thelawgoddess.com » epicurean

Urban Eats: 3 Courses for $30 (49 restaurants)

thelawgoddess — Thu, 07 May 2009 15:14:09 +0000

The 3-course-for-$30 trend continues with a newly-titled Seattle Times promotion and a host of new restaurants. This round of bargain dining is called “Urban Eats,” and is offered by 49 participating restaurants, including such Seattle classics as 13 Coins and The Georgian, to relative newcomers on the King County dining scene such as the Boka Kitchen & Bar (Seattle), Pearl (in Bellevue), and Ama Ama (West Seattle).

It’s comforting to know that in today’s suffering economy, Seattle realizes the importance of still being able to eat well. And $30 for a three-course meal at most of these restaurants is quite a bargain.

This promotion runs Sunday-Thursday nights, May 3-31, 2009. (Mother’s Day not included.) See the Urban Eats website for details, restrictions, a list of the participating restaurants, and links to menus, reviews, and chef bios.

Sweet Spot in my Heart for a Cupcake

thelawgoddess — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 06:59:36 +0000

The Guiness Trophy Cupcake

In March I shared an article on Facebook by Brie Rydberg (a fellow Seattle travel Examiner). Sweet spots for cupcakes in Seattle got me excited about trying these cupcakes … and also got a few excited comments from my Facebook friends.

At a group dinner on March 31st, one of those friends surprised me with a Trophy Cupcake – the chocolate Guinness Stout cupcake with Baileyâ€™s buttercream frosting. I savored it the next morning. It was so good that I referred to it as “a superb mound of rich unbelievable goodness” … and the cupcake gesture earned my special friend some serious points in my eyes.

Trophy Cupcakes
Currently located only at 1815 N 45th St, Seattle, WA 98103.
But coming soon (Spring 2009) to University Village!

200+ Washington Wineries at “Taste Washington!”

thelawgoddess — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 20:54:17 +0000

I published my first article on Examiner.com today. See “200-plus local wineries at Taste Washington” for more information about this April 4-5, 2009 event.

3 Courses, 30 Restaurants … $30

thelawgoddess — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 06:59:19 +0000

Dine Around Seattle

A couple of years ago I wrote a blog entry about the “Twenty-five for $25″ program. Well, now it’s called “Dine Around Seattle” … and unlike stock prices, the cost of dining has increased. But $30 for a three-course meal at these restaurants is still a bargain.

Unfortunately this only lasts through March 31st … so hurry!

(See website for restrictions, directions, and menus.)

3 Courses, 25 Restaurants … $25

thelawgoddess — Tue, 27 Feb 2007 22:05:22 +0000

This fantastic program, a brainchild of Richard Malia (Ponti Seafood Grill), began in 2002. Twice a year since its inception, in March and November, 25 of the areaâ€™s â€œfinestâ€ dining establishments allow you to gorge yourself silly on five-course prix fixe dinners â€¦ for a fabulously measly $25.

This year:

Twenty-five of our areaâ€™s best restaurants have come together to offer you a month of divine dining for an unbelievable price. Lunch and dinner include three courses (beverage, tax and gratuity are additional). Offer is valid Sundays (dinner only) through Thursdays, March 1-29, 2007.

Of course â€¦ there are restrictions, but not enough to make this a deal worth missing. For details see the Twenty-Five for $25 page at NWsource.com, or call the participating restaurant directly:

Andaluca

Barking Frog

Brasa

Campagne

Cascadia

Earth & Ocean

Etta’s

Eva Restaurant

Fish Club

Flying Fish

Market Street Grill

Nell’s

Nishino

Oceanaire Seafood

Ponti Seafood Grill

Ray’s Boathouse

Restaurant ZoÃ«

Sazerac

Serafina

Six Seven

Szmania’s Restaurant

Tulio

Wild Ginger

Restaurant Review – Elemental @ Gasworks

thelawgoddess — Tue, 12 Sep 2006 06:59:09 +0000

Captured (un-edited) from the list of reviews on Seattle by Citysearch.

This was my review:

Elemental @ Gasworks: Unique menus, excellent food, character, and more-than-reasonable pricing. A must!!!

My boyfriend and I went here on a Wednesday afternoon mid-July. We arrived a little too early (as we didn’t want to be late) and were afraid we were going to be sent away after reading some of these reviews. We stayed outside and checked in again after some time of nervously waiting. It was worth all of the anxiety … and then some. I am guessing that the people who have gotten attitude or “rude” treatment might have just been unlucky … but they most likely deserved it. Don’t go into Elemental expecting to order the “staff” around – the fact that there is no tipping allowed should be a pretty big clue. They are not there to wait on you hand and foot or even to make you a happy customer; they are there because they enjoy sharing their talents and love of good food and drink with others. Pretend you are at a friend’s home for dinner, and let them cook and pour for you what they will. At some point during dinner you will be presented a “menu” of sorts, and I highly suggest you try as much of it as you can. I agree that this is an experience very akin to the Herbfarm – albeit lasting fewer hours and being less formal. By sharing different dishes between two of us, we ended up with the equivalent of a very interesting 9-course meal (with more wine than we could keep up with) … yet at about half the cost. I can’t say I loved every dish of our Herbfarm menu, but every dish at Elemental left absolutely nothing to be desired … except for perhaps more money in our paychecks so that we could eat there more often. It was a superb experience, I can hardly wait to go back!

Pros: Menu & Wine Pairings; Atmosphere & Location; Cost
Cons: No Reservations; No Wait List; Small Restaurant with Limited Seating

Restaurant Review – Le Fournil

thelawgoddess — Tue, 12 Sep 2006 06:59:04 +0000

Captured (un-edited) from the list of reviews on Seattle by Citysearch.

This was my review:

Le Fournil: Absolutely the best croissant in Seattle! Quite an authentic French bakery!!!

Another reviewer wrote: “I adore french bakeries and have been on a mission to find a good one in Seattle, but this was not it. Le Fournil was cute, very clean… yet didnt seem all that French to me. The service was below mediocre. There were two people behind the counter and it wasnt busy, yet I wasnt greeted and was left standing around for a few minutes. To top it off when I was helped, the man acted as though he were annoyed. I went around 2pm, which could explain why the selection was slim.” I am sure I am not the only one who saw the irony in this review. To that reviewer: You say you adore “French bakeries” … but have you ever actually been to one? In France? What you described was pretty much what you’d find at many a French bakery, where at 2 PM you’d be lucky they had anything left at all (if they were even still open). I am very picky about croissants, and I have not had a better one anywhere else in Seattle. Go to le Fournil in the morning and get one that is fresh. They are rich in flavor and about as moist, light, and flaky as something can be all at the same time. They just about melt in your mouth … and will have you moaning “ooh-la-la” before you know it. Their other pastries — especially the mille-feuille, éclair, and tarte aux fruits frais — are also quite delicious.

Pros: Freshness; Authenticity; Parking