Review - Staple & Fancy Mercantile - Ballard - Seattle, WA

Staple & Fancy Mercantile

 Located in Ballard just minutes from my house is the newest addition to the family of Ethan Stowell Restaurants, Staple & Fancy Mercantile.  We love Tavolata, and How To Cook a Wolf, so I have been looking forward to Staple & Fancy.

Review - List - Belltown - Seattle, WA

List

I'd been wanting to give List a try for quite some time... So, before seeing a show at the Crocodile, we decided List was going to be a good choice.  It's a tiny restaurant, easy to miss, located on 1st in Belltown.  It's a 21 and over spot, so no children allowed!  It's a small restaurant, that seats maybe about 36 people.  

Review - Wann Izakaya - Seattle, WA

Wann Izakaya

I just love Izakaya style dining.  It's like Japanese Tapas, small plates meant for sharing, and lots of drinks to go around.  We've been going to Wann for quite some time and the food is consistently good!  I love the ambiance of the restaurant, and almost every time we are there, Japanese hipsters are there, boisterously speaking in their native tongue and having what appears to be a great time!

Review - Firefly - Las Vegas, NV

Firefly

Located off The Strip is the popular Tapas Bar, Firefly.  The Paradise location is in a small strip mall just a few minutes from The Strip.  The restaurant is small, loud, and full of people - It's not really a place for a conversation, but it's a decent spot for decent eats and drinks.  The Westside location is much more chill, and more of a place for the locals.

Back to the Brave Horse Tavern - SLU - Seattle, WA

Back to Brave Horse Tavern

So I knew it wouldn't be long before we decided to go back to Brave Horse Tavern... And I know I JUST reviewed this place a week ago... But I didn't take pictures because the lighting was so dim. We went on a Sunday afternoon around 4pm, and it was so chill.  A totally different scene than what we experienced opening weekend.  The daytime vibe is great - the place is so well lit, and it seems like a place you can go with a group of friends, a deck of cards and ravenous appetites.  

Review - Revel - Fremont - Seattle, WA

Revel

I've been wanting to try Revel for a while now, so when some friends and I decided to get together for dinner I suggested we try Revel in Fremont.  It's located in the middle of the shopping and bar scene in Fremont and can easily be missed if you're not looking for it.  The restaurant is super small but attached to the swanky Quoin bar.  

Review - Mesa Grill - Las Vegas, NV

Mesa Grill

Sometimes it's difficult to write a review for a restaurant that you have been so repeatedly, it's hard to remember your initial reaction to the decor, the lighting, the overall ambiance.  If the food is good the first time, you will likely return a second.  If it's good the second and third times, you will likely become a regular.  I'll admit, the first time we dined at Mesa Grill, it was solely because I was hooked on watching Bobby Flay on Boy Meets Grill.  I followed a few of his recipes, and thought we might as well try one of his restaurants.

Review - Brave Horse Tavern - South Lake Union, Seattle WA

Brave Horse Tavern

As we walked in to Brave Horse Tavern it was hard to miss the enormous menu on the wall. It looked almost like a magnetic wall with mangnet letters to form the menu? Not sure. Even people with really bad eyes will be able read this menu!

Brave Horse Tavern Opens Today!

Finally, the much anticipated Brave Horse Tavern opens today at 4pm! I don't think I will make it today, but maybe this weekend!  If you get the chance to go, leave a comment, let us know how it was!

Brave Horse Tavern

South Lake Union

301 Terry Ave N

Seattle, WA 98109

Brave Horse Tavern - Opening Soon!

The much anticipated Brave Horse Tavern is opening this week - we are totally excited for this, and after reading through the menu, even more excited.  As I have stated many times, the Palace Kitchen serves up the best burger and fries in town, hands down. Well, I think that they will have some competition, being that Brave Horse Tavern looks like they will have a pretty awesome burger menu! I am wondering if they will be sliders, since they are only about $6-9.  Interesting....

Review - Book Bindery

Book Bindery

Walking in to Book Bindery, you immediately feel the warm welcoming vibe as if you entered into a familiar place. The atmosphere feels like the love child of Pottery Barn and Restoration Hardware. The dim lighting and soft glow from the candle lights make it cozy.

Review - Citrus

Citrus

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I have been trying to decide how to review this place. Do I review just the food? Do I criticize the ambiance of this place, solely because of the clientele? I guess I just need to be honest.

We recently dined/"partied" at Citrus for a friend's birthday.  I don't think this is a place I would have picked for myself, but it was my friend's birthday.  Of course we will go!  Plus, we were able to get coupons through Dealswarm, $20 for $40 of food and drinks, and there wasn't a limit on how many could be used for the group, so everyone was able to use a coupon!

Review - Flying Squirrel Pizza Co.

Flying Squirrel Pizza Co.

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I wasn't really impressed with Flying Squirrel Pizza Co.  I critique pizza mainly on the crust, and Flying Squirrel's crust just wasn't very good.  It was kind of too chewy, dry, and pretty bland.  Despite being a thin crust, the outer edge was kind of gross.  But I loved the toppings, so that's why I upped it to 2 stars for the food.  Crust, maybe 1 star.  The crust was even worse the next day.

Review - Tavolata

Tavolata Zeppole $10

Tavolata

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Tavolata is our go to place for comfort food.  This place is all about their pastas.  I crave the Gnocchi Alla Romana.  It's not what I expected when I ordered it the first time.  I was expecting traditional gnocchi, you know, the small potato dumplings that are soft and chewy.  When it arrived, I knew I was in for a treat!  Tavolata's Gnocchi Alla Romana is to die for.  It comes to you piping hot in a ceramic dish on a hot wood plank.  There are 6 Gnocchi per order for $17, but each Gnocchi is giant.  They are shaped almost like small hockey pucks, and they are super soft, tender and covered in hot melted mozzarella cheese. The marinara sauce has a little spicy kick to it too, so that was a pleasant surprise!

Review - Lecosho

Lecosho

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Definitely all about the pork! Lecosho's logo is a pig after all! I chose this restaurant to celebrate my meat loving friend's birthday, and it happened to be during the Dine Around Seattle promotion! It's a great way to sample some of Seattle's restaurants. For $30 you get a 3 course meal, often it's an appetizer, entree and dessert.

Review - Tango Tapas Restaurant & Lounge

Tango Restaurant & Lounge

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I've been to Tango a bunch of times, but I have to admit, I don't really remember any of the food I've tried in the past, I only remember El Diablo, which I will discuss more below...   It's been about a year since I have dined at Tango so on a Sunday evening, while in the area, my SO and I decided to go for some small bites and El Diablo... Actually, the small bites was just a cop out.  We were going there for El Diablo.

Review - La Carta de Oaxaca

La Carta de Oaxaca

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One of my favorite things to do with my SO on a weekend afternoon is to have lunch and wander through one of the many small Seattle neighborhoods.  It was freezing cold out, and starting to snow, so we decided to stay close to home.

La Carta de Oaxaca is a small Oaxacan restaurant nestled along Ballard Ave, there's usually a crowd and often a wait.  Unless of course you go within 30-45 minutes of opening, or later in the evening.  They do not take reservations, so we usually go with a backup plan, if we aren't patient enough to wait for a table.  If we do end up waiting for a table there are a bunch of fun stores nearby to browse.

Tom Douglas - Brave Horse Tavern!

I am a huge Tom Douglas restaurant fan... From pancakes served with vanilla moscarpone, house made jams and house cured maple sausage at Lola to the tuscan bread salad at The Dahlia Lounge.. I have never had a meal at one of his restaurants that I didn't absolutely LOVE! I'll write more restaurant reviews, hopefully with pics of the fabulousness that comes out of his restaurant's kitchens soon!

A pic I took from our car of the Dahlia Workshop door and sign

I am a total foodie, not only do I love to cook, but I love to have a meal and leave feeling full, happy and more importantly, inspired...