The Bellevue Arts Festival 2011!

This year, the Bellevue Arts Festival was at it's best yet!  I have traditionally been going for several years now, and find it amazing how creative some people really are.

There are so many good pieces this year.  A great number of them have humour in them, which I appreciate.  Especially on a very hot day, with over 200 artists to see!  I came home exhausted, with pained feet, today, but it was totally worth it.

Several of the artist's booths are set up on the bottom floor of the parking garage at the back of the mall, so that is where I often choose to start.  The festival is clear around the Bellevue Square area, and about a block beyond.  It has definitely grown over the years.  I noticed that the jewelery was more creative this year.  It actually sparked my interest a little.  Here is just one sample of the many.  This one is by Alex Horst:

 Alex Horst Jewelry

Website

Facebook Page

Christina Goodman also has a jewelry series, as done in the style below.  The artwork is painted on with a very tiny-tipped brush.  The booth has display of one of one of Christina's pieces, under a magnifying glass.  The detail in the work is incredible.  This, I believe is a picture of one of her miniatures, or possibly a decorative pin:

Christina Goodman, hand painted miniatures &  jewelry

Website

Etsy Site

Besides jewelry, there are all other sorts of artwork, in various mediums.  Eileen F. Song is one of the artists that has a touch of humour in her paintings, mostly with birds as the subject:

Eileen F. Song

Website

Email

One of my favorite artists, Justin Hillgrove, is at the festival again, with his IMPS and MONSTERS collection. I have a couple of pieces of his work. One of a cat, called "Familiar," and one from his Alice In Wonderland series, called "Down the Rabbit Hole."  I would like to eventually get "Mad Tea Party" from that series, and maybe some of his new Harry Potter series.  They look really fun. This is the image that he has on his business card this year:

Justin Hillgrove

Website

There are some pretty awesome sculptures at the festival this year.  Carol Braden's work really caught my eye, as well as several other patrons.  Most of her display is a variety of sculpted guitars, made from various license plates, as shown on the right on this image:

Carol Braden

Website

Obviously, sculptures are much more impressive in person, because you can see the 3-dimensionality of them, but this gives you an idea.  Her website shows a few more of her guitar sculptures.  I would have liked to have seen the pizza slice too!  It looks cool!

Finally, a piece I could not resist, even though I tried.  This piece was done by an artist named Lynne Farren from Tacoma.  Her artwork is made from cut paper and mixed media on stretched canvas.  Because of that, I believe each piece may be one of a kind.  I was told there are 7 coats of varnish on the artwork I purchased, (which is not obvious at all - in a good way), so I could wipe it if needed.  I absolutely love this piece:

Lynne Farren

Lynne does not appear to have a website, but here is her card:

Pretty impressive card, too.  Isn't it?  This booth itself  looks very impressive, the floor has some artsy mats to cover the ugliness of the parking lot - and a desk sits at the front edge of the booth with her business cards and whatnot.  It also appears to be done with her cut-paper/mixed media style of work.  The whole display is really quite incredible.

So many artists I have not mentioned - but so many more with great pieces of work.  The event still runs tomorrow, July 31st, at the Bellevue Square Mall in Bellevue, WA from 9:30am-6pm.  There is no entrance or parking fee.  There are food vendors there for a price if you get hungry.  Have a good time!

Brian Major, chalk artist, replicates Andy Warhol's "Marilyn Monro" on the sidewalk outside of the BAM.

Click here to see other chalk pieces by Brian.

Day Two: Saturday's Bite 2011

Pictured:  Spicy Calamari Topped with Saffron Aioli on Bruschetta (Andaluca), Summer-Time Spaetzle (Belltown Pub), Triple Chocolate Cupcake (PinkaBella Cupcakes), Endive Spicy Pecans and Romaine with Gorgonzola Tossed in a Walnut Oil Vinaigrette Dressing (Daily Grill), "Rub with Love" Plate Steak w/ Jackie's Prosser Farm Tomatoes and a Blueberry Vinaigrette (Dahlia Lounge), Fresh Oregon Bay Shrimp Louie w/ Belgian Endive, Farmer's Egg, Asparagus and Heirloom Tomatoes (Salty's), and Grilled Italian Sausage w/ House-Made Pepper Onion Relish (Seattle's Little Italy).

Saturday started off a bit drizzly.  That is okay, it does not stop most Seattlites.  Especially not me, when it comes to The Bite.  As you can see, some of the items above are the same as Friday's Bite (in "The Alley" section), but I have to say -- I was right about liking the calamari dish a little more (due too the unusual flavors), and the sausage definitely had more flavor this time, which was a major improvement!

As the chef handed me the calamari dish, he asked me if I watched "Iron Chef America."  After I told him I did, he told me he was going to be on it, battling against Michael Symon!  So, tune into The Food Network on Sunday, July 31st to see if localist, Wayne Johnson can win over the judges on "Iron Chef America" that day!  I wonder if he will make the same dish?  If so, I am curious what the judges will think?  I am excited to see!

As I was handed the Summer-Time Spaetzle, I was told it was the best dish I would taste that day!  Ha ha!  Funny to hear after a previous chef told me he was going to be on "Iron Chef America."  Well, I have to say, he was quite right.  It was very good, and it had tough competition.  Especially against the steak dish.  It seemed to be some sort of pasta, with mushrooms.  Very light, very tasty.  My dad liked it too.  Might have been his favorite.  Might have been mine, too.  Everything on the plate was so good.

The chocolate cake was just as delicious as the day before.

The salad was yummy.  Reminds me of some kind of salad one of my cousin's make.  Very nice.

The Shrimp Louie was incredible.  Lots of good flavors, and a nice presentation.

The steak was very tasty.  I absolutely loved the tomato vinaigrette topping!  They also handed out recipes for it!

Lastly, as stated above, the sausage had some good flavor too it!  Yay!  I am not sure what happened with Friday's batch, but this one was delicious!  Good job!

I finished my meal off with some Pomegranate Berry naturally flavored water with juice from Cascade Ice.  It was very refreshing.  After we walked around a bit, the sun decided to come out.  Turned out to be a nice day!

Some of my other tastes of The Bite of Seattle outside "The Alley," were:  Fried Mac and Cheese (strangely delicious and portable!), Avocado Ice Cream with Chocolate Syrup (was all right, but the actual ice cream itself was a little grainy, would have tasted better with a smoother texture), and a Slinky Potato (I had the salt and vinegar one.  Very eye-catching! A little pricey, though).  Mmmmm......

The Bite of Seattle 2011

In photo above:  Grilled flat-iron steak w/ Sweet Corn and Blueberry Relish (Seatown), Grilled Italian Sausage w/ House Made Pepper Onion Relish (Seattle's Little Italy), Grilled Watermelon Salad with Feta Cheese and a Rhubarb Lavender Vinaigrette and Seared Tiger Prawn (Gordon's On Blueberry Hill), Taiwan's Famous, Hand-Made, Steamed Pork Dumplings Filled with Soup (Din Tai Fung), Triple Chocolate Cupcake (PinkaBella Cupcake), Spicy Calamari Topped with Saffron Aioli on Bruschetta (Andaluca), and Shaved Roast Beef Slider w/ Carmelized Onions and Dijon Mustard on a Pretzel Bun (Purple Café).

It's that time again!  The Bite of Seattle started off right, on a warm and sunny day!  The Alley did not disappoint! 

I started off with the pork dumpling.  It was very good.  It had a nice salty flavor and wonderful textures.  Perhaps a little, was it ginger?  For garnish?  That was good, too. 

The grilled watermelon salad was amazing!  I was curious to see how all the ingredients together would work at first, and found that the Feta cheese, with the sweet chunks of watermelon, made of very nice blend of flavors, along with the other ingredients.  The prawn was cooked perfectly for it too, not overdone like I have had at other places before.  One of my favorites, if not my favorite of all the dishes. 

I was most concerned about the calamari on the bruschetta.  I thought I would not like the textures, but the textures were really good.  I am not sure how I felt about the sauce.  It wasn't my favorite.  I think, however, it could be an acquired taste, that I could grow to like.  The presentation of it was absolutely beautiful, as you can see.

The sausage dish, although not bad, was a little bland tasting, in my opinion.  I have had other sausage dishes previously at The Alley that had been much more impressive.  Like the one last year with crab.  That one was better.

The roast beef slider was delicious, a nice thing to eat on a summer day, nice blend of flavors with the caramelized onions, and the pretzel bread was a nice twist -- um... no pun intended...seriously.

The grilled steak was cooked to order, and served by Tom Douglas himself.  Very tasty.  Amongst mine and my friends favorites.  I had had this dish before at another Alley event.

The cupcake was a nice way to end the meal.  Perfectly chocolaty!  Nice and rich.  Totally delicious!

Overall, the whole plate of food was very good and my friends felt they got their money's worth, which is $10 per plate.  If you want water with your meal it is an extra $2.50.  If you drink wine, there is a extra cost for a wine tasting with the meal.  Proceeds go to Food Lifeline.

The Bite is going on all weekend!  The Alley changes some of it's menu items every day.  So, obviously, it is tempting to go back.  There are also many other vendors at The Bite, if you are not into gourmet.  I also tried some Avocado Ice Cream, and some Fried Macaroni and Cheese this year.  They have regular food too, such as Famous Dave's (BBQ), and Black Angus Steakhouse (steak).

So grab your family or your friends, head over, listen to some bands play, while munching on Fried Mac & Cheese, play in the fountain, maybe visit the Science Center, and if you were lucky enough to score tickets ahead of time, see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II at the IMAX!  You will have a good time.  Enjoy!