Seattle's got me by the tastebuds! Part 2

It's Friday night in Seattle. The clouds are threatening to open up and soak everything, everywhere. We cautiously brought an umbrella and set out from our hotel to our dinner destination for the night. We have been talking about this restaurant for a whole year, since we last visited Seattle and did not (gasp!) visit this place. I'm talking about... The Crab Pot.

Just look how festive their beverages are!! Joe was feeling extra adventurous this evening and decided to go with a Pirate's Punch. I prefer my fun drinks frozen and served with a souvenir glass so that I can attempt to recreate the feast at home, complete with one Crab Pot (plastic) glass. 

The Crab Pot is amazing for so many reasons, it's going to be hard to not write on for days about them.

1. After we order, they bring a mallet, a cutting board and bibs. BIBS! We get to tie plastic souvenir bibs around our necks and take fun pictures - this is going to be GREAT!
2. Drinks are tasty!
3. No garlic? No problem! Our feast is served without the regular sprinkling of secret spice mix, although Joe gets a little portion of it on the side, in case he wants to dip the goods in extra flavours! (He didn't actually end up doing this, as the seafood in itself was SUPERB and did not need the added garlic, salt, etc.)
4. When our food had been prepared by the chefs, it was brought to our table and POURED OUT IN A BIG PILE IN FRONT OF US. I'm sorry. It was just ridiculously original. Look, my food's on the table! Pardon the plate on the side, it stemmed from a starter that was totally and utterly overshadowed by the feast ahead. The starter had garlic, so I just had a nibble. I'm sure it was good. I just couldn't have it.
5. The crab. Both the dungeness crab and the snow crab were absolutely rocking delicious. We got to crack through both types of shell, figure out how to get the most flavour and meat out of the nooks and the crannies, and if we wanted to, there was melted butter to dip it into. We didn't want to. None of the food needed it, really.
6. The shrimp (shell on), the clams, the mussels. It was all so fresh, so good, so fun! The fillers were corn on the cob (delish), andouille sausage (garlic alert) and red skinned potatoes. The only thing remaining after we feasted until we could feast no more, was potatoes and andouille.

After our Crab Pot adventure, as we stumble on back to our hotel, full of seafood and big smiles, we agree to make it a must-eat-here stop every time we visit Seattle... And the rain held back until we got home.


Breakfast is one of my favourite meals ever. Maybe it stems from working overnights in hotels, and going out with the other night owl girlies after work (8am) for a few mimosas and some good food before going home to sleep the day away? I don't know. That's my theory, and regardless how I got it, I am now addicted to great breakfasts and brunches.

In our room at the Westin Seattle, there was a magazine featuring breakfasts and brunches around Seattle. There were so many to choose from, but one restaurant in particular stood out to me: Toulouse Petit. I have forever wanted to visit New Orleans to discover their food scene, and suddenly, right there in Seattle, there was a chance to taste the South!

So garlic intolerance can really get in the way on so many occasions, Toulouse Petit included. Luckily, Joe ordered the Spicy Shrimp Creole and Eggs over Creamy Grits so that I could at least taste it. I had to "make due" with the most wonderfully creamy and sweet and luscious Crème Caramel French Toast. I am a sucker for french toast at the best of times, but here they've combined it with flavours and textures of Crème Caramel! HEAVEN on a plate, with a pear caramel sauce, pecan butter and fresh strawberries.

We also tried their freshly made beignets with chicory anglaise, as I hear that is what one does should one be in New Orleans, and we kinda were. Yummilicious! Oh, and did I mention, wholeheartedly recommended!?


So once we regained the ability to move after our wonderful breakfast at Petit Toulouse, we snuggled under an umbrella while walking back towards downtown, we had some shopping to do at Pike Place Market. Right across the street from the market there's usually a barbershop quartet, without the barbershop. They sing to entertain people lining up for the first ever Starbucks, the one and only, the original location. Yup, it's still there. It's not big, nor flashy. It doesn't look as good as most modern Starbucks. And it serves the same coffee, tea, or whatever you may fancy. The line up is long and the wait for your beverage is longer. But I've been there, and I had a beverage from there, so yay!


What else does one do in Seattle? We were heading for an underground tour, as we were curious about what could be found underneath the streets. Bill Speidel's Underground Tour took us to Pioneer Square, an area we had yet to discover in Seattle. As we hadn't had lunch yet, we were on the look out for a place to eat close to the tour starting point. When we bought our tickets, we also got a discount voucher for the Underground Cafe, AND, if you purchase something from the cafe, you automatically get priority seating for the tour. I don't think I would look the Underground Cafe up for any other reason than good seats for the beginning of the tour, but there you go. The burger filled a hole, the hot dog could have been from Ikea, and when I started writing this installment of our Seattle tour, I couldn't even remember where we had lunched that day.

Bill Speidel's Underground Tour takes you below the streets of Seattle. Without getting into too much detail, the original Seattle was built on a flood plain, and sewage came back in with the tide twice daily. The sewage system improved in stages, and at one point, you were only safe from further nasty flooding if your house was built slightly higher up than that of your neighbour's house. All in all, what remains today is a network of hollow sidewalks, between basements of buildings and the propped up, solid streets. Our guide had a story teller's heart, and we could have wandered on and listened for many more hours. We laughed, listened and exclaimed "EWW!" at all the right places.


And so ends the second part of our Seattle adventures. One more part to come, before I leave Seattle be until next year, when we hope to go back for some more Crab Pot and Toulouse Petit, for sure!