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!

Ballard Farmer's Market and Lunch at Macleod's

A few weeks ago, we checked out the farmer's market in Ballard for the first time. I was a little bit disappointed by the size and lack of variety, but, hey, I'm thankful that we can even go to a farmer's market in winter! Despite the rain and limited market offerings, Ballard is as charming as ever.

Fairly small market

Awesome floral flavored sodas!

Gorgeous Piopinni mushrooms

Purple broccolini

There were a lot of delicious but pricey eateries around the market. Macleod's was in our price range, and the Scottish seaside ambiance really caught our attention. 

Macleod's

Cute interior

The fish and chips were spot on and the fish tacos were light and citrusy. We liked that the scotch egg came with tasty accoutrements, but I happen to know that eggs past their prime tend to have a flat bottom like this one. I'll let that pass this time. ;-)

Scotch egg with pickled vegetables and cheese

Proper fish and chips

Fish tacos

Scenes from a Typical Work Day in Seattle

 As bad as the traffic is, we feel very lucky to spend some extra time together chatting in the car, listening to music or NPR, and taking in the scenery.

On a clear day, we can see Mount Rainier looming in the distance.

View of Mount Rainier as we drive towards downtown

As we approach the exit to Mike's office, we are reminded by the Space Needle that we really do work in Seattle now.

Space Needle and South Lake Union

I work in the area of Seattle that doesn't get any love on postcards, but the business and industrial activities here defined the city long before Amazon and Google came into town.

Plane parts being transported by rail in the Industrial District

The train tracks run between my office and the Starbucks HQ.

Coffee break at the Starbucks HQ

Exploring Bothell

Several weeks ago, we continued our exploration of potential neighborhoods to settle down in. As I started working, we've realized that we need to live closer to the city to alleviate our arduous commute. Several co-workers live in the Bothell area and really enjoy it. It's still north of Seattle but not as far north as we are and a bit to the east.

What's surprising about Bothell was the emphasis on the city's history. It may have been a coincidence that we happened to pick out places that were a blast from the past.

We set out for lunch on Main Street and found it cute and not crowded. It looks like the city will be doing a two-phase revitalization project on Main Street to make it more bustling. That would be fantastic as we're always looking for a parking- and pedestrian-friendly area to walk around on the weekend.

Cute mural advertising Woodland Park Zoo (not in Bothell but in north Seattle)

There were a couple restaurants to choose from, but since we haven't had Thai food since moving here, we settled on Pen Thai. The food was pretty decent but not a restaurant I would go out of my way for.

Pad See Ew with Beef

Sweet and Sour Chicken

Before leaving Main Street, we walked down to the bakery to pick up some sweets for an afternoon treat at home.

Hillcrest Bakery on Main Street 

Since it was a rare non-rainy day, we headed to the Park at Bothell Landing. This park is really cool as there's a trail that runs along the Sammamish River, and it has a few historic buildings that you can tour, including the first schoolhouse in Bothell built in 1885!

Trail along the Sammamish River

Sleeping ducks

Bridge over Sammamish River

1893 William Hannan House and 1895 School House

After a nice walk in the park, we checked out antiques at the Country Village. It's a themed outdoor shopping center filled with antique shops, boutiques, and chickens running amok!

We bought a couple packets of loose leaf tea from a boutique and had our own afternoon tea back at home to finish up our day!

Treats from Hillcrest Bakery

We enjoyed Bothell and think that the neighborhood is really livable! It's definitely on our list of options!

Constantly in Starbucks's Shadow

Love it or hate it, Starbucks has become an international force dominating the coffee and now tea scene. Mike and I aim to try out different cafes here as Seattle is known for great coffee that isn't tied to Starbucks, but we'll make an exception when Starbucks-addicted friends and family visit. Our first visitor was my sister-in-law who happens to be the biggest Starbucks fan I know. The first thing we did when she landed was head to the Starbucks Reserve Roastery for lunch. This isn't the original Starbucks, which is located at 1912 Pike St, but it is where they roast rare beans in small batches, test out new beverages that have not yet been rolled out to regular Starbucks stores, and chat with customers about the different ways to brew coffee and the different flavor notes of each Starbucks Reserve bean.

This place is beautiful.

The grand entrance

Serious Pie inside of the Starbucks Reserve

Roasted Brussel Sprouts, Pear, Hazelnuts, and Black Trumpet Aioli

Soft Eggs, Prosciutto, and Arugula Pizza

Starbucks Reserve Beans 

Siphon flight in progress ($22 for 2)

Beans that get refilled through the pipes

The downstairs tasting room

Bags that don't meet the weight standards are pushed into the barrel

After a delicious lunch at Serious Pie, we walked around, took in the rich smell around us, and tucked into our comfy chairs with our smoked butterscotch latte with milk produced by Serious Pie. Yes, it's over-the-top. I felt so special drinking this test-run latte, but it debuted this week at all locations! However, I doubt that your latte contains milk that is specially made by Serious Pie, ha! It's actually the least sweet latte I've had at Starbucks. The smokiness is very pronounced. 

Smoked Butterscotch Lattes

Being a wide-eye tourist, I talked myself into buying some of these much hyped about "rare" beans. We got into a detailed conversation with a barista about the beans that have the least acidity and still taste awesome. The Guatemala from Monte David is the least acidic of the reserve roasts that will be rolled out en masse soon, but the Tanzania Mt. Meru has some acidity and is the most exclusive roast that will never be mass produced. I had to take home a small bag of each, and they're indeed delicious and true to the flavors described by the barista.

Low acidity roasts

As unique as this particular Starbucks is, Seattleites can't feel special for long. Apparently, they plan to open more Reserve locations throughout the U.S. soon - Chicago, Los Angeles, New York City, San Francisco, and Washington D.C. :-/

Weeks after our first visit to the Reserve, I got a job in the SoDo area (south of downtown), and my office just happens to be right behind the Starbucks corporate headquarters. 

View of Starbucks Corporate HQ from my office

What to do but to celebrate at the Reserve again with a mole mocha!

Mole Mocha - espresso with milk, smoked chocolate sauce, sesame, and chiles