A Very Busy Bite

 Pictured above: Kalua Pork Rice Bowl with Cabbage and Cilantro Lime Sauce (Good Vibes Concessions), Fried Shrimp Skewer (Potato Hut), Lobster & Crab Umami Cheese Fries (Unami Cheesy Bomb), Hush Puppies (True Cajun), Ice Cream Sandwich (Snoqualmie Ice Cream)

Hey friends, it has been awhile, I know.  For several years I have reviewed The Bite of Seattle. Covid hit, so they didn't have this event for a few years. It came back last year, and my dad and I were so excited until we found out we were going to have to download an app in order to order and pay for our food. It didn't even sound like The Alley (which is the main reason we have been going all these years) was going to be there. It also sounded like there were upgrades for the entertainment if you wanted to pay extra. It just didn't sound like what we thought of as The Bite of Seattle that we had come to know and love. So, we did our own version of Bite of Seattle last year. There were a couple of really interesting foods we really wanted to try advertised for 2023, so we actually took ourselves to two different restaraunts and ordered those things instead of heading down to the busy Seattle Center that year. It actually worked out pretty nice.

Anyway, since they did away with the cashless app only thing this year, and they advertised The Alley coming back, we decided to give it another go. Unfortunately, my dad now has some health restrictions, so we were not able to stay as long as I would have liked, and I missed out on some photo opportunities I would have liked to have shared with you. Anyway, I know the event is almost over for this year, but here is my review.

The first thing that happened once we got to Seattle was that our normal parking garage was completely full. That actually turned out to be okay, because we found another parking garage that worked better for our needs this year. We arrived hungry, and were anxious to find The Alley.  There did not appear to be any sort of paper maps around, so I tried to find a map online. That map was usless, as it was too small, and when you tried to make it bigger, to see the letters, it just got blurry. Useless.

I went to the first area I thought it could be. Hmm. It wasn't there. We went almost clear over to the other side of the event.... not where it used to be.... only to find the first area was about right, but we were standing just above it.

Usually The Alley has a long line. The rest of the vendors had long lines, it was overly crowded everywhere else.  More crowded then we ever remember it being. At The Alley, this year, it was the first time we saw that there was absolutely no line at all. We paid for our food, and it was efficiently loaded onto a plate. An ice cream cookie was handed to us in addition to the plate full of food.

As soon as we exited The Alley, we had a bit of trouble finding a place to sit. There only appeared to be one long table towards the beginning, that already was full of people. We wound up sitting next to some steps on some terraced concrete in the blazing sun.

It was pretty warm out, so I decided the first thing I should try was the Ice Cream Sandwich (Snoqualmie Ice Cream). It was solid as a rock, which was a great idea, because it gave me time to enjoy the rest of my food first. What I tried of the cookie at that point, was really good.

The next thing I tried was the Kalua Pork Rice Bowl with Cabbage and Cilantro Lime Sauce (Good Vibes Concessions). I really liked that. Especially with the Cilantro Lime Sauce. There was a good portion of it, so it was quite filling.

The next three items were fine. However, I felt they all tasted way too similar to each other. All deep fried, most likely in the same vat of oil, and kind of ... bland?

The Shrimp Skewer (Potato Hut) was cooked nice, not to much or too little. On it's own, I think it would have done well.

The Hush Puppies (True Cajun) were all right, too. I dipped them in some spicy sauce that I don't remember if it was for them or the Shrimp Skewer, but they went well with it.

The Lobster & Crab Umami Cheese Fries were probably the biggest disappointment. The cheese had been melted, then solidified into a big clump, making the fries difficult to separate and eat. I could not really even taste the crab or lobster meat. It wound up being very messy.

My main thought was, "this all tastes the same!" Except for the rice dish and the ice cream cookie sandwich, which wound up being my two favorite things, especially the cookie.

One thing I did notice about the advertising of the Ice Cream Sandwich was there were two options (we only had one option) one being a Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookie with Vanilla Ice Cream, the other being a Cranberry Cookie with Mountain Berry Ice Cream. Ours was definitely a chocolate chip cookie with Mountain Berry Ice Cream, and it had chocolate sprinkled on the outside. It was incredibly good, but I found it odd it wasn't exactly what appeared as advertised. 

In past years, we had found The Alley to be an exceptional experience. It started with John Hintenberger, a food critic, who had access to several fancy restaraunts willing to donate some of their best dishes to taste. Then, a couple of different chefs were in charge after that (Kathy Casey and Tom Douglas).  This year, I believe that a few vendors from the rest of The Bite were picked, and it just didn't work as well this year. We did leave the The Alley with our bellies full, but I am not sure we were all that satisfied. 

Bummed About the Bite, but It's Okay

Fancy Fork Model

Last year was a pretty good year for me.  So, I was not exactly looking forward to 2020, like some people were.  Some of my friend's 2019 years did not go so well, so I had hoped maybe this year would help them. I think some have benefited somewhat from this outbreak, while others have not.

Earlier this year, before COVID-19, I was already getting excited about my yearly tradition of The Bite of Seattle. I was so busy at work, that I wondered if I should take the Friday of the first day of the Bite off, to go that day. I was planning ahead. When I was sent home from work, because of the outbreak, we thought it would only be two weeks.  I thought, "This is great! I have so much I need to get done, and this will give me the opportunity to do everything I have been wanting to do, but never had the time to do it....and we will be back before The Bite of Seattle even starts!" Silly me. I have got some of the things on my list done, but everything?  Who was I kidding? As the weeks turned into months, my excitement over my yearly tradition was fading.

Unwinding by the Pool

For the first time in 38 years, The Bite of Seattle had to cancel. It is no surprise. I do not blame them - it is what needed to be done at this time. They even tried to move it to August, but unfortunately, that is not going to work either. Bummer. I feel bad the restaurants, and their employees. The musicians who lost gigs there.  The people who benefited from the charitable contributions.

Barbeque with Bees

Despite that, I am making the most of my time, though. I have learned some new recipes.  Learned some tricks that do not set my fire alarm off every time I try to cook things, and also realized I can press a reset button to temporarily disarm it for a few minutes, if something does make it go off for a minor reason. Obviously, if I had a real concern, I would not press that button.

Cooking Pancakes

Today, I found out it is National Ice Cream Day.  I was going to make cookies earlier today, but as I was gathering the ingredients, I realized I do not have everything I need.  Plus, it is too hot today to cook cookies, anyway.  I do have some ice cream, so I think I will have some of that for dessert.

It won't be this fancy.

It looks like The Bellevue Arts Festival, that would have been next week,  is also cancelled this year.  That is okay, too.  I need to save my money this year. Plus, there are so many tempting bargains on the Internet as it is. Instagram has many artists you can view and support, as well, if you wish.

I continue to draw every single day, myself. It is very therapeutic, and it keeps my mind off of some of the more bothersome news of the world. Other times, it inspires my work. I am not currently selling my work, but you can go to my Instagram to look at it, if you wish.

Fashion 2020

This time has allowed me to be thankful for the things I do have.  I still am able to buy food, even if I cannot always get the food I want. I am able to cook. I have shelter. I have family and friends that care about me. As far as I know I am currently healthy. Right now, those are the most important things.  I hope you are able to have those things, too.

Want to see more of my art?  Go to justanotherplainjane on Instagram to see more.

Finding Happiness Through Hobbies

Hey guys, I know it has been a long time since I have written on here, and I was actually surprised to see a comment on one of my blogs recently.  I have been meaning to write, but have been keeping myself busy with other projects.

I thought this plant was done for this year, but it proved me wrong!

A couple of years ago I got out of the driving department, which was a very good change for me.  My new supervisor was great. So, I was sad when, after a year, he quit, as well as our General Manager.  I managed to stay. It took about 9 months before we got a new supervisor, which kept me very busy at my place of work. Eventually, we added some more people, but I was still working tons of overtime hours. I do like the new supervisor, though, which is good. Unfortunately, because of COVID-19, none of us, have not been able to work for about a month now.

I still have my other hobbies, though. Whether I am working at my regular job or not.  I have actively done Inktober for 2 years in a row, now. For those who don't know, Inktober is a worldwide individual challenge inspired by prompts put out by Jake Parker.  He created it to get better at his inking skills.  I tried 3 years ago, just doodling from a few of the prompts, but never posting.  Then, two years ago, I committed to do the whole thing, no matter how bad my art looked.  Last year, I even bought a sketchbook, some new pens, and an official shirt, to motivate myself.  My cousin even sent me a fountain pen for my birthday, to motivate me as well.  She participated with me, but did not post her drawings.  She did show me, her artwork, however.  It was fun!

I did buy new art supplies, but I actually only used half of the ones shown here (last year).  The other half, I used the year before. Shown:  Official Inktober shirt, pencil, India ink, ballpoint pen, Sharpie, eraser, and sketchbook (I didn't use the India Ink for either Inktober... maybe next year?).

Two years ago, I had some vacation time to do my drawings, and they were pretty easy, and went quickly. Last year, everything I thought of took a little more planning and work. When the list was put out in September, I did some pre-sketches, so I would not forget those ideas.  All the inking, however, I waited till the day of. It was definitely challenging, especially with as many hours as I was putting in at work, but I felt it was worth it.

This was my pencil sketch of "Legend" Daryl Hall.  I debated whether I should ink this one or not.  I should have not.  At least I took a photo, first.  I still need practice on drawing people.

November came.  I noticed one of my favorite cartoonists, Michael Jantze was having a challenge in drawing characters from his comic strip The Norm.  He called it "Normvember."  I came up with some ideas, and drew them up.  He really liked them.  In fact, he sent me some hand-drawn post-its of his own work, which was very cool. It was fun.

My mashup version of The Norm and Doctor Who for Normvember.

A cute little gift my sister brought me from Japan on her last visit here.

My sister and her family visited from Japan back in August of last year.  She ordered herself an iPad, and told me about a drawing program called "Procreate." It looked pretty awesome.  Last December, I received an iPad as well, for Christmas, and downloaded Procreate. It is very much like Photoshop to me, so I learned it very quickly, and am still learning new things about it.  I have drawn on it every day since.  I get ideas from prompt lists on Instagram.  There are so many talented artists on Instagram! One of my favorite musicians, Alex Band even started following me.  That was exciting.  Just recently, I participated in a challenge called #6fanarts.  I had friends tell me who to draw for most of them, but I decided to choose to draw Alex Band for my first slot.  I was so happy that he, and many of his fans, liked it!

My stylized version of Alex Band for the #6fanarts challenge.

Another hobby that I have been doing is reading a ton of books.  3 years ago, I started doing a 50 book reading challenge, that one of my friends started.  She uses a list from the Idaho Falls Public Reading Library.  They give a list of 50 categories, and you get to choose a book from each category.  It really expands the type of books you read.  I read categories I would not normally pick, but I found out there are so many categories I like.  After each year of reading, we meet at her house for a party, that usually involves good food, and a white elephant book exchange, games, and prizes.  The first year, I managed to read all 50 books, in each category.  Last year, there was an option of three different tiers.  I chose the lowest, the 25 books.  Thank goodness I did.  There was no way I was going to get through 50 books last year.  This year, there was no other option, so I am trying to do 50 books again.  Hopefully, with this isolation period we are in, I can catch up, and make it.

Lots of books to read, so little time, well, maybe not now.

A current thing, that I am proud of, is, I have managed to keep two of my plants alive for several years now.  They only seem to like the light from my bedroom window, so it really limits the plants I can have, I guess.  I have a geranium that bloomed twice.  Not many blooms the second time, but I was surprised, because I heard they do not bloom more than once.  The impatiens, I thought were done for, and I wound up trimming them back so much, they looked ridiculous.  Then, last year, they filled out, and had a ton of blooms throughout the season.  I was thrilled!

More blossoms!

I am also enjoying cooking again, even if it is on limited ingredients, because I have only been to the store once since this whole isolation period started. When I did finally go to the store, I forgot to get some things!  Oh well!  I am finding things in my house I forget I had, or realized I haven't used.  I am now putting them to use. Making me glad I purchased them in the first place.

Through all this, I have had my good days and bad days. I feel grateful that I have time to do things I like, and also get things done that I did not have much time for.  I worry sometimes how long this will last. Will my job really be there when this is over?

This was a doodle for "Wind," but it feels appropriate for these uncertain times.

The worst news so far, was hearing that one of my favorite YouTubers took his own life.  In his last video, he admitted to being bi-polar.  It would sometimes take a long time for him to post a new video, but I didn't mind, it always made me happy when he did.  I did not know him personally, and I never made any comments on his YouTube account.  I did wonder earlier in the week he died, how he was doing, personally. I wondered if this isolation period was hard on him.  He hadn't posted any videos for awhile, and I just figured once we got through this, he would post one.  I was devastated when I heard the news. He did the videos called "Talking Kitty Cat." It was videos of him, of his cats and dog.  The main star, being a cat, named Sylvester.  Sylvester's character was a foul mouthed, selfish cat, but you couldn't help but love him, anyway. Steve Cash was humorous in how he brought new life into his pets.  He also sang sometimes. One catchy tune is called, "What the Kitty Doesn't Like."  He had a really nice voice.  I am really going to miss Steve Cash, and his awesome videos.

Unrelated, a day or so after, Alex Band went live on Instagram. He talked to fans, brought out his son, talked a little bit about fatherhood, and sang two of my favorite songs of his, "Anything" and "Euphoria."  That cheered me up a bit.  It was really nice for him to do.  He did more songs the next day, on his Patreon page.

As I was writing this, I caught the last half of a live show on Instagram with Mandy Moore (another favorite singer and actress) and her husband, Taylor Goldsmith. They sang very well together.  They seem to compliment each other very well, as a couple, too.

I was just happy to have toilet paper before the news of isolation hit.

Everybody is dealing with things in their own way.  Some of us are able to work, helping others.  Some of us are able to be with our families and teach them. Some of us are able to do things to cheer others up.  Wherever you are at, you are important. Whether you know it or not.  It may be difficult, but we will get through this, one way or another.

I believe we will.  More of my artwork can be seen at my Instagram site.

Friday Night was a Good Night for The Bite

Once again The Bite of Seattle is back, and my yearly tradition continues.  Due to the Alley increasing in price, as well as the parking garage we like to use, my dad and I have decided to not go all three days like we have in the past.

I wasn't sure what the weather was going to be like this year at the Bite.  It had been cold and sometimes rainy earlier in the week, yet warm some of the days before that. My dad and I decided to go on Friday this year, and not on Saturday.  I had to work Friday, so we went after my work. It was nice, because it wasn't too crowded. It wasn't very cold, but I think I should have brought a slightly warmer jacket this year.

The weather was a little windy while eating, but everything was so delicious tasting, it didn't seem to matter. Here is what was available at the Alley yesterday (clockwise, from top left):

Snoqualmie Ice-Cream: Salted Caramel & Mukilteo Mudd (Chocolate) Ice Cream
I did not realize there was a choice when I got to the end of the line.  I chose the Salted Caramel, which I love, and my dad chose the Mukilteo Mudd (Chocolate) one, which was also good.

Super Six: Pork Belly Musubi with Japanese Pickled Vegetables
I was worried about this one when I first saw it.  I am picky about my seaweed, and this looked like it might be the kind I don't like. It was fine. I really could not taste the seaweed at all, and it had a nice, thin texture, but sturdy enough to hold the ingredients held inside. My pork was a little dry, but I didn't mind it that way.  It was very good.

Phorale: Korean Spicy Pork Tacos with Kimchi Slaw & Phorale Aioli
My dad's favorite.  Basically like "Street Tacos," and who doesn't love a good Street Taco.

Dingfelder's Delicatessen: New York Pastrami & Corned Beef Sandwich on Seeded or Marbled Rye with Dingfelder's Coleslaw & Pickles.
Beautiful presentation. It was the first thing I tried.  I thought it was delicious.  My dad thought it was bland.

The Tin Lizzie Lounge: Alaskan Crab & Artichoke Dip on Crostini
My favorite. The crab mixture was incredible tasting, underneath was a tasty salad for presentation.

Alcove Dining Room: Moqueca - Brazillian Seafood Stew with Coconut Milk & Palm Oil with Rice.
The muscle in my stew was not as open as in some of the other samples, I had to pry it more open. However, it tasted good, and the rice mixture below was excellent.

I really did enjoy everything on my plate, and it was hard to pick a favorite, but finally decided mine was the one with the crab and artichoke dip dish.  Yummy.

After eating, we looked around, and listened to a couple of bands.  The first band was called MVP (Michael Jackson vs. Prince) the first song I heard was a cover of  Prince's "Raspberry Beret." They also played some tunes I did not recognize, but were very soulful sounding. There were two female lead singers, and one male singer.  They sounded excellent.  I  was feeling pretty cold while watching them at that point, but I did not want to leave, because I loved their sound.  Two other songs I recognized were Michael Jackson's "Billy Jean" and "P.Y.T."  The music was upbeat and fun. Several people were dancing to this group.

The other band we stopped to listen to was The Michelle Taylor Band. The lead singer had one of those scratchy rock n' roll voices. The bass player was energetic and sounded awesome. We did not stay for the whole set, but what we heard was pretty good. The audience seemed happy, too.

We roamed around a little before finally headed for home. I felt it was a nice light for some photos, so I took a couple of more before leaving.

50+ Books, 31 Drawings, and One Amazing Concert

The past couple of years I have been really trying to challenge myself. Some of the challenges were thrust upon me, but many I chose to do. Last year, I finally was able to get out of the driving department, and go into the area I wanted to be. It seemed to take forever to happen, I was doing overtime beyond driving, just to prove I had what it takes to do the job. It did not help that my pain from the car accident got worse for awhile, making it difficult to stay as long as I would have liked, having to make time for doctor appointments and therapy for the pain, but I finally made it. Unfortunately, now my supervisor, who has been a very good fit for me, has decided to move on, leaving me wondering what will happen next.

At the beginning of this year I decided I would finish 3 books. Three that I started years ago, but never finished.  That all changed when I was asked if I was interested in a 50 book reading challenge to be completed within the year.  The reason being, each book had to be from a different category from a given list.  Since Les Misérables was on my personal reading list, I immediately dropped it.  The book is long, and difficult to read, and I did not have the patience to put it with a list of 49 other books.  The other two were fit into other categories, and I figured I would get them both done.  I decided towards the end of the challenge, that I would leave one to finish after the challenge, so I could take more time with it, to enjoy it more.

The challenge started in mid January.  I finished November 11.  I have finished other books since, but I felt really accomplished in having read 50 books!  It wasn't easy for me.  I normally do not read that fast.  I figured out a way to make things work out though.  The challenge helped me find books in categories I might not normally seek out.  I also reread books I had not in years, and felt I got something new out of them.  I found new books I liked, but also realized some popular books are severely overrated.  I wrote reviews for each one as well.  If you are on Goodreads, I think you can view them here: Jackie's Extreme Nerd Reading Challenge Books/Reviews.

If that wasn't enough to keep me busy this year, I also decided to do Inktober, a drawing challenge that happens every year in October.  People from all over the world draw from a prompt list (or create their own), doing one drawing per day.  It started with someone interested in challenging their inking skills.  I tried it last year, but only did a handful of the challenges.  This year, I did every single challenge. There were times it was incredibly difficult to think of something to do, even though the word for the day was already given.  Other times, it was a challenge drawing what I wanted to.  I got through it, though, and hope to do more with my art in the future.  You can see my artwork, and some of my photos from before the challenge here: Jackie's Instagram Inktober Drawings (as well as some photos).

In August, I decided to give myself an early birthday present, and take myself to the Train/Daryl Hall and John Oates concert. I invited my friend Jan, who I have known for many years, but have not done a lot with. I noticed she was interested in going to the same concert through Facebook. I invited her to go, and we had a blast! I have been a forever fan of Daryl Hall & John Oates, and have been to a couple of their concerts. I became a fan of Train around the time they first started, and have wanted to see them in concert, but never have been to a live show.  I do have a DVD of them in concert, however, that cover all my favorite songs from the "Drops of Jupiter" album, but it is not the same as seeing them in person. It was definitely worth it.

Kandace Springs opened the show, and had a lovely beautiful soulful, jazzy sound.  She set a nice calming vibe at the beginning.  I really enjoyed her part of the show.

Even though I did not realize that Pat Monahan is now the only one left in the band since I became a fan, they put on an impressive, high energy show. I also did not realize how long Train has been around. I think it has been about 18 or 20 years!

Train started their set with a song called "Drink Up."  I am not absolutely sure I had heard the song before, but I knew I really liked it, right away. As the show progressed, Pat took selfies of himself with some lucky audience members cell phones, and threw them back (I hope everyone caught their phones okay). Later, he brought out some Train t-shirts, threw some out to the audience in front of him, then put one on. He had each member of the band sign it, while he sang wearing it.  Then he threw it out to the audience.  An older guy who did not seem very excited (probably because he was more a fan of Hall and Oates, maybe?), caught it.  He gave a little smile, then dabbed his head with the t-shirt. Such a shame.  Too bad it wasn't thrown to someone more enthusiastic. The concert went on, and people lit up their cell phones during "When I Look to the Sky."

During a more upbeat song, Pat threw large beach balls out to the audience on the main floor. Everyone was singing, having a great time. Except for maybe the guy with the Train t-shirt, who knows?  They ended their set with my favorite song still, which is "Drops of Jupiter."  It sounded incredible.  I wanted to hear it again right after it was preformed, but I was also excited to hear Daryl Hall & John Oates.  It had been awhile since I had seen them live.

During intermission people were still excited and happy, the arena showed excerpts from Daryl's online show, "Live at Daryl's House."  They showed a clip where he sings with Cheap Trick, several audience members (including myself) waiting for the next set burst into song, "Mommy's alright, daddy's alright, they just seem a little weird...."  It was great.

The seats next to me, that no one was sitting in during the Train concert, filled.  They really missed out, I think.  As Daryl Hall and John Oates are taking the stage, two girls are standing, blocking the view, and talking to each other.  Seriously?  Someone yells, "Sit down!"  They don't do it.  I yell, "Sit down!"  My friend Jan, taps on the guy in front of us, who then quietly asks the girls to sit down. They finally do.

Daryl Hall & John Oates are still amazing in concert.  I was happy because I got to hear some of their more popular songs live, that I hadn't been able to before.  They sang hit after hit after hit.  They also sang a new song, that Train and Daryl Hall and John Oates collaborated on, "Philly Forget Me Not."  I love the song, their voices really blend well together.  They sang a couple of more songs together.  "Wait for Me," a Hall & Oates song, and "Calling All Angels," a Train song.  Pat leaves the stage, and the duo keeps singing. When the set is over, they leave the stage, but are called back for an encore.  They sing three more songs. They finish with "You Make My Dreams."  Even though it is late, I wish the concert wasn't over.  I kind of feel the same way about this year.  It was a pretty good year for me.  So long, 2018.

Bellevue Arts Fairs 2017 & 2018

My purchases in the past two years.  Above, a card "The Sincerest Form of Flattery" by Eileen Sorg.

Below, coasters "Cozy Afternoon," and "Miss Tater" by Mary Gibbs.

So, almost every year I go to a couple of art festival fairs/festivals that happen in Bellevue at this time of year.  I started going a long time ago, when my family and I were just heading out for a trip to the mall, and came across this festival, that was set up on the bottom of the parking garage at Bellevue Square Mall.  It was much smaller then, but it was something neat, and memorable.

It, as well as Bellevue, has grown so much.  Now, two festivals happen at the same time (the BAM ARTSfair and the Bellevue Festival of the Arts), so there is plenty to look at.  It normally takes me about 4-5 hours to see everything, if I am up to it.  I almost did not go this year, because I wasn't sure I was up to it this year, but I am really glad I went.  I just love seeing all the amazing talent people have and the variety of styles.  They also have good food out there, in case you are hungry.  I decided to eat at home this year, before I went.

One of the most impressive pieces of work, was a sculpted dragon that really breathes fire!  The artist, Gunter Reimnitz, is happy to show a demonstration of his work.  I did not get a photo of the fire breathing, but there is a great one shown here.  It was at the festival this year as well as last year.

Inside the Bellevue Arts Museum last year they had some intricate paper sculptures.  This one was my favorite.  I am not sure who the artist was, but they did a really great job.

This year, there were some interesting silkscreen and screen prints by Alex Katz.  The one shown below is called, "Nichole," and in it's reflection is "White Roses."

Also, this year, was a colorful display of fashion by FEMAIL:AMPM.  I really like how it seems to combine different cultures into one.  It is a really beautiful display.  You can read more about it here.

Outside the mall they had a sidewalk chalk artist.  I missed the sidewalk chalk artist last year, so it was good to see it again.  This one is done by Gabrielle Abbott.

The festival outside had so many other great things, that it would be impossible to cover them all.

Factory43 had some great whimsical pins and prints.  It was one of the few booths that encouraged photos.  I especially like the cat with the eye-patch, but I also like the crying ice cream cone.  Their website is also pretty cool.

Last year there was an artist who used gold foil in his photo/paintings.  I did not see him this year, but his name is Michael Bryant.  It is hard to tell by looking at them online, but there is a wonderful looking glistening and texture when you see his works in person.

This year some artists I liked were:

Coffee on Canvas:  Artwork created by using coffee as a medium.  Creates a fascinating visual in great earth tones.  I love the Seattle Skyline one.

Michael Rohner:  Does a great job with pen and ink.  Draws many animals.  My favorite one is the one titled "Aeon."

Steven Vigil:  Interesting style.  Some look halfway finished, with paint drips.  I really like "Whatever you do, Don't Run."

Some favorites were back again:

Justin Hillgrove:  Always has new and great stuff.  I just love his work.  His work includes parody and tributes, that he makes into his own, but he has original stuff as well.

Amy Flynn:  Creative and fun Fobots, made with found objects.

Diane Culhane:  Colorful, story-telling art.

Last year, I added two new coasters to another coaster I bought previously by Mary Gibbs, as shown at the top of this blog.  She has beautiful watercolor artwork.  I especially love her cats that she draws.  I had to resist from buying more coasters this year.

I did purchase some cards from Eileen Sorg.  I really love how in "Imitation Is the Sincerest Form of Flattery," that a bird and I think what is a grasshopper(?) try to imitate a rabbit.  It is humorous, yet deep, and brilliant.

The festival is almost over, but you can still check out these artist's work at their websites or at other art festivals.

Eating Well & Keeping Cool at The Bite of Seattle

The second day at  the Alley (at The Bite of Seattle), most of the food portions were in good sized basket-type containers.  It was a little awkward to get them all onto one plate.  In fact, was worried some might fall off, but luckily, they didn't.  Here is what was served today, starting at the top, going clockwise:

Anar - Mujadara: Protein Bowl with green lentils, brown rice, labneh, pepitas, pickled turnips. - This was one my favorite things today on my plate, but it was my dad's least favorite.  It was at this point I learned that my dad doesn't like sour cream (which it has a dollop of).  All these years I have known him, and I had no idea he dislikes sour cream.  He said maybe if it didn't have that, he would like it.  He said he didn't like the cabbage, either.  I told him I thought those were turnips, because cabbage was not a listed ingredient.  He said he did not like turnips, either.  So, I really liked this dish.  I thought it had several great textures, a unique flavor, and I thought the sour cream was a great touch, but I guess it did not have a chance with my dad.

Hurry Curry of Tokyo:  Japanese Beef Curry with mixed vegetables & Japanese style curry pickles. - This was my dad's favorite.  It had a nice, savory flavor.  I am not sure what Japanese style curry pickles are, but maybe they are the red things on top that remind me of a bell pepper?

Salty's On Alki Beach:  Seafood Ceviche: Scallops, prawns, sweet onion, and aromatics. - I was a little nervous about trying this dish, when I read it on the menu, but I did not need to worry at all.  It was delightful, and fun looking with a bright, crisp chip to add crunchiness and flavor.

Conscious Eatery: Walnut Salad: Pear, blue cheese crumbles, fried candied walnuts with champagne vinaigrette over spring mix. - I liked this dish, but the flavors did not really stand out, I am not even certain mine had the vinaigrette, but if it did, it was very light, which was fine, but I guess I was expecting a tad more flavor from it.

Maslow's by Farestart: Jerk Chicken Skewer with Pineapple Slaw.  - This was my dad's second favorite.  I thought it was pretty good, too.  I liked the sweetness of the pineapple in the slaw.  The chicken was tender, but a bit difficult to eat on the stick, so I pulled it off with my fingers.

No Thai Cuisine:  Crispy Spring Rolls - Miniature fried spring rolls stuffed with glass noodles & vegetables, served with plum sauce.  These were so incredibly good!  May have been my favorite or second favorite.  My dad's third favorite.  Crispy, sweet, and delicious!

The weather was quite warm today.  Perfectly sunny.  Even though we were pretty full after eating at The Alley, we wound up trying 3 different desserts later.  They had some really interesting desserts at a few different vendors this year.  I did not get very good photos of them, so I will just describe them to you. They were found in the Munchies at the Mural section of the Bite.

The first one I tried was called LBJella Ice Cream Cane (picture #6, click to see).  Soft serve ice cream is served in what looks like an umbrella handle or "J."  I was uncertain how stable this cone would be, but it was rather thick, but also puffy, so it held the ice cream inside well.  There is a bit of extra ice cream on each side, and you get your choice of toppings for each side.  I chose toffee for one side, and Fruity Pebbles for the other, and had two Strawberry Pocky sticks sticking out on either side.  It was pretty good.  The purpose I found out, was to create a cone that would not drip.  However, it was so hot, that the bottom part with the extra ice cream did a little onto my blouse.  It wasn't a disaster like my dad thought it might be.  I liked the taste of the cone, which seemed to be puffed corn, and the ice cream inside complimented it greatly.

The second dessert (or whatever it was) named Twenty Three Below, was bought at the same place (picture #3, click to see).  It looked really cool, both literally and figuratively.  The dessert was also made of puffed corn, with some slight flavoring (one tasted like a banana flavored puff).  The dessert lets off a freezing cold steam, which makes a very interesting presentation.  The trick is that it is dipped into Nitrogen.  So, it looks awesome as you are eating it.  There are rules on eating this novelty for your safety:

First, you stab each piece with a stick.
Second, you blow on the puff 3 times.
Third, you stick the puff into your mouth, chew, and then keep chewing on it (meaning: don't let it linger on your tongue).

Steam will come out of your mouth, or out of your nose while doing this.  Even though it was quite fun and interesting, it was mostly air, so it seemed overpriced.  Many people were eating them, though.  I guess it was just too cool to pass up!

Both my dad and I felt we needed something more after finishing our desserts, so we wound up getting two popsicles from Seattle Pops.  The booth won best dessert, yet everyone was flocking to the stands around them.  I ordered a Coconut Cream Popsicle, my dad had a Blueberry Cream one.  There were other flavors, some not creamy, but the coconut appealed to me most.  It was incredibly good.  It was creamy and smooth, and flavorful.  My dad liked his, too.  Simplicity was better in this case.  It was my favorite of the three desserts I tried.  I looked up their website, and I definitely want to try them out again.

The day was pretty hot today, and is expected to be even hotter tomorrow, so if you go down, be sure to dress light, and maybe bring some water to keep cool.  Have fun!

The Alley Raises the Price at The Bite of Seattle 2018... Is It Worth It?

Several years in a row, I have gone to The Alley at the Bite of Seattle with my dad, my friends, or on my own, and for years it was $10 per plate.  Last year it was a little more, but this year, they doubled the $10 amount to $20 per plate!  I read it ahead of time, before going, but it made my dad and I hesitant about going all three days like we used to do. Furthermore, the parking this year went up to $20 itself.  So, the Bite is not exactly cheap anymore.  At least there is no entrance fee.  So, if you can walk there from where you live, you are pretty lucky.  Seems like everything went up in price this year, more than usual.

The Alley was advertising "6 LARGE BITES," but that isn't actually true.  There were definitely two that were quite small.  Some were what I would consider medium-large size, and maybe a couple were large.  However, everything filled us up, to the point we did not need to eat anything else while we were there, as we walked around.

The Bites are reviewed as shown above, from the center, and clockwise:

Community Table by Farestart:  Santa Fe Bowl:  Hot brown rice, matchstick carrots, black beans, corn niblets, cherry tomato halves, green chili tomatillo sauce, cotija cheese, Pico de Gallao, avocado, lime sauce, tortilla crisps.  -  We were asked if we wanted the tortilla crisps, obviously yes!  This bite had a beautiful presentation, in a small cup.  Mine was well balanced.  From the list of ingredients I see that it does not show it has chicken, but I am certain mine had chicken!  My dad did not have chicken in his, and he did not like it as much as me.  I liked it very well.  It was a bit challenging to eat, without spilling it out of the cup, but the plate was there, so that was a minor issue.  My dad thought it may have been better if we dumped it on the plate and stirred it up a bit.  I enjoyed mine just fine.  It had nice texture and flavor.  

Gather Kitchen & Bar:  Westport Albacore with watermelon, heirloom tomato, wild arugula, and balsamic gratrique. - First of all, we got a rather small portion of this dish.  It did not look like there was much left, yet we were there in the afternoon, and it wasn't that busy yet. It was also a bit of a mystery dish.  I did not have a menu in front of me, but I had read the menu a night or two before, and thought, "this is the potato salad."  My dad argued that it was not.  It seemed to have the texture of potato salad, in some parts, with a type of melon, like cantaloupe, but certainly not watermelon, as described.  It had a bit of a bite to it, which was nice.  Despite the fact I had no idea what I was eating, until I read the description later, and it was an underwhelming proportion, I actually quite liked this dish.  My dad did not really like it.  He did not like the textures.  He also said he does not like albacore.  I never had it before, that I know of.  I liked it fine.

Bounty Kitchen:  Thai Basil Peanut Salad:  Mixed greens, purple and nappa cabbage, lemongrass and peanuts. -  The person serving us this dish was very friendly and offered more than expected.  I really liked the colors of this salad.  This was the first thing I tried.  I liked it so much, I had a taste, and waited till later to finish the rest.  It was spicy, with a nice blend of flavors.  Seemed like a Thai style coleslaw.  It was one of my favorites on the plate.  Though I liked everything I had on my plate.

Pescos Pit BBQ:  "The Piggy Parfait": Pecos Best Potato Salad Ever (with bacon), topped with chopped pork and drizzled with the Pecos "The Only" Sauce. - This was my favorite of the bites on my dish today.  The meat was nice and tender, the sauce was tangy and spicy (they had extra spicy sauce to add, which is what I had), I did not realize at first I was eating potato salad, but then it was obvious, and very good.  The potato salad seemed to have cheese in it, besides bacon, and it complimented the barbecue pork very well.

Din Tai Fung:  Vegetable and Pork Wonton with Spicy Sauce & Bok Choy.  - My dad's favorite dish on the plate today.  In fact, he could not stop talking about it the rest of the day.  I felt mine could have been a little more firm, his came from a fresh, new batch.  The flavor was delicious, though.  The booth also gave out red pens, which I liked very much.

Krigles Bakery:  Apple Spice Pie (& Brown Sugar Cherry PIe) - We only got one slice of pie, but it was a generous portion.  It had a strong cinnamon taste which made it unique and pleasant.  It did not need ice cream, but that might have been nice with it.

We also were given a 12 fl oz bottle of water to compliment our meal.  It seemed smaller than 12 fl oz, but it was nice to have.

When previewing the menu over the 3 days, this day looked the best for me.  My dad thought the other two looked better.  I really enjoyed everything on my plate today, and it filled me up plenty.

Afterwards, we walked around a bit, listened to some music, enjoyed the perfect weather in the sunshine.  Something that looked interesting to me, but I did not try, was ice cream served in a cone shaped as a "J."  My dad said it looked like a disaster waiting to happen.  I am not sure I will be trying it, but I thought it was visually interesting.

(Proceeds from "The Alley" at The Bite of Seattle go to Food Lifeline, providing meals to people every day who suffer with hunger across Western Washington. For more information, go to this link.)

The Bellevue Arts Fair 2017

The Bellevue Arts & Crafts Fair is going on this weekend, maybe I will see you there!

Video shared from bellevue.com You can also get more information by clicking the same link.

A Better Bite, and Spam Fries??? - The Bite of Seattle, Sunday 2017

From far right, clockwise:  Conscious Eatery - Southwest Salad,Ten Mercer - Pancetta Wrapped, Almond Stuffed Date, Noi Thai Cuisine - Signature Fried Shrimp Cakes, Hurry Curry of Tokyo - Authentic Tokyo Curry, and Blazing Bagels Bake Shop - Salted Caramel Brownie

I felt hesitant going to Sunday's Bite, after feeling let down on Friday.  Things were definitely better, though.  They had printed menus this time.  The food presentation overall, was better.  Everything served tasted delicious, and up to the standard of previous years.  They still didn't sell any beverages or hand out water, though.  The weather was a little hot for my tastes, but not bad.  Overall, much better Bite than Friday's Bite.  Here is my review of the food served at The Alley on Sunday:

CONSCIOUS EATERY

Southwest Salad with Sharp Cheddar, Corn, Beans & Tortilla Strips with Chipotle Ranch Dressing:  This was the first thing I ate today.  My first thought was, "Oh, this is sooo good!"  Tasty, dressing, nice combination of textures.  I really love tortilla strips in my salads.   

TEN MERCER

Pancetta Wrapped, Almond Stuffed Date deep fried then dipped in Bulgarian Fetta & Balsamic Reduction - I had this before.  It was tastier than expected then, but had a kind of bizarre presentation.  This time, the presentation was beautiful.  It looked good, and tasted very nice. 

NOI THAI CUISINE

Signature Fried Shrimp Cakes (Tod Mun Goong) with Secret Plum Sauce -  I really liked this.  It was cooked to perfection.  I really wish there was more of this.

HURRY CURRY OF TOKYO

Authentic Tokyo Curry with Ground Beef and Veggies over Japanese White Rice - Tender and good flavor.  The red veggies made a nice color presentation, they were just the right amount of firmness.

BLAZING BAGELS BAKE SHOP

Salted Caramel Fudge Brownies - I was excited to see this restaurant on  the menu, because last year, the sample bagel they served was my favorite thing.  Can they make brownies just as good?  The answer is, "Yes, yes they can!"  Salted caramel has become real popular in just the last couple of years, and this was a good addition to that trend.

After we finished eating at The Alley, my dad and I decided to explore the rest of the Bite.  There was a band, playing R&B, soul, neo-soul, and funk music that was really good, called Surround Sound Band. It is not a very catchy name, but they sounded great.  There were lots of people dancing and listening.

After a few songs, we wound up finding a place that was giving free SPAM samples of SPAM sliders and SPAM fries.  A slogan read, "Don't knock it, till you fry it."

 I have always hated SPAM, but for some reason, we were intrigued by their advertising.  We stood in line to try a different way to eat SPAM.  We wound up having to wait for quite awhile.  Once we got to the window, they only had SPAM fries.  Deep fried SPAM cut into long strips, covered with BBQ sauce.  

I was skeptical, but they didn't taste bad.  My dad thought they were too salty.  At least that awful aftertaste wasn't there.  I had quite a few, but couldn't finish.  They were all right, but I rather have regular French fries, which may not be healthy, but probably healthier than deep fried mystery meat.  I guess they proved that anything can taste good if you deep fry it.  I am still waiting to see if "Deep Fried Pepsi Float" will make it back to the Bite so I can try that.

The Bite of Seattle is over now, but there is always next year if you want to try it.  The Alley is only one part of the Bite.  There were 15 food trucks this year, plus many other restaurant booths to try throughout the weekend.  I still highly recommend it, if you are a foodie, like me.