After our first kayaking session this year, we hit Montlake Ale House on 23rd. We drive by this place all the time, but have never been in there.
Definite pluses:
* Pretty good beer selection on tap
* Hales Cream on tap *yay*!
* The bartender makes a yummy baileys+coffee+etc
* Nice space, fun company at the bar
The menu looked pretty good - they even have a bunch of veggie options. We got pasta in a wine sauce and this eggplant sandwich. And of course, being the unofficial onion rings reviewer around town, I had to swap out the fries for some rings - and they were pretty good. The pasta was mediocre - too runny, the sandwich was decent - a little too messy and rich, but tasty nevertheless.
We could hit this spot again, especially after another round of kayaking :)
Sunday, June 24, 2007
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Woooo! First kayak ride of the year!
About time we did it too - given we're doing the kayak segment in the Mountains to Sound relay next week!
It was a pretty decent evening - 70F, partly cloudy. We headed up to Agua Verde and rented our 2-person kayak. Our route included going to Ballard Bridge, possibly past it to the locks. We had a headwind going in and we haven't kayaked all year, so it took a bit to get into sync. But it was a great evening to be kayaking and there weren't too many boats out there, so we didn't have to fight too many waves. It is pretty amazing how different the terrain seems from the water, we often didn't recognize the buildings (especially on the Queen Anne side)!
We kayaked till Ballard Bridge and wisely decided to turn back - my arms started getting tired though Pupp seemed to be going strong. *Yay*! Tailwind! Paddling gets easier! Pretty uneventful, we just moseyed back - saw a ton of ducks and several boats whose passengers were playing some scavenger hunt in the water! They asked us a couple of trivia questions that we didn't know the answer to:
Who is the Norse goddess of love? Apparently 'Freya', but we didn't know that!
And how deep is Lake Union? 15 meters (didn't know that either!)
Took us about 2 hours to do 7.2 miles - *much* slower than we expected. Hopefully, we can get a little faster (in the next week?!!) and paddling downstream along Sammamish Slough should be easier too.
*fun*!
It was a pretty decent evening - 70F, partly cloudy. We headed up to Agua Verde and rented our 2-person kayak. Our route included going to Ballard Bridge, possibly past it to the locks. We had a headwind going in and we haven't kayaked all year, so it took a bit to get into sync. But it was a great evening to be kayaking and there weren't too many boats out there, so we didn't have to fight too many waves. It is pretty amazing how different the terrain seems from the water, we often didn't recognize the buildings (especially on the Queen Anne side)!
We kayaked till Ballard Bridge and wisely decided to turn back - my arms started getting tired though Pupp seemed to be going strong. *Yay*! Tailwind! Paddling gets easier! Pretty uneventful, we just moseyed back - saw a ton of ducks and several boats whose passengers were playing some scavenger hunt in the water! They asked us a couple of trivia questions that we didn't know the answer to:
Who is the Norse goddess of love? Apparently 'Freya', but we didn't know that!
And how deep is Lake Union? 15 meters (didn't know that either!)
Took us about 2 hours to do 7.2 miles - *much* slower than we expected. Hopefully, we can get a little faster (in the next week?!!) and paddling downstream along Sammamish Slough should be easier too.
*fun*!
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
More kozhambu and Tinda curry - *yum*!
About time I cooked some traditional desi food - every once in a while, I crave for more kozhambu the way my mum makes it. And last night was one of those times. And I had white pumpkin (often used in indian and asian cooking) and some punjabi tinda, yay!
More kozhambu is a staple south indian dish - often made on most festival days. It is buttermilk based, but the spices can vary greatly depending on which region the recipe originated from. And it can be made with a variety of vegetables - actually one of the few dishes that I like throwing okra into!
Masala for more kozhambu:
======================
1/2 t fenugreek seeds
1/2 t coriander seeds
1/4 t cumin seeds
1 t channa dal
1 t tuar dal
1/2 t raw rice
1/4 cup grated coconut
1" ginger
1 red chilli
1 green chilli
1/4 t asafoetida
Dry roast all spices and grind them up finely in a spice mill.
More kozhambu (serves 2-3)
=======================
1/4 white pumpkin - peeled and julienned
1 t mustard
2 red chillies
1 t urad dal
A few curry leaves
1 cup fat-free sour cream
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 t turmeric
1 t sesame oil
Above-mentioned masala
Salt
Roast mustard, red chillies curry leaves and urad dal in oil.
Add 1 cup of water and cook the pumpkin with the turmeric (~ 10 mins).
Add the masala and salt and simmer for about 5 minutes.
Mix the sour cream and buttermilk and blend it till smooth (add a little water if it is too thick).
Add the sour cream mixture to the veggies and simmer.
Stir constantly to blend the flavors, but don't turn up the heat since it can break up the buttermilk.
Add a drop of ghee for flavor and fragrance - this makes a huge difference :)
Tinda is a seasonal vegetable in India, so we were always excited when we found it in the market. And when we did, my mum always tried new recipes with it - *so* much of fun! This is just one quick way of cooking it.
Tinda Curry (serves 2-3)
===================
1 lb tinda (the indian store often has it) - cut into quarters
2 tsp masala (equal parts of red chillies, roasted fenugreek, mustard - all ground up)
Salt
1 t oil
1 t cumin seeds
Roast the cumin seeds in oil
Add the masala and salt and let it cook for about 30 seconds
Throw in the tinda and toss the pieces in the masala
Cook covered for about 15 minutes on medium
Simmer uncovered for a few more minutes till any residual water evaporates
*yum*!
More kozhambu is a staple south indian dish - often made on most festival days. It is buttermilk based, but the spices can vary greatly depending on which region the recipe originated from. And it can be made with a variety of vegetables - actually one of the few dishes that I like throwing okra into!
Masala for more kozhambu:
======================
1/2 t fenugreek seeds
1/2 t coriander seeds
1/4 t cumin seeds
1 t channa dal
1 t tuar dal
1/2 t raw rice
1/4 cup grated coconut
1" ginger
1 red chilli
1 green chilli
1/4 t asafoetida
Dry roast all spices and grind them up finely in a spice mill.
More kozhambu (serves 2-3)
=======================
1/4 white pumpkin - peeled and julienned
1 t mustard
2 red chillies
1 t urad dal
A few curry leaves
1 cup fat-free sour cream
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 t turmeric
1 t sesame oil
Above-mentioned masala
Salt
Roast mustard, red chillies curry leaves and urad dal in oil.
Add 1 cup of water and cook the pumpkin with the turmeric (~ 10 mins).
Add the masala and salt and simmer for about 5 minutes.
Mix the sour cream and buttermilk and blend it till smooth (add a little water if it is too thick).
Add the sour cream mixture to the veggies and simmer.
Stir constantly to blend the flavors, but don't turn up the heat since it can break up the buttermilk.
Add a drop of ghee for flavor and fragrance - this makes a huge difference :)
Tinda is a seasonal vegetable in India, so we were always excited when we found it in the market. And when we did, my mum always tried new recipes with it - *so* much of fun! This is just one quick way of cooking it.
Tinda Curry (serves 2-3)
===================
1 lb tinda (the indian store often has it) - cut into quarters
2 tsp masala (equal parts of red chillies, roasted fenugreek, mustard - all ground up)
Salt
1 t oil
1 t cumin seeds
Roast the cumin seeds in oil
Add the masala and salt and let it cook for about 30 seconds
Throw in the tinda and toss the pieces in the masala
Cook covered for about 15 minutes on medium
Simmer uncovered for a few more minutes till any residual water evaporates
*yum*!
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Spicy Ramen with vegetables
A couple of days ago, I was craving indo-chinese spicy noodles - oddly enough, this qualifies as comfort food :) I couldn't find hakka noodles at PCC, so I had to settle for ramen instead - they now carry this spicy garlic-pepper veggie ramen noodles (that are low-fat!). Figured I could approximate the flavor I wanted by adding some bhel puri sauces.
Recipe:
1/2 cabbage - shredded (I *love* cutting cabbage!)
2 carrots - grated
1" ginger - minced
a handful of dry roasted peanuts
2 packets of ramen noodles
1 t garlic-green chilli sauce
1 t red chilli-tamarind sauce
1 t white vinegar
Cook the carrots, ginger and cabbage covered (no need to add more water since the cabbage sheds enough water).
Add 3 cups of water and heat till the water boils
Throw in the noodles and cook for ~ 3-4 minutes
Add the sauces, vinegar and peanuts and toss
Mmm ... tasty! Except that I tossed in 2 t of each of the sauces and kicked it up about 10 notches! Oooo .... *hot*! Even for my spice-loving tongue!!!
Recipe:
1/2 cabbage - shredded (I *love* cutting cabbage!)
2 carrots - grated
1" ginger - minced
a handful of dry roasted peanuts
2 packets of ramen noodles
1 t garlic-green chilli sauce
1 t red chilli-tamarind sauce
1 t white vinegar
Cook the carrots, ginger and cabbage covered (no need to add more water since the cabbage sheds enough water).
Add 3 cups of water and heat till the water boils
Throw in the noodles and cook for ~ 3-4 minutes
Add the sauces, vinegar and peanuts and toss
Mmm ... tasty! Except that I tossed in 2 t of each of the sauces and kicked it up about 10 notches! Oooo .... *hot*! Even for my spice-loving tongue!!!
Beans and Pasta Casserole
Got to love that Joy of Cooking book! I've been reading more of that than anything else in the last several days!
I got a bunch of fresh green beans at PCC and started poking around JofC trying to find a new beans recipe. And I stumbled upon a couple of casserole and gratin recipes. But both asked for cream of mushroom soups - and I didn't have any (not a big fan of them creamy soups!). So, this is what I cooked up instead:
1/2 lb green beans - chopped into 2" pieces
2 cups of pasta (rotelle)
2-3 bay leaves
1.5 cups milk
1 tsp butter
1/4 cup flour
Salt'n'pepper
1/3 cup grated pepperjack cheese
1 tomato - finely minced (best to use a hand blender for this)
Cook the pasta till al dente.
Cook the green beans till tender (I just cooked both together)
Heat oven to 350F.
Heat butter, add flour and stir.
Add bay leaves and milk and stir (on simmer) till smooth and thick.
Toss the pasta and beans into this sauce.
Add the grated cheese, toss and pour into casserole dish.
Sprinkle the tomato shreds on the top.
Bake at 350F for 10 minutes.
*yay*!
I got a bunch of fresh green beans at PCC and started poking around JofC trying to find a new beans recipe. And I stumbled upon a couple of casserole and gratin recipes. But both asked for cream of mushroom soups - and I didn't have any (not a big fan of them creamy soups!). So, this is what I cooked up instead:
1/2 lb green beans - chopped into 2" pieces
2 cups of pasta (rotelle)
2-3 bay leaves
1.5 cups milk
1 tsp butter
1/4 cup flour
Salt'n'pepper
1/3 cup grated pepperjack cheese
1 tomato - finely minced (best to use a hand blender for this)
Cook the pasta till al dente.
Cook the green beans till tender (I just cooked both together)
Heat oven to 350F.
Heat butter, add flour and stir.
Add bay leaves and milk and stir (on simmer) till smooth and thick.
Toss the pasta and beans into this sauce.
Add the grated cheese, toss and pour into casserole dish.
Sprinkle the tomato shreds on the top.
Bake at 350F for 10 minutes.
*yay*!
Friday, June 8, 2007
Alborz rocks!
Yay! Another trip to Alborz - my fave Persian restaurant around here - this small restaurant in Redmond is run by this couple who basically handle everything there - seating, taking orders, cooking, serving, the works! Their food is *so* good - simple, fresh and quite tasty! And they have the best pickled garlic ever.
As I was mulling over what I wanted to eat, Farah gave me a sample of the hummus and maust moosier (the fabulous shallot-yogurt dip) to go with my basil naan - this might be my new favorite naan here (it was always the sesame cumin naan). I finally settled on the Baughali Polo (lima-dill rice) - my old favorite along with a side of the eggplant ragout - absolutely divine. The lima-dill rice is perfectly cooked and incredibly fragrant - *so* good!
And obviously, I had to finish my meal with a cup of the minty green tea - the perfect end to a fabulous meal.
As I was mulling over what I wanted to eat, Farah gave me a sample of the hummus and maust moosier (the fabulous shallot-yogurt dip) to go with my basil naan - this might be my new favorite naan here (it was always the sesame cumin naan). I finally settled on the Baughali Polo (lima-dill rice) - my old favorite along with a side of the eggplant ragout - absolutely divine. The lima-dill rice is perfectly cooked and incredibly fragrant - *so* good!
And obviously, I had to finish my meal with a cup of the minty green tea - the perfect end to a fabulous meal.
Sushi time - Aoki
We've been lusting for sushi for a while now, but have been too lazy to make 'em rolls as yet. It was a nice evening, so we wandered around Cap'Hill and finally ended up at Aoki (the only decent sushi place we know on the hill right now).
So, it was .... "somewhat" decent, but barely. Actually, I think our first trip there was a lot better than this one. The edamame was weird - the shell kept peeling off in layers making it really hard to eat the peas. Quite irritating. The menu looked pretty good, so we ended up ordering these:
Spicy white tuna rolls - a variation! finally!! This was probably the best of the sushi we had that night. The fish was really tender, almost creamy, but definitely not spicy.
Broadway rolls - with salmon, alfalfa sprouts and some kind of roe - a little too smoky for us.
Veggie futomaki - this was really, really weird. Firstly, each roll was *huge* - about 3 mouthfuls. And it had waaaaay too much of rice in it, and was kind of dry.
Unagi - apparently decent, but not amazing
Spider rolls - these looked pretty good, and I guess they were :)
A decent experience, but there's got to be better sushi in Seattle! Or maybe we hit Aoki on an off-day!
So, it was .... "somewhat" decent, but barely. Actually, I think our first trip there was a lot better than this one. The edamame was weird - the shell kept peeling off in layers making it really hard to eat the peas. Quite irritating. The menu looked pretty good, so we ended up ordering these:
Spicy white tuna rolls - a variation! finally!! This was probably the best of the sushi we had that night. The fish was really tender, almost creamy, but definitely not spicy.
Broadway rolls - with salmon, alfalfa sprouts and some kind of roe - a little too smoky for us.
Veggie futomaki - this was really, really weird. Firstly, each roll was *huge* - about 3 mouthfuls. And it had waaaaay too much of rice in it, and was kind of dry.
Unagi - apparently decent, but not amazing
Spider rolls - these looked pretty good, and I guess they were :)
A decent experience, but there's got to be better sushi in Seattle! Or maybe we hit Aoki on an off-day!
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