seattle 1.3 - home cooking + alchie-time

slept in a little. so nice. i need at least one of these days during every vacation, even if we're somewhere where there is loads to do.

v made us a yummy home-cooked breakfast of pancakes, sausage, bacon, eggs, and seasoned french fries. like the bear pointed out on the plane ride home, for some reason, other people's cooking somehow tastes different and better. maybe it's just because we aren't very good cooks.

we then headed into seattle and wandered the seattle center so we could get some touristy shots of the space needle. we cheapasses didn't bother going up, though, as tickets are $15 or so per person.

gehry's music experience building thing


carousel under the needle


needle in a treestack | clearer

then it was time for a return visit (for me, at least) to pike place market. it was so very crowded. like, so crowded you don't even have to walk--you can just let the crowd carry you. slowly. forward. we did a [kind of] quick circuit around, got some cheese at beecher's for our dinner that night, got a few desserts at the confectional to enjoy after our upcoming lunch, then got outta there. yeesh.

we heart seafood, especially when it's supersized. mmm!


do you see the thrown fish?

lunch was on the waterfront at elliot's. hefeweizen, fried seafood, and fries...mmm! it was a bit chilly despite the clear skies, so we gobbled up our quickly cooling deep fried goodies so we could get back to the warm car.


on the way home, it was wine and beer-tasting time! whee!

first stop--chateau ste. michelle. beautiful grounds. very crowded. very commercialized. i think it's the biggest winery i've ever tasted at. it was kind of nice since we could actually afford to take a bottle or a few home, unlike at the places we've tasted in napa. they have free concerts in the park for their wine club members in the summer, featuring such virtuosos as the gin blossoms and chicago. i was jealous of those who got to hear chicago. gin blossoms, not so much. yes, i have a thing for chicago and peter cetera. no, i'm not that hagalicious yet. anyway, we skipped the tour and went straight to the crowded tasting room. appropriately, all the photos are blurry as the [still sober] bear turned his flash off.

we tasted:

• a chardonnay--aiite. don't need any of this if you're from california.
  
• a merlot--very smoky, oaky, and on the dry side for a merlot. i liked it a lot.
  
• a cab--eh...totally the bear's cup of tea...just aiite, again. california does 'em better.
  
• a moscato frizzante--the best non-dry white i've tasted in a long while! very drinkable all around. good for non-winos and pseudo-winos alike. in fact, i got a bottle to share with everyone at dinner that night and another to bring home.
  
  
• and a late harvest riesling--delicious, but so sweet it made my teeth hurt.
  

i lost my info sheet, so i don't know the vintages and exact names. they are kind of really necessary when reviewing since chateau ste. michelle has such a wide selection. i know, i suck. it's ok, that's the right vintage of the frizzante linked up there, which is the only one really worth seeking out, IMO.

then we hopped in the car and crossed the street to the red hook brewery. i tasted maybe 2 of the 4 or 5ish beers as i had already had almost 5 glasses of wine at le chateau. v and i spent most of the "tour" (which was pretty much just the guide blabbing on in one very hot room because the bottling facility was closed and locked, to the guide's surprise) talking while squatting/sitting in a corner. most of their beers were bitter ales, anyway, so i was fine with passing since the tour and tasting only cost $1 anyway.

stinky hops


beer-drinking bear

then it was home again, home again. the chicken was thrown in the smoker, v started on some veggies and orzo, and we snacked on some smoked salmon, cheese, and crackers. yum. p + t showed up with delicious apps of 10-layer dip and cheesy jalapeno pigs in a blanket (so much tastier than the standard type). i got pressured into one more drink (no, i'm not 19, why do you ask?), and that did me in. i was OK until then, but all of a sudden, i couldn't keep my eyes open. so i napped. right through dinner. party pooper potato. i did eventually wake up and join in some poker to finish off the night. my luck turned and was better than the night before, but alas, i did not win. no biggie as we didn't really bet money. are you kidding? i am so cheap i rarely can bear to gamble, period.

lucky me got to sample the chicken and orzo the next morning, before we had to leave for the airport. :(. sad. all in all, it was an awesome trip filled with wonderful food, awesome weather, and great company. we'll probably visit again. move there, as our friends urged us? not sure about that one...i need my sun.

songs of the trip:
rhianna - don't stop the music.
flo rida - low
[blech. seattle radio is really that bad.]