This Weekend's Splurge Vs. Steal!

It’s been a bit since we’ve had a Splurge vs. Steal, so let's not waste any more time -- here we go!

Bring your sweetie on an adventure down the rabbit hole – with Through the Looking Glass Burlesque at the Triple Door!

It promises to be a spectacle of Ecdysiastic Pageantry, “Through The Looking Glass:The Burlesque Alice In Wonderland”.

"Artistic Director Lily Verlaine & her collaborator Jasper McCann invite you to shrug off the squareness of reality and fall into their swingin’ re-imagination of Lewis Carroll’s classic tale of nonsense and fantasy, and to come along with Alice as she discovers what wonders lie beyond the velvet rope at Wonderland's most exclusive nightclub, The Looking Glass."

Um, yes please! Brett and I are going on Saturday night to the 7.30 show and couldn’t be more excited! Tickets can be purchased here, and are $25 in advance, and $28 day of. Grab a bite to eat beforehand at Wild Ginger, or come hungry and grab a bite during the show!

Looking for something a little less spendy? Why not have a Royal Wedding Party for two?

DVR the event (coverage starts at 1am PST on Friday morning) and re-watch it Friday or Saturday night with your sweetie.

Make it a British theme night??

Bake up some delicious and quintessential English treats – some options include bacon cakes, steak and kidney pies (or chicken pot pie), bangers and mash.

And don’t forget the beer!

Here’s a link to some great menu ideas from Betty Crocker: British Party Treats.

Happy weekend, and happy dating!

xo,
B&M

This Weekend’s Splurge vs. Steal

Happy Thursday, dear readers! It’s time for our latest installment of Splurge vs. Steal!

As some of you are aware, Brett and i are obsessed with food shows. Top Chef Masters is no exception. So when I heard that this season features three Seattle chefs from restaurants that are on our List, i HAD to alert the masses!

The 22 new contestants include local chefs Maria Hines (Tilth), Thierry Rautureau (Rover’s) and Jerry Traunfeld (former chef at The Herbfarm, now Poppy in Capitol Hill).

So, why not make a Date Night in honor of one of these fine chefs?

Visit Capitol Hill's fabulously funky Poppy, for a true culinary adventure in your not-so-conventional setting, where Northwest meets South Asia in a daring and exciting menu.

Chef uses a unique serving tradition adopted from India called a thali (Hindu for 'tray'), where ten mini-dishes on one thali make for a unique and interesting tasting adventure!

Or, head to Wallingford’s hidden gem Tilth, where they feature New American cuisine prepared with certified-organic or wild ingredients sourced from as many local farmers they are able to support. Their executive chef and owner, Maria Hines, is a James Beard Award winner for Best Chef of the Northwest.

Finally, if Madison Park is more your area, head over to Rover’s, where Chef Rautureau’s vision is a warm, comfortable dining environment, similar to dining at a friend’s house. They use traditional French techniques to tease out the flavors of the region’s best ingredients, and pride themselves in sourcing ingredients that are local, sustainable, organic, and seasonal.

Finish at home with a TiVo of the Season Premier of Top Chef Masters – appropriately dubbed “First Date Dinner” – don’t you just love it?

Not a fine-dining fanatic? No problem! We have a great Date Idea for you!

Take your sweetie go see the movie with our namesake! Basically, they totally stole our idea… Well, not really, but we like to claim that it did. ;)

That’s right, there’s a movie out called DATE NIGHT!

Starring the very funny Tina Fey and Steve Carrell, it opens this Friday.

What’s it about? Glad you asked. Here’s IMDB’s synopsis:

In New York City, a case of mistaken identity turns a bored married couple's attempt at a glamorous and romantic evening into something more thrilling and dangerous.

Sounds SAUCY!

Happy Dating!

xo,

B&M

This Weekend’s Splurge vs. Steal!

Happy April Fool’s Day, dear readers! it’s been a whirlwind of a week for us here at Seattle Date Night… between the dramas of condo-shopping (yeses then no’s, then maybe’s, then no’s again… ugh!) to resigning my 7 year career at my current agency to move on to another, both Brett and I have never been more ready for a weekend.

And not just ANY weekend… it’s EASTER WEEKEND! Although Brett and i JUST started going to church a few months ago and don’t consider ourselves uber-religious, it’s still a very fun holiday to celebrate.

So with that theme in mind, i give you this week’s rendition of Splurge vs. Steal!

Seattle offers some GREAT Easter Brunch specials that you really should take advantage of! And lucky for me, Seattle Metropolitan Magazine has already compiled a scrumptious list of many Seattle offerings HERE!

Here is the recap [note: list and descriptions taken directly from this fabulous Met Blog]:

Barking Frog 6am-2:30pm
Chef Bobby Moore, recent champ of Seattle’s American Lamb Jam cook-off, prepares a menu of surefire bets, such as bourbon-maple drizzled French toast with mixed berry compote. Or, for those with lunch on the mind, try his southwestern carrot soup or pan-seared Alaskan halibut topped with asparagus, oyster mushrooms, and fennel beurre blanc. Individual items $10-$29/person; call for reservations.

Café Flora 9am-2pm
The vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free-friendly menu includes cafe classics, from the Santa Fe sunrise scramble—brimming with whole black beans, corn, and red onion, spicy chili verde, and melted Cotija cheese—to the coconut mango waffle, finished with a taste of garam masala and topped with mango-raisin chutney and sweet toasted coconut flakes. Individual items $5-$12/person; reservations recommended.

Campagne 9am-2pm
Chef Daisley Gordon of recent Iron Chef America fame prepares Dungeness crab and leek quiche, a black truffle omelet with sautéed potatoes and house-made pork sausage, and a pan-roasted beef onglet with a side of pommes frites and smoky harissa rouille. Individual items $9-$39/person; call for reservations.

Cedarbrook Lodge 10:30am-3pm
Only locally grown, organic, and all-natural ingredients make up this buffet. Try the slow-roasted pineapple glazed ham, lemon-infused Alaskan prawns braised in cocktail sauce, or the side of fresh-herb fingerling potatoes with flavorful organic root vegetables. Then reward yourself with an ice cream sundae. $30/adult, $16/child; call for reservations.

Chandler’s Crabhouse 10am-3pm
A Dungeness crab quiche and omelet are on the menu, but before you shuck away at the seafood classics, consider the house-made buttermilk scones dripping with maple butter and raspberry preserves, or the corned beef hash with poached eggs doused in chili hollandaise. $28/adult, $10/child; reservations recommended.

Crush 11am-2pm
For his debut into brunching territory, chef Jason Wilson prepares Kushi oysters on the half shell, steeped in champagne mignonette, Painted Hills Beef short ribs, and sous vide duck egg with watercress, horseradish, and truffle oil. An assortment of honey butter, marmalade, and vanilla mascarpone pastries rounds out the meal. Individual items $3-$24/person; call for reservations.

Kaspar’s 9:30am-2:30pm
Four-time James Beard nominee Donier Kaspar takes to the kitchen for an extensive holiday menu, from sunflower seed and coconut muffins, to entrees including honey ginger carrots mousseline and beef shoulder tenderloin with peppercorn marsala sauce. And let’s not forget the crunchy banana spring roll drizzled in warm chocolate sauce. $40/adult, $15/child; call for reservations.

Library Bistro 8am-2pm
Selections include an array of cheese flights, soft poached eggs with a side of artichoke and creamed spinach, or brioche French toast with warmed caramel sauce, candied walnuts, and bananas. Let the kiddos hunt for the plate of green eggs and ham off the Bunny Brunch menu. Individual items $5-$24/person; call for reservations.

Pomegranate Bistro 9am-2pm
Chef Lisa Dupar whips up signature favorites, like her cold smoked salmon Benedict and the Wasskily Wabbit Easter cocktail. Individual items $2-$14/person; reservations are booked, but the bistro has left room open for Easter day walk-ins.

Ponti Seafood Grill 10am-2:30pm
The three-course prix-fixe includes lamb avgolemono, soba noodle pancakes topped with mixed organic greens and ginger-soy marinated beef tenderloin skewers, and warmed blueberry coffeecake and currant-apricot scones topped with a tower of fresh fruit. $29/adult, $15/child; call for reservations.

Ray’s Boathouse 10am-2:30pm
Sit down to a menu featuring petite filet mignon with poached egg, asparagus, and bearnaise, market vegetable strada with anselmo farm greens, and shaved fennel doused in a sherry vinaigrette. Individual items $20-$28/person; call 206-789-3770 ext 3 for reservations.

Ray’s Café 9:30am-3pm
Or stay standing and mingle at the buffet featuring an antipasto of assorted pâtés, salami, pickled peppers, marinated artichokes, and grilled vegetables. Then wander toward the seafood bar and shucking station, stocked with oysters on the half shell and Alaskan King crab legs. And of course make your way to the dessert line for raspberry swirl cheesecake, chocolate-dipped strawberries, and, yes, fish-shaped marshmallow peeps for the youngsters. $37/adult, $18/child; call for reservations.

Salish Lodge 7am-3pm
Take in the view of the mighty Snoqualmie Falls while enjoying a multi-course breakfast boasting buttermilk pancakes topped with Devonshire crème, Pike Place vegetarian omelets, farm eggs with bacon, pork-apple sausage, and honey cured ham and potatoes, or poached eggs Dungeness. Accompanied by a champagne mimosa, fresh-squeezed juices, and a handcrafted “baker’s basket.” $49/adult, $23/child; call for reservations.

Salty’s on Alki 7am-7:30pm
The buffet menu includes carved leg of lamb with mint jelly, kielbasa sausage, and made-to-order fruit crepes and Belgian waffles; from the in-house bakery comes cupcakes, crème brulee, and Puyallup fair scones. All manner of special guests spring in – from pianist Victor Janusz to the spritely bunny of Easter fame. $48/adult, $20-$26/child; reservations recommended.

Sip at the Wine Bar 10am-2pm
Try the Frangelico French toast laced with hints of hazelnut liquor and topped with warm vanilla syrup and candied hazelnuts, or the ahi melt of seared rare black pepper tuna, duck egg, marinated artichoke hearts, and sharp white cheddar on buttery brioche. For the little ones: chocolate chip-studded pancakes with whipped cream and fresh fruit or signature sliders and potato frites. Individual items $9-$20/person; call for reservations at downtown, Issaquah, and Gig Harbor locations.

Volunteer Park Café 10am-2pm
Warm up with espresso and straight-from-the-oven scones slathered with fresh farm butter and organic apricot preserves. Then choose an entree: nettle and sheep cheese tart with Minor’s lettuce salad; spinach and prosciutto baked eggs with smoked tomatoes; or brioche French toast with ricotta and sprinkled with fresh blackberries and hazelnuts. $10-$26/person; reservations recommended.

Waterfront Seafood Grill 11am-3pm
The a la carte menu includes bacon-wrapped filet and eggs with hollandaise and demi glace, crispy corned beef hash with poached eggs and green onions, or banana walnut pancakes doused in hot maple syrup and whipped cream. Individual items $6-$48/person; call for reservations.

Celebrate Easter cheaply and dye your own easter Eggs! It’s super easy and a SUPER great Date Night idea!

Lucky for us, eHow has an extremely comprehensive how-to list explaining every little step of the process (with photos!)!

1. Boil several white eggs and let them cool.

2. Set out an 8-ounce cup for each color in the package.

3. Put 3 tbsp. vinegar in each cup.

   

4. Dissolve a color tablet in each cup. Add 1/2 cup of cold water to the vinegar once the tablet has dissolved.

   

5. Bend the egg dipper so that one end will hold the egg without getting your fingers in the dye.

   

6. Put an egg on the holder and dip it into the dye for at least three minutes.

   

7. Dry the egg on stands made from punching perforated holes out of the box

Phew! Glad we got that sorted! … While you’re waiting for your eggs to dry, whip up a nice Easter meal – Perhaps rabbit? Here is a list of 224 rabbit recipes just begging to be cooked.

Rabbit not your thing? (me neither!) … no worries. Ham or turkey will do just fine. Even some scrambled eggs, as the egg seems to be the star of this holiday!

Once the colored eggs are done drying, throw together a makeshift egg hunt! Either head down to a park or hang out in your own home or yard – choose a color each person is in charge of, split them up, and hide them! Whoever finds the most eggs wins a prize. What sort of prize? That’s up to you…

HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE!

This Weekend’s Splurge Vs. Steal

Hello dear readers! How is everyone’s Thursday so far? I’m sick. I’ve been sick for a WEEK now. So I'm struggling with EVERYthing, including keeping this blog up-to-date, which is tough when i go to bed at 7pm every night! :(

But alas, between chugging emergen-C spiked OJ, sleeping an extra 4 hours a night, and skipping out on my exercise each day (which sucks!), I’m hoping to kick whatever decided to make its home inside me OUT FOR GOOD.

Until then, i will live vicariously through your shenanigans (fill me in!). Hopefully this weekend you will partake in some fun things. And if you have nothing planned yet, be sure to check out this week’s installment of **cough, cough, sniff** Splurge vs. Steal!

This weekend, join ART Restaurant as it goes lights out for earth hour. They are offering a four-course candlelight dinner at Four Seasons Hotel Seattle part of worldwide celebration.

According to the Four Seasons’ website, this Saturday, March 27, ART Restaurant at Four Seasons Hotel Seattle will join 46 other Four Seasons properties in creating a chain of candlelight dinners spanning the globe to celebrate Earth Hour, a World Wildlife Fund initiative. The series of dinners will start at8:30 pm local time at Four Seasons Hotel Sydney and make its way west.

ART’s four-course candlelight dinner will be available from 5:00 pm to 10:00 pm for $45.00, or $75.00 with wine. At 8:30 pm, the restaurant will shut off its lights and guests will dine by the glow of Glassybaby votive candles.

So grab your sweetie for a romantic evening in the dark! A gal loves a guy who cares about our Earth!

For more information or to make a reservation, please call(206) 749-7070.

Why not have your own lights-out celebration at home? The official Earth Hour is this Saturday at 8.30pm.

Grab your sweetie, head to a farmer’s market or a natural foods supermarket (there are a TON in the Northwest!) and purchase some organic, free-range foods to cook up. Check out some recipes here!

Take turns in the kitchen creating (in between sips of your favorite local organic wines!), then enjoy your feast with a carpet picnic. Grab the latest season of Planet Earth from your local Blockbuster, and enjoy a date night with Mother Nature as the third wheel. Just be sure you set a timer for 8.29pm so you can be sure to have the electricity off for the entire hour!

What to do during the blackout? Well, friends, that’s entirely up to you! ;)

***

Also of note this weekend, TASTE WASHINGTON: the ultimate wine experience!

This Sunday, March 28th @ Qwest Field Event Center

One of the largest Wine & Food Events in the Country! Meet world-class winemakers face-to-face 200+ Wineries and 60+ Restaurants

Complete list of wineries, restaurants and info: www.tastewashington.org

Tickets Still Available! purchase your ticket now

This Weekend’s Splurge vs. Steal!

 

 

Happy Thursday dear readers! I’m so so SO excited for the weekend – Brett and I are heading off this afternoon for a MUCH anticipated weekend away with friends at Mt. Bachelor! While we’re DREADING the 8 hour drive down (show-tunes, anyone?), the three days on the mountain will certainly make up for it.

For those of you sticking around the city this weekend, there is much to do! So let’s get the party started with this week’s installment of Splurge vs. Steal!

This Friday night is the Preview Night for the Intiman Theater’s Paradise Lost.

See it early and know before anyone else!

“Preview performances” are pre-Opening dates where the productions are still in working process prior to being reviewed by the media. These performances are sometimes the most fun, because you can tell the cast and crew are relaxed and having fun wiht it – also, it’s great to have this “inside look”!

What is Paradise Lost?

Here’s a description from the theater’s website:

Life shouldn’t be printed on dollar bills.
Paradise Lost conjures a remembered time when gangsters, dreamers, agitators and idealists were the people who formed the hopeful heart of the American Dream. This rarely produced classic teems with life, taking us deep into the relationships, passions and dreams of a middle-class family trying to survive the hardscrabble time of the Great Depression.

Sounds saucy! Show starts at 8pm. Tickets range from $10 to $45, and can be purchased here.

And because the Intiman Theater is located right in the Seattle Center, you are surrounded by some great restaurants to round out your evening. Grab a bite at what Brett and I consider Seattle’s BEST Thai food restaurant, Racha Thai (23 Mercer Street, (206) 281-8883), located just two blocks from the theater! Be sure to order their specialty: a Thai Iced Tea! YUM!

This Sunday, grab your sweetie and hit up Fremont’s Sunday Market! The  market happens every Sunday, and its booths are full of fun foods, flowers, trinkets, soaps, crafts, furniture, and everything you could possibly think of! Think Pike Place Market with a hippie twist.

There is an undercover area you shouldn’t miss – it’s full of crazy antiques and junk you just HAVE to buy!

Brett and I go quite a bit, and it’s fun to play this little game: give each other a $10 to go and find something the other person will love (or hate!) – but ONLY spend $10 (trust me, you’ll find all sorts of goodies for that!). Meet a half-hour later to exchange gifts, then head up the stairs to the Red Door (3401 Evanston Ave N., (206) 547-7521) for their fabulously spicy Bloody Mary’s.

The Market is open every Sunday from 10am to 5pm. Read all about it here!

Thanks to my lovely Twitter pals for sending me some great ideas for weekend fun! For all the goods on Seattle events, be sure to follow @Seattle_Events, @PIAfterDark, and @SeattleMaven

This week’s Splurge vs. Steal!

Happy Thursday dear readers! Have you had a good week? Ours has been busy but fantastic! Brett got dressed up as a redneck and hit up WWE with some pals on Tuesday, while I've been sweating my booty off at my first few times practicing Bikram Yoga.

Yes, it’s been an interesting week to say the least, and we sure are ready for the weekend! What are you up to? What?? You’re staying in town?! PERFECT! There are some great things happening that you should take advantage of!

Welcome to this week’s Splurge vs. Steal!

It’s baaaaaaaack! Seattle's eccentric and kitschy Moisture Festival!

I know what you’re thinking… “Moisture Festival? What the HECK does that mean?!”

It’s a festival held here in Seattle that includes a long series of performances in multiple locations across the metro area, starting today, March 11th.

What kind of performances?? Moist ones??

Well, no. Not really. From family-friendly varietè shows to sexy and saucy burlesque shows, there is something here for everyone.

Intrigued?? Me too.

According to the Seattle PI last year, “Combining traditional European vaudeville and variety acts such as aerial artists, jugglers, dancers, comedians and can-can girls, the Moisture Festival is a month-long celebration of physical arts taking place at three [five this year] different venues. Most shows are family-friendly, but the festival does have a series of late-night burlesque shows for ages 21 and older.”

So head on over to their website and check out the different attractions and venues, schedules, and what people are saying about this fabulous fest!

Tickets range from $10 (comedy/varietè) to $20-something (burlesque/varietè) and can be purchased here. Moisture Festival is on through the 4th of April, so be sure to check it out!

*Photos courtesy Moisture Festival Website*

Okay, smarty pants!

Time to show off your brain skills and impress your sweet with TRIVIA NIGHT!

Every Friday Night at 8pm, the Monkey Pub (5305 Roosevelt Way NE, (206) 523-6457) offers trivia night for only $3 per player!

The 1st place team receives the entire pot o’ cash, so there’s some opportunity to actually MAKE money on this Date Night!

What’s better? After Trivia is over, they open up the mic for KARAOKE night! Trivia + Karaoke = THE MOST AMAZING DATE EVER! And for only $3 plus a few more bucks for some beer and some Costco Dogs (yes, they have Costco Dogs!), you can have a blast of a time for less than $20!

And who knows, brush up on your random pop culture trivia and you may just end up taking home more than you came with! Fan them on Facebook HERE.

This Weekend’s Splurge vs. Steal!

Happy Thursday! It’s been a long week, and you deserve to treat yourself to some FUN! Lots going on in Seattle and surrounding this weekend, so let’s get this started! Welcome to this week’s edition of Splurge vs. Steal!

 

Want to have some random fun watching a bunch of girls on roller-skates kick the bejeesus out of each other? ME TOO! This Saturday at 5.30 at the Key Arena, you’ll have just that opportunity!

The Rat City Rollergirls (RCRG) is Seattle’s premiere all-female, flat-track roller derby league. I’ve heard this is a blast to go see, and have yet to catch a ‘bout’ … this weekend is the perfect opportunity!

What the heck is roller derby? You ask?

Well… Read about it here! And just who are these crazy gals who participate? And how on earth did this whole thing get started?

Tickets range from $20 to $35, and can be purchased HERE or at the door (for $5 less, stupid Ticketmaster fees!). Finish the evening with drinks and some interactive food -- fondue at the Melting Pot, just blocks from the Key Arena (14 Mercer Street, (206) 378-1208).

This weekend, Coupeville, a small town on the upper side of Whidbey Island is celebrating that rapscallion of a shellfish, the Mussel, with its annual (and FABULOUS!) Penn Cove Mussel Fest!

“Bold, briny and blue! Come taste Penn Cove’s world famous mussels! Historic Coupeville celebrates these delectable mollusks March 5th through March 7th.”

The festival is complete with beer garden, chowder tasting, live music, mussel-eating contests, and boat rides through the mussel farms! Check out the whole schedule HERE!

Entry to the festival is FREE, but the boat rides may set you back about $10 (for two hours, though, so it’s totally worth it!) … meet some fun locals, and a ton of Aussies! And learn more than you’ll ever want to know about Mussels. (The girls and I went a few years ago and it was SO much fun!)

The Ferry leaves Mukilteo every half hour, and will set you back about $7 for the vehicle + driver, and an additional $4 per person. It’s only a 20 minute ferry ride.

The weather up there is supposed to be stellar this weekend, too! So grab your babe and show off your Muscles!