Meatless Monday: Chaco Canyon Organic Cafe

Believe it or not, I don't only eat cheeseburgers and fries. I always try my best to get 5 veggies and/or fruits a day, I watch the carbs and take my vitamins. I can appreciate a good veggie burger. #GOF blogger Tiffany mentioned the In-N-Out Grilled Cheese Animal Style Veggie Burger, which I've had and that's very yummy. It's easy to forget it's vegetarian, which is the number 1 must for a vegetarian burger. 

If I get lazy and don't feel like cooking, I always try to eat at Chaco Cayon Organic Cafe in West Seattle. Chaco Canyon is all vegan, so I don't feel guilty afterwards (there are also plenty of gluten-free options). It's on the pricy side, but the sides that come with enormous entrees often leave you with leftovers. 90% of the ingredients are certified organic, with monthly seasonal menu. They also have fresh juices, smoothies and housemade Kombucha. 

Chaco Canyon Organic Cafe 
3770 SW Alaska St
(between S 37th Ave & S 38th Ave)
Seattle, WA 98126
http://www.chacocanyoncafe.com 

This is their Lentil Burger, which is often hailed as one of "Seattle's Best". The Thousand Island is made with Veganaise and the burger patty is made primarily lentils. Unlike the store bought veggie pattys, the lentil patty doesn't not attempt to taste like red meat, which I appreciate because that would be a waste of time. It's topped with pickled onions, fresh cucumbers and bean sprouts, the only bummer are the pickles. Instead of dill, they use the sweeter Bread and Butter pickles. Not usually my thing, but I can let it slide. Although it's healthy, it will leave you feeling stuffed. 

The entrees can come a la carte for $3 less. However, I always want a side dish, so I chose the Braising Greens Salad. It's packed with carrots, kale, gold beets and cashews in a tart dressing. I couldn't even eat half of it, since it's such a large portion. There were plenty of leftovers for the next day, so it's worth the price.

The items I talk about below are from their January 2013 menu, so if you're reading this late, it may not be there. Sorry!

This is their Breakfast Burrito. The house-made, gluten-free buckwheat tortilla is stuffed with a curry tofu scramble with black and rice, cashew cheese. The burrito is also covered in a spicy tomato sauce. I've had a terrible sinus infection the past week and this cleared me up quick. I'm very surprised by the cashew cheese, I wouldn't have realized it was non-dairy if you hadn't told me. It also comes with an option of sides so I chose to brave the chia seed pudding (never had chia seeds before).

Chia seeds are high in fiber and omega-3's, they're becoming the new "It" health food item. The pudding combined with the bananas, shaved coconut and coconut milk was... interesting  They remind me of a mucus covered flax seed. It's a strange texture, I'm not going to lie. After consuming the banana and coconut bit you're kind of just left with a bowl of slimy seeds. 

Okay. So I should've stuck with fresh fruit as my side dish. I still love this place and will miss it dearly when I'm in SoCal.
 

   

Cheeseburger in Paradise

I am often asked "What's the best cheeseburger you've eaten?" and I get stumped every time it happens. Truthfully, the best cheeseburgers are the ones my Dad and I used to grill in our backyard during the scorching hot Roseville Summer breaks. You can't recreate those. 

Often the In-N-Out Cheeseburger chain comes to mind as a close second. Gatsby's Diner and Nationwide Freezer Meats in Sacramento, Zippy's in West Seattle and I enjoyed Seattle's Katsu Burger for their creative Asian fusion.   

What do I look for in a good burger? 

1.) SOGGY BOTTOM GIRL - The bun should be grilled, top and bottom. I prefer the bottom of the bun to be soaked in the fat/blood from the meat. I flip the burger upside down, with the traditional bottom at the top. The top, which is now the bottom should stay dry so food isn't leaking onto my chin. The image below demonstrates how it's done. 

The bottom bun should not be the same size as the top bun, I would say it should be 1/2 the size. The top I could care less about, it's almost useless other than keeping food off your chin. I also really appreciate a house baked bun, I can tell when a place orders the too soft Rainbow brand kind. 

2.) HOT BLOODED - As you can see, a burger's gotta feel some pain and bleed for me. I always try to order rare, but some places have these lame regulations against serving me that. There have been times when I have to settle for medium-rare. 

3.) TOMMY PICKLES (Yup, a Nickelodeon reference...) - There has to be dill pickles included somewhere. Yes, it has to be dill pickles. Bread and butter pickles are way gross. I prefer pickle chips in the burger, but I will settle for a spear on the side. The exception to this rule is In-N-Out, they're the only place who can get away with it. 

4.) EAT YOUR VEGGIES - Most places serve their burgers with iceberg lettuce and it's the only time I approve of eating this member of the family. I get pumped when a place that gets creative and serves romaine or butter lettuce (Katsu does shredded cabbage) but that's rare. Tomatoes should be soft and flavorful, not hard. It's tough for restaurants to offer ripe tomatoes since it's finicky vegetable that is in season June - September, so often times I give a place a pass if the tomato is a little tough. I can live without onions, especially raw ones. If the onions are carmelized or pickled, I can go for that. 

5.) YOU SAUCY MINX - I hate ketchup and mustard. Keep it away from me, I'll freak out. I have mixed feelings on Mayonaise. I don't run away from it like Mama June on "Here Comes Honey Boo Boo Child", but I'm not in love with it either. If the Mayonaise is lightly spread on the top bun and ignored on the bottom (that bottom's for blood!) I can deal with that. As far as special sauces, I am a huge fan of the In-N-Out Thousand Island-esque spread, in light doses. Special sauces should be very light and never distract from the meat. 

So as you can see, there's a lot that goes into what I determine makes a good cheeseburger. Now if only I put the effort of writing this blog into my homework, I would've been an A student... 

It's a "Shore" Thing: Saltoro

Now that I have done most of Seattle's "best of" spots, I have been trying to get into some of the lesser known, but also fantastic places. I had to run an errand outside of Seattle and discovered this charming Italian place called Saltoro in Shoreline. Although they have a Yelp listing, I can't seem to find any info online about this spot's origins, I think the pics will keep you happy though.I'm suprised I haven't seen any Seattle publications drooling over the Sea Salted Chicken, because it's rare to find a chicken dish that pleasing. I'm glad I'm the first to discover it. If I lived closer to Shoreline I would live here.

Saltoro
14053 Greenwood Ave N
Seattle, WA 98133
Open Mon - Sun 5 PM - 10 PM  

I had read rave reviews about the Truffled Fries and they live up to the hype. They are the crispy shoe string style and the truffle flavor doesn't overwhelm.

By the way, this is a half portion. This almost destroyed 2 people alone, I can't imagine trying to order a full size.  

This is their Spinach salad. The two crusted squares you see are "Brie pillows", which is just fun to say out loud. It was also topped with pickled onions, roasted grapes and pancetta and tossed in an anise dressing. The dressing made the salad for me, it was the right amount of anise and balsamic vinegar.

The brie pillow oozes out when you cut it. The only downside to this salad is that there are only 2 brie pillows. I wish there was more of it, especially if 3 people were sharing the salad.

This is the Sea Salt Roasted Chicken with broccolini and mashed potatoes. I drenched it in extra chicken jus. I never thought I could love a chicken dish so much. This chicken was perfectly seasoned and even after I doused it in jus, it kept a crispy consistency. The breast it self was moist and covered in herbs.  This also one of those rare dishes I didn't have to add salt to. This is their "winner" item... especially since I went back the next night to order it again....

This is a special dessert, so it may not be an option for readers, Saltoro's Wine Poached Pear. It's so fragrant, it's like eating Grandma's potpourri (sound insulting, but I mean it as a compliment). The vanilla gelato and minced pistachio also added a Christmas like flavor to it. The other favorites here are the Chocolate Pot du Creme and the Berry Crumle. There is also a large selection of dessert wines and fruity cocktails.

You say "Salami" and I say "Salumi"...

My year long stay in Seattle is coming to end. I will be moving to Venice, CA in February to jump start the acting career at a full time basis (fingers crossed!). I've eaten at a lot of the Seattle "must try" spots and Salumi rounds out as my last one. I am kicking myself for having not tried it sooner.

Salumi
309 3rd Ave S
(between S 2nd Avenue Extended & Main St)
Seattle, WA 98104
http://salumicuredmeats.com















Salumi is located in Pioneer Square which has a bunch of Seattle history. Of course the only real history I know it for is the "Singles" movie poster, but that's just me...

Salumi is only open Tuesday - Friday for lunch hours. I never seem to be out at lunch so that's a little disappointing which is why it took me so long to finally get in. Salumi is know for their cured meats, but you have the option of dining in for a hot meal instead of just ordering a bulk amount to go. The space itself is pretty cramped, I don't think it's the best place for a large party, but great for 2 people or ordering food to go. The sandwiches are made in front of you so you can basque in it's fatty glory.

I ordered the hot porchetta sandwich on a ciabatta roll. I've always had a rough relationship with porchetta, sometimes it's too fatty. I'm happy to report that Salumi's porchetta is flavorful and succulent. There is fat but it's the perfect amount, no gag reflex happened here. They also added this amazing garlicy butter sauce which oozes out with the flavor of the pork and roasted green pepper. It also drips and the bread becomes the right amount moist but not soggy. It's heaven and earns a "best of" for GOF. The best part? I have leftovers from it!

Bay Area Bites: Tea Room Cafe & Sol Food

  

My little sister just got married! (Congrats Lacey!!) The event brought me back to the Bay for an unforgettable day of fun and, of course, fabulous food.

Tea Room Café
316 Western Ave

Petaluma, CA

tearoomcafe.com 

An incredible breakfast kicked off the day's events... 

johnnycake - savory green chile & cheddar cheese corn cake

avocado omelet w/goat cheese, tomato & basil 

roasted potatoes, toast w/homemade apricot jam

Their johnnycake is basically my dream version of corn bread - thin and crispy, full of flavor with the chiles. This should be on every breakfast menu, a perfect shared starter before your main course... 

A perfect omelet. I've been here twice and ordered this both times. The goat cheese is fantastic. In fact, a helpful tip - if you're in Petaluma, order anything with goat cheese. If there's more than one item featuring this local delight, order them all!  

Fast forward eight hours - laughs, toasts, makeup, dress up, photos, vows, rings, the kiss!, tears, smiles, more toasts - to dinner...

  

Sol Food - Puerto Rican Cuisine

901 Lincoln Ave 

San Rafael, CA

solfoodrestaurant.com

baked chicken thighs marinated in oregano & garlic

vegetable casserole 

frijoles negros - black beans simmered with peppers, onions and cilantro 

habichuelas rosadas - pink beans stewed with herbs and Spanish olives

mixed greens with lemon-garlic dressing

steamed rice with Pique - homemade hot sauce 

maduros - the world's most delicious sweet fried yellow plantains! 

This is hands down the best wedding food I've ever tasted. Everyone was blown away, I can't wait to visit their restaurant! 

And, like every perfect day, it ended with something sweet. I've raved about Sift cupcakes here before but they deserve another mention for this adorable display. 

The cake was their "Battle Royale" and the cupcakes are all on my favorites list from the previous post, including the "Stud Muffin." Yes, my sister ordered the beer cake topped with bacon for her special day. That's my girl! 

Yuppie Moonshine Diary: Chapter 2 (The Chocolate Experiments)

Three more concoctions were sealed up in jars yesterday. Some girls have a closet full of shoes, some have a closet full of booze...

My first recipe called for a whole coconut. I had never cracked a coconut before. This did not go well. I'm positive this is NOT how it should look when you "tap it with a hammer along the equator and pry it apart with your hands." (Sounds simple, right?) This is the result of whacking away at it with a hammer (both sides of the hammer!) like a mad woman and then struggling to pry it open further and failing. I don't even want to admit the amount of time it took me to get this little coconut into pieces in a jar. (Hour and a half, maybe two. Yikes!) 



CHOCOLATE COCONUT LIQUEUR 

750 mL vodka 
1 whole coconut 
1 cup cacao nibs 


The inspiration for this one is Zico's Dark Chocolate Coconut Water. I crave that stuff day and night, it's a little ridiculous. 

The plan for this is to let it steep for 8 days. Then, I'll make a simple syrup with vanilla and add it to taste. Excited for this one! 






CHOCOLATE CHAI LIQUEUR 

750 mL vodka 
6 tbspn chai tea 
1 cup cacao nibs 
2 cinnamon sticks 

I realized I made a mistake right after I poured the vodka into this jar. Tea isn't supposed to steep for very long but the cinnamon and cocoa nibs need more time. So, after a day I strained the mixture through a coffee filter and added new cinnamon and nibs. 

In a week I'm going to split it up and try a few different creme liqueur versions - testing out heavy cream/milk with simple syrup, sweetened condensed milk and dulce de leche to see which works best.  



CHOCOLATE JALAPENO TEQUILA 

375 mL silver tequila 
2/3 cup cacao nibs 
1 jalapeno

This one gets a lot of funny faces. It's admittedly a little strange but I have high hopes for it. I got the idea when I discovered Tanteo's "Cocoa" tequila. I've never tried it but it gave me hope that it could be great! They also have a "Jalapeno" flavor... so I added that too. I may have gone too far with that part. We'll see. If all goes as planned this will make a legendary Mexican Coffee Cocktail. 

With these, I now have five spirits in the holding chamber (my closet). A little more time, some final tweaks and I'll deliver the (hopefully good) results along with some fantastic food and drink recipes for them! 

Battle in Seattle: Red Mill Burger v.s. Katsu Burger

Do I really need to type an introduction to a burger post? I think not. 

Red Mill Burgers

1613 W Dravus St
(between W 16th Ave & W 17th Ave)
Seattle, WA 98119

Let's start with the positive: 

There are a lot of milkshake options. 

The sauce they use is like In 'N Out's famous house sauce but with a slightly spicy kick. It's a great side to dip your fries in. 

The veggies on the burger were crisp and fresh. 

BACON! A BIG PILE OF BACON FRYING ON THEIR PAN WHEN YOU ENTER!









The negatives: 

My burger barely dripped. I like my burgers to bleed. 

The fries were seriously lacking. They reminded me of bowling alley fries. 

The meat bum ratio was off on mine. I somehow managed to eat the patty all the way before the bun, which is a turn-off. 

The bun tasted like a grocery store bun. 

When I ask a local, "What's your favorite burger joint?" about 90% of the time the answer is "Red Mill". There was great expectations on this place and while it was very good, I wouldn't say it's "the best". Sorry, majority of Seattle. 


Katsu Burger
6538 4th Ave S
(between Michigan St & S East Marginal Way)
Seattle, WA 98108

First off, Katsu Burger is next door to a liquor store has this epic sign. So... yeah, SODO isn't the best area of Seattle, but Katsu Burger makes it worth the purse hiding. 















The burgers here are influenced by Japanese cuisine. I ordered the appropriately named "Godzilla Attack" burger. The burger patty is crusted with panko and then deep fried. This was the first time I have had a fried patty and although it doesn't drip, it's juicy and crispy in one bite. 

The burgers come with shredded cabbage, tomatoes, pickles and onions. Mine also came with jalapenos, pepper jack, spicy mayo and tonkatsu sauce. The bun wasn't grilled as much as In 'N Out, but it was still fresh tasting. I also got a side of curry fries which were the best fries I've had in a long time. 







AND THE WINNER IS: 

KATSU BURGER! 

Stay tuned for the next battle: Zippy's v.s. Burgermaster