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.

Exciting Things

Some exciting things have been happening the past few months.  I started to grow some flowers in April.  Bill Watterson collaborated with Stephan Pastis in June for one week on his comic strip, "Pearls Before Swine."  Sailor Moon has been redone into a new series, and is available to watch online on Hulu.  The Wonder Years has finally come out on DVD!

Back in April, my mom gave me some seedlings that came in three Easter egg shaped planters.  On the bottom, it said what each plant would grow into.Three eggs that contained soil, and different seeds per egg: impatiens, marigold, and a snapdragon.

Being the brown thumb that I am, I was a little nervous about starting the flowers, and at first, I did not know how to start them, because the directions were not visible.  Each egg was wrapped tightly in plastic.  After a few weeks, I decided to tear off the plastic, and figure the thing out.  There were some real basic instructions, folded on a little circular foldout on the bottom.  I followed what few instructions there were, and hoped for the best.

After maybe a week, some little sprouts came out of each eggshell.  I kept religiously watering them, with just a bit of water each day.  I was worried when I had a long weekend and I was going to head out of town.  I watered them pretty thoroughly, but worried that they would die by the time I got back.  When I got home, each plant appeared wilted, but not dead.  I then gave them more water, and they sprung back to life.  I have continued to take care of them, and they have done so well, that I have had to re-pot them twice already.  Every day I look at them, wondering if I am doing okay.  It is pretty exciting every time I see growth or a little progress in each one.

The snapdragon is the most difficult one because it grows tall, without enough support to hold itself up.  I had to use a couple of chopsticks to keep it standing and healthy.  The marigold is doing well, it has some definite buds starting to form.  The impatiens are growing extremely fast, and has no sign of flowers whatsoever.  It seems like it needs re-potting again, but I have already re-potted it twice, so I don't really want to.  I hope my stubbornness does not cause my plant trouble.  I really enjoy looking at them every day.

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It had been a tremendously rough few weeks, ending with a trip to the hospital, when a friend sent me a link to an article Stephan Pastis wrote.  In the article, Pastis wrote that Bill Watterson had secretly been collaborating with him, on a week-long "Pearls Before Swine" feature.  Bill Watterson did not want his name revealed before the strip had fully run.

"Pearls Before Swine" by Stephan Pastis, and "The Norm" by Michael Jantze, were the two main comic strips I started reading avidly after Bill Watterson retired from "Calvin & Hobbes," so to hear the news of a Pastis/Watterson collaboration was a real treat for me.  I looked at each panel in marvel, just thinking how great it was to see Bill Watterson's artwork again.  Watterson worked in a slightly different style, making it less obvious to the readers that it was indeed his work.  It was interesting what some of the comments below had to say about the strip that week, before knowing about Watterson's involvement in the strip.  Some comments thought that Stephan Pastis' drawing had improved, and they liked the change.  Some hated the fact that it changed at all, and why was he trying to ruin the original strip?  Some guessed that it was Watterson that worked on the strip.  Some pointed out why they thought it was Watterson.  Others said that if Watterson did do work on the strip, his art skills had gone way down.  When it was discovered he had drawn the strip, there were a few "told you so's," and more positive remarks.

Bill Watterson's artwork has remained great.  If he wanted to draw Calvin & Hobbes again, in the same style and quality again, he could.  I personally really liked the style Bill Watterson chose for the collaboration, but I also like the simplistic stick-figure type style that Stephan Pastis uses as well.  Something about them are so endearing.  Watterson's current artwork seemed to be influenced by some of his past favorite comics, like Pogo, and more obviously Archie.  He also had his own style wrapped in the mix.  It was really great to see the comics and read the article on how it came to be.  The news really made my day.

I was a little nervous when I heard they were remaking Sailor Moon.  Being a huge fan of the original series, including both Japanese and English dubbed versions, and the books, I wondered how the new series would hold up.  The answer is - very well so far.  Every other week a new episode of "Sailor Moon Crystal" is released on Hulu.  The artwork is great.  It is closer to the style of the manga series, which makes it stand out from other anime shows.  It is interesting how sometimes the story-line is exactly the same, and sometimes it is completely different than the original television series.  I believe it is probably closer to the manga, but since it has been so long since I have read them, I am not completely sure on that.  The new series seems more grown-up.  I have been watching the new series with the same excitement I used to have for the old series.  At first, I was not sure what I thought of the new intro music of the new series, but now I find it quite catchy, almost as much as the old series.  The Sailor Moon Crystal series has released 6 episodes so far.  Hulu also has the original Japanese version for viewing as well.  It is very exciting to see Sailor Moon making a comeback.

After decades of waiting, my absolute favorite T.V. show of all time, has finally come out on DVD.  The reason it has taken so long, is because the original series had a ton of great music from the 60's and 70's era.  Many of the songs had copyright restrictions.  Somehow, they have managed to get most of the original music (300 songs) on the DVDs, including the original theme song, "With a Little Help From My Friends" as sung by Joe Cocker.  Netflix and Amazon were both allowing streaming of the show at an earlier date, but the theme song, at that time, was replaced by a song in a country twang that did not suit the series at all.  The original song has made it back for the DVDs.

It is evident that the producers of the DVDs, tried their best to match music that would fit the episodes almost as well, to replace the songs they could not obtain the rights to.  Because I am such a big fan of the series, I have noticed some of the music changes so far (such as the theme song from "Romeo & Juliet" - it was changed to something that could have come from the same movie from the same orchestra).  Even though the changes seem pretty obvious to me, I honestly don't think the average watcher (or even a casual fan), would really notice a difference.

The Wonder Years mainly focuses on a boy, coming of age in the late 60's to early 70's, and his relationship with his friends and parents during that time.  The show is timeless, because the challenges, the complexity, and the humor of the show is still very relatable, even in this generation.  The series had an excellent cast, and many guest appearances by people who have become famous since the time they went on the show.  The original cast members have all moved on, and have continued to be successful in their current careers.

I was so excited when I saw that my DVDs arrived on Wednesday, just a few days before my upcoming birthday (October 11).  Excellent timing. It almost seemed like The Wonder Years planned it, just for me!  Even if that isn't the case, I am truly grateful.  It is a great birthday present for myself.  Thank you, Wonder Years!

A Few of My Favorite Things...

First of all, I want to congratulate my favorite band of all time, Daryl Hall & John Oates, for finally making it into The Hall of Fame!  It was long overdue and well-deserved.  I have been a fan of the band for the majority of my life now, and am glad both are still continuing to evolve their talents in making great music.

Next, I want to wish my favorite (and only) little niece a Happy Birthday this month, she is turning 1 tomorrow (May 7th)!  I had the pleasure of meeting her in person last month. It was her first visit to the United States!  She is quite the character, with a wide range of faces.  When first meeting people, she usually gives them a scowling stare-down.  Once she feels more at ease, she starts babbling.  Usually it's ma-ma-ma.  She also makes a cute little noise, similar to a ambulance siren while bobbing her head up and down, she usually smiles after that.  She is highly curious.  She is more entertained by two pieces of paper over her toys.  She makes a beeline to try and grab anything that is computer related, including keyboards, Kindles, and cell phones.  When meeting some sweet cats for the first time, she initially seemed timid.  Later, she started crawling after them to pet (or more like tug) their fur.  She often rolls her arms when she first sees animals.  Luckily for the pets, she can only crawl after them.  She is bound to be up and running soon, however, as she constantly pulls herself up to stand.  We had an early birthday party for my niece, and I gave her the sunglasses you see in the photo above.  Doesn't she sort of look like a celebrity, not wanting anyone to take photos of her?

Along with her baby, my sister took her cat back to Japan with her.  I am sure the cat is happy, because it is finally away from our parent's cat.  Our parent's cat seems nice enough, but for some reason he invades the other cat's space, making her terribly grumpy.  You don't usually want to touch my sister's cat when she is in that mood.  When she is happy, she is nice and friendly.  I am really going to miss her being in the States.

How I Met Your Mother Fan by jackie-s-eyeslikeacat featuring Department 56

One of my favorite shows ended this year, and I am fine with it.  I have recently been re-watching the series and appreciate some of the episodes more than when they first aired.  The dad, tells several stories, often not appropriate, to his kids on the relationship he and his group of friends share with with one another. Sometimes, there are twists and turns in the story-line. Ted, is ultimately looking for "the one" who will be the kids mother.

I thought I watched every episode from the very beginning, but I noticed there was one Christmas episode I missed (the one with Lily standing on the bed, with a bat wrapped in tinsel).  There were some episodes I forgot, but really liked, once I remembered, such as the one with the blind date.  There were also favorite moments that I remembered and enjoyed again, like the two minute date, and the time when Ted let Robin throw a drink in his face to impress her friend.  There are other moments as well, but those could be spoilers, so I will just leave it at that.

Personally, I loved the ending of the entire series.  I am glad the writers stuck to their original idea on how it should end.  I know many fans were upset, but one of the things I liked about the show is how many fake-outs it had throughout the series, making it basically saying "anything can happen."  I thought the cast was exceptional as well, including the addition of "the Mother."  The series had some of my favorite guest stars throughout the years, Danica McKeller (from my absolute favorite show ever, "The Wonder Years"), Mandy Moore (who is one of my favorite female vocalists/actresses), and Rachel Bilson (who was in another series I loved, called "The O.C.").

The series had a good run of 9 years, and even though it kept me entertained over the years, I was ready for it to end.  I think the cast was, too.  I will miss the cast, they really seemed to work well together.

One thing that is keeping me entertained now, is one of the books I am reading.  I recently started one of my favorite cartoonists complete collection.  I haven't officially made a review on this book yet, since I am not done with it, but this is what I think so far:

The Complete Peanuts, Vol. 1: 1950-1952 by Charles M. Schulz
I am really enjoying this book so far. It starts from the very beginning of the comic strip of the Peanuts gang.  I am in awe how well done this strip has always been.  I have never read Schulz's work this far back, but I am enjoying seeing how much the strip and characters have changed over the years.  Charlie Brown's mom actually speaks words in some of the early strips!  You don't see her, but you "hear" her voice!  The birds that Snoopy chases look closer to what normal birds look like.  Snoopy has not met Woodstock yet.  I just read the panel where Schroeder is introduced, and he is a baby!  As I read it, I can definitely see the influence Schulz had on Bill Watterson (who drew the famous Calvin & Hobbes strip).  There are several books for this particular collection, and each one has a real vibrant color, often with a large face of one character.  The covers are very eye-catching.  I am pretty certain my overall rating of this book will be 5 stars.

View all my reviews

Sigh... I Will Miss "Jane By Design"

I just found out earlier today that one of my favorite shows, "Jane By Design" got cancelled after only one season!  I really liked it because it was sort of like "The Devil Wears Prada" meets "Pretty In Pink" and other John Hughes-type films.  It was humorous, and had a great cast.  I think it would have done well if the network gave it a chance.  Anyway, I am going through my weekly fashion withdrawals from the show, so I decided to put a couple of outfits together in Polyvore that kind of give me the sense of what the Jane's style was in the show.  The colors are probably not what she would wear, but I think the style is similar:

Possibly Jane's Closet? by jackie-s-eyeslikeacat featuring peplum tops

Jane's style seemed to get more sophisticated as the show developed.  The outfit on the right shows how she may have dressed earlier in the show, while the style on the left might be how she would dress later in the season.