Sac Food Trucks: Krush Burger & Mama Kim on the go

My new goal is to eat my way through the Sac Food Truck scene. I’m rather surprised it took this long for me to try them out actually. I’ll post my favorites here. So far, we’re two for two…

Krush Burger – Sliders, Fries, Tots

@KrushBurger for locations

To be honest, they had me at the sweet potato tots. They’re my weakness. And these were delightful, especially with the ancho honey dipping sauce.

I ordered the 2 Pack – the “Cowbell” & the “Ninja.” The Cowbell was delicious but I kind of expected it to be – bacon, fried onions, gouda – it’s kind of a slam dunk. Still, it was very tasty. The Ninja was fantastic though!  Sweet and hot, with the soft fresh bun and crunchy slaw – this is what you should order.

COWBELL (on right): Bacon, Crispy Onion Stack, Smoked Gouda, House BBQ Sauce

NINJA (on left): Marinated Korean Short Ribs, Asian Slaw, Radish Sprouts, Crispy Scallions, Sriracha Aioli

Mama Kim on the go – Sandwiches, Salads, Soup (The Healthy Truck)

@MamaKimCooks for locations

The falafal flatbread sandwich was tempting and the housemade cheddar biscuits they use for their turkey sandwich looked pretty amazing but I went with the fish tacos. 

Fresh Fish Tacos w/Slaw, Pico, Chipotle Aioli & Queso

Sweet Potato Chips 

It’s pretty hard not to choose fish tacos when they’re on the menu, but that might be because I’m from California. The tacos did not disappoint though, fresh and a tad spicy with the chipotle aioli. A perfect summer lunch. The sweet potato chips were a bit of a strange accompaniment, but it worked! I also tried their heirloom tomato soup, which was light and refreshing. If they sold it by the gallon I'd probably wipe them out. 

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Looking for a food truck near you? They all tweet their locations but this website updates the locations of 21 trucks daily so it's a quick way to see who's parked nearby so you can decide what you're in the mood for!

http://gofoodmob.com/

West Seattle Wanderlust: Fiddlehead Fine Foods & Cafe

Fiddlehead Fine Foods and Cafe 

4310 SW Oregon St
(between S 44th Ave & S California Ave)
Seattle, WA 98116

(206) 708-7891 

Hours: Tue-Sun 9 am - 3 pm

Price Range: $$ ($10-$20 per person)

"The Junction" in West Seattle is a stretch famous for it's shopping, dining and the grungy Easy Street Records. West Seattle is a great neighborhood but to be honest, it's easy to get tired of going to the same restaurants and bars. I was randomly driving on California Ave and I noticed what appeared to be a new shop that had cute bright green tables, I had time off so I decided to drive by to see what it was and it turned out to be Fiddlehead. 

Fiddlehead Fine Foods and Cafe is tucked away on SW Orgeon Street, there is a quaint sign, it's not making a spectacle of itself. 

Fiddlehead opened in March of this year and they have been featured in "Sunset" magazine. I felt so out of the loop not hearing about it before. The front counter was packed with all kinds of sweets and the menu board has their savory items.

I thought this was really cute. 

I was told that their most popular breakfast items were the Pork Hash and the Cheesy Grits. Confession time: I don't like poached eggs. It's a consistency thing, it's just too runny. I asked if I could get my eggs scrambled on the Pork Hash and I'm so happy they let me do it. Whew!  

The Hash consisted of Ancho braised pork shoulder with crispy brussel sprouts, sweet potatoes and yellow potatoes topped with eggs. There was a surprise dollop of garlic yogurt that melted in the center which adds the perfect amount of creaminess to the dish. The portion was very generous, I had to take half of it home.

 I couldn't resist trying a locally made lollipop by This Charming Candy (http://thischarmingcandy.com). It was so much better than those A&W hard candies I grew up with. 

This is the salted chocolate cookie I had since I'm all about the sweet and savory colliding. Perfectly crispy around the edges and soft in the middle.

I will be back for sure to try some of the lunch items, their Lemon Rosemary Chicken salad and the Biscuit BLT sound too good to pass up!

Cocktails & Cubanos in Midtown, Sacramento

First Stop: Pour House (Q & 19th)

After work cocktails arrived to mixed reviews. We ordered adventurously and couldn’t really decide how we felt about them. It was the cocktail equivalent of “I love you but I’m not in love with you.”

    

My Drink: “Whisky Fig”

Glenfiddich 12 Year Scotch, House Made Fig Jelly, Simple Syrup, Squeezed Lemon, Angostura Bitters

I’d order it again if I sat at the bar and the bartender didn’t look at me funny when I asked for it with “less lemon, more fig.”

    

I did like my friend’s drink more than mine. (Don’t you hate when that happens?!)

"Smoked Apple"

Red Breast Irish Whiskey, House Made Smoked Apple Butter, Apple Liqueur, Squeezed Lemon, Simple Syrup, Topped w/Wheat Beer

Second Stop: Fat Face Café (19th & R) 

Just down the block we stroll through vintage clothing shop Bows & Arrows, past the art class sketching live costumed models (precious), to the adorable cafe in the back with fantastic gourmet noshes.

    

To start: 

White Peach Sangria - described as "Sweet & Flashy" on the menu, which I love

Roasted Chipotle & Honey Almonds

Both refreshing and delightful.

    

A perfect summer supper: 

Sweet Corn Soup with a pressed Cubano “Sammich” – Smoked Ham, Roasted Pork, Swiss, Fermented Pickles, and I ordered it with the optional pineapple, which I recommend! A delicious version of one of my favorite sandwiches on the planet.

   

As a rule I almost always save room for dessert but tonight, I just couldn’t do it. I’m drooling just thinking about the flavors now though so I will be back. 

The Kaffir Lime + Avocado has my name on it.

An Afternoon in Ballard: The Walrus and the Carpenter and D'Ambrosio Gelato

The Walrus and the Carpenter 
4743 Ballard Ave NW
Seattle, Wa 98107
(206) 395-9227
Daily: 4pm - Late
Price Range: $$$ ($30-50 per person) 

Although I've lived in Seattle (West Seattle to be exact) for about 6 months now, I still feel like a tourist. I only recently saw the infamous "Gum wall" in Pike Place and I still haven't been to the Woodland Park Zoo or had a cocktail at Knee High Stocking Co. I'm trying to kick my "bucket list" so this is the start of that. 

I tried to not read too many reviews on this place because I wanted to go in with my own blank slate. My mother read about it online and decided we should get there very early. Good choice, Mom. We got there at 3:30 PM (they open at 4 for happy hour) and there was already a line of people leering at the staff. 

The space itself is very quaint and seating is very intimate. The staff brought us to a table and since we didn't want to bump elbows with anyone else, we decided to take a seat at the bar. Awesome choice, I got to watch hipster oyster schucking! I love the white on white interior, it's somewhere in between shabby chic and beach theme. 

This was not my order :( 

The cocktail list was extensive. I ordered a Mustache Ride (get on it!) which was bourbon, cynar, all spice liqueur, maple and lemon. It was perfect blend of sugar and spice and the marinated cherry on top was... well... the cherry on top. 

We cut to the chase and got a plate of each available oyster. Each oyster...hmmm... how do you really describe an oyster? It's like a refreshing burst of the ocean that caresses you tongue. That's the best I've got. The Treasure Cove Oyster from Case Inlet, WA in particular was the most "sea like" one of the bunch. I get why they're an aphrodisiac, now if only Mom wasn't my date... 

After the oysters we moved onto the butter lettuce, so we wouldn't feel like total fat kids. It was crisp, topped with a lightly melted slice of morbier cheese with hints of black truffle. 

As if fresh oysters weren't enough for me, I had to try them fried. The fried oysters are heavenly here. The outside is perfectly crisp, without scratching the top your mouth. The inside is soft and buttery but still maintains a sense of refreshment to it. The cilantro aioli was also the perfect match for a dip, I even had some leftover for my bread.

Fried Oysters with Porch Swing cocktail and bread

The innards. Heaven. 

Speck. I saw this listed on the menu and honestly had no clue what it was (I'm not a chef or an expert) but we decided to order it anyways. 

Glad we did. It was sliced smokey prosciutto with preserved pumpkin, ricotta cheese, drizzled with balsamic vinegar reduction and topped with mint. This was like all good types of flavors in one: salty, sweet, fresh and creamy. I want to copy this at home so bad but the preserved pumpkin aspect of it makes it seem too timely. I guess I'll just have to keep coming back. 

The finale was the smoked trout, topped with a pickled red onion and rests on a bed of creme fraiche with lentils and walnuts. This dish may look diminutive, but it's so rich, two people can share it. The smoked trout is the best I've ever had and the creme fraiche blend with so chewy and flavorful. I don't even like uncooked red onion and this won me over. 

We wanted to stay for dessert but we decided to take a walk around Ballard, which is a very cute neighborhood. There are lots of bars, plenty of shopping and sadly a lot of construction right now. Makes it tough to shop when you're worried about not having a hard hat. We walked a couple of blocks to: 

D'Ambrosio Gelato 

5339 Ballard Ave NW
(between Vernon Pl & N 22nd Ave)
Seattle, WA 98107

Hours: Mon-Thu 12 pm - 11 pm

Fri-Sat 12 pm - 12 am

Sun 10 am - 11 pm

Price range: $ (1-10 per person)

I am missing an Instagram image of the sign :( 

 

I haven't had cantaloupe gelato since my mother used to take me to the Bellagio Casino in Las Vegas. It's one of those food items I put on a pedestal and assumed nothing could live up to it. D'Ambrosio had it as an option, so I had to try it.  

I tried a sample of it and was instantly taken back to being 18 and not able to gamble in Vegas. It was fragrant, but not too sweet and watery. So good. I got that with a scoop of the salted caramel gelato which is also pure awesome. Perfectly salty and sweet. 

The interior to this place is very Euro-hip, it was very quiet on a sunny day, I think the construction scares people away.I'd come back here for sure though. 

So that's it for now :)