Jack's Fishspot - Seattle - Blandest Fish on the Wet Coast

World's most fabulous is not the adjective I would use for Jack's Bland Fishspot.

We decided to pop down to Seattle for a few days to break up the baby monotony and visit some friends.  There are a few things we do without fail in Seattle, provided it isn't raining, and Pike's Place is one of them.  We go often enough that we aren't 'those' tourists who are taking pictures of the Romanescu and Artichokes in the vegetable stalls and not buying anything.  We go for the great fresh food and baked goods.  That's what we thought anyway when I suggested Jack's Fishspot for lunch.  I love the idea of a diner like fish diner attached to a Fish Monger.  Wonderful!  Too bad the guys don't do the fish justice.

We ordered the Regular Fish and Chips and a couple of Fish Taco's.  First thing to note was that did not do a traditional Beer Batter or Batter at all for that matter.  They did a Breadcrumb coating.  I find that a bit of a cheat/lazy/safe cop-out.  They don't want to risk having a bad batter or making the batter so they go for the 'fool-proof' crispy coating.  Now, you might expect that at Long John Silver's but not at at Fish Monger's fish joint.  To add insult to injury, they over cooked it.  The crumb was far too dark and tasted a tad burnt, which is all we tasted.  It was BLAND BLAND BLAND.  There wasn't a microscopic speck of seasoning anywhere on that plate, not even on the fries.  As well, when they tell you 3 pieces, you think, score! but alas, no, they are the size of chicken nuggets.  Boo!  Why? Because they don't have enough fish??


Then there were the Fish Taco's.  Again, covered in the over cooked Breadcrumb coating and equally BLAND and TASTELESS.  The Tortillas were tasteless, the Salsa was tasteless, the Fish was tasteless. It was layers upon layers of BLANDNESS.  Just awful.

Found a hair in my BLAND fish and chips - Jacks Fishspot

Did you think I was done?  Nope.  So at first, I was also quite excited about the fries which were skin-on, fresh cut and fried to order.  Apart from the lack of Salt, THERE WAS THE HAIR!  There was a wavy red hair on top of my fries.  I saw it as I splashed some Tobasco onto my fish.  Much like the hair of the dude with the crazy, unnetted hair behind the till!!!!  So I pointed it out to the dude cooking and he apologized and offered to make an entirely new plate.  Well, I thought that was very nice except when he came to our table with lightning speed with what I AM SURE was our original plate with the hair extracted.  The Fries where not piping hot as they were (because he just stalled for a few minutes instead of making new ones) and the Fish that I had already splashed with Tobasco were still there.  BOOOOOOOO!!!!!  Served along side this very disappointing lunch? was pre-made, store bought, packaged Tartar sauce.  Shameful.

Layers of BLANDNESS Fish Tacos #Jacksfishspot

Please do yourself a favour and give this place a miss if you find yourself needing a nosh.  Head a few doors down and get a nice bowl of Chowder instead at the Deli near the Seattle's Best Coffee shop or a nice Peroshky near the original Starbucks...

Jack's Fish Spot

(206) 467-0514

1514 Pike Place
Seattle, WA 98101

jacksfishspot.com

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Saturday, Jan 29th - Asian Breeze - Seattle Center - so-so Pre Opera Dinner

Coconut Prawn Pad Thai - too sweet

I bought tickets for D's birthday to Barber of Seville at the Seattle Opera.  We like the drive and visiting a bit of a bigger city vibe.  As well, the Seattle Opera has a much better venue, acoustically, than QE.  It is pricey though but luckily we were saving loads flying from there to our trip to San Fran.  It's really shocking how much cheaper those flights were actually.  That said, I will NEVER fly Alaska Airlines again.  We had a really questionable security experience, but that's for another post but ask if you like.

We had planned on going to Bizzaro Cafe for scratch made pasta but we were running late and thought it would be easier to check in and walk around the Queen Anne neighbourhood for dinner.  I was nearly turned off by over conceptualised decor but D was done walking and didn't look keen on going back to the first place I stopped in front of. :^)  Wish we had.

We were alone in the restaurant except for a single gentleman and yet, the server tried to seat us right next to him.  Other diners trickled in, all pre-opera diners.  Service was slow given the emptiness and rather inattentive.  The table next to us, seated a good spell after us, had their order taken and drinks served well before us.

Coconut Tempura Prawn - Greasy and not Coconutty

We started with the Coconut Tempura Prawn with Wasabi Mayo.  They looked and tasted like the types of prawn you might find in the frozen food section of Costco.  Butterflied and perfectly breaded but too manufactured in appearance.  Then there was the Coconut, or rather, there wasn't.  We had to concentrate like we were reading computer manuals to find the Coconut flavour.  We even called the server over to ask if there had been a mistake.  She claimed that the prawn had been marinated in coconut milk before breading and frying.  There was a very very slight perfume of Coconut, not worthy of marquee billing.  I still suspect, the prawn were store bought.  They were very greasy as well.

For a main, I ordered the Coconut Prawn Pad Thai.  The way the dish was described, I had thought the coconut milk and prawn would have been incorporated into the dish.  I was mistaken.  It was a standard Pad Thai with Coconut Tempura Prawn sat on top.  The server did not even have the courtesy to tell me that they were duplicate to the appetiser.  Very very unhappy about that.  The Pad Thai itself was far too sweet, and cloying.

7 Spice Pork Chop

D ordered the Seven Spice Pork Chop with Veg and Mash.  The Chop was rather dry and over cooked.  The mash was good.  Next time we go down, I think we may look up the road.

Cost: $$$-$$$$
Ambiance: Slick Asian, slightly too many visits to Pier 1
Service: not informative nor helpful

Asian Breeze
Queen Anne
366 Roy St
Seattle, WA 98109
(206) 285-6713

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Sunday, January 30th - Dahlia's Lounge - Belltown/Downtown - Seattle - KILLER Brunch!!

Dalia's Lounge fresh Mini Donuts

We came to Seattle for the weekend to see the Barber of Seville at the Seattle Opera.  We go in Vancouver too but sometimes there is a better line up in Seattle.  The sound is definitely better there.  It wasn't the best laid plans adjacent to San Fran but it sort of worked out in the end what with the flights from Seattle to SFO being MUCH cheaper than from Vancouver.

D has been set on trying these donuts that he saw on 'the Best Thing I Ever Ate' on TV.  It was Giada speaking about a Tom Douglas restaurant and D was convinced it was Etta's but they aren't served there so I reckoned it had to be one of the other three with girl's names.  Lola's, Dahlia's Bakery and Dahlia's Lounge all had them.  But I liked the menu better at Dahlia's Lounge than Lola's (too much meat at Lola's) and the Bakery had no seating.  I did my research on line at the hotel the night before because I get fussy with menus that I can't order off of but don't like to bother others so I plan ahead what I can manage.  We don't always remember to do that for Breakfast or Brunch when D is more likely to be tired and in need of sustenance so I planned ahead!

I thought I'd have a big breakfast and D would have the fresh donuts but it turned out he wanted us to have the donuts as dessert.  Obviously, how could I have though differently (shocked sarcasm).  As soon as we were seated, I asked if could substitute the side of bacon for the Parmesan Homefries at no extra charge.  I had warned D that if they wouldn't, I did not want to stay and I'd get an Egg Sandwhich at the adjacent Bakery instead.  I get fussier about meat biased menus on an empty stomach :^D.  They said it was cool, much to D's relief.  It was pretty cold out and he wasn't much interested in brunch hunting.

Dahlia's Lounge French Toast with Pistacio Ricotta

I had the French Toast with Cardammom Marmalade and Pistachio Ricotta with a side of Parmesan Fries.  The potatoes were fabulous.  Full baby taters, smashed as they're fried with a nice crust of Parmesan.  They did not over season due to the saltiness of the cheese which was great!!  The Ricotta was pretty melted by the time I got it but that was okay.  There was also Maple syrup so even though the Cardammom Marmalade was yummo, it seemed superflous.  I saved most of it for the donuts.  The French Toast itself was amazing.  Not too bready where the bread barely stepped at toe in the egg custard or too soggy.  Though it was well soaked with egg, it was cooked perfectly so the texture was light and crisp.  Probably the best French Toast I have had in a long time. (possibly a tie with the Elbow Room in Vancouver)

Dahlia's Lounge Eggs Benedict with Pork Loin and Scallion Hollandaise

D had the Eggs Benedict.  I asked why since Eggs 'Benny' as Vancouverites call it, are a dime a dozen in Vancouver.  D couldn't turn down the description and it's definitely a breakfast we don't make at home because of the Hollandaise.  The Eggs Benedict came with a Pork Loin with Scallion Hollandaise.  Without further prompting, D said they were the best Eggs Benedict he'd had.  The balance of the Pork, Eggs and Sauce was perfect.  The seasonining was spot on.  Worth coming back down for, I wager.

As our server came back occasionally to refill D's coffee, she asked us how we were doing with our Donut plans.  She noted our slow progress through our meals.  It's funny about brunch.  You know it doesn't sound like a lot of food.  With an empty belly, it doesn't look like a lot of food.  Then there you are with half your French Toast and a pile of Potatoes staring at you an half an hour later.  I did a good job of it.  I knew with the rest of our travel, we wouldn't be eating for several hours.  D abandoned the potatoes.  He had to parry my fork away. 

Dahlia's Lounge Mini Donut with Vanilla Marscapone Cardammon Marmalade and Cranberry Jam

We got the Donuts.  They are Fresh fried plain Dough Donuts.  They're about 2x2 inch squares.  They come served shaken  in a brown paper bag full of Sugar and Cinnamon.  They come straight from the fryer and are tossed table side.  The pour the lot on to your plate with a side of Cranberry Jam and Vanilla Marscapone.  You get six per order.  I could only have 2.  I then resorted to just having the Marscapone with my spoon.  The combination of the Marscapone and the Jam on the warm Donut was amazing.  I wouldn't have put it on my list of 'Best Fried Thing I Ever Ate' as Giada did but it was gooood. 

Cost: $$-$$$ (Breakfast/Brunch)
Ambiance: Spacious (not loud) southern restaurant, lots of wood.
Service: Friendly, helpful

Dahlia Lounge
Belltown
2001 4th Ave
Seattle, WA 98121
(206) 682-4142
www.tomdouglas.com/restaurants/dahlia...

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March 25th - Catch-up - Oct 25th - Bizarro Italian Cafe - Seattle

We went to Seattle to see and opera in October. Peeling myself away from work in October was no easy feat. I definitely did not have the time for this post when it should have gone up. Shame on me. I have my photos and my vivid taste/textural memory.

Its a 'gift' so to speak. It is why I could not eat Lobster for 10 years after having a bad one when I was 9 and why I will never have the Lebanese Tiramisu at Nuba in Gastown again. Their Cauliflour is awesome though.

I take notes sometimes if we have had many courses like at a Dim Sum but for this meal, I have a very clear recollection. I remember the couple to the right of us at the window, on a first date. She left her purse hanging on the chair when they left. Eager to get home, perhaps? I remember the two girls on a night out who tried to ask to take away their half full bottle of wine. They ordered 2 appetisers on top of the complimentary bread and salad. They had to take away their entire entrees. I cannot remember where I put my keys if I move them but if it has to do with food or wine, it is indelible.

We try to go to Seattle a few times a year to stretch our legs. Seattle Opera Company has a great line up and the venue is fabulous. We are, or rather were, members at the Vancouver Opera but the sound can vary depending on where you sit in the Queen Elizabeth. As well, I was disappointed last year when they offered two for one tickets on nights we had paid full price for. Anyhoo, that is neither here nor there. D wanted to be a regular patron otherwise there is NO opera in Vancouver. We are probably going to go show to show this year.

You know how we found this place? On the couch! Watching FoodTV's Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. The host ploughed through mountains of mouth watering handmade pasta. Dude does not take bites anymore. He shoves and wedges half a burrito or burger for 1 bite. Normally, I do not like going out for Italian since as a Vegetarian, I do not see the value in high priced pasta. That said, this gem is neither expensive nor boil and go.

We struggled to make our choices as it all looked amazing. I was tempted to go with the Forest Floor with the Chanterelles or the Capellini (Angel Hair) but in the end, went with the Puttanesca that I saw on the show. I am a sucker for Capellini but it is the one pasta that is not made in house even though everything else is freshly made, I had a hankering for handmade pasta. D, despite drooling over the Elk, went with the Gnocchi. I think he thought I would get it and he would get some but when I ordered the Linguine, he had no choice.

We are served some fresh bread with Oil and Balsamic and Green Salad when we sit. The bread was light and airy and the salad was simple but fresh. D stopped me from ordering a starter because of the portions of pasta we saw come out and I am glad he did. I had room for dessert as a result.

The Puttanesca was a mixed success for me. The handmade pasta was insanely good. It had great texture and character. The sauce was loaded with an abundance of olives and capers hugged but chunky tomatoes. That said, the sauce was a tad salty as a result of the as result of the capers and olives. I would have offset it with some butter or sugar.

The Gnocchi Cavalfiore (Gnocchi with Cauliflour in Garlic Cream sauce) was UNBELIEVEABLE. The Gnocchi was fluffy like down filled pillows. The best I have ever had. The Cauliflour added a nutty glory without screaming of its presence. The cream sauce though being a real CREAM sauce did not feel heavy at all. It was an ample portion and D had to share. Yeah, that is what I am going with. The recipe is on their website if you are already drooling.

The dessert, it goes without saying was a Tiramisu. I was stuffed silly but I have a policy. If there is real Tiramisu on the menu (not frozen or brought in) I order it. It was wonderful. Luxury, creamy and the cake was moist without being drowned in the coffee. MMMMM

It is out of the way. It is not downtown. Rather it is a 15 minute drive north of town but it was on the way back to Vancouver. There were a few wrong turns and one way roads before finding its suburban locale. Totally worth the trip!

Cost: $-$$
Ambiance: Bizarre :^D
Staff: Friendly and efficient
Location: Suburban Seattle but worth the trip

Bizarro Italian Cafe
www.bizarroitaliancafe.com
1307 North 46th Street
Seattle, WA
98103
USA
206)632-7277

Sunday, September 6th - Bumbershoot in Rainy Seattle - Pike Place Piroshki

We spent LabOUR day weekend in Seattle at the Bumbershoot Music festival. It really is much more than that and I'll be more prepared next year. There are loads of comedy, arts, film and other shows. That said, on the gated off Seattle Centre grounds, is your typical Fair Ground foods. We, therefore, did wander off to get food when we could. For breakfast, we went to Pike Place. My favourite portable food in Seattle is the fresh fresh Piroshky across the road to Pike place. They're fabulous. The dough is rolled right there on the spot and filled with a variety of fillings. I was tempted to try something new with a carrot and saurkraut but went to the puffy, mushroom one that came from the onion while I was standing in line! I highly recommend you go there if you're visiting.

Piroshky Piroshky
www.piroshkybakery.com
1908 Pike Pl
Seattle, WA 98101-1013, United States
(206) 441-6068



For dinner, it was your typical group maylay. For most of the day D and I wandered around on our own. For dinner we met up with our five other friends. Two of us had already eaten and yet for some flipping reason we were following them around the dark cold streets of Belltown. Hello? I had suggested a place near our hotel in Queen Anne, which incidentally was also closer to the place the other three people were staying. But M, who was staying in Belltown, winced when I suggested that. Hello? After arriving at a DIVE across from M and J's hotel, I put my foot down and said I'm not walking any further. When we walked into the Panther Room, across the fucking corner from M and J's hotel, I was pissed off. It was supposed to be our one nice dinner out and here we are. all us far from where we're staying except for the couple who is not eating. Fucked up!

I was not impressed by the divey black walls lined with ceramic tigers and panthers and the sticky menus covered with burgers. I was ready to walk out. D had to calm me down. He offered to buy me dinner.

So the tough, inked bartender comes over to tell us the waiter is leaving so he'd take our order. Despite his intimidating appearance, he was very nice and very professional. Poor D had a really pathetic looking chicken quesadilla. I had a pretty nice dish, surprising! It was a vegetarian ravioli with roasted corn and tomatillo filling topped with Mexican cheese. It was a little too rich but the flavour was very nice. The bar itself was gross. Once side looked like a biker bar and the other side looked like TGIFriday's. It was bizarre. We guessed it was because of a recent combination of two separate businesses that didn't bother to redecorate. Weird.

I had a Sagelands Merlot. Not bad. I don't recommend the place for dinner, perhaps lunch.

D and I sped walked to our hotel in the rain. No cabs! WTF! I should have pushed more for the place near ours or closer to the Seattle Centre. We moved on from the first place because it looked blah and ended up at the Panther Room, WTF?! Can you tell from my cursing that I wasn't happy? I didn't twitter about it since one of my friends with us follows me. It totally wasn't DJ's fault though. He was playing the happy, go with the flow guy since he was the common element in the gang.

Had some Boom Boom Syrah to relax with in the room.