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.

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.

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.)

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.

A Boring Bite? - The Bite of Seattle Friday, 2017

Starting at far right, clockwise:  Honest Biscuits - Biscuits & Gravy,  The Roadhouse Restaurant & Inn - Meatloaf sandwich, Hurry Curry of Tokyo - Curry dish, www.superblues.net - blueberries, Kringles Bakery - Blondie Bite.

I always look forward to The Bite of Seattle, especially the event my Dad and I traditionally attend throughout the years, and this year was no exception.  So, I was disappointed when my Highscool Reunion fell on the same weekend.  Problem resolved.  I would do both!

First thing I noticed when I looked up this year's Alley, was that the price went up $5, and the sample Bites on plate were reduced to five items.  I had planned originally on going all three days.  After seeing the price hike, and knowing the fact of travel time between my reunion and Seattle, my dad and I decided to go only two days this year.  Yesterday, Friday, and tomorrow, Sunday.

I realized later, that Friday morning was really pushing it to get to my reunion on time, and traffic couldn't have been much worse getting over.  I missed out on the pre-party before the reunion, but it turned out okay.

The Alley on Friday was a bit of a disappointment this year, unfortunately.  We got there, I asked for a menu.  In the past, they have had menus printed out on paper.  The cashier just pointed to a sign.  No menu handouts.  Well, okay, maybe they are controlling waste.  I looked up the menu online.

Often they have had an option to buy a beverage.  Not this time.  This was very disappointing.  We could have gone to another booth, and bought a beverage, but that was pretty inconvenient.  It would have been nice to have something to refresh and cleanse my palette.

After we sat down, and ate out food, my dad and I felt a bit let down.  The food just did not seem up to par with the food items in the past.  Perhaps because their was no food critic or guest chef featured this year.  It really made a difference.

We both admitted we still liked this year's Alley, but were not amazed by this year's presentation.  We are hoping Sunday will be better. Here is my review of the individual dishes served:

HONEST BISCUITS

Southern Sausage Gravy on a Biscuit. - I think we had this last year.  It was okay then.  Today the biscuit seemed a bit hard.  I have had better biscuits and gravy.

THE ROADHOUSE RESTAURANT & INN
Meatloaf Sliders with Caramelized Onions, Spiked Mayo & Demi-glaze - Too subtle on flavor.  I saw the mayo and onions, but could not taste them.  My dad didn't even notice the added condiments.  The meatloaf had nice texture, but also not very memorable.

HURRY CURRY OF TOKYO
Fried Chicken Karaage with Vegetable Curry & Japanese Rice
First of all, I love the name of this place! - The curry part had good flavor, however, the chicken was tough,  lowering the rating of this dish.

WWW.SUPERBLUES.NET

Blueberries - Fresh.  Firm.  Tasted as expected. 

KRINGLES BAKERY
Blueberry Blondie Bite - I would have liked more blueberries in mine, but it was pretty good.

PURPLE CAFÉ & WINE BAR
Snow Crab Salad with Celery, Shallots, Lemon-Cayenne Aïoli, Microgreens &House Baguette - This was the best thing served today.  Nice texture, great presentation, a good balance of flavors.  Nice subtle taste.

Right after eating, we had to take off, which was sad, because, the weather was absolutely perfect, and we would have liked to have wandered around a bit.  I was glad to go to my reunion, though, despite the fact that most of the people from my circle of friends back then didn't show up!  I was happy to talk with some people who I didn't know very well back in the day, as well as catch up with those who I sort of lost contact with over the years.  At least there is other social media to keep those connections!

Well, if you go to The Bite today, I hope you have fun!  May your dish be full of tasty bites, and if not, may you have the time to find something better!

An Amazing Bite with Pokemon, and a Long Drive to Canada

I wasn't certain I would make it to this year's The Bite of Seattle 2016, even though I planned to go every single day of it when I scheduled for my vacation last month.  At the last minute, plans changed, and my family and I took a long drive to Alberta, Canada.  I will post some photos of that trip later.  I can tell you are anxious to see my photos and review from this year's Bite.

Much has changed over the years since I first went to The Bite of Seattle.  One thing I noticed this year, more than ever, was the number of selfies being taken around this area (between the EMP and the Space Needle).  "Selfies" was not even a word back then, even though we still would try to hold the camera far away enough, hoping we would be in focus and centered when we turned the camera on ourselves.  It didn't happen as often, due to the limitations of film.

Another thing that changed, was the location of The Alley, which is the main reason I attend every year, almost always with my dad, as he is a big fan of The Alley, too.  It is sort of a tradition of ours.  The new location of The Alley was on the Fisher Rooftop this year.  I think it may have provided more seating, and was more centrally located, so passersby could easily stumble across it.

The Alley did not seem to have a host this year, and I think that was a good change.  I felt The Alley offered more variety in restaurants this year.  They also did away with the wine pairings, charged $2 more, which gave you a water.  So $12 gives you six different bites, that fill your plate, plus, you get a water.  Still a great deal.  Food Lifeline is in the process of doubling their operation with a new Hunger Solution Center, and claims it will be able to feed 800,000 hungry people in Western Washington!  It's a great cause.

The menu for this year's Alley looked particularly good.  I really wanted to go on Friday, but I also felt I needed to spend just a little more time in Canada, so my priorities changed.  I was exhausted when I got home on Saturday, but determined to have some tasty food, and to support a good cause.

Saturday's Alley was so amazing, seriously good.

Clockwise, from the top left:  Vegetable & Pork Wontons w/ Spicy Sauce (Din Tai Fung Restaurant), Seafood Ceviche (Salty's on Alki), Traditional Dish of New Orleans:  Pork, Duck & Rice, breaded and deep fried, served with a spicy and sweet red pepper jelly (Sazerac), Thai Salad featuring shredded papaya, tomatoes, carrots, green beans, fresh chilies, lime juice, dried shrimp and crushed peanuts (Noi Thai), Goat Cheese Stuffed Dates wrapped with Bacon and Fig Balsamic (Levitate Gastopub), and Husky Wilbur:  Root beer braised pulled Duroc Pork, Crispy Fried Red Onions & Spicy Mustard Aioli on Potato Roll (Skillet Diner).

After trying each bite from Saturday's Alley menu, I thought to myself, "How am I going to review this?  Everything tastes so great, and has great texture and flavor!  I cannot decide!"

First up: the wontons from Din Tai Fung Restaurant.  I have had wontons at previous Alleys.  They have always been good, and this one was no exception.  It had a nice, mild flavor.

I was surprised by the Seafood Ceviche from Salty's.  I have had similar dishes in the Alley, from Salty's, that I did not like the texture of, because of the presence of squid.  Even though the ingredients were not listed for this bite, I believe it may have had some squid in it.  It had chewy textures, with a slightly spicy salsa.  I really liked the textures and flavors, so bravo, Salty's, you did a nice job with this one.

The Traditional New Orleans Dish from Sazerac.  I really loved the textures of this bite!  It was a texture like shredded meat, and along with the other flavors, and the sweet, red pepper jelly... I found it very tasty.

The Thai Salad from Noi Thai.  Tasters were given a choice of spicy or non-spicy.  I like spicy foods, so that it what I chose.  It had a nice flavor.  Crisper than sauerkraut, almost like a coleslaw, but if I remember right, it had a vinegary flavor.  It was very good.

The Goat Cheese Stuffed Date from Levitate Gastropub.  Okay.  I have to say this, I am sorry, when I first saw this I thought it was probably a small sausage wrapped in bacon with something that resembled icing on top, but it looked more what looks like a cat would put in a litter box at the end of the day.  I was sure however, that it was going to be delicious anyway, despite it's strange presentation.  It was delicious.  Not what I expected, quite (after all, I thought it was sausage, I didn't study the menu closely beforehand).  It had a nice, sweet flavor.  Very unique.  It was so good, that it was tough competition with the rest of the bites for that day.

The Husky Wilbur from Skillet Diner.  What a memorable name!  Husky Wilbur.  I really like the little sandwiches they have had at the Alley the past few years.  As I was reading the ingredients for this sandwich, I was thinking, "No wonder I liked this so much!"  It had a nice crunchiness, from the crispy fried onions, and a great tasting sauce.  Yum!

One thing I noticed about the booths this year, is that two were decorated especially nice.  The awards for best booth display, go to Noi Thai:

and Din Tai Fung Restaraunt (which also gave out cute, red pens).  You know how I love red.

So fun!  Such cute and beautiful displays.  It was nice to have a pen, too.  I can always use good pens.  Noi Thai passed out fans the next day, which was very smart, since it was very hot that day.

On our way to The Alley on Sunday, we saw what appeared to be a statue.  Of course, I knew better.  I may or may have not been acquainted once with the person wearing this costume.  It is difficult to tell, with the make-up and all.  He did a great job standing still.  Making slight, mechanical movements, now and then.  All the kids standing around thought he was great, and many adults were intrigued.

Clockwise, from top left:  Sausage link sample (Uli's Famous Sausage, Prepared by Chef Tobie Robinson), Moist, handcrafted carrot muffin, French Toast Bagel with a "nutty cream cheese" (Blazing Bagels), Fried Banana (Noi Thai), Chocolate Cherry Chunk Cookie:  A Tom Douglas Favorite (Tom Douglas' Dahlia Bakery).

Sunday's Alley featured a "Sunday Brunch."  This was a nice breakfast.  I think it mainly catered to the less ambitious eaters, which is fine.  Nothing seemed like it could be overly fancy or strange for a regular eater.  I also noticed at the ticket counter, they had a bit of allergy information, such as what had nuts or other concerns in them.  That is a nice improvement for those concerned.

This day's plate, I had a clear favorite.  The French Toast Bagel, from Blazing Bagels.  It just really stood out for me, was so incredibly delicious and flavorful.  This booth had a choice of 4 different bites of bagel to choose from, and the decision was so difficult, but I chose what must have been the absolute best one!  I heard my dad choosing the French Toast Bagel.  I thought of trying something different, so we could try each others, but it just sounded good, right after he said it.  There was also a choice of different cream cheeses.  All were labeled, but one.  I was trying to decide what would go good with the French Toast selection, when the server made a suggestion of the one with no label, he said it had a "nutty flavor."  I knew that was the one I wanted to try, as soon as he said that.  I was very impressed.  I have already looked this place up on the internet, and plan on making a future visit, to have a whole bagel with cream cheese.  They have sandwiches and other things, too.

The Fried Banana from Noi Thai was delicious too, and unique.  

Everything else was good.  I had some trouble with cutting the sausage from Uli's Famous Sausage with plastic-ware, however.  Also, I have had better Biscuits and Gravy before (a breakfast favorite of mine), with a flakier biscuit at another restaurant I have mentioned, in another blog.  I did notice, though, that the one from Honest Biscuit advertised local and organic, so there is that selling point, if you like that sort of thing.

The Bite of Seattle this year had a great turn-out.  Walking around on Saturday my dad said to me, "It seems better this year."  I agreed.  It seemed like there were more food booths, it was better attended, people were dancing around, listening to the various bands playing, I overheard someone saying, "We should just walk around, finding 'Pokemans.'"  Yes.  He did say "Pokemans."  It made me chuckle to myself.  That Pokemon Go!  game is definitely popular right now.  Speaking of, guess who I saw posing with fans in the Seattle Center Armory?  That's right!  Pikachu!!!

Mario, from Mario Brothers, also made an appearance waving at fans, taking photos with them:

There were also some awesome things on display, like these Mario Brothers Vans shoes, with the words "Game Over" marked on the bottom...

...and a claw arcade game, filled with Pokemon and Mario Brothers items.  I saw someone successfully grab that Jigglypuff on the top right-hand corner.  It was exciting to watch.

The entertainment was especially good on Saturday.  I heard one band from a distance, covering a Bon Jovi song.  I thought they sounded so good, I had to find out who they were:

Once I saw the pink scarf, wrapped around the microphone, in Aerosmith fashion, the long, platinum hair, and the tiger spandex, I knew I had seen this band before.  It is Platinum Spandex!  I saw them a few years ago at the Bite.  They were very entertaining, and sound amazing.

A woman came up to me and asked me, "Are these guys famous or something?"  It was kind of funny.  I suppose in Seattle, they might be  a little, but I am sure she meant "World Famous."  I said, "No, they are just popular, and sing a bunch of cover songs."  She asked me their name, and I told her.  I think she had a hard time hearing me right, so I showed her their name in the program.  She photographed the program, so she could remember.  There were lots of people in the audience for this group.  Some were recording them with their phones, others were dancing.  They are a good cover band.

Two other mentoins:  Sonic Funk Orchestra "A disco funk experience," and Satoria "Funk, hip-hop, R&B, Soul."  The first one was fun sounding, the second one had a singer with an amazing voice.

We didn't stay long enough to hear what may have been some great bands on Sunday.

There were some other fun things at The Bite of Seattle, like a mini carnival, advertising Nathan's Famous, known for hot dogs, and hot dog eating contests.  There were free samples, a carousel for small children, a variety of games, which you could win various prizes, and a Zoltar machine!  Remember the movie "Big?"  Anyway, it gave a fortune with a coupon.  

As we wrapped up our time, looking around, I saw these amazing flowers.  I thought at first they were done by Dale Chihuly, since he has a museum in the Seattle Center, but on closer inspection, they were real!

Overall, I felt the Bite was a big success, and a ton of fun.  I came home after it all, and had a nice, long rest.

To see my blog and photos from Canada click here.

Sizzling at The Bite of Seattle 2015

 

First of all, I want to apologize for taking so long to write my review for The Bite of Seattle this year.  I have been experiencing technical difficulties with every electronic device I own, and I am still working on some of those problems.  I kind of feel like the juggler above, who is standing on a ball while juggling several things at once! 

 

Isn't this guy cool?  I would fall flat on my face, just trying to stand on that ball.  He was one of the many sources of entertainment at The Bite of Seattle this Year.

 

We also watched a Caricature Artist draw a couple who also wanted to have their dog in the picture with them!  I was kind of curious how the illustrator was going to handle that situation, after all, the dog was large, but still had a lot of puppy in him.  The artist took out his cell phone, and after several attempts to calm the puppy down, he took a photo and started sketching!  It was great.  Without color, the dog kind of looked like one of the 101 Dalmatians, without spots.  However, once he was colored in, he looked like a cartoon version of the chocolate lab with golden eyes, that he appeared to be. 

 

After finishing the full color of the dog, he moved to each of individual owners, the first person female, the second person, male.  I don't know what their relationship was to each other, but my guess was boyfriend and girlfriend.  However, they could have been engaged or married for all I know.  The picture turned out great, some surrounding people took photos while the picture was in process.  I chose not to.  I wanted to respect the artist's work, as well as the subject's privacy.  You will just have to believe me, that it was pretty neat.  I have never watched a caricature artist do a piece that was front-on in color before.  There were several artists that appeared to be with the same company, dispersed throughout Seattle Center.

 

The Bite of Seattle continues to be a tradition with me and usually my dad.  Sometimes we go with other family members, sometimes I have gone with friends (when my dad is unavailable), and sometimes I have even gone alone.  We look forward to it every year.  The reason we go is because there is a great section called "The Alley."  There are 7 decent sized "bites" of gourmet food for $10.  Add $1 for soda or water, or add a little more for the alcohol section.  A share of all proceeds go to Food Lifeline.

 

Sunday at "The Alley"

 

 

Pictured above, clockwise:  Raw Strawberry Basil Cheesecake Bite (Chaco Canyon),  Panang Curry with Chicken (Racha Noodles & Thai), Spicy Tahitian Pizza (Shambala Bakery), Potato Gnocchi with Mushrooms (Gnocchi Bar), Grilled Niman Ranch Beef with Washington Blueberry Mint mojo (Miller's Guild), Mini Shaved Tenderloin Sandwich with Gorgonzola Truffle Butter & Balsamic Red Onions (The Capital Grille), and Mexican Caprese (Eat at Mexico).

  

Saturday at "The Alley"

 

 

Pictured above, clockwise:  Salmon Rifette, Toasted Brioche, Local Radish, Lavender Vinaigrette (Salty's), Vegetable and Pork Wonton with Spicy Sauce (Din Tai Fung), Raw Strawberry Basil Cheesecake Bite (Chaco Canyon),  Mexican Caprese (Eat at Mexico), Wood Roasted Turkey, Charred Brocolli, Pickled Onion, Smoked Cotija Dressing, Corn Nuts (Catina Lena), Mini Fried Chicken Waffles (Skillet Dinner), and Grilled Niman Ranch Beef with Washington Blueberry Mint mojo (Miller's Guild).

 

 

My dad and I went to The Bite on Saturday and Sunday.  We really wanted to go on Friday this year as well, however with a fire closing down I-90, and work reasons, we were both unable to make that day.  It is too bad, because some of the food looked especially good. 

 

The temperatures were in the low to mid-nineties Fahrenheit, and for Seattleites, that is pretty hot!  We spent about 5 scorching hours at the Bite on Saturday, but we only stayed for a few minutes and ate what was on our plate on Sunday.

 

Saturday I really enjoyed the items on my plate.  Sunday had some of the same items, with a few changes.  I will review each item, starting with Sunday's plate in the top photo, and then add the Saturday items from the bottom photo in.

 

 

Raw Strawberry Basil Cheesecake Bite by Chaco Canyon:  The first day, this was one of 3 of my favorites from Saturday's dish.  I loved the colors, a dark pink, green, and brownish crust in layers.  The first day, I could really taste the strawberry very well.  I could not place the basil flavor, until I looked on the flyer to see what it was.  Saturday it held up well under the heat.  It may have been just taken out of a cooler.  Sunday, there was just a thin layer of strawberry flavor, the heat was getting to the cheesecake a little, but it still tasted really good.  Great crust, too.  It was a nice break from the cupcakes (that were also yummy) that have been featured at "The Alley" for the past several years now.  One of my favorite things on my plate.

 

 

Panang Curry with Chicken by Racha Noodles & Thai:  My dad and I loved this dish.  It reminded me much of Red Chicken Curry that I often order from another restaurant.  It was spicy and delicious, it had a great sauce that went well with the rice.  One of my dad's favorite things on his plate.

 

 

Spicy Tahitian Pizza by  Shambala Bakery:  I must have been really hungry on Sunday, because I didn't set up my photo well enough to get a decent shot of the photo of the pizza presented here.  The pizza looked beautiful.  However, my dad and I were both a little disappointed in the taste.  We expected it to be spicy (because of what it is called), which it wasn't at all.  It also was extremely subtle in flavor, which was also a disappointing surprise.  My guess is that the ingredients were not as fresh as they could be.  These ingredients tend to loose flavor over a certain amount of time.  I could not really taste the pizza.  The texture was nice, though.

 

 

Potato Gnocchi with Mushrooms by Gnocchi Bar:  It was hard to tell what this was until reading the description.  The potatoes were small (which was okay), a little mushy (which I didn't mind), it had a nice sauce, but the overall dish did not have much flavor.  Also, I could not taste any mushrooms in mine, or they did not have them in my serving.  My dad did not taste them, either.

 

 

On the left, Saturday - good enough, not great.  On the right, Sunday - First piece, downright awful.



 

Grilled Niman Ranch Beef with Washington Blueberry Mint mojo by Miller's Guild:  This dish was all right the first day for me on Saturday, a little tough to cut, and extremely tough to cut, and impossible to chew for my dad. It did not have much flavor.  It didn't seem to be marinated or anything.  The Blueberry Mint mojo had no hint of the flavor mint, and did not appear to have any in it.  My dad doesn't like mint, and he couldn't taste it either.  I would have liked to.  He really did not like this dish on Saturday.  He said before he tried this dish, he was thinking that Miller's Guild might be a good place to eat out.  After this dish, he decided that he would not ever want to go there.

 

I thought maybe he just got unlucky and got a bad piece. I was sure that Sunday would be much better and change his mind.  However, I wound up getting a piece that was barely cooked (which normally would be fine), and extremely grisly and tough.  I tried chewing on it for a long while, but I wound up spitting it out!  It was absolutely awful!  I felt like I was eating a raw, tough beef sushi.  If it chewed easily, it probably would have been fine.  The other two pieces were cooked a little more.  They were alright.  However, that experience made me decide my dad was right to begin with.  There have been similar entrees to this one at "The Alley" in the past that were so much better.  It was by far the worst thing on my plate.

 

 

Mini Shaved Tenderloin Sandwich with Gorgonzola Truffle Butter & Balsamic Red Onions by The Capital Grille:  From the worst to the best thing on my plate on Sunday's dish!  Just reading the description, you can probably tell how great this little sandwich was!  It kind of reminded me of the "Burger of the Gods" from Lunchbox Laboratory, which is an amazing burger.  They both have similar ingredients, but are not exactly the same.  Very impressive, nonetheless.  One of my favorites!

 

 

Mexican Caprese by Eat at Mexico:  This was my dad's favorite dish, and another one of mine.  It had subtle flavors, but in a nice way.  Described as  "Roma Tomato, Avocado Mousse, Queso Fresco, Blood Orange Balsamic Reduction."  I could not tell what the Queso Fresco was.  Saturday, my guess was that it was tofu, done right.  Sunday, the texture reminded me of cheese, which it turned out to be.  My tomato on Sunday was smaller, but had a fresher, more vibrant flavor.  Both days were superb, though.  A perfect presentation, as well.

 

 

 

Salmon Rifette, Toasted Brioche, Local Radish, Lavender Vinaigrette by Salty's:  This item had nice flavors and nice textures.  I usually like a salmon spread anyway.  My dad thought it was better than most salmon spreads that he has had in the past. 

 

 

Vegetable and Pork Wonton with Spicy Sauce by Din Tai Fung:  This wonton was good, but did not stand out from other wontons presented at "The Alley" in the past. 

 

 

Wood Roasted Turkey, Charred Brocolli, Pickled Onion, Smoked Cotija Dressing, Corn Nuts by Catina Lena: While going through the line, to get this dish, the turkey was first set down, very nicely.  You walked a little farther down the table and someone dumped the rest of the stuff on top!  At first, I thought it was a mistake, and they covered up someone else's dish.  Then, I read in the flyer that that is how it is put together.  The flavors all went well together.  The turkey had a nice crust.  I thought one of the corn nuts was a broken tooth in my mouth at first, but they really made the dish exciting and interesting.  I would definitely try this again.

 

Mini Fried Chicken Waffles by Skillet Dinner:  It has been days now after the bite, and I am still thinking about this great entrée.  It is hard to tell from the photo, but I thought it was presented beautifully.  The waffle is the size of a Ritz cracker.  In fact, until I tasted it, and looked up what it was, I thought it was on a cracker of some sort.  The bottom had a small cornmeal waffle, covered with summer slaw,  a perfectly fried crusted chick thigh, and had a black pepper honey drizzle.  Having all three layers together was a very great combination of taste and textures.  My dad thought it was okay, but I really loved this one.  This was my favorite.

So there you have it!  The Bite this year did not seem to be as crowded.  I suppose with the extreme temperatures, people decided to hit the beach instead!  I certainly don't blame them. 

While we were watching Kellee Bradley sing on Saturday, I was enjoying her voice, but dying to get some shade.  Listening to her and her band play was worth it, though.

Also playing at The Bite near "The Alley" on Sunday, was Michael Powers, who played with a nice, jazzy sound.  It was a great to listen to while enjoying our dinner.

Starting Friday, and going through Sunday, The Bellevue Festival of the Arts is coming!  Luckily, the temperatures will not be as hot.  There will be a little drizzling throughout the day, it looks like, so come prepared!  Maybe I will see you there.