Review - Cascina Spinasse - Seattle, WA

Cascina Spinasse

Spinasse is a cute and intimate Italian restaurant on Capitol Hill.  The white lace curtains add to the charm, as do the mismatched chairs and bar stools. 

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 - Espressamente Illy - The Palazzo - Las Vegas, NV

Espressamente Illy

As I've stated on my blog before, my SO is a coffee snob - when we vacation he needs to find good coffee, although he will resort to Starbucks if that is his only choice.  He usually scopes out indie coffee houses with hipsters working as baristas, however, this appears to be something that is lacking in Las Vegas.

Review - Carnevino - Las Vegas, NV

Carnevino

We were promptly seated in the smaller dining area on the opposite side of the host station & bar.  After having dined in the main area before, I was a little disappointed, the side we were seated in is directly in the casino and really didn't give the fine dining ambiance we were hoping for. Not to mention the blaring music - Red Hot Chili Peppers, really? At what is described as fine dining? The music was too loud, and along with the noise from the casino, I might as well have chosen to dine at a cafe.  Our server even commented that he had to tune out the bad choice in music and blamed Mario Batali for the music selection.  Ugh.

Anyways, on to the food...

Review - Fleur by Hubert Keller - Las Vegas, NV

Fleur by Hubert Keller

I remember dining here when It was Fleur de Lys, Chef Hubert Keller has transformed this into a more casual restaurant serving smaller plates.  If you are looking for a substantial meal, this probably isn't the place to go - the servings are small and I'd recommend ordering 2-3 dishes for a lighter lunch.

Review - Salumi

Armandino's Salumi

What do I say that hasn't already been said about Salumi? If you love the swine, Salumi is the motherland. Porchetta, pancetta, sopressata, Guanciale, you name it, they make it.   From what I understand, Mario Batali's Dad, Armandino Batali went to Italy specifically to learn how to make these the real Italian way.   I don't really like to wait in lines for food but this is one place in Seattle that I will stand outside in the rain without an umbrella for! Fortunately this time there wasn't a line, one of the pork goddesses looked up to take my order, and I said,"One Porchetta and one meatball and Gorgonzola please!"

Review - Cuoco

Cuoco

My SO and I remember when Anthony Bourdain once said something like, "You just want to pay someone to not fuck up your pasta".  We loved that, because it's so true.  Pasta although an easy thing to cook, isn't always done correctly.  Of course, Tom Douglas' new Italian spot didn't disappoint!

Review - How To Cook A Wolf

How To Cook A Wolf

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How To Cook A Wolf is a great place for a late night dinner, they are open until midnight on Friday and Saturday!  They finally take reservations which is wonderful!  Even before they started accepting reservations, the wait time wasn't too bad. 

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 - Bottega Ristorante

Bottega Ristorante

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On a recent trip to Yountville, My SO and I decided to try Bottega, we loved the outdoor patio overlooking the garden area.  We opted to sit outside which was perfect.  It wasn't too hot out, it wasn't too cold.   I didn't realize that Bottega was Food Network chef Michael Chiarello's Napa Valley restaurant, until after our dinner when we visisted Napa Style, the store right next to the restaurant.  

Recipe - Chicken Parmesan

Chicken Parmesan

Chicken Parmesan can seem like an overwhelming task in the kitchen, anything deep fried can be a lot of work to clean up.  This quick and easy recipe isn't baked, it's fried, just the way Chicken Parmesan should be!  I topped each piece of chicken with Provolone cheese and served it with Marinara sauce and spaghetti.  I doubled up this recipe and made this for a birthday party for a group of 8, and it was simple, and it was a hit!