Dec 16
We took the train out of Paris to Chartres on Saturday to visit the cathedral. Getting to Gare Montparnasse was a feat in itself, given the closures of many Metro stations due to the Gilets Jaunes (yellow vest) protests. However, we got to the station and reached the town around noon. Lunch was at Tomate …
Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2018/12/16/a-train-wreck-of-a-day/
Dec 16
In a post three years ago, I registered my reservations about the Montmartre neighborhood of Paris and the Basilica of Sacré-Coeur. We went there today after our sojourn to the Eiffel Tower. It could be that the neighborhood is growing on me, or at least the basilica is. It was much less crowded than in …
Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2018/12/16/montmartre-revisited/
Dec 13
Tonight’s dinner was at a Basque restaurant near our apartment called Pottoka. Le Pays Basque straddles the border between France and Spain. The Basques are independent sorts who have their own language, which bears no resemblance to any other Indo-European tongue. They were horribly suppressed by the Franco regime in Spain; as a partial result, …
Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2018/12/13/basque-ing-in-goodness/
Sep 09
Capitol Hill is a Seattle neighborhood near my workplace. I taught for a quarter at Seattle Central College, in the heart of the neighborhood. Capitol Hill has become highly gentrified in the 15 years we’ve been here. It’s also the traditional LGBT neighborhood in Seattle, with many businesses catering to this demographic. We hadn’t been …
Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2018/09/09/doing-capitol-hill/
Jul 28
We eat at restaurants on a regular basis. The food is primary; however, we find some aspects of restaurant ambience annoying. Sometimes these features can negate the quality of the meal. Here’s our list: Noise. High ceilings and hard surfaces make for difficult conversations, especially for those who have hearing issues. Music. Our favorite Vietnamese …
Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2018/07/28/restaurant-criticisms/
Jul 22
Farmers are expanding into processing and serving what they grow. This move can make economic sense. When commodity prices are on the low side, farmers can add value by pickling, pressing, or cooking their crops. This helps their bottom line, provided they can jump through the health department hoops. Last week we had breakfast at …
Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2018/07/22/from-farm-to-fork/
Jun 30
Poutine is the provincial dish of Quebec. It consists of french fries doused with brown gravy and sprinkled with cheese curds (not grated cheese). It’s junk food kicked up a notch or two. Today we have invented a variation: Greek poutine. We were at the Greenwood Car Show today and got hungry. We dove into …
Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2018/06/30/greek-poutine/
Jun 03
Upstate New York and western Washington have iconic fish fry stands: Rudy’s in Oswego and Ivar’s in the Seattle area. Both serve fried fish and seafood, with a few offerings for landlubbers. So, for the benefit of my friends on either end of the country, here’s my comparison of the two restaurants. Branches. There is …
Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2018/06/03/fish-fry-stand-smackdown/
Apr 28
The Sunday brunch has become a dining institution, mostly in cities and suburbs. The Washington Post published an article on brunches titled, “You can never have too many mimosas“. The lede of the article described the chaos that ensued at one brunch where the restaurant ran out of orange juice for mimosas. My minister in …
Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2018/04/28/sunday-foodways/
Apr 23
Pioneer Square is the oldest neighborhood in Seattle, dating back to pre-Alaska Gold Rush days. After years of being best known for dive bars and sketchy characters, the neighborhood is on the rise. Unfortunately, Pioneer Square and its businesses are in danger of closing due to clumsy construction. We had tickets to a symphony concert …
Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2018/04/23/neighborhood-in-need-of-help/
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