Sitka and Spruce, Seattle

I truly loved my meal at Sitka & Spruce, it was probably one of my favorite meals ever and most certainly my favorite sourdough. A simple Northwest cusine menu with fun, unique ingredients like stinging nettle or pickled fiddleheads - love! Fantastic service and I loved the open kitchen setting. The best seat in the house is at the communal table where you can watch the magic happen.

Make sure to make reservations in advance to not miss out. It's a favorite of locals and visitors!

What we ordered from their March 2013 menu:

• Sourdough - This is NOT too be missed. I'm still sad that I failed at buying sourdough to bring home. It's available for purchase daily after 2pm, but apparently you have to get there exactly then or else they sell out. The bread is baked at their sister restaurant The Corson Building and it has this really great charred crispy crust with a soft, chewy tangy center. I dream about this sourdough.
• Raw black cod, creme fraiche, warm potato, pickled fiddleheads - what a creative dish with a lot going on, but worked as a whole. The curliques are the pickled fiddleheads.
• Gratin of artichokes, cream, wood sorrel & winter mushrooms - earthy, creamy with a bit of crunch. a bit heavy for me on its own but it's good for sharing.
• Neah bay halibut with Whidbey kamut and stinging nettle - decided on the halibut over lamb, only because I really wanted to try stinging nettle. it worked out because I don't think i could have had the room for the lamb (though that was the host's reco)
• Chinon, Les Pensees de Pallus 2010 - French Loire Valley wine that was similar to a very well structured cabernet franc, green bell peppery, herbaceous and held up well to our fish dishes
• Gateau basque with poached figs - creamy custard center. get it even if you're full.

Can't wait to return, especially for the bread. Oh, and even better - they do seasonal menus so I'm sure there'll be something different next time!

See the full picture gallery here: http://on.fb.me/11tadWC

Neah bay halibut with Whidbey kamut and stinging nettle from Sitka & Spruce

Pike's Place Chowder, Seattle

The line wasn't too bad but it was sort of difficult to find. Pike's Place Chowder is located in the building of Pike's Place Market at the corner of pike and 1st, off of Post Alley. Don't give up! It does exist, just have to navigate through the building.

Check in on yelp to get 3 samplers for $8, which comes with sourdough and free crackers.
I got...

Original New England Clam Chowder - this is the famous one, it is really really good.
Seafood Bisque - lots of chewy bits but good
Smoked salmon - didn't really like this one, overwhelmingly like smoked salmon (which I like, but this was too much)

Next time, will try the manhattan!

A Must Try Food Truck: Turf N Surf Po' Boy in Austin

om nom notes rating: 5 stars

This food truck served what ended up being my favorite meal in Austin, TX this last trip. In a sea of food trucks - Turf N Surf Po' Boy stands out from the rest because of it's unique local, fresh food menu and intentionally dilapidated but charming "truck". They had quite the selection of responsibly sourced seafood, beef, pork and veggies - but po' boys are truly the star. This truck is not to be missed.

I have to add that the folks here are the NICEST people. They took the time to recommend selections, and made it a point to tell me that I could order anything exactly the way I wanted. So of course I did. :) They were also very apologetic when they didn't have some menu items like the guacamole or etouffee.

While their blackened or fried shrimp po boys are the crowd favorite, I chose to do the grilled crawfish po-boy with extra tomatoes and coleslaw on the side. 

It was AMAZING. Between the crusty and just right grilled multi-grain bread (different from your standard french-style baguette), the seasoned just right crawfish, the fresh tomatoes & mesclun greens, and the addition of thick sliced pickles - every bite's mingle of flavors made me so happy. 

While you would think might be a heavy, greasy sandwich - the greens, pickles, and squeeze of line added the unexpected freshness that made this monstrosity of a sandwich seem almost delicate. It was so good that I must have eaten the entire thing in 5 minutes. The coleslaw is very creamy (courtesy of Mr. Mayo), so I'm glad I got it on the side. 

You can also get any of the Po' Boys in the form of 2 tacos, or a salad (but really - who would want to do that?). I got to try a bit of the blackened shrimp taco, but I have to say that the po-boy with the amazing bread is better and significantly more memorable. Blackened shrimp was very good though.

The cilantro fries on their own are worth getting, just note that it's a huge portion and enough to share between at least 4 people. Curiously enough, they reminded me of the fries from "The O" (The Original Hot Dog Shop) in Pittsburgh - about a medium cut, but fried till crispy.  I had heard that you can get etouffee fries, but sadly they were out of gravy. Next time…

See more pictures at: http://on.fb.me/NIkzeh

Quick Notes:

1. Love that the truck/trailer was built out of 90% recycled/reclaimed material - it started as a shipping container!
2. There is a shaded seating area, but it's open so still hot!
3. They take credit cards.
4. Learn more about the history of the po' boy.
5. They sometimes are open outside of their normal hours, just check their Facebook page for updates
• Normal Hours:
  Mon-Thu 11 am - 3 pm

  Fri 11 am - 3 am

  Sat 12 pm - 3 am

Grilled Crawfish Po' Boy - $10

Grilled Crawfish Po' Boy: grilled crawfish, mesclun greens, pickles, red onion, tomatoes, and coleslaw (on the side)

Cilantro Fries - $3

Cilantro Fries: fresh cut potatoes, salt, cilantro, ketchup

Turf N Surf Po' Boy Trailer Truck

Turf N Surf Po Boy Food Truck: at 4th and Congress

Turf N' Surf Po Boy

177 Yelp reviews as of 7/13/12