Dining Edge
Dining Edge is moving to my main blog site at Muse Blog! I love food too much to keep it sequestered in a side page that one may or may not find!
Still check out what is already below…
continuing the birthday celebration…
Since my partner is from Baton Rouge he has fond memories of crawfish, we went to the Crawfish King in the International District to check them out. They started out right, putting a big slab of paper on the table with a roll of paper towels available. When we ordered the crawfish, we got bibs. Nice, they came in handy. Their fish comes fresh: Blue Crab, Snow Crab, King Crab Legs, Dungeness Crab, Prawns, Lobster, and of course Crawfish. We had a pound of crawfish with their “Big Easy” Sauce which comes in Lil Crazy, Crazy, or Xtra Crazy HOT, we went with Crazy and it was plenty hot loaded with garlic. The other sauce is the traditional butter sauce called “Rajun Cajun.”
With the Crawfish we ordered the Crawfish Etouffee, fried okra and a side of white bread, standard fair to quench the heat. It was a feast that did not lack for flavor. I encourage you the next time you want to get down and dirty and eat some southern seafood to get down to Crawfish King. No matter if you pronounce it Crawfish or Crayfish, they got it! And Gumbo, and Jambalaya, and all the sides you might want to sample.
December 10th was my partners birthday. So it’s time for…
BIRTHDAY SPECIALS in Seattle!
What do you do on your birthday? When my partner or I have a birthday we want to know who offers a free meal. And yes, you can still find a free meal!
Todai downtown in Pacific Place has a few base requirements: bring at minimum three friends who order the buffet and the birthday guest gets a free buffet! Not a bad deal. I know, it’s a buffet, but get there early when everything is fresh. They have a wide assortment including the mixings for the Korean dish Bi Bim Bop at lunch time. At dinner they serve king crab legs. It’s a lot of fun and the more people you bring, the more fun! Lunch buffet cost $16.95 (or on weekends $17.95). Dinner is higher. We did lunch with a group of six and everyone was happy!
Still a well known secret in Seattle is the free birthday lunch at Ray’s Cafe out past the end of Ballard. It’s a long way for a lunch, but in past years we’ve made it happen. This year downtown worked best. No matter where you go, don’t forget to bring your ID to prove it is your special day, the server will check!
Some other tips, join the email lists of restaurants you go to around town, many of them offer a birthday special coupon that will come by email. A good example is Flying Fish, they give a $25 coupon to use during your birthday month, you have to use it between Sunday and Thursday nights. And yes, it’s on our agenda to eat at Flying Fish soon! We truly celebrate birthdays.
Another deal is at the Dahlia Cafe where for your birthday you receive a free desert. Last year I went for appetizers and dessert to indulge in their famous Coconut Cream Pie. To die for.
There is a lot of good birthday will out there! When is your birthday coming up?
World AIDS Day, December 1, 2009. A day to remember. Here, speaking of dining, soon I will talk of birthday specials in Seattle. Stay tuned.
Tacoma: Visit to a nearby town
Yesterday, 11/23/09, I traveled by bus to Tacoma and ate at the ever popular Japanese restaurant Twokoi. Known for their ‘fusion’ food, I had one of the more traditional lunch combinations. It was delicious. I’ve been there for dinner as well and each time has been excellent. I know there are other restaurants in Tacoma, but this one is conveniently located near their three museums. Truly a great place for a break if you have a busy day in Tacoma.
Have you been to Joule yet?
It’s in the center of Wallingford. This amazing restaurant changes their menu regularly and uses fresh Northwest ingredients. The food is a cross between Korean and French. The first time I tried to go was a Sunday evening; they had a line out the door and couldn’t add us to the list because they had run out of food! The next time we went we made it in, we sat at the counter in front of the chefs, it was quite the adventure watching them prepare the food on a grill. And we enjoyed the variety of tastes. They use many pickled Korean foods to add flavor. It is an award winning restaurant & I strongly recommend you make it a stop on your list!