked dinner for me. He made this beautiful penne pasta with ground turkey, basil, zucchini and onion! There's just something about a man cooking for you that is priceless. Especially when he's not wearing a shirt. (Sorry if this is TMI... but it's true! Ladies, am i right?? Men, take note!)


[Yum! (The food looks good, too.)]


[Brett's penne pasta and meat sauce]

It turned out fabulously! Brett's always been great at taking a bunch of random ingredients and throwing them together to make something beautiful.






We enjoyed dinner and wine, and then dove right into the painting! Again, we're not good AT ALL, which made it all the more fun! I already had the paints, but you can buy any type of paint you want for this -- from expensive oil paints, to crayola finger paints, to body paint, if that's your thing. We chose to use some cheap-o acrylic paints you can pick up for about $1 a tube at your local Target. Brushes are available there, too.



For paper, we just use tag board ($.39 each at Target), but you can also head to your nearest art supply store (I am a HUGE fan of Michael's) and pick up some inexpensive canvases for about $5 each, if you're feeling really artistic! They have a great selection of different types of paint, too, as well as paint brushes.



[Brett channelling Australia's famous Ken Done]


[Me channelling Koko, the painting gorilla]


[Ken Done's got nothin' on this guy!]



All in all, a fun, relaxing, inexpensive and creative way to spend a night with your hunny!

You can check out the entire photo gallery HERE.

RATINGS:

Romance:
5: It can be SO romantic! Or silly -- make a game of it and paint each other's portraits! Also helped to have "Crocodile Dundee" on in the background...

Cool Ambiance/Interior:
5: But I'm biased... it's our apartment! ;)

All Around Service:
5: Brett was an extremely gracious host!

Cost:
$$: We had almost all the ingredients for dinner already, so that made it cheap. Most of the supplies you can pick up for under $10 at your local Target. Makes for an inexpensive, creative and FUN date night!

Would we recommend it?
5: Yes! DUH! Even if you suck at art, like we do, it's so much fun!

We're going national!

Hello friends!

Brett and i are having a modified Date Night tonight--instead of heading out on the town, we are up to our elbows packing for a long weekend away--we're headed down south to sunny Los Angeles to celebrate his and my birthdays!! (His is the 29th, mine is the 30th! I know, crazy.) We decided to take advantage of Disneyland's FREE entrance on your birthday promotion (we LOVE freebies!) and spend a few days stalking celebrities exploring all the L.A. beaches and hotspots!

So, a long night of laundry and packing for L.A. means two things:

1] We are enjoying take-out from our FAVORITE Thai restaurant, Bahn Thai on lower Queen Anne. We highly recommend it! Some of the best in the city. I always get the sweet and sour chicken ($10.25) and Brett's order ranges from Green Curry to Cashew Chicken (both $10.25) and everything in between. Oh! And they deliver (within a half-mile radius, and with a $30 minimum order)!


409 Roy Street
206.283.0444


2] We'll be taking this week's Date Night on the road! We have a special dinner planned on Sunday night at this FAB restaurant in Santa Monica, which will take the place of our normal Date Night. So, yes, it will be our first out of town blog post! For all of you readers down in the Golden State... this one's for you!


So, apologies for a lack of postings this weekend, we'll be busy taking advantage of some surf, sun, celebrities, and sand!


Happy Dating!

xo


B&M