Seattle: Pinch Me, Am I In Gay Paree? @ Cafe Campagne

  For your listening pleasure:

La Vie en Rose

                               

Seattle has summoned me once again! I am always happy to oblige, specially during spring time when Pike Place Market is just blooming with my favorite tulips and peonies at $10 a bunch...while Chicago is still holding on to the last icicle of winter.

Holy my plane flew in all sense of the word! My plane left on time for once, and touched down approximately 20 minutes early; the one time that I wouldn't have minded being delayed because I had 2 hours to kill in the airport, or  in other words, 2 hours to plan my nosh while I'm in Seattle. 2 hours passed, and my day's itinerary is set: go to the hotel, and find food that would recoup the meals I've missed since the day prior.

During my previous market visits, I always walk passed Cafe Campagne with vows to eat there and get my croque madame fix"next time." Well, the time is now! With the rare Seattle sun welcoming me  and The Great Dane (TGD) with open arms, we hugged it back by dining alfresco. Skimming the menu, I spied with my sleepy eyes the words "sipping chocolate." My interest was quickly peaked, but I want booze! Our waitress happily informed me that there is an adult version to this!

CHOCOLAT CHAUD:French Sipping Chocolate. It's served as a pitcher of hot chocolate with a bowl of chantilly cream. Real cream! The Avec Chartreuse Verte was the 21 and over addition to this gastro luxury. As this pompous but necessary presentation was brought to my table, I was quickly transported to the imaginary Paris in my head. With every sip, the bustle of  Pike Market was quickly replaced by the melody of La Vie en Rose. 

The waitress explained that one is supposed to sip the chocolate, then sip the chartreuse. Sip, sip. That's it! This is the only way to have hot chocolate from now on.

Maybe we should eat something, as the Paris in my head is starting to go beyond the normal realm of daydreaming.

TGD got the House-made Pork & Chicken Sausage:  It came as an open faced sandwich with melted Comte de gruyere with dijon mustard. What pray tell is comte? It's basically unpasteurized cow's milk cheese. The more you know! This sandwich may look dainty in carnivore land, but it was very hearty, and would fulfill any meat lover's inner desires.

My Parisian hallucination was quelled with the one thing that attracted me to this place in the first place; The Croque Madame : It had Parisian ham inside with gruyere cheese melted on top, and boom put an egg on it! Now, I was not very satisfied with the madame. Where's the bechamel or the mornay?!...or did America add this on? Whichever country decided on adding that creamy and buttery roux deserves a medal. Cafe Campagne's Madame needs a butter bath! 

Overall, Cafe Campagne needs to be a stop while you're out exploring Pike Place Market; tourist or not! Back when my frequent West Coast (anything west of Chicago is west coast to me) travels brought  me to Las Vegas, it became my tradition to visit Bouchon and get my croque madame fix. It was exclamation point to the fact that I have thawed out from the cold! Now that Seattle is my new west, Cafe Campagne is my new west coast Pacific Northwest tradition, not for the madame, but to sip hot chocolate with chartreuse. There's no better exclamation than chocolate and booze!

Cafe Campagne is worth gaining:

 4.5lbs out of 5 lbs

                                   

A Quick Escape to Atwood

            Alas! They found me! By "they" I meant the government. The government cordially invited me to the Daley Center for jury duty. Yippee! Not! Upon receiving the letter requesting my presence, I quickly went through the list of why I can't. Unless I was diagnosed with something or elderly, the there was no easy way out. My friend, the Honey Badger (HB, this character appeared in my Takito Kitchen adventure) put it into a poop of rainbow type perspective, and made it sound as though it was a privilege that not everyone gets to experience...and I bought it. 

So I find myself anxiously sitting in a court room full of the chosen few, hoping that I don't get the privilege of having to come here for the rest of the week. I heard the case I may be a jury for will take several days. I need to go back to work and make enough money to keep Noshing! As much as I like the view...

No, just NO! 

I decided to quell my anxiety by spending the whole time, skimming through restaurant menus that are a skip away from me. Rumor has it that lunch is one and a half hours long. Tick, tock, it's past 12:30, did they forget about lunch?! The monster in the belly was getting mad. Then finally, at 1pm they called lunch time. I traipsed happily out into the sunshiny 60 something degree Chicago day, towards Acanto for some Duck Egg Spaghetti but then I was distracted by this sight...

The Atwood in Hotel Burnham, or for the Architectural sect, the Reliance Building ( Atwood, Burnham, and Root were the Architects. Get it?) Hotel plus history plus architecture, sold! Hotel dining somehow reels me in. I guess I like being surrounded by the hopeful and adventurous vibe tourists emit. Instant staycation!

What kind of vacation does not include some libation? This one! In the event that I get chosen to decide my fellowmen's fate, I would like my decision to be fueled only with coffee and fatigue. I take civic duty seriously! But here's a list of what I said no to. I deserve a medal!

Speaking of coffee...coffee! Now! Ok no, I asked politely, specially that I had to be all difficult about wanting it iced. My happy waiter was nice enough to fix my caffeine to my liking. Thanks ( ahhh I forgot his name! Sorry!)

That coffee was just what my sleep deprived self needed, but let's get some food in my belly monster. I saw the word boursin cheese in one of the dishes. At that moment I had no idea what it was. Feeding off the adventurous vibe, let's go with it. Lamb Cheesesteak it is.

The lamb was snuggled in with roasted red peppers, caramelized onions, arugula, and boursin cheese. Oh, I nearly forgot that it came with fries, since I was so hungry, I inhaled it. As I worked my way through the sandwich, I remembered what boursin was! It's a soft cheese more commonly seasoned with garlic and herbs. The components of the sandwich, along with the tender lamb, created a nice buttery textured bite. The arugula gave it a refreshing end, just priming my mouth for the next bite. I think I finished this sandwich in record time. I need to spare time for dessert! My staycation would be null if I can't indulge in the best part of the meal!

I was torn between the Citrus Pavlova, which had lemon curd, fresh berries, and mint, vs the Chocolate Espresso Pot De Creme. Since it was such a spring-like day, I was in the mood for something citrusy, but my happy waiter had high praises  for the Pot De Creme. He sold me when he said "candied lemon zest." As if I wasn't anxious enough with my government duty and my 3rd cup of coffee, charge me up to overdrive with this velvety pudding mouse decadence! I wish I had 2 hours to eat this. With every bite, my tastebuds soaked up the coffee infused chocolate. The candied lemon surprised a bite here and there with it's crunch and zing. As I looked down at my clock, it was time to inhale the pot!

           










As I left my impromptu vacation and speed walked back to reality, I had a pep in my step, not from the heart stopping amount of coffee and sugar that I ingested, but the overall meal and service made me believe I was on vacation. Thanks happy waiter! Citrus Pavlova, be ready for my return!

Here's a glimpse of Hotel Burnham's Interior. I could spend all day taking pictures of every tiny detail, but duty calls.

Courtesy of Google

                                   

Ohio! Put-in-Bay: Cowabunga Dude @ Frostys Bar

For your hypin' pleasure: Vanilla Ice's Go Ninja Go

From the moment we docked in Put-in-Bay, The Great Dane (TGD) pointed to this unassuming, neighborhood looking bar, and mentioned that they have pretty awesome pizza. Frostys Bar.

Courtesy of Frostys

Ha ha! Funny TGD. I was willing to bet that it's frozen pizza he was trying to trick me in to eating. With our week long vacay coming to an end, it was time to try this pizza! With an excited grin, TGD brings this box over to our table. I on the other hand, glared at it with overpowering skepticism.  

Open sesame! Still sort of unimpressed...but really hungry, and ok, I was salivating at the sight of all that cheese!

Little did I know that the cheese to crust ratio is 5:1 ( I made up this math)!!! Yes my fellow Noshers, this was not a thick crust pizza. It's just simply cheese overload, but in the best way possible. I'm always on the hunt for ooey,gooey,cheesy pizza. Most pizza's I've encountered that claimed to be cheesy, disappoints by only having one layer of cheese that has partially hardened by the time it hits my chompers. Frostys pizza puts all those pizzas to shame! Frostys pizza is not for the folks that are looking for frou frou specialty pizza. It's your good old American, hangover cure, and most likely Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles approved pizza. Go pizza, go pizza, go!

Just look at the cheese stretch! Most of the time, you only see this in perfectly produced pizza commercials or food shows. I think I heard the 3 tenors sing Hallelujah as I wrestled this piece of pizza into my plate. I never thought I would ever get to witness the "cheese stretch" in real life.

As perfect as this pizza is, there is one bone I have to pick with it...WHY ARE YOU 5 HOURS AWAY?! Do you ship? Delivery? Ahhhhh! I guess I'll have to settle with having to arm myself with a thermal bag and drive out to Grand Stand Pizza in Franklin Park, or get my delivery from Peqouds Pizza.

Comment below if you have a pizza place that you think would cure my Frostys blues.

Ohio! Put-in-Bay:Name Game @ The Old Forge Cafe and Creperie

The song that played in my head that day:  Lana Del Rey Moi Je Joue (A little play on Bridget Bardot's version)

When The Great Dane (TGD) is away, this mousketeer will play...play "how to get lost in a 2 mile island." This game starts out with a run. I need to sweat out some of this salt that's making me feel like I'm trapped in a sausage casing!

 I can't remember the last time I ran without music blasting in my ears, but since my cell service has me roaming in Canada (I'm in Ohio!), it left me running to the rhythm of the wind, while forcing me to listen to my huffing and puffing. Wow! I don't sound that miserable...well at least when I run past people. Red alert! People on coming! Smile and nod. After I know they're far enough away, GAAAAASP!!! Need. Air. Lungs. Work! 

I met a few friendly faces along the way that I smiled and nodded to, like this "sleeping" raccoon. Wake up raccoon! The bugs are eating your face!  I also saw a man that looked like Santa cruising along in a jeep, who asked me if I know where the synagogue is... or that's what I thought I heard him say. Synagogue? Santa? Clearly, this is not the jolly old man I know.  The stranger danger alarm in my head screamed " RUN! this is it...you're going to get kidnapped by Santa and be locked up in his cabin worthy of an 80's horror movie...AHHHHH." So with a nervous smile I hurriedly said no, and ran a 2 minute/mile pace. That's it! Call me a quitter, but Im done trying to get lost. Not to mention that there's signs all over telling people to be nice to the water snakes. Snakes?! Ok, really time to bust out of these woods. Time to hunt for some iced coffee.

After I washed the smell of nature and salt off of me, I was mortified to find that one of my little tootsies is missing it's coat of nail polish. Did santa make me run that hard, it blew the paint off of it? As luck would have it, the ONLY spa in this island was able to fit me in for a polish change. Phew! Crisis averted! After she fixed up my tootsies, the lady at the salon directed me to the place across the street for some good iced coffee. The Old Forge Cafe and  Creperie. Coffee and Crepe? Sold! So I waddled on over with my wet toes!

Presenting, the crepe that shall remain nameless! 

I totally spaced out and got way too excited to have iced coffee, and just inhaled this french fluffery, without thinking about my Noshers! 

Nosher challenge! Find me the name of this dish. Your clue is that this thing is stuffed with chicken, bathed in pesto. The pesto had a good balance of an earthy, nutty flavor and tang. I've had greasy pesto before. This one was not. To add to the heartiness of the crepe stuffing, some sort of cheese joined the party. I believe it was Feta. Need I mention the crumbles of bacon atop this crepe? The overall bite was cheesy and satisfying. It definitely did not trick me in to thinking that I was not canceling out  my run, but it was oh so worth it!  With my plate licked clean, and my tooties dried, it was time to walk back home to hydrate and reclaim the sausage casing feeling. Ha!

Comment below if you know what I ate!

Seattle: The Cooking Channel Led Me to Nielsen's Pastry

You are getting sleepy~~~wooooh. On any given weeknight, you'll find either the Food Network or the Cooking Channel tucking me in bed. One night, while fighting the sleep fairy like a kindergarten tike, the Cooking Channel's Unique Sweets , woke me up from my daze with the words Danish and Seattle. What?! Do they have these enchanted aebleskivers The Great Dane keeps talking about? 

Aebleskivers: TGD described it as basically spherical pancakes 

There was only one way to find out...Go there! To Nielsen's! 

Boo! No sightings of the mystical Aebelskivers, but I found a Potato and Sara Bernhardt. 

 Ok, I have to admit, the only reason why I got the Potato was because this was what Unique Sweets raved about. I have great faith in their choices; and how could you mess up sugar?

I took the first chomp, and the marzipan was like a sweet, soft shell on top of the puff pastry. After breaking through the Marzipan barrier encasing the soft fluffy whip cream and custard combination, I found my shirt and everything around me covered in the cocoa powder that this thing is sprinkled with, it also did not help that I was dancing around singing "Hot potato, hot potato"( housekeeping tip increase) This pastry reminds me of a profiterole, but 3x bigger, and much more delicious than the profiterole. This pastry is so light and airy, yet decadent, and it almost does not seem too sinful to have more than one, or two or three. The only sin you can commit is not getting more than one, which I was miserably guilty of.

A bite off Sarah Bernhardt sparked a delicious memory that I could not put my finger on. Then it clicked. Am I eating a dark chocolate covered macaron, filled with chocolate mouse?! I basically was! Hidden underneath the chocolate and mouse layer is indeed an almond macaron. This pastry was supposed to be created in honor of that French actress, Sarah Bernhardt. I like how this is a bigger and better version of a macaron. Yep, another unfortunate mistake of just getting one.

I couldn't just leave Nielsen's without  picking up these fun little marzipan fruit dopplegangers. This will fulfill the ADA fruit requirement right? I declare yes!

 

I can't wait to have one or a few of these cute little pink boxes tied with twine, and filled with yummy deliciousness again!

Seattle:Following My Gut @ Icon Grill

For your listening pleasure:

Under the Sea cover by Bottle Boys. They made it sound so fun...

After closing down Pike Place Market, we decided that we would walk in the direction of "wherever we feel like it!...Turn here, turn there!" Of course this adventure was sure to work off all the energy that The Colombian Hot Chocolate (click the link to read all about it) injected in me, and induce hunger. The Great Dane and I passed by a few interesting restaurants, but nothing that peaked our appetites. Thinking back to when I first visited Seattle, I remember seeing a glowing sign that said "Mac n Cheese." I declared that we should go there! Since I did not know the name of the place, I led the way with my "photographic" memory. Uhhh I think I found it, but somehow I don't remember it looking like this:

The Icon Grill

Did my memory not serve me right? But hey... Que sera sera! We walked in to be welcomed by this sight...

 My brain started singing...~look at this stuff isn't it neat..~~~ I don't know why. It must've been the shades of coral and all the blown glass that reminded me of seashells and jelly fish. This place is like an oyster with it's rough exterior, but nestled inside it is a beautiful pearl. "Um are you sure you're the mac n cheese place?" My eye spied a second floor balcony, which is also where the bathroom is located. Of course I checked it out!

There's a TV in the bathroom, which shows films from the 20' or 30's!!!

 The view from the Top

Our very friendly waitress confirmed that they are indeed known for their mac n cheese!...and fried chicken, and meatloaf. I stared at the menu and changed my mind up to the last minute.

 Meatloaf it is! And yep...that was the quote of the night.

While waiting for our food, this wonderful tiered tower of Washington wines arrived. Being that we started this adventure on a whim, and we are about a 30 minute walk to the hotel, I pushed most of this tower on to TGD. The hot chocolate energy has worn off by now...and crashing.

The bread is here! It came with 3 different butters, hmmm let me try remembering what they are...Normal butter, pesto, uhhhh I give up! Comment below if you know what they are. They were all good, and I was definitely eating it to keep me awake through the meal.

 Ahhh second wind! Food is here! TGD ordered the Cajun Tiger Shrimp Penne Pasta: The waitress prefaced this by saying..."do you like spicy?...this is good but too spicy for me." The pasta goes in your mouth with a creamy, buttery feel, then slowly, you start feeling the heat. The shrimps were the size of a tiger! JK...they were pretty large, like prawns.

 Ma brought in the meatloaf, but not just any meatloaf...It's Molasses Glazed Meatloaf! The Molasses bathed that meatloaf beautifully, which created the sweet and salty symphony that I feel never fails. Even the broccoli was elevated by taking a dive in the molasses. Yep there's left overs!

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The friendly waitress asked if we had room for dessert. My honest answer should have been no, but I saw this giant bowl of ice cream that the table next to us had. It had a waffle cone in the center, which when lifted up, out comes a waterfall of hot fudge!!! To top that all off, there was this candy caddy filled with a plethora of goodies that you can top this sundae to your hearts desire. I want it! I want it now! but TGD, otherwise known as the voice or reason, talked me off the sin-sanity train. So no it is. 

Despite the "no," our waitress surprised us with these complimentary little brownie fudgey things filled with marshmallow fluff. See how friendly this waitress was?

If comfort food with a twist is your thing, along with kitschy art, this needs to be in your itinerary if you're in Seattle. The Icon Grill is definitely in the "I'll be back" list. I'm coming back for fried mac n' cheese, and that dessert!!!