What to Eat & Drink in Downtown Seattle, March 2013

Seattle was such a hard city to decide what I wanted to eat. There are way too many choices for amazing cuisine.

Here are the food, drink, & restaurant establishments I visited in March 2013 over 3 days and what I ordered. Mostly, these were easily walkable from the Westin Seattle around downtown. All in all, I think I made tasty decisions! 

Om nom notes: Downtown Seattle  (Not in any order of preference but bolded names are not to be missed)

For Food

• Sitka & Spruce - sourdough, black cod, artichoke gratin, halibut, gateau basque. get more details here
• Salumi - Get here at around 10:30am, trust me - the line will be shorter than if you came later. Also, get some salumi to go! It doesn't need to be refrigerated. Even if you can't finish the sandwiches, get at least 2 to try. I got the muffo and a Finnochiona (black peppercorn and fennel) & Provolone on Giuseppe. So good! Definitely add the onions and peppers too.
• Dahlia Lounge - came here for drinks only (liked the menu at Serious Pie better that night) Interesting cocktails (many with hibiscus infused liquors) and a solid glass wine list.
• Taylor Shelfish Farms - oysters, tried one of every kind
• Mamnoon - in the words of my friend, we tried everything with something funky including bamyeh bi zeit (okra), bateresh (eggplant and lamb), arnabeit makli (cauliflower), muhammara (walnut pepper paste), fattoush (mache radish salad)
• Serious Pie - Regular margherita, and the soft egg/cotto pizza. If there's a wait, head over to Dahlia Lounge for a drink.
• The Crumpet Shop - have you ever had a crumpet? Now i have! tried the pesto, tomato & english cheese. Their crumpet shop blend tea is good as well - free refills and they'll even give you a to-go cup. 
• Beecher's Handmade Cheese - supposedly the world's best Mac & Cheese. It was a bit too 'wet' for me. Fun to watch the cheese making though and try their flagship cheese.
• Pike Place Chowder - the original new england seafood chowder is the one to try. I could drink a vat of this

For Sweets

• Dahlia Bakery - Get the famous Triple creme coconut pie, available in bite, individual, and normal pie sizes. I might have come here 3 times in 3 days...Wish I could have tried their homemade english muffin breakfast sandwich but ran out of time :(
• Top Pot Doughnuts - warm fresh doughnuts. Got an old-fashioned glazed and a mug of coffee. great place to chill and read a magazinego

For Coffee

• Zeitgeist Koffee - Get some coffee to go as you wait in line for Salumi around the corner.
• Stumptown Coffee - The same as what's from Portland, might as well get some to go!
• Caffe Senso Unico

Afghan Food in San Carlos

om nom notes rating: 5 stars


Just had official Afghan food at Kabul Afghan Cuisine in San Carlos, CA for the first time and it was delicious! Wonderful service by the owner's daughter Michelle who took the time to explain her favorites. Lamb dishes were highly recommended but her favorite by far (since she was a child) was the "Sabsi Challaw" (lamb & spinach). For the veggie dishes, apparently the customer favorite was "Challaw Kadu" (pumpkin topped with yogurt). As always - the combination platter was the way to go for me to be able to try everything. Portion sizes were also hearty - enough for 2 with a little bit for leftovers. 

I think everyone gets served a simple salad to start their meal. Make sure you ask for the dressing on the side if you like light dressing as they put a lot of it on.

Michelle surprised us with a complimentary "Firnee" dessert which was so light and delicious. Highly recommended if you like pudding. Make sure to save room!

Sabsi Challaw - $14.95 

Very tender and well cooked lamb chunks! sort of like saag (without the heaviness and without the paneer), but with a subtle flavor profile difference. 

Sabsi Challaw: Cubes of lamb cooked with fresh spinach, onions, and garlic, served with challaw (white rice)

Vegetarian Platter - $12.95

I went for the 3 below as Michelle said the sabsi option (spinach) would taste pretty similar to the sabsi lamb dish above.

• Kadu - Sauteed pumpkin topped with yogurt
• Badenjah (My Favorite!) - Stew of eggplant cooked with onions, tomatoes, and herbs, topped with yogurt. Would reco getting this without the yogurt
• Gulpi - Stew of cauliflower cooked with tomatoes, onions, fresh ginger and fine spices

Vegetarian Platter: A combination of three items (my choices: Kadu, Badenjah, Gulpi), served with rice. 

Firnee - (will check for the price next time!)

Pudding made of milk, cardamon, rose water, and sliced almonds, topped with pistachios

Sorry I have no picture as it looked so delicious I went straight for a bite :( Make sure to stir everything together to get the almonds/pistachios/spices distributed throughout.

Kabul Afghan Cuisine

Yelp reviews from 05/14/12

(650) 594-2840

http://www.kabulcuisine.com/
Menu

NOTE: There is also a Kabul Afghan Cuisine in Burlingame I believe with the same menu. Can you believe there are 2 on the peninsula? yay!