Chez Lounge

When I was very little, I was afraid of sleeping alone. My grandparents had a wonderful piece of furniture in their room that I was allowed to sleep on...a cream and green chaise lounge. Naturally, though I don't own one today, it remains one of my favorite pieces of furniture. That is why when we bounced our Friday heels up the stairs to the third floor of the corner Pike Place Market Building...above the butcher and the ice cream shop and several vegetable vendors...I had high hopes for such a cleverly named cafe.

Chez Lounge is a pun based derivative of Chez Shea, a longtime market venue previously only available for dinner. In a time when most restaurants are cutting back hours, its nice to see more choices available. C suggested that we take advantage of one of the Thirty for Thirty promotions. G and J met up with us over a raggedy half hour where we sat sipping wine and overlooking the painted pigs on the roof of the main market building. Gradually the intimate space filled up, and though small, the tables aren't particularly crammed together and the high ceilings did not amplify noise as I thought they might. We wereprobably the loudest people there.

For $15 (not much of a splurge before wine -- which we all had), Chez Lounge offered a 3 course prix fixe menu that catered to meaters and veggies alike. G and I started with a wonderful butter lettuce salad with perfectly candied and slightly salty walnuts (so often nuts are candied to the point of being painful to eat). J tried the creamy broccoli rabe soup and C started with the salmon mousse. The mousse was a tad salmony to be honest, but we helped C finish it anyways, and really that was probably the only low point of the meal. For the second course, we all had something different. I tried the artichoke gratin, G braved the boulliabase, J went for the burger, while C tried the grilled three cheese sandwich with greens. The boulliabase looked delicious, but I just have issues with sea shells in my soup (say that 10 times fast). I parceled out pieces of gratin and tried a hunk of C's delicious cheese sandwich. I think on the right day with a steaming bowl of tomato soup, it would be just the ticket.


But much like a fairy tale princess, I had to suddenly abandon the pursuit of the third course and high tail it back to the office for a meeting that was suddenly just 10 minutes away. I stuck C with my bill and scurried down the street as fast as my little heels would carry me. Breathlessly I sat down three minutes early onlly to be told that I was late as they wanted to start 5 minutes early....Ahh, the best laid plans. In short, Chez Lounge was delicious and a wonderful space. The service was pleasant, but not overbearing...with just enough eyebrow wagging to keep one in line, but not enough to feel intimidated. This is the way French food -- European lunches, should feel. I may have been late, but as I ran down the street feeling warm and relaxed, I thought to myself, "It was worth it."

Holiday Premieres...Seattle Four Seasons & ART Restaurant

Tis the season and all that so an industrious group of pioneers (ok just three of us) set out all the way across the street to try the new Four Seasons restaurant for lunch. All of the reviews that I have seen thus far have been for dinner and so I was really curious about the lunch experience which was quite a bit different.

The first thing that G, C, and I noticed was that the space was nothing like what we expected -- nothing like a typical Four Seasons. The space during the day is spectacularly open, large, and so bright that you hardly notice the pulsating light blocks surrounding the counter and bar that seem to have offended several reviewers. The space was also filled with ladies who lunch -- not a plus or a minus, just an observation. G must have been one of the only men in the place. But it WAS filled which is wonderful in these sorrowful times for the restaurant biz.

Onto the food... the gimmick, if you will, at ART is incorporating your own personal artistry into the food. The counter menu invites you to sample raw, cured, or warm items and combine them with a long list of sauces. These items are then served with paintbrushes with which you can apply said sauces. Though this idea seems whimsical and wonderful, the implementation was somehow lacking. Ordering was cumbersome (default suggestions would have been welcome) and service of said items was harried...even though we had a four top for three people, space became limited. G and C both had fancy-pants chicken club sandwiches and I had a 'TV Tray' lunch (above) featuring small portions of protein (seared ahi for me), fries, soup, and dessert on a four spot plate. Our server was sweet, but nervous and my food came out decidedly lukewarm and G & C's plates looked a little empty honestly. Note in the picture that the restaurant was using crinkle cups by Robert Brandt which really is art.

We'll be back, I'm sure. The kinks in service timing and coreography will be worked out and perhaps my confidence with the paintbrushes will be bolstered somehow. It seems like an even better place for a glass of wine in the evening. And then there's one last part of the whole experience -- stopping by Fran's Chocolates in the lobby for a little dessert on the way back to the office. I had a mocha and one of C's hazlenut crunch truffles and a wonderful time.

Seattle's Best Mac and Cheese

After the lobster macaroni and cheese at Purple in downtown Seattle, I thought I had found Mac and Cheese perfection. And its still some damn fine Mac and Cheese. I also have to say on a personal note that anyone who puts tomatoes in their Mac and Cheese is also great by me. Before I moved to Seattle, I thought I was crazy for that habit, but it comes that way in several establishments here such as the Icon Grill (who also makes a very good baked Mac and Cheese with a side of melty cheese in a pitcher.)

But sorry Purple and Icon, you lose. On the recommendation of the wonderful staff at 94 Stewart in Pike Place Market, I had the best Mac and Cheese I have ever eaten. Come visit, I will take you there and we can have some together. I have no idea how she gets so much flavor in a cheese sauce. This particular visit was a lunch visit, but the food has been consistent during subsequent visits. Our Irish friend asked what the big deal about Mac and Cheese was at nice restaurants in America and I reiterated that its actually really tough to do correctly. 94 Stewart nails it.

Weekly Lunch Splurge -- Steelhead Diner

Lest you worry that I will only be a one note blogger, I introduce a new feature: Weekly Lunch Splurge. I will tell confess where I ate a brilliant lunch this week as opposed to a smushy sandwich from the cafeteria upstairs or questionable noodles from up the street.

Given my love of weird food, odd combinations, and utter devotion to carbohydrates despite their relatively unfashionable reputation, the Steelhead Diner in Pike's Place Market is the place to eat lunch.

Typically I try to be somewhat budget conscious during the week, but when I want to spend $25+ on lunch (which I do maybe once a week) I try to do it somewhere fun and different. Yesterday, I sampled the heirloom tomato/pesto/and hand pulled mozzarella (from neighboring partner Beecher's cheese) and a side of potato latkes. First, its amazing you can get a side of potato latkes because they are not exactly common Seattle restaurant fare. It was a great lunch and accompanied by a cold glass of blackberry lemonade. I don't know what was up with the pineapples. They were everywhere.

I highly recommend getting in on the heirloom tomato crop while they are fresh. Spend the extra money and eat them fresh...you'll see tomatoes in a new light.