Restaurants by Lake Washington Showdown

There are so many options to dine by the water in Seattle. The question is which waterfront do you want to check out? There are several bodies of water around here, and we have mainly explored Lake Washington thus far.

Seattle had its restaurant week in late April, and we picked a restaurant based on the midway point between our work and our friends in Redmond.

I remembered Kirkland as a well-to-do neighborhood. It's still highbrow but, I didn't expect the area around Bin on the Lake to be pretty and relaxing too!

We strolled around the park by the restaurant  before dinner and poked fun at the parade of fancy people arriving by boat to eat at the various restaurants near the dock.

View of Lake Washington from the park at Carillon Point

A good way to avoid traffic if you can afford it!

View from Bin on the Lake

The restaurant week menus were a bit disappointing at all of the participating restaurants because they were very similar by cuisine and you can tell that they were heavy on the filler or common ingredients - tons of pasta, chicken, flat iron steaks, and salmon. Bin on the Lake was one of the few that stood out to me because it was seafood-centric and the desserts weren't just "choose a sorbet flavor."

I'm not an oyster fanatic, but apparently our friend recognized the kind of oysters that we got as the appetizer just by looking at them. I was very impressed, Bing!

Mignonettes with red wine vinegar

Mike definitely isn't an oyster person, so he opted for a very warming carrot bisque.

Charred baby carrot bisque with preserved lemon crema, carrot greens, and crispy prosciutto

The main course dishes were very well done but on the small side. However, after finishing all three courses, we felt sufficiently full. The restaurant week portions are definitely the "shared" appetizer portions on their regular menu, so the $30 meal per person is almost the same as ordering 3 "shared" dishes on a regular day. But regardless of how much of a deal restaurant week actually is, we enjoyed celebrating friendship and breaking up the work week with delicious food!

Wagyu flat iron steak with miso glazed potatoes, braising greens, and black garlic demi

Pan seared scallops with braised oxtail, brown butter parsnips,

chanterelle mushrooms, and arugula

A tip for future Bin on the Lake customers, get the doughnuts and skip the skimpy cheese plate!

Cheese plate

Ricotta doughnut holes with lavender sugar and caramel

We had another great dinner by Lake Washington after work recently because Mike had an off-site meeting in the Leschi neighborhood. We have never been in the area and were surprised at how pretty it was as well! Bin on the Lake is on the east side of the lake and looks towards University of Washington with the Olympic mountain range in the distance while Bluwater Bistro is on the west side of the lake and looks towards Bellevue and Mercer Island. It also has an awesome view of Mount Rainier!

View of Mount Rainier from Bluwater's parking lot!

View of downtown Bellevue

Happy hour appetizers here are pretty awesome! I never liked American-Chinese crab rangoon but Bluwater's are so delicious!

Dungeness crab and cream cheese wontons

 with mango coulis and Thai sweet chili sauce

 The clams are simple and fresh.

Steamed local manila clams

The main course dishes are also very well done. I love it when the sides are not just an afterthought.

Fish and chips

Parmesan crusted rockfish with herb roasted red potatoes and sautéed green beans

Overall, I think Bluwater wins in terms of food, portions, price, service, and view, but Bin on the Lake focuses on more elevated dishes and it's still a great option!

Spring 2010 Austin Restaurant Week: Perla's

Perla's

I wasn't sure what to expect on my first visit to Perla's.  To tell you the truth, I had great doubts about seafood at this trendy joint.  Well, Perla's turned out to be my second favorite Restaurant Week venue!

The yumminess started with a basket of delicious corn-filled hush puppies.  I usually dislike hush puppies, but these were exceptional.

Hush Puppies filled with corn kernels

The shrimp and roasted tomato bisque started me off on such a high note than I almost forgot about my mid-term troubles.  There was so much depth and flavor.  It had just the right amount of tang from the tomato and wasn't heavy.  The grilled cheese sandwich was adorable and absolutely scrumptious when dipped into the bisque.  Can I have seconds, please?

Shrimp and Roasted Tomato Bisque with Creme Fraiche and a Grilled Cheese Sandwich

The dish that convinced me that I simply couldn't miss out on Perla's during Restaurant Week was the lobster roll.  The lobster roll is $28 on the regular menu.  However, for Restaurant Week, you can have a 3 course dinner and a side dish to share with your dining companion for $35.  This was certainly the time to try the lobster roll!  I regretted ordering the fries instead of the daikon slaw with my lobster.  I can get fries anywhere, but not really daikon slaw.  The lobster roll was AMAZING.  I was afraid that they were going to scrimp on the lobster meat and mask the freshness of the lobster with globs of mayo.  The meat was plentiful, the mayo to lobster ratio was fine, and the finely chopped onions in the lobster-mayo mixture sharpened the creamy flavor.  The garlicky drawn butter was a nice touch too.

Lobster Roll with Fries

Lobster Roll

The baked shells and cheese was good comfort food.  This was one other reason why I should've ordered the daikon slaw with the lobster instead of the fries.  Carbs overload!

Baked Shells and Cheese Side

The blueberry shortcake was a perfect ending to the felicitous meal.  I strolled out of the restaurant dazed from an amazing dinner.

Wild Blueberry Shortcake with Creme Fraiche Ice Cream, Toasted Almonds, and Thyme

Cravin' for Cajun: Gumbo's and Shoal Creek Saloon

Our boss at work took us to Gumbo's for lunch, and I realized just how much I miss Cajun food. Crawfish, gumbo, jambalaya...quick get me a napkin I'm slobbering just writing these words! I can't blame being in China for this deprivation. Austin is lacking in good Louisiana cookin' in general. It's not often I can afford to eat at Gumbo's everytime I crave it.

I sat down, scanned the menu quickly and ordered the trout Michael, which is trout in a cream sauce with crawfish and a side of jamalaya.

I must have forgotten my manners and ate like a madwoman because my boss asked, "Don't they have anything close to jambalaya or gumbo in China since it's a rice dish?" Rice dishes, sure...there are plenty...but nothing this heavy with flava!

Trout Michael with Jambalaya

The next day, I drove by Shoal Creek Saloon, and saw the words "Duck Gumbo" painted on the side of their building, and pulled into their parking lot without even thinking. My instincts took over...Must eat duck gumbo...inexpensive Cajun food...good... I walked onto the patio in a trance and ordered a bowl of the duck gumbo and a seafood platter of fried catfish and fried crawfish.

Shoal Creek Saloon

I've never been to Shoal Creek Saloon, but I've driven past this place countless times. Unfortunately, that day was likely my last visit. The food was not memorable. Not even the smoked duck in the gumbo could lure me back. The roux of the gumbo tasted burnt and the breading of the catfish and crawfish had none of the flava that usually knocks me off my chair in a real Cajun meal.

Nope, I suppose my search for less expensive Louisiana fare is still on-going.

Duck Gumbo

Fried Catfish, Crawfish, Cole Slaw, and Beans

How Do I Afford to Eat Out?

A good friend of mine asked me that question about a month ago. Well, I appear to afford to eat out as much as this blog shows because I post about food from a long span and condense it into 2008 and 2009. For example, all my posts about food abroad were from a collection of experiences from 2006. I actually started this blog in 2009 but dated some, but not all, 2008 stuff as 2008.

I also pinch and save some money for my eating expenditures and keep to eating lunches instead of dinners when I go out.

When traveling, I eat canned food, ramen noodles, and pizza in the hotel room for dinner. The coffee maker in the hotel room is my friend. I always bring packets of Quaker cereal, chamomile tea, and Cup o' Noodles so that I can get hot breakfast and some dinners covered at the minimum fixed cost. I also carve out time grocery shopping at local markets for local products or region-specific imports, park my car in a state park, and picnic in my rental car. That way, you can do better than $40 a day when you average out your vacation days.

So note: The coffeemaker can be used to heat up food, and the free ice and ice bucket can be used as a small fridge.

Pizza from Pizza Hut; $2 canned yummy seafood imported from Spain makes a great side dish for a bowl of ramen in the hotel room

2 Jumbo Stone Crab Claws (as big as they get) for $21.89 total from the grocery store vs. at a restaurant for"market price" + 15-20% tip

crab claw + box of sushi = an affordable seafood meal (considering how the claw is really a luxury item)

Sharing a to-go Cuban Sandwich and a whole fried red snapper from La Carreta (12 Crandon Blvd, Key Biscayne, FL 33149) at a scenic highway rest area in Key Biscayne.

Drinking mango juice imported from Guatemala and coconut water from I forget where both at 3 boxes for $0.99. Hell yeah.

El Siboney

Mom read about El Siboney's Paella Valenciana before our trip, so I made sure to call in an order of paella for two the morning we arrived in Key West. El Siboney is located in a residential neighborhood, away from the touristy bars near Mallory Square. Be patient with all the one way streets when finding your way to El Siboney. It's well worth the maze.

El Siboney

The toasted and buttered Cuban bread was simple and delicious. It was hard to restrain ourselves from eating more than half a piece because we knew an impossible amount of food awaited us. The fried plantains were ok. I didn't bother to eat more than 2 pieces because I knew I would be eating them elsewhere during my stay in Miami.

Cuban Bread and Fried Plantains

There was a hush in the restaurant as the waiter brought over our paella. We were the only table that ordered it, and we were damn proud that we did. The paella for 2 was more like paella for 6! It had dark and white meat chicken, a ton of shrimp (almost one shrimp per spoonful of paella), and a whole lobster tail. The key lime juice gave the paella a refreshing citrus taste. The rice was fluffy, flavorful, and just the right amount of savoryness. We ate 1/3 of the bowl and boxed the rest for a late night dinner back in our hotel in Miami.

Paella Valenciana

Joe's Stone Crab

I apologize for neglecting my blog for more than a week. I've been vacationing in Miami and the Keys!

Remember when I challenged Florida to knock Hong Kong's Rainbow Seafood Restaurant off its pedestal for best seafood? Well, Miami seafood restaurants are formidable competitors. I thoroughly enjoyed eating my way through the city and surrounding areas, but I couldn't sustain the high prices of Miami dining establishments; even affordable Cuban restaurants became taxing on my vacation budget. I ended up eating pizza, ramen noodles, and cold lunch leftovers in the hotel room for dinners so I can prowl for less expensive gourmet lunches.

The one time I had dinner at a restaurant in Miami was on my first night at the famous Joe's Stone Crab at the southern tip of South Beach. We headed to the restaurant around 6:00 PM, and got a table quite easily. By the time they brought the bread basket over, the place was packed.

Joe's Stone Crab

The bread basket is a delight. I'm all about variety, and this little basket hit the spot. The oregano and sesame dusted croissant roll ("roll" because it's only shaped like a croissant but had none of he flakeyness of a croissant) and the onion rye roll were exciting to eat, which is uncommon for dinner rolls at most establishments. Don't get me started on the recycled, stale rolls that accompany your entree and is charged when you take a bite in Vienna!

Oregano and Sesame Seed Dusted Croissant Roll, Onion Rye Roll, and others

I've read that some people don't think stone crabs are worth the prices at Joe's so I felt like ordering 7 Select Stone Crab Claws at $37 was mighty risky. I didn't regret it one bit. I love crab, and usually fresh dungeness meat puts a smile on my face. I nearly sprained my face when I took my first bite of the stone crab claw. If it weren't for the exhorbitant prices, I would have an insatiable appetite for these babies. The stone crab claw meat is firmer than the dungeness. The stone's little fibers of flesh are more compact, but the meat isn't tough because of its creamy, buttery taste and texture. Obviously it takes little preparation to dress up fresh stone crab claws, but Joe's mustard sauce enhances the sweetness and creaminess of the meat. I knew that if I were to repeat any dish in Miami, it would be these claws.

7 Select Stone Crab Claws (choice of 8 medium, 7 select, 5 large, or 5 jumbo) with Mustard Sauce

Most of the diners focused their dinners on the cold seafood platters. I saw no point in doing the same when I can go to a seafood market in Florida and order a bunch of cooked & chilled fresh seafood for half the price. The Lobster Macaroni and Cheese appealed to me because I like high-end takes on comfort food. I expected measley amounts of lobster meat...Yes, I'm very much a glass-half-empty person. Well, my mistake; I think they used a whole lobster tail! Mmmmmmmm. Mom and I couldn't finish this dish because we could barely finish her cioppino. We ended up eating cold lobster mac & cheese for breakfast the next morning! Decadent and delicious! For a heavy dish, the execution was light. The macaroni could easily get bogged down by the bechamel, but the crunch from the toasty bread crumbs helped to mitigate the strong taste of the cheese.

Lobster Macaroni and Cheese

I forced mom to order the Seafood Cioppino because it was a way for us to have a cooked seafood sampler that actually tests the establishment's cooking more than a chilled seafood platter. You can only critique a chilled seafood platter's freshness and the restaurant's presentation...maybe the number of lemon slices provided? C'mon.

The cioppino was awesome. It contained stone crab claws, mussels, shrimp, a Florida lobster tail, grouper, and clams. I enjoyed sucking the flesh off of the stone crab claws from the cioppino because the meat is puffed from the added juices of the broth. This definitely rivaled my seafood meal in Hong Kong. You can tell that it took the chef substantial time and effort to make this dish by the depth of flavor in the tomato broth. I can't seem to think of the English word for this nuanced taste at the moment, but it can best be described in Chinese as 鲜 (xian1). Zhongwen.com fails to provide an accurate English synonym: savory, fresh, rare, clear, distinct....maybe all of those words rolled into one.

Seafood Cioppino-Stone crab claws, mussels, grouper, shrimp, and Florida lobster tail in a spicy tomato broth