Chiu on This

Quick tip

There's good dim sum to be had at the House of Hong in the International District of Seattle (409 8th Av. S., 206-622-7997).  This is where my family had lunch after returning from our Alaska cruise (and after my wonderful donut breakfast).  It was a relief for all of us to eat good Chinese fare.  While the food on the cruise was fine overall, and quite good in some instances, it stuck firmly in the territory of American/European cuisine.  So even though I still felt like I was bobbing on the seas, I was able to enjoy dishes like an excellent turnip cake - not the pasty mush you often get in Chinese restaurants, but one where you could see, feel, and taste the shredded turnips, fried to a golden crisp on the outside but tender yet intact on the inside.

Afterwards, head over to the Uwajimaya Village Plaza at 600 6th Avenue South.  You could walk off your meal while meandering through the Kinokuniya bookstore, stock up on provisions in the supermarket, or continue noshing in the food court.

Double dipping

Before heading off to San Francisco, I thought I'd add another entry from my recent Seattle / Alaska trip.  Typically, I try not to go to the same restaurant twice, just so I can sample more of what's out there.  I broke the rule on this trip not once but twice.

First, I had breakfast twice at Lola (cf my entry on donuts), 2000 4th Av. @ Virginia.  The second time around, I was intrigued by the "big breakfast" description - octopus braised in red wine served with pork belly and a fried egg.  Big breakfast indeed!  I should have been tilling the fields or mining for coal after such hearty fare.  The octopus and pork belly were both superbly tender and swimming in a flavorful broth with lots of parsley and garlic and red potatoes.  Crusty slices of bread made for a better accompaniment than the fried egg, which had no absorbent powers and little flavor to contribute.  You could serve this dish at any mealtime, but offering it up for breakfast was an inspired notion.  It no longer mattered that only snacks would be provided on the JetBlue flight back home.

Donuts for breakfast

As my weeklong vacation was coming to a close, I decided I may as well continue to indulge myself with donuts for breakfast.  After returning from our Alaska cruise, my parents headed off to one hotel with their tour group while my sister and I headed to the Hotel Andra, a relatively new hotel that looked posh but cozy on its website and delivered on that promise.

We checked in, and I took a look at the room service menu.  Lola, right smack dab next to the hotel, had a number of delectable looking items on the breakfast menu.  Back down we went, even though we'd already planned to have dim sum in the International District with the folks.  But who knew when that would be?  We'd had breakfast on the ship, but that had been two hours ago!

Can't hardly wait

I am heading out to Seattle tomorrow, the point of embarkation for a family vacation, a cruise to Alaska. But uppermost in my mind the past few days is this thought - I can once again get CLAM HASH.

The clam hash at the Athenian Inn in Pike Place Market is one of the most memorable and delectable dishes I've eaten.  I've had it twice, once in 2000 and then in 2003, and I've recommended it to anyone I know who's headed to Seattle.  Here again my descriptive powers fail me (I never claimed to be a food critic), but what you'll encounter when you order the clam hash is a heaping helping of crisped potatoes and chopped clams redolent with rosemary, with thick slices of bacon lying atop the hash.  Eggs don't make an appearance and are really beside the point.  With a piping hot cup o' joe, a view of the bay, and nothing but time on my hands, this will be a nice way to move into relaxation mode.