Cucina Encoteca

We stumbled on a unique new restaurant at the Spectrum.  It is reasonably priced and very gourmet.  I usually don't like these kinds of restaurants because I am not a very adventurous eater, but I loved the food combinations and the atmosphere of this restaurant.  

 We ate outside on the patio, under this beautiful olive tree filled with lights.  We were able to watch all the people go by and listen to great music played at just the right volume. When you were talking you didn't notice it but when quiet it was pleasant.  The staff was super friendly and knowledgeable about the menu.

 The restaurant is a wine store as well, so if you buy a bottle of wine, you get it at the shop cost and not restaurant inflated cost.   The food was unique and delicious.

 I had a New York steak, with gorgonzola potato cakes, shallots, spinach and a tomato tapenade with a wonderful sauce.

Bob had the wild salmon with cauliflower puree, and this delicious tapenade like sauce.  We also had the creamy polenta and stuffed squash blossoms and finished off with the  tiramisu.  They also had some great pizzas  This is our new favorite restaurant.

Walking around Seattle

 This is the view from the front of our hotel.  

We had a full day in Seattle to explore, so we headed over about 5 blocks to the shopping district and visited the original Nordstroms (which isn't the original store, they closed the original and moved to a bigger space) and then made our way down Pike street to The Pike Public Market.  

 Around all the trees planted along the sidewalk were this beautiful grates with fallen leaves.

 And we arrived at our destination.  I was prepared to be disappointed.  Was the food really that original and fresh, unique and tasty?

 We found a little cheese shop making their signature cheese and serving sandwiches.  

 A little further down the road we found fresh baked bread, vegetables, fruit, treats, and an incredible Italian Deli with a huge cheese counter, deli meat counter, and every kind of sauce, topping, pasta, olive etc. imaginable.  I could have shopped in this store for hours. We shared a yummy panini from this store.

 We then entered the famed Public Market.  It was a mix of fish stands, flowers, crafters, and restaurants.

 What really impressed me were these huge bouquets of flowers for $5 and $10 dollars.  I couldn't believe it.

 View from Pikes Market of the Bay and the Giant Wheel.  We had beautiful 70 degree and sunny weather.

 We bought some Big Ass Grapes, bread, apples, cheese and beef jerky for snacking.

On our way back to our hotel we stopped into a beautiful home store called Watson Kennedy that had all kinds of STUFF.  The Handsome Husband went into a Persian Rug store and it was all I could do to keep him from buying a rug!  

The Pacific Northwest - Seattle

This past week we visited the Pacific Northwest.  We flew into Seattle, drove down to Skamania (40 minutes outside of Portland, and flew out of Portland).  While we were in Seattle, we stayed at the Artic Club by Doubletree Hotels. The hotel has a rich history.   The Arctic Club was a social institution for the men who returned from the Yukon gold rush. Though most who headed north found no gold, a small percentage did return to Seattle with more than just memories. The Arctic Club provided an exclusive social community for those Seattleites who had returned from the Alaska Gold Rush with money in their pockets and a repertoire of stories to tell.

The hotel is located on the corner or 3rd Ave. and Cherry streets.  It is within walking distance to everything.  It was quiet and had a early 1900's feel.

 I loved the Walrus detail on the outside of the third floor, very unique and in concert with the original purpose of the hotel.

Outside the rooms where these wonderful room numbers.

The lobby/lounge area was cozy with a huge fire and a pool table.  The bar food was excellent and it was all half off at happy hour.  We had the most amazing Clam Chowder and Hamburger with drinks for dinner on our second night and it was under $30.  There is a small sign in the lobby on the railing where the bar begins and it says, "No Minors, No Firearms"!

 We took the advice of the Handsome Husband's brother and headed over to the Metropolitan Grill for dinner the first night.  We didn't make a reservation, so instead of waiting an hour, we had dinner at a table in the bar.

 This turned out to be a good thing because it allowed us to see the debate between Romney and Obama.  We couldn't quite hear what was being said, but from Obama's facial expressions and his body language, we could tell he was not happy and losing in a big way!

We ordered the New York Strip Steak to share (boy, it was huge, like 25 oz. or something) and it was delicious, but the highlight of the evening was when this same guy brought over a similar cart and made us Bananas Foster.  What a show and it was amazing to say the least, I would go back just for dessert.

Tomorrow I will show you some highlights of the city.

Glad to know I'm not alone...

Last night, the Handsome Husband and I were invited to a charity dinner put on by Sandy Daniels of the Segerstrom Family for her charity "Festival of Children".  It was HOT outside and until the sun went down we were baking, but we enjoyed a wonderful dinner with HH's colleagues in a beautiful venue.

The theme was "Old Hollywood" and the invitations featured Grahman's Chinese on a starry night with  lights.  Invitations set the tone for every party, so I was excited to see how they decorated.  The tables were simple, elegant and yet dramatic:  silver tablecloths, silver chairs and beautiful centerpieces made of gorgeous red roses.  The food was chinese and it was delicious, they had a candy bar with all kinds of old fashion candy (this was a huge hit) and even a hot dog bar.  They also had macaroni and cheese and chili for those who didn't like chinese food.  An open bar kept everyone happy.  The food tables where decorated with reels of film and gold stars and "The Brown Derby" was where you could get a drink.   The event took place at South Coast Plaza, outside, between Tiffany's and Macy's.  There is a beautiful space with pools of water where the foot bridge begins that connects SCP and Crystal Court and it is strung with wonderful outdoor lights, perfect for a wonderful party.  I wish I had taken pics, but I chose not to take a purse and had nowhere to put a phone etc.

Made Me Smile...

My mother and grandmother used to sing this all the time when I was little, I sang it to my girls when they were babies.  

You are my sunshine

my only sunshine

you make me happy when skies are gray

You'll never know, dear

how much I love you

Please don't take my sunshine away.  

 source: Redneil on Flickr

Don't these look just like stuffed animals, they just don't look real!  Cute as can be!

 Source: pureblyss

Something about this little girl that just makes me smile, she is the cutest thing!

source: tassels

A bunny with a bow...

Alaska Fishing Trip and...BEARS!

 My son-in-law, Greg, went on a fishing trip with his dad and brother-in-law to Brooks Lodge in Katmai National Park, Alaska last week.  They had a great time and loved the scenery and the wildlife and when I say wildlife, I mean Bears!

 They saw many, many bears.  Momma bears and baby bears; bears everywhere.  They were fishing in the same river, one of the bears even stole a fish they caught.

 The only time the guide hinted at danger was when a momma bear and her cubs appeared out of the brush and into the river.

Joe doesn't know this guy is sneaking up on him.  They let him know as soon as they snapped the pic!

Greg and Joe with some big antlers.  They found them laying on the beach.  

Looks like they had a fantastic time!