And the Winner Is...

Congratulations, Susan, and thanks for entering our contest! Below is Susan's fabulous She Said account of Kirkland's famous Juanita Cafe! Enjoy!
** Runner-up was Ed O., and you can read his post here!

She Said:

My husband, Todd and I don't have much in common. He's an engineer that loves math and science. I mean, the man brought Advanced Trig books on our honeymoon. He built a robot... For fun.

I love decorating. And reality shows in poor taste. So what's the glue that keeps us together? Our love of food. And we're not talking hamburger helper and stove top. (Although Todd loves both and I've been known to crave a can of SpaghettiOs.) We're talking sweetbreads and foie gras. Which until recently, we didn't have a clue about. I think we both were under the impression that Sweetbreads were a delicious french bakery good. We soon found out that Sweetbreads were neither sweet nor bread....

So for our two year anniversary we celebrated not only our love for each other, but our love for all things culinary, by going to Cafe Juanita in Kirkland. We certainly were not disappointed.

Cafe Juanita has a lot of things going for it. Their exterior is not one of them. However, they have done what they can with the 1970's rambler. The inside is much more charming and it's whats on the inside that counts, right?

We began with two starters. Don't judge. We were celebrating, remember?

And nothing says celebratory like Seared Foie Gras with Nectarine, Huckleberries, Candied Ginger and Cocoa nibs AND Veal Sweetbreads with Fried Capers and Parsley, in a Ligurian Olive Oil.

I'm pretty sure I had an out of body experience with the former. The Foie was seared perfectly and the sweetness of the nectarines was perfection. Seriously. I wanted to bathe in it. Gross? Kinda . But only if you think about it. Which I don't. I just eat it! :)

The sweetbreads were equally good but it was the fried capers that had me. I was seriously considering about replacing my theatre popcorn with fried capers during my next visit to the movies. I'm sure that will catch on.

On to the main dishes. Without fail, I always want what Todd orders. I always end up eating most of what's on HIS plate. Not so this time. And I wasn't about to share. I ordered the rabbit--a dish they are well known for. To be specific--Rabbit Braised in Arneis with Ligurian Chickpea Crepe, Pancetta and Porcini. Ummmm, delightful to say the least. In fact, in the deserted island game that Todd and I like to play, (okay, the game I like to play) if I had to chose one dish to eat on a deserted island...for the rest of my life...this would be it.


[images via Cafe Juanita's website]

The pancetta, the Porcini--it was all a giant YES. Todd ordered the Sweet Grass Farms Wagyu Beef Bolognese with Tagliatelle and while it too was quite good, it paled in comparison. I love it when I pick the winning dish of the night. When he begs me for scraps. :) And although we had planned on getting dessert--we skipped it as we were so full we were about to pop. And with the hefty price tag that was attached to the entire evening, we felt like we got our money's worth.

And there you have it. A memorable meal with a memorable man. :)

Todd and Susan met under the most romantic of circumstances--at a bar.

The kind of bar where the floor is perpetually sticky and it's in your best interest to hover over the toilet seat.

None the less, it was love at first sight. Or perhaps after the first shot.

Anyway, they have been enjoying marital bliss for 2 years now in Bothell.

(They are slowly learning to claim their new city with pride. And resist calling it the Brothel.)

They live with their two cats, Copper and Lilly and have recently added Dr. Newton, a three pound chihuahua, into the family dynamic.

Seattle Date Night: Worst. Date Night. EVER.

June 11, 2009:

Sazerac

She Said:

Okay, this made Brett happy, because he thinks our reviews have been 'too nice' so far. So, he thought we needed to roast someone badly. "But honey!" I exclaim, "All our experiences have been great thus far!"

Until now. (Should've knocked on wood!)

Don't get me wrong, it certainly wasn't TERRIBLE. But we certainly won't be back.

I had my misgivings from the get go. I've never trusted a hotel restaurant. Ever. There's just something so cliche about it. Sazerac is on the ground floor of the Hotel Monaco -- a gorgeous luxury hotel located on 4th Ave and Spring Street in the heart of downtown Seattle.







Brett had his eye on this place for a while, and after a guy at his office had recommended it to him yesterday, he decided this was the place to go for our Date Night.

We arrived and were seated straight away--our first red flag should have been that it was pretty empty for 8pm on a Thursday night. But no matter. We were very impressed with the interior--it was decorated very cool: rich reds and browns, huge blown glass chandeliers, great big cozy booths, a nice large bar, and in the back, an open fire wood stove for making the pizzas. This place looks cool!



We were seated in a nice high-backed booth, and made ourselves familiar with the wine list (no beers listed, we had to ask what was on draught). We ordered 2 Pyramid Heffeweisens ($5 ea) and worked on deciding what to order. The menu has a good mix of proteins, pretty much covered the meat gamut: pork, beef, chicken, fish, pizzas, salads, soups and some great appetizers (cheese and meat plates). Also, the restaurant had two of the prerequisites that Brett uses to judge a good eatery: personal pepper grinder on each table, and cloth napkins. So, by the looks of things, we were off to a pretty good start!



Just as we had decided what to order, the waiter arrived with our two beers. Brett, being the beer connoisseur that he is, immediately noticed that the color of the beer was darker than what a Hef should be... and asked the waiter if this was indeed, hef. "Oh, no, it doesn't look like it, does it... this is the IPA. Do you want me to return it?" (?!?!!?) Brett, being the nice laid back guy he is, responded, "Nah, mate, no worries, we'll drink it. Cheers. Mandy's hot." We also noticed that the beers were not pints, but schooners. Which are noticeably smaller than your average pint glass. Brett was not pleased with this.



So, then we ordered -- i ordered the Chilled Asparagus salad ($9) and the Simplicity Pizza ($9) and Brett ordered the Celery Hearts and Sweet Pea salad ($8) and the half order of the Braised Beef Short Ribs ($8 half order/$15 full order). The waiter left us to our devices, and we sat back and enjoyed our IPAs. Our salads arrived, and they were very good. Both were a bit different than anything i'd had before.


[Celery and Pea Salad]


[Chilled Asparagus Salad]

After finishing our salads, we glanced around and noticed that all the other tables had bread. 15 minutes after we had ordered, we still hadn't received the bread, and finally had to ask for it. It was terrible (VERY salty. and a weird density) so we actually didn't end up eating it.

Seconds later, our entrees arrived. Brett's was very small (he did order the half-order, but still) but had good flavor. My pizza, which i had requested 'minimal cheese' still had a LOT of cheese on it. It was good, but nothing special. VERY oily, and only 3 tomatoes on the whole thing. Hmmm. We were both disappointed in the food. Ordered 2 more hefs, and they were actually hefs this time. So, that's a plus!


[Simplicity Pizza]


[Short Ribs, half size]

Now, for those of you who know me, you know how much i love my pizza crusts. It's my favorite part of a pizza (i know, I'm a weirdo). If you don't eat your crusts, i will. Even if you're at the table next to me and i don't even know you... guard your crusts, i will eat them. SO, you know how disappointed i must've been when the waiter came and took my plate while I'm MID-BITE into my crusts, with 3 crusts still left on the plate. i was CLEARLY still working on it, and he came and snatched it right out from under me. I WAS STILL CHEWING, FOR CHRISSAKE!! wtf? that is a HUGE no-no.

We finally were like, okay, we're done with this place. Cool interior, but that's about it. We got the check, and much to our chagrin, the two mistake IPAs were on the bill. And at $5 a pop for the small schooners, this really chapped our hide. We paid (came to $60) and got the hell out of dodge, bitter taste (of IPA) in our mouth, but excited that we finally get to do a negative review!

RATINGS:

Sazerac
1101 4th Ave
Seattle, WA 98101
(206) 624-7755

Romance: 3
Cool Ambiance/Interior: 4
All Around Service: 1
Cost: $$
Would we recommend it? 2: Once was enough

This Thursday

She said:

Last Thursday Brett was in Boise for work, so we had to skip Date Night for the week (although he made up for it by surprising me with an early homecoming later that evening, instead of coming home the next day!! Yay!)

The Thursday before was his Date Night, and he took me to Barrio for an amazing evening (Barrio, by the way, was one of the most fantastic restaurants we'd been to in a great while! Thanks Steve Nasca for the suggestion, it's definitely high on our list of favorites!)!

Which means, this Thursday it's MY TURN to plan! I'm going to make it a surprise, so don't tell him... but i promise, it will be GREAT fun for everyone!

Full report and photos (i'm sure!) to come Friday morning!

xoxo



[source]

About Us!

She Said:

About Brett: It’s tough to describe Brett in 200 words or less, but I’ll try. Born and raised just south of Sydney, Australia, this handsome hunk of a man moved to Seattle in 2007 to follow his dream of living and working abroad (but, let’s be honest, he really moved here to find me!). A financial controller for a medical technologies company, Brett has a knack for keeping things in order and telling it like it is. At work, at least.

In his personal life, he really loves to let loose with friends, whether it’s at a Hawks, Sounders, or Mariner’s game, snowboarding (or skiing… yes, he does both!) one of the 10+ mountain passes in the area, tasting new foods, beers, and wines, traveling to far off places, or exploring close neighborhood haunts, and getting in as much Americana as he can! Brett is kind, he is funny, he is smart; basically, he is all this girl could ever ask for. So, I encourage you to get to know him. You will not regret it! Screw Flanders! Bon Appetites!

He Said:

About Mandy: Mandy Hoover* – HOOVER! The name that got this adventure started! High school cheer leader, sorority champion, beautiful and blond, Mandy is the quintessential American girl next door. With a heart of gold, Mandy is always the life of the party. Funny, intelligent, crazy and gorgeous, she’ll sing your ear off and have you in fits of laughter all at the same time.

Working as a Project Manager at a Seattle ad agency, Mandy is creative and organized (compliments me perfectly as I’m the complete opposite!). Just check out this site! It’s all her handy work! Her weekends and free time are spent travelling; kicking it with her mates, heading to the mountains with me, keeping fit in the gym or setting up the greatest camp site going (among a million other things). There’s never a dull moment. She genuinely touches the heart and soul of all that are lucky enough to meet her. Oh, did I mention she’s a world class chef?!? Yeah, she goes alright!

Cheers!

*Hoover is now Robertson!! But that doesn't work with the story as well. :)