Soggy In Seattle. Day 2.

The second day of O's birthday celebration started with a slurp.

Strawberry-rhubarb breakfast martinis at Pike Street Market. I was the purist with the classic martini.

 

Well, actually we had coffee first. I asked for a triple breve espresso 

and got three regular shots instead. In training for those martinis.

 There was an abundance of seafood at the market. I guess the fish were biting.

 Next stop, Occupy Seattle.

 My kind of town.

 I found some reflections to shoot.

 But it was the colorful foliage that enthralled us as we wandered the tree-lined streets.

And inspired us to order a line of colorful drinks at Poppy's, where we also enjoyed an 

Indian-inflected feast comprised of many exquisite small plates.

P.

Soggy In Seattle. Day One Of Another Epic Birthday Celebration.

Unfortunately, I'm finding that full-time employment and regular blogging are uneasy bedmates at best, so I apologize for the paucity of posts lately and vow to do better in the future.

Last weekend, we drove to Seattle for O's birthday. It's a lovely eight-hour drive from Boise, winding northwest through Oregon, across the Columbia River, and through the dry hills of Washington's wine country.

 As we reached the foothills of the Cascades, on the last leg of the drive, the weather turned
to rain and drizzle and the trees turned vivid shades of yellow, orange, and red.

O had never been to Seattle, and I hadn't been there since I was 14, but we were prepared for major damp. The city delivered the gray, oozing skies we anticipated, but we were impressed by the geographic and architectural beauty of the place.

 Plus, it was fun. As urbanites, we reveled in the edgy big-city vibe 

and the funky neighborhoods.

We walked through the drizzle to Salumi, where Mario Batali's father makes artisanal cured

meats that are insanely delicious. Even the trees were bundled up against the cold. 

We returned to our hotel encumbered by two large, greasy chubs of fragrant salame

to meet the Pereiras, who had flown up from SF to meet us.

We all have celebrated our birthdays together for last 30 years, 

but never in Seattle, so we were looking forward to exploring the city together.

After a satisfying round of martinis, we headed to Anchovies & Olives, an interesting neighborhood restaurant featuring piscine treats with a nouveau Sicilian flair: chiogga beet salad with walnuts and white anchovy dressing; mosticcoli with swordfish, tomato, olives, and capers; burrata; raw oysters; raw ahi with olive oil, hot coppa, and arugula; scallops on a wild mushroom ragu and califlower puree with a dash of balsamic vinegar. The flavors were intense and the seafood utterly fresh. Altogether, it was a stellar meal at a reasonable price.

We finished the evening happy and looking forward to discovering more of what the city had to offer.

P.

Dreaming Of Canh Bahn Da Ca Ro.

I woke up dreaming of our beloved fish soup.

Just the thing for a cold fall day. How I miss it.

P.