Category: Restaurants

Smelt fries at Salt & Iron in Edmonds, WA

On By Terry ChristophersonIn Food and drink, Happy Hour, RestaurantsLeave a comment

One late night, some forty years ago, after working the swing shift at the Brazier sawmill in Molalla, Oregon, a few of us guys drove to Troutdale to dip-net for smelt. For a few brief days the rivers near the Columbia are alive with these small, silver fish, the river sparkled as if filled with silver sequins; the best smelting is done at night. If memory serves me correctly the thrill of the chase, male testosterone, and probably a brew or two, resulted in quantities caught that would not have pleased the game warden, had they checked, thankfully they did not.


Salt & Iron, in Edmonds, Washington, is a favorite restaurant thanks to an ever changing menu reflecting the local and the creative. Saturday they had smelt fries on the menu, from Oregon – I am sure from Troutdale (it’s my story and I am sticking to it). There was no choice, I was having Smelt Fries & Chips, the British rendering of fries did not escape me at all. It was perfect.

Smelt taste like fish, they are “fishy”, delicate breading will not hold up, Salt & Iron did it right, prefect balance of fish and bread. The chips, well I defy you to find any that are better.

Chips, Fries, are a personal thing, please do not come to my table and gleefully offer me “steak fries”, they are little more that soggy wedges of potato, without copious amounts of some sauce they are completely inedible – they render any meal less enjoyable. Good fries must be crisp, placid potatoes should be mashed not served, the centers should be moist and soft – the world standard is Belgium. In general the thinner the cut the better as it allowes for quick cooking resulting in the required crispiness.

Salt & Iron has perfect fries, a glass of Pilsner and a plate of their fries would make for a delightful afternoon. Matched with the smelt fries it was comfort food at its best.

A restaurant that makes you look forward to the next visit has done it all as it should be, we will be back, and most likely not soon enough.

Brimmer & Heeltap, a new favorite

On By Terry ChristophersonIn Been there - places, Food and drink, Restaurants, WineLeave a comment

My short list of favorite restaurants is a moving target. Sunday we found a new contender, Brimmer & Heeltap, in Seattle. Yes that is the real name, not sure the history but do plan to find out as there is another visit already on the radar.
Small, intimate, rustic, and fresco dining, everything it takes for a perfect environment. Jen, the owner and founder got it right. Her bio says she knows the industry, but her real talent is that she is the perfect hostess, we felt like family, no more than that, we knew we were welcome and valued.
One of the tests of a stellar resturantuar is the ability to extend your passion through your staff, our server Lauren, matched Jen’s sense of hospitality. She is an artist, and took time to show us some of her work, which I find amazing, as well as she took an interest in my sketches. 

In the end of course it is about the food, and we were impressed.

Of course started with bubbles, and to go with them we had Tapioca Puff Chips, with chili-lime sauce. They could sell these by the bag and I would give up potato chips for a long time. Light, a bit picante, with the promised lime – my kind of snack.

Tricia ordered the scallops, not a big surprise. They came with a Poblano Aioli, but not just a glob of mayonnaise – the aioli was applied with air injected, making it light and airy, amazing.

My steak, well I don’t remember one that I have enjoyed more, it appeared to be a fillet mignon, cooked perfect, with sautéed oyster mushrooms and micro greens on the side. Thank you Lauren and Jen, we will be back, soon, Saturday I think.

Getting through the chaos-food, wine, friends, and Tricia

On By Terry ChristophersonIn Been there - places, Food and drink, Happy Hour, On the road, Restaurants, thewinesketcher, Trips and travelLeave a comment

Taking a break this morning to reflect on the things that get me through the challenges. I have been on over 20 flights in the last 11 weeks, thankfully none this last week. On the week-ends we pretend to be contractors, doing the repair work left us by our anniversary week-end flood in December – Wainscoting, painting, repairing sheetrock, installing a cabinet, ceramic tile, etc.

IMG_1947Two weeks ago I was in the Holiday Inn next to Disney, in Anaheim. It is a short walk to Downtown Disney, and Catal Restaurant. Upstairs at Catal is a quiet oasis in the chaos. A glass of wine, bacon wrapped dates, calamari, and of course pen, ink, and paint, made for a nice break from the travel.
IMG_1948The next week I had Asian Meatballs and broccoli, in Sirachi sauce at Niki and Joe’s in Newberg. We finished the evening with a we dram of Laphroaig, and my first game of Catan. I slept well on the hide-a-bed, visited by Nuli, their way too cute kitten.

Last weekend Tim came up, a good excuse to put the construction on hold, and instead too much food, some good discussions, and a bit of guitars and singing.

Thursday night of this week Tricia and I went to Daniels for Happy Hour. Just what we needed before this weekend of the final push in the basement.

These breaks make it possible to go on, food and friends have always been part of what we humans need for rejuvenation in the midst of challenges. I am so grateful.

Five Days on the Road, Day 2

On By Terry ChristophersonIn Been there - places, Food and drink, On the road, RestaurantsLeave a comment

Woke up in the Rodeway Inn just a bit after 5.00am, pretty normal. It is Super Tuesday in the 2016 presidential primary circus, so I spent a lot of time reading the news while sipping Earl Grey tea out of a cup I carry with me so as to avoid paper cups in hotel rooms; a bit of normalcy makes for easier travel.

Stopped off at Starbucks, a place I have a love-hate relationship with. The coffee is not what I really like, but there is the convenience factor that wins out on the road. Read a bit more news, watched the morning parade of coffee drinkers in West Sacramento.

West Sacramento is not much like its namesake to the East. Frankly it is a bit dodgy, not really a bad place but like my yard after a windstorm, lots of branches and leaves that need to be picked up, deck and driveway in need of sweeping – the yard looks unkempt until we rake and sweep. In West Sacramento no one seems to clean and polish, so it looks unkempt.

I am off to teach Project Management to an association of school boards. Same organization as last week, different group of people. I am still trying to get my mind around how they plan to implement it all, but I don’t get to be involved in that process. Good news is that they have lunch brought in, I love free food. I was told this morning that they were uncomfortable having me talk about management principle while non-managers were in room; the employees might criticize the manager for not doing it right. First time I have heard that one. Walked 6,143 steps wandering around while doing the seminar.

Changed into my jeans, and changed a flight for next week, then I walked .8 miles to O’Mally’s Irish Pub in the heart of Old Sacramento. The colcannon is calling my name, cabbage and mashed, how good is that.

I am so predictable, I ordered the banger dog – a British Banger, locally made with sauerkraut. Needing greens, I got the coleslaw instead of the fries, health food for sure.

Best part of the meal, the coleslaw, no really, it was great. I am pretty prejudice in thinking I make the best coleslaw but this was so good. The sausage was OK but nothing special and the Sierra Nevada, way over priced, last night $4, tonight $6.50. Not impressed.

Walked back to my hotel over the Tower Bridge, a pathetic attempt to build a bridge similar to its namesake in London, but that is about as far as the similarity goes. This one is painted a gaudy metallic gold, and in need of a new paint job at that. I always thought that the Steel Bridge in Portland was not a very pretty bridge, well it is wonderful compared to this. (London on the left, Sacramento on the right)

London
Sacramento

Back in the room, comfortable, and ready to wind the day down watching a bit of Netflix while keeping an eye on the primary elections.

Five Days on the Road, Day 1

On By Terry ChristophersonIn Been there - places, Food and drink, Happy Hour, On the road, Restaurants, Trips and travelLeave a comment

It’s turbulent at 30,000 feet today, Monday afternoon, on the way to Sacramento. Surrounded by Alaska Air navy blue, with complimentary MVP Gold  white wine in a plastic cup. Seat 6C, the bulkhead, is good, as much leg room as in first class, and you get your wine right away, quick deplaning.

After 22 years on the road, travel for work, any travel is different. My life has three venues, home with Tricia, Travel with Tricia, travel alone. Home and travel with Tricia are the best, travel alone is where I spend too much time.

It is a quick flight, already we are beginning to descend, the turbulence reminds me we are actually up in the air. I use the scuba divers technique to release the pressure on my ears, flight attendants are scurrying to pick up the “remaining service items.”

After 840 steps, one train, and one shuttle-bus I get to the National car rental. A silver Chevy, the exact same one I drove last week. Then 13 miles into town. Staying at the Rodeway Inn just a few blocks from the Sacramento Rivercats baseball stadium, too bad there is no game. No Hilton hotel tonight.

My room is small, but clean and it looks recently remodeled, I have stayed in worse. I stayed here because the management responded to every comment on the website, even though it is not a fancy place they seem to be making an effort to do it as well as they can.

2016-02-29 17.44.02Across the street is a bowling alley and Cap’s Bar & Grill. Its close, and the only thing I see within walking distance except a Subway and some Chinese place. One difference between Tricia Time and my Vagabond Life is that I would not be eating here with her. In my Vagabond world I hit dive bars and drive-ins far too much.

My view is the bowling lanes, only three are being used, one looks like a dad and his little girl, cute. There is a family with a few kids, and a couple that spends more time talking than bowling. I order a Patty Melt, and a Sierra Nevada on Happy Hour. At the bar there are regulars.

Thanks to Wi-fi I watch soccer on my iPad while I eat. The sandwich is fine, it is new to the menu they tell me, it could use more salt or a savory sauce, but its not bad. I pay, then walk back to the hotel. I started to watch a documentary on Winston Churchill, but it was demanding too much thinking, will finish it later. So watched a couple of episodes of MASH, then went to bed, read a bit and lights out by about 8.00PM.

Back to Woodland, Morgan’s on Main

On By Terry ChristophersonIn Been there - places, Food and drink, Restaurants, WineLeave a comment

Woodland, CA continues to surprise me. Two weeks ago it was Maria’s Cantina, Kellie, the owner invited me back to Woodland to have dinner at her other restaurant, Morgan’s on Main. Once again I was blown away.

Brick walls and rustic wood are always a hit. The place exudes class. The staff was amazing, I arrived early just so I could check the staff out before they knew I was there to meet the owner, and even the people who were not waiting on me were friendly, I felt welcome from the time I approached the door.

But, lets get to the food! What else is there to say? Devilled eggs with candied bacon AND a Bowl of Bacon. How much better could it get?

Deviled Eggs with Candied Bacon
Bowl of Bacon

Again I let the waitress, Mel, order for me. Morgan’s is called a “Steakhouse” and they do have steak, but oh so much more. Mel brought me one of the specials, Pan seared Mahi- Mahi with Arugula Cream sauce, served with Quinoa, cherry tomatoes and zucchini. The fish was perfect, moist, with just the right crust. The Arugula sauce added color and complimented the fish just right.IMG_1939

She also brought a side of the wild-mushroom risotto. My standard for risotto is pretty high because it is my wife’s specialty, this one measured up just fine.

The biggest surprise was the liquor for dessert – I had never heard of a sweet potato liquor.  It had hints of Thanksgiving in the aroma, and was amazing.

IMG_1937I am sure I will be back to Woodland; the biggest decision will be Maria’s or Morgan’s. If you are travelling and have a lay over for an early flight, don’t stay in Sacrament, stay in Woodland, it is closer to the airport and you can enjoy a wonderful meal.

Thank you Kellie and your crew!

Woodland, CA, Maria’s Cantina, and Lu Bell

On By Terry ChristophersonIn Been there - places, Food and drink, RestaurantsLeave a comment

IMG_1920A stereotype set right, an expectation exceeded, and a wagging tail all made for a nice end to a day.

My flight out of Sacramento was at 6.40am so I booked a hotel as close as I could find to the airport, a Quality Inn in Woodland, about 10 minutes away. Coming in from Redding I figured I would grab a bite to eat, sleep, get up at 3.30am to head for the airport.

My stereotype was that Woodland was a run-down farming town, a bit like Yakima in Washington. I was wrong. Yes, there is plenty of farm and orchard related businesses on the outskirts of town, but driving through “Historic Woodland” (a label that I always embrace with suspicion), I was surprised at the actual historic charm of the place, and the number of inviting restaurants. Stereotype corrected.

Google Maps and Yelp both listed Maria’s Cantina with good reviews, and since when you are in the agriculture areas of California you can rightly expect quality Mexican food, off I went. The short version is that my expectations were exceeded.

The decor was out of a Clint Eastwood movie, I learned that was intentional. The bar was concrete, with  wood and wrought-iron shelving. The absence of tacky faux-Mexican decorations was a relief.

Haley, the bartender brought me Tecate and a lime in a frosted glass. She has worked there only a few months, but fits the place. Breaking with my norm of taking advantage of happy-hour, I read the menu, too many good choices, and prices that are really fair. I learned long ago that the best course of action in this situation is to let the server pick. I told Haley there were two rules, “Bring me anything you want, but don’t tell me before you bring it, and I will eat whatever you bring.“ Was I in for a treat. Expecting good Mexican, I got exceptional.

IMG_1921The first tip that this was a different presentation of Mexican food was that I was not warned that the plate was hot as she set it down, next it was a square white plate, not the oval brightly colored plates that clash with the color of the food, AND the food was not drowning in sauces of various descriptions; Mexican food does not have to be buried under melted cheese and salsa.

She brought me a Grilled Shrimp Diablo Taco, done in street style, Mexican rice, a Chili Verde Suisse Enchilada, and Charro Beans with bacon.

I tend to go for finger foods first, so started with the taco. It lived up to its Diablo moniker, but these folks know how to do picante, the heat did not overpower the multi-layers of flavor. Every bite was a pleasure.

The enchilada had just a hint of lime complimenting the Suisse cheese, the real bonus was that it was not swimming in Verde sauce, the sauce was a component not a masking agent. The meat was moist, another surprise. Too often enchiladas are filled with overcooked dry meat, then drowned in sauce.

Most of the time I view the beans and rice as plate fillers in Mexican restaurants, with the rice being my least favorite. I actually ate this rice. But the star of the meal was the beans, oh those beans; a plate of these Charro beans and a cervesa would make me a happy man. Beans are easy to ruin by over cooking or over seasoning, Maria’s gets it right. Some smoked chili and just a hint of bacon in the background. I must go back one day.

I was sitting at the corner of the bar, in the shadowed corner of the room, just to my right (think Clint Eastwood), at a tall table two ladies sat talking, Lu Bell was on the floor – a yellow lab wearing a bandanna around her neck. Ever since our Golden Retriever Boggy went to doggy heaven I am compelled to say hello to the retrievers that I meet. Like most retrievers Lulu figured that the whole reason I stopped by was just to see her. I discovered that Lu is the owner of Maria’s, she just lets her mom, Kellie, one of the ladies at the table, and Jeff who I met later, run the place for her.

Jeff and Kelly own a drilling company, but when they ended up owning this building they decided to open a Mexican restaurant, I am grateful that they did. Kellie told me that it was their staff, it is a wise owner that hires good people and then frees them to do what they do best. They also just opened another place called Morgan’s, a steakhouse. I must visit that on a future trip.

I really don’t remember ever having better Mexican food, and did I mention the beans?