Restaurant Zoe in Capitol Hill

It was a happy stumbling when we ended up here for family dinner. The initial restaurant we were supposed to go to was closed to the public due to a dinner party so we wandered around until my mom decided on Restaurant Zoe located in the Capitol Hill area in Seattle.

This place has a very nice homey feel to it with an outdoor dining area, a middle of the way atrium dining area and of course inside dining. The feel was very earthy with the abundance of flora growing around and open windows to let in the summer warmth. Even the dishes we tried were very 'green'. These American dishes, for the most part, with a twist (a bit of Asian inspiration I felt) were very fresh with quality ingredients. 

Dinner

1) Willies Green's

2) Gulf Prawn Ceviche

3) Beef Tartare

4) Crispy Tofu

Dessert

5) Affogato

6) Strawberry Shortcake Ice Cream (homemade)

7) Greek Yogurt Semifreddo

1) Willie's Greens: This refreshing salad came with mixed greens, Marcona almonds, radish, strawberries, Romano cheese and an apple cider vinaigrette. It was definitely nice and light and had a nice balance of sweet with the strawberries, sour with the vinaigrette, and bit of a spicy bite from the radish. The crunch of the radish and almonds added for a nice texture play.

2) Gulf Prawns Ceviche: This came with tomato, jalapeno, onion, cilantro, avocado semifreddo, black tobiko (flying fish roe) and taro chips. The prawns were so fresh and the different vegetables in it didn't over power the other. The taro chip added for a nice mechanism to eat the ceviche and a nice crunch factor. The added tobiko gave it an Asian flare, if you will, and a nice layer of saltiness to the overall tartness of the dish. 

3) Beef Tartare: The last of the 'starters' and my favorite dish. The beef they used wasn't gamey or had raw smell to it at all and it was beyond fresh. The egg yolk was golden yellow and oozed perfectly with the beef. The decor of the fermented garlic aioli and sweet port gelee paired superbly with the tartare and lavosh. Overall, I could've been happy just eating 2 or 3 of these on my own! Definitely the show stopper of the night.

4) Crispy Tofu: This simple dish with crispy tofu, mushroom duxelle, green lentils (Moroccan spiced sofrito and heirloom summer squash was merely mediocre, in my opinion. There wasn't any wow factor to it and honestly felt a bit overpriced for what you had. For being a 'Main' dish, it definitely did not feel hearty enough to fill anyone completely. The lentils were a bit dry and I just didn't care too much for it. The flavor of the tofu was decent and being called 'crispy' I wish it was more crispy.

5) Affogato: Onto dessert and a classic Affogato with Vanilla Ice Cream and Caffé Vita espresso! This sure had the caffeine kick to it and the espresso was nice and strong! I wouldn't recommend this at night if you had to wake up early since you might not be able to sleep, but if you love coffee then this classic is always a nice way to end a meal. Smooth vanilla and rich espresso just makes the perfect 'sweetened ice coffee' treat.

6) Homemade Strawberry Shortcake Ice Cream: This ice cream had the perfect amount of shortcake for a strawberry shortcake ice cream with icey strawberries throughout. It wasn't overly sweet and the nice sugar comb thing (that gold thing sticking out!) was perfectly paired to the ice cream. I'd definitely recommend this one for dessert.

7) Greek Yogurt Semifreddo: With a cucumber melon granita, coconut basically frozen, and honey compressed melon, I would have to say this was probably one of the better desserts I have had in awhile. The Greek yogurt semifreddo wasn't overly tart or sweet and had a nice soft consistency paired with the harder coconut bottom. I loved the compressed melon since it added an extra layer of sweetness to the dish and a strong melon flavor. Definitely unique and full of flavor and texture. I'd highly recommend this one!

This little secret garden of a restaurant in a corner on Capitol Hill is definitely worth checking out. The prices are a bit higher but you are paying for quality ingredients and a wonderful ambiance. I will say that the service was good for the most part, but it did take awhile for us to have our orders taken and it wasn't even that busy inside. Other than that, the food came out in a timely manner and the presentation on everything was artistic and pleasing to the eye. I would definitely come here again, especially if they have a seasonal change in their menu.

Readers, do you like the new take on American foods? Which one of these would you try? Let me know!

Natsu Matsuri 2015 Food Recap

Last weekend was Uwajimaya's Natsu Matsuri, summer festival if you will, and I got to try a lot of the yummy Japanese foods the vendors provided there! It is a great way to sample a lot of items for a fairly cheap price! They want to promote their items and get it out there so the lower pricing helped with that incentive. This will be a quick/food heavy post - be warmed!

Curry tofu stew with white rice with fukujinzuke-a type of red japanese pickled combination of daikon, eggplant, cucumber that is usually paired with curry. For $1 this was definitely worth it and it was tasty too. I've never had curry with tofu and it was a nice change.

Classic karaage-or fried battered fried chicken with sweet chili sauce and spicy mayo. What's not to like about this dish? The sauces worked well with the deep fried chicken and it's especially good while its extra hot. $3 (I think)

Gyoza-or Japanese potstickers. They're a little crunch on the outside with a moist meat filling. Comes with a dipping sauce. Easy to eat and almost everybody likes these! It was $2 for 5 pieces.

Ramen burger for $6. I really wanted to like this and wished it was better, but I'm honestly glad I didn't buy this myself. The noodles had no flavor and would've been better if there was a little more in my opinion. The burger was overly dipped with the sweet teriyaki like sauce. It just wasn't my thing. A bite of this was enough and I was honestly disappointed.

Nothing like a fresh young coconut with the freshest juice. I know coconut water isn't for everybody but i'm glad I love it!

Poke bowls for $5. I'm glad I got to try a little sample of this since Tuna dishes are always a favorite. If you like the mix of raw ahi tuna, soy sauce, onions and ogo with rice, then poke is a must.

Yaki Onigiri-grilled rice ball with salmon flakes. So simple, yet so good! The salmon flakes definitely added a nice flavor element to the rice and the crispy outer parts of the rice added a nice crunch. Definitely a good snack for $2.

Okonomiyaki-a type of Japanese pancake if you will loaded with cabbage and egg topped with Kewpie (Japanese mayo) okonomiyaki sauce, and bonito flakes. If I liked cabbage, I'd probably enjoy this a lot more, but this had way to much cabbage for me. $5

Probably my favorite thing at the festival was this Tonkotsu Ramen-pork broth ramen noodles. For $5 you received a decent portion of noodles, a thick rich broth, a piece or two of pork and onions and other condiments. The broth was flavorful and the noodles were just right, not too soft and not too chewy. 

To cool off, shaved ice is a must! This is actually my friend's but he let me share, of course. He choose a root beer flavoring, loaded it with condensed milk and topped it with mochi (chewy rice balls). This tasted like a root beer float! The only problem with this is that the mochi wasn't soft enough so it had more of a gritty than chewy taste. Shaved ice by itself was $3. Toppings were 50cents each so $4 total.

Another favorite and the last thing I tried was the pork udon! Probably my second favorite dish after the ramen and of course it is noodles again. This one had udon noodles with fatty pork on top, onions, tempura flakes and spicy garlic condiment on top. So fatty but so good! I'll definitely be trying to make this at home myself! $4

There were also other things going on but these are just the few food items I personally tried myself. Don't worry, this wasn't just eaten in one day, it spanned over two! There were also fun games for the kids! I love events like this, especially in the summer time, and especially when there's so much food to go try. I have been going to this festival almost every year, mainly because I work the event, and it is just fun to see a bunch of people gather together and try some new (and old) things!

Readers, have you tried any of these dishes above? Do you like Japanese foods? What are your favorites? Let me know!

PIKE PLACE AFTERNOON

Had some family in town and of course the touristy thing to do is to take them to Downtown Seattle and the ever-so-popular Pike Place Market! Here are just a couple shots from the day--enjoy! =)

         

        

        

 

        

 

Of course we ate a lot too. Some Samosas and mango juice from Saffron Spice.... and then of course some of the popular mini donuts from Daily Dozen.. sampling along the way, we found ourselves and my favorite French Bakery at Le Panier and had some pistachio eclairs, macarons and of course my favorite feuilletes (puff pastry), a champignons (mushrooms in cream sauce). We walked a little further, more sampling, then made a pit stop at Piroshky Piroshky Bakery for some piroshkies and borscht (Russian beet soup). 

 

It was nice day out so my uncle was able to take some awesome shots of the market. No matter how much of a 'tourist attraction' Pike Place Market is, I still love going down there and enjoying all the fun colors and wonderful food! If you are ever in the Seattle area, this is a must-stop spot!