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Oysters & Wine at Taylor Shellfish Farms in Capitol Hill

Taylor Shelfish Farms, which opened it's doors in Capitol Hill on July 21, 2011, was a great addition to Melrose Market.  

What a lot of people are just getting turned on to is the fact that you not only can buy a selection of fresh oysters, clams and the ever perplexing goeduck, but it's also a great spot for lunch & or maybe even a light dinner.

I stopped in not too long ago to chat with Tom Stocks, assistant manager, and got a dozen hand selected and shucked oysters and fantastic glass of wine.  They also have one or two daily made chowders.

The space is simple and pristine.  I'm sure it's one of the tidiest seafood shops in town.

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They have a great selection and it's easily accessible.

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And this is the geoduck - native to the northwest cost of the US and Canada.  

Did you know? The geoduck was once the focal point of a hot little campaign in 1987.  It was revealed in  U.S. News and World Report that "the Geoduck is threatened with extinction due to a voracious international appetite for aphrodisiacs."  In fact, The Seattle Times featured a few articles about this campaign to "Save the Geoducks."

Later they were let in on the joke.  It turns out it was all just a well executed prank.

 

Taylor Shellfish also had a great selection of Dry Soda.

I ordered up a dozen oysters and had Tom put together a mix for me.  He got to work straight away...

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I didn't waste any time. 

Next time you're in Capitol Hill, stop in!

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Dishcrawl Seattle & Local Seattle Chef Get A Little TV Attention

If you haven't seen much of me these past few weeks it's because I've been busy working on launching an exciting social dining journey in Seattle.  Last month I started working for Dishcrawl.

 

Dishcrawl is a national start-up founded on the premise that communities can be brought together through good food and good company, four restaurants in one night.  We're rapidly expanding into new markets and Dishcrawlers can currently join monthly progressive food adventures in San Francisco, New York, Montreal, Ottawa, San Jose, Toronto, the Tri-Valley Area, and the Peninsula. Dishcrawl is currently headquartered in the Silicon Valley.

 

Next on the list is Seattle!  The plans have been made, restaurants are confirmed and people have bought their tickets.  Our launch is less than a week away and is taking place in my hood - Capitol Hill.  This morning I got to do a big reveal on KING5 New Day Northwest.  A tiny bit of the secret is out: one of our stops is Grim's Restaurant & Lounge!

The best part of the morning was the chance to cast the spotlight on some great local talent.  Grim's Executive Chef, Khampaeng Panyathong did a fantastic cooking segment and featured the item Dishcrawlers will be enjoying next week.  Laura Olson, Grim's Founder/Owner, along with her awesome assistant Lindsey were backstage to cheer Khampaeng on.

I'm very excited about what Dishcrawl will do for supporting local businesses.  I hope to see you soon at one of the upcoming Dishcrawls! 

Be sure to follow @dishcrawlSEA

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My Dishcrawl Portland Adventure!

While working hard on the Dishcrawl Seattle launch, I had the opportunity to take a bit of a break and headed to Portland.  Dishcrawl Portland launched successfully last month and this past Tuesday I joined their second crawl.

We explored NE Alberta Street in northeast Portland with a very social group of 38 food enthusiasts!  Our first stop was The Grilled Cheese Grill.  Co-owner Matt Breslow was a gracious host.  This food cart spot features outdoor seating and the School Bus.  Located on 1027 NE Alberta this is the original location.  More recently they added a second location in southeast Portland that features the Double Decker bus.

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~ The Grill Cheese Grill 1027 NE Alberta

[[posterous-content:pid___2]]~ The Grilled Cheese Grill 113 SE 28th Ave

At 7 pm on the dot, people starting arriving and were welcomed by Katie, Dishcrawl Portland's coordinator.  Already I could tell we had a gregarious group.

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Once everyone got checked in, Matt came out and introduced himself.  

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Matt grew up helping his mom in the kitchen and became a little grilled cheese whiz.  Later in life, Matt didn't attend a culinary school, but rather honed his skills working in restaurants.  He always wanted to open a restaurant and he finally decided to do open a place that would feature one of his favorite foods, the grilled cheese.  

He really looks like he's having fun with it.

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The group was getting hungry and you could smell the delicious cheesy goodness that was about to come out - even a small visitor was eagerly awaiting the grilled cheese.

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I snuck into their food cart to find Matt's crew hard at work.  They were readying up the grilled cheese.

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We had the opportunity to taste a few of the grill cheese options on their menu such as the Jalapeno Popper - roasted jalapeños, colby jack, cream cheese and corn tortilla chips on sourdough.  

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The Grilled Cheese Grill was a great start to the Dishcrawl and everyone was having fun meeting each other and checking out the bus.

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It was time for our next stop.  Katie gathered up the group and we were off to the Yogio food cart.  Yogio is not normally opened late on Tuesdays, but did not want to miss the chance to be included in the Dishcrawl so co-owner Ali came in to host our group.  

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Yogio, owned by Timber Adamson and Ali Clarsy, features Korean snack food - all gluten free.  I was very excited about checking them out especially after hearing they have ROCK, PAPER, SCISSORS on the menu.  This evening we would get to try their most popular item on their menu - the Rocks.  Ali gave us the scoop on what we were about to enjoy.  

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The Rocks are seasoned rice stuffed with bibimbap vegetables.  They crisp it up and place it atop of a homemade gochujang paste spread across a bit of seaweed and served up with their Crack sauce - no clue what's in this sauce, but it was so good.  Everyone lined up right away to get their Rock.

[[posterous-content:pid___12]]I really liked the Rock.  Let me just say, it was a great combination of flavors with a good spicy depth as provided by the gochujang paste.

[[posterous-content:pid___13]]Wow!  It's only stop two, but with all of the great food so far, I'm slowly getting full!  Katie once again got everyone on the move to stop number three.

Next on the agenda was The Tin Shed Garden Cafe.  They have a simple philosophy of using fresh and wholesome ingredients and that definitely comes through in their food.  It is no wonder this place is always busy and has very good reviews.  Owner Jannette Kaden greeted the group upon arrival.  We had the pleasure of sitting in their covered patio area.

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Jannette and two of her staff already had the food table set up with plates, silverware and napkins before we arrived.  While they took drink orders and brought them out, Katie went around to each table to everyone know about the three different dishes from their menu we would be trying.  

Berry Garcia - Roasted red peppers, jalapenos, black beans, Tillamook cheddar & berry jam in a grilled tortilla, topped with jalapeno creme fraiche & fresh cilantro. 

Mac of the Day - this one featured Cavatapi pasta in a three cheese sauce, baked with a crispy bread topping.

Baby Beluga - Roasted yams, onion, zucchini, mushroom, garlic & black lentils in a yellow curry sauce, served over fresh spinach & jasmine rice, topped with raisins, peanuts and avocado.

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Everyone was able to grab a plate and help themselves.  Believe me, there was plenty to go around!

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Our final stop was a real treat.  We all headed down the street to the ice cream shop Salt & Straw - perfect choice for a warm evening.  Salt & Straw is a brand new addition to Portland's NE Alberta Street.  Their store front just opened last month.  

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The aroma of the waffle cones on the griddles lures you in and the unique flavors on their menu are quite intriguing.  Owner Kim Malek is a genuinely lovely person.  She was so happy to host us in her new shop.

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All the preparations were made ahead of time for our large group.  They had already scooped the ice cream into cups and had them waiting on trays in their cooler so we could get served right away. 

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We tried their Honey Balsamic Strawberry with Cracked Pepper and a new flavor - the very creamy Olive Oil made with a locally produced olive oil from Red Ridge farms in Portland. 

[[posterous-content:pid___21]]Owner Kim had a great opportunity to connect with new customers and everyone was very curious to ask her about some of the flavors on the menu like the Proscuitto and Melon.

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I had so much fun and it was great spending the evening with Katie!  

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Just think how much fun we'll have at the Dishcrawl Seattle launch.  There are still a few tickets left.  Hope to see you soon!

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Dishcrawl Seattle Launch Kicks Things Off In Capitol Hill

 

Dishcrawl is coming to Seattle! We couldn’t think of a better way to kick this off than by taking on Capitol Hill. 

Join us in this social food tour of some of Capitol Hill’s favorite spots.  We’re making dining out just a bit more social as you take this food tour with other local food lovers at four different restaurants through the night.

To reserve your seats, please register quickly. Tickets tend to sell out.

For those of you lucky to get in, see you soon!

 

 

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How Does Yelp Rate In Your Book? #question #opinion

The Stranger had an "I, Anonymous" (QUIT YER YELPING) a while ago that caught my attention.  It is true, there are some horrible reviews out there from many who fail at basic English grammar.  Comments at times are ludicrous and perhaps have little to do with how well an establishment delivers its core product or service.

The concept of Yelp is admirable, but I personally place little value on what people write.  I feel like it's noise and doesn't necessarily represent how well a business delivers products or services to consumers.  Many of the reviews that I've read are not very helpful to me.  Some examples:

The problem: the service. When we got the bill we were pleased with the amount: $46 for a pretty good little dinner. However, when we got the "receipt" we noticed we were charged $68. Well, that was not good. That is not a very easy "mistake" for a waitress to make, and it is an "old trick" for scamming a big tip. Away went the $15 tip we were ready to leave (we know waitresses and believe whole-heartedly in leaving about 1/3 of the bill as gratuity), and out we walked with the residual bad taste in our mouths, and knowing we are a lot smarter than we look. ::sigh::  -  Excerpt: Yelp Review about Revel, Fremont

I would certainly consider editing my review if someone wanted to whisk me away and show me the positive aspects of Paseo. Of course, I'm gluten free so can't eat sandwiches.  - Excerpt: Yelp Review about Paseo, Fremont

Too pretentious to be in such a cool neighborhood, I wish it never opened or that a less uppity place were there instead.  The staff there was just too cool for school and it took forever to get a drink order in, and I am never a fan of a place that serves foie gras.  They need to get with it and have some common decency.  Overall, just horrible. - Excerpt: Yelp Review about Quinns, Capitol Hill

Loved it all!   Boyfriend took me here for our 3-year anniversary, because we wanted to eat someplace fancy. Personally, we love to dress up, so the dress code here is no problem. On a side note, BF humorously observed, "The family sitting next to us is actually fancy. We just like to pretend we're fancy." - Excerpt: Yelp Review about Canlis, Queen Anne

Though I used to appreciate the open kitchen, exposed brick wall, unfinished floor, dishcloth-as-napkin establishments of Seattle, it's starting to get trite. But that is not my real issue with this place. - Excerpt: Yelp Review about Staple and Fancy Mercantile, Ballard

Some reviews have severely damaged any chance of businesses making things right if they did do wrong.  Many business owners try to fight back.  Consider another example.  Scott Parker of Denver, Colorado even took a stab at who these Yelpers are:

When asked - What you'd like to see less of in Denver from a culinary standpoint, he replied:

Amateur instant online restaurant critics -- specifically, those who write reviews for a website that rhymes with "kelp." Think about it: They review a McDonald's and then turn around and review Mizuna. I just imagine bored, jobless layabouts with not many friends who are convinced that they're going to have a bad time before they even step through the door of a joint. The kicker is, you can't respond to these inbreds and try to educate, or at least explain, why some things happen the way they happen. Have a little fun, for chrissakes. Loosen up when you go out, and let me be the stress ball in the kitchen busting my ass for twelve-plus hours trying to make you the best food I can.

- blogs.westword.com Nov. 2010

Some owners take the opportunity to find the humor in the awful reviews.  My personal favorite is Zach Bolotin, owner of Porchlight Coffee, Capitol Hill:

 

How do you get credible reviews, call out things that truly need to be fixed and still have an appetite for what a business is offering?  Hard problem to solve.  Perhaps there are better ways to qualify reviewers by topic and actual expertise.  Additionally, what can business owners do to turn people's opinions around when the bad reviews are still up and visible on Yelp?

What do you think?

 

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Little black box deconstructed #sweetsurprise

 

A sweet surprise delivered directly from Paris :)

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The most fantastic wedding video I have EVER seen :)

Seriously, this looks like it was so fun to make!  What a fantastic keepsake that everyone had a part in.

joya and emre | wedding music video from David Robin on Vimeo.

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DRY Soda Savor the Flavor Tour Launch Party #drytour

Keep an eye out becuase you may soon see the DRY Soda Tasting Truck  touring your neighborhood soon.  This past Monday (5/2/11), DRY Soda hosted a little party.  I got to check out their truck and tasted a few of their DRY Soda flavors.  The highlight was the creative DRY Soda cocktails!

Can't wait for the truck to hit Seattle in full force.  I also heard that there might soon be an phone app that will help you find the closest spot to buy DRY Soda.  Want to know where the DRY Soda Tasting Truck is headed next?  Find DRY on Facebook, Twitter and Yelp .

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Downtown Seattle and it's many food spots were full of @SakuraCon characters this weekend

 

This weekend Seattle's Washington State Convention & Trade center was host to Sakura-con, the oldest and most well attended anime convention in the Pacific Northwest, now in its 14th year. There were plenty of attendees in costume.  It was fantastic to see such creativity and all were ready to show it off.

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Marination Station (@curb_cuisine) is open for business!

It was opening weekend for Marination Station in Capitol Hill Seattle this past weekend.  The location is great, but also a little quirky.  Marination Station makes it home on the corner of Broadway and Pike above the QFC grocery store.  

It also happens to be next door neighbors to a most baffling Chinese restaurant, Little Shanghai.  Baffling because that place has been open for years,is never busy and yet somehow it's still around...just a bit suspicious.

 

Unlike its neighbor however, Marination Station is going to have no problems staying busy.  I had the chance to stop in this weekend to check it out.

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Inside are a few nice touches, like the quotes on the fridge.

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And of course, Kamala Saxton (one of the owners) was there front and center!

You should know by now that I am a vegetarian, although I can appreciate how mouthwatering meat dishes look.  I can say first hand that the Sexy Tofu Tacos and the Kimchi Fried Rice were full of flavor!  As for the meat options, I got a couple of quotes from a few anonymous carnivores:

"These [Kalbi beef tacos] are so good! Are you sure you don't want one?"

"Wow, wow! Heaven..." Referring to the Kalua Pork sliders.

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