Aw…. The Bite of Seattle! I look forward to it every year. Mainly because of what they now call “The Alley.” It is a small area of “The Bite” that has somewhere between 7-8 restaurants that get together and serve a sample of one of their specialties for a reasonable price all on one plate! This was what they had this year - Mmmmm....
A portion of the price paid goes to the Food Lifeline, an organization to stop hunger.
I started going years ago when I was a kid, and my aunt invited my family to it. Back then, it was called “John Hintenberger’s Alley” (a well known food critic). Then it turned into “Kathy Casey’s Alley” who I think is another food critic. Next it turned into “Tom Douglas Flavors of America.” I guess they realized they needed to stick the word “alley” back into it because this year it was called “The Alley Hosted by Tom Douglas.”
For awhile, it was traditionally just my dad and I that would go there every year. My sister was a very picky eater back then, and my mom does not generally like “fancy foods.”
However, my mom was the only one able to make it last year, and this year she came with my sister (who also now looks forward to The Bite). She is willing to give me the foods she does not like, which makes it even better.
Last year and this year’s bite were very different from each other. Last year it rained continuously. It was about wet dogs and drenched park benches.
This year, dogs were discouraged from coming (as the internet site suggested), and there was hardly anywhere to sit!
Along with The Alley, there are a few concerts playing and several other food booths around, sharing select items for a price. There always seems to be something really different to try. One year I tried “Alligator on a Stick,” which did taste like chicken, but very dry and kind of tough.
My dad complained that if it were cooked right it would taste totally different, even though it was the first time he had tasted alligator as well... I thought it wasn’t bad.
This year, my sister and I tried coconut milk served in coconuts. They LOOK really cool. But what is inside them is pretty nasty by itself. After drinking all the milk, you can scoop the coconut and eat it. I was surprised when after I scooped some out and put it in my mouth it was slimy! Ew! It was so disgusting! We both ended up throwing them away before finishing them.
I appreciate coconut milk because it is in many good recipes, like in Thai food. I even like shredded coconut. I just do not like the taste of fresh coconut at all! No matter how cool it looks to eat one.
Food shown above in no certain order: Prawn-stuffed halibut (Portage Bay Cafe), Ancient Roman Meatballs (Al Boccalino), Crispy Duck Cake (Andaluca), Gazpacho (Salty's on Alki Beach), Mini Steak Sandwich (The Daily Grill), Slow Smoked Pork Butt w/ Sweet Corn Chow Chow (Dahlia Lounge), and Marion Blackberry Sorbet (Gelatiamo). All of these tasted very good to me!
A portion of the price paid goes to the Food Lifeline, an organization to stop hunger.
For awhile, it was traditionally just my dad and I that would go there every year. My sister was a very picky eater back then, and my mom does not generally like “fancy foods.”
However, my mom was the only one able to make it last year, and this year she came with my sister (who also now looks forward to The Bite). She is willing to give me the foods she does not like, which makes it even better.
Last year and this year’s bite were very different from each other. Last year it rained continuously. It was about wet dogs and drenched park benches.
This year, dogs were discouraged from coming (as the internet site suggested), and there was hardly anywhere to sit!
Along with The Alley, there are a few concerts playing and several other food booths around, sharing select items for a price. There always seems to be something really different to try. One year I tried “Alligator on a Stick,” which did taste like chicken, but very dry and kind of tough. My dad complained that if it were cooked right it would taste totally different, even though it was the first time he had tasted alligator as well... I thought it wasn’t bad.
This year, my sister and I tried coconut milk served in coconuts. They LOOK really cool. But what is inside them is pretty nasty by itself. After drinking all the milk, you can scoop the coconut and eat it. I was surprised when after I scooped some out and put it in my mouth it was slimy! Ew! It was so disgusting! We both ended up throwing them away before finishing them.
I appreciate coconut milk because it is in many good recipes, like in Thai food. I even like shredded coconut. I just do not like the taste of fresh coconut at all! No matter how cool it looks to eat one.
