Seattle – Foodie Heaven, Part I (Wed – Friday)

Last week I attended a conference in Seattle WA at the Washington Convention Center. The conference was good, I learned a lot, did some excellent networking, and received some great feedback on the poster I presented. But beyond that, I ran around Seattle like a crazy person, trying to take in all the great food experiences I could in a short amount of time (and without spending a ton of money).

Washington Convention Center

So, to give you a glimpse into some of the experiences I had around the Downtown Seattle area, I am going to give you a picture tour of my trip to Seattle.

Check out this building!

The first day, Wednesday, I got into Seattle around 3pm, and took the ORCA light-rail train into downtown (30 minute ride from the airport, only $2.75) and checked into my hotel (Sheraton Seattle).

I was pretty hungry when I got settled (by this time it was about 7pm East Coast time) so I decided to walk around and see what was nearby. I started out of the hotel in a random direction (I think I walked down Union) and came across a bunch of shopping places (H&M, Banana Republic, American Apparel, etc) and then to a bubble tea smoothie place.

I love Bubble Tea! I even did a post on it… Here! Whenever I see a place that sells bubble tea smoothies, I have to get one. I found a place called Bobachine and ordered an orange creamcicle smoothie with a scoop of the traditional bubbles. Bobachine had a bunch of drink choices along with different "bubble type" things such as small gelatin pieces as well as food (Ramen, Banh Mi subs). The smoothie had a great flavor, and I was off to a good start!

Samurai Dog with Smoothie

Next, I came across a food truck/cart selling Japanese style hot dogs on Pike and 2^nd. I think it was called Dog Japon (I forgot to take a picture of the sign) and according to their sign, Andrew Zimmern from Bazaar Foods has eaten there. His favorite was the Samurai Dog, so that's what I got (I trust that man). It was a Chicken & Apple Sausage with Wasabi May, Orashi Graded Radish, and Japanese Onion. I think there was also some soy sauce on the top. It was so good and you could really taste the wasabi bite.

After the smoothie and the hot dog, I wasn't quite full so I wandered back up to the hotel area and found a place called Specialty Bakery. This place was amazing (you'll hear more about their food soon)! I ordered a cup for their daily soup, that day's soup being a braised cabbage and beef soup with roasted potatoes. It reminded me of a corned beef and cabbage dinner in a bowl and really filled me up. It was especially nice to eat after walking around in the cold, drizzly weather outside.

On Thursday, two of my roommates and me decided to venture out to get breakfast. I had found a good-looking breakfast place on Urban Spoon, but we went out of a different exit of the hotel and I got turned around. Because we were crunched for time, we just dropped into a Starbucks. I am always trying to eat at not-chain places when I travel, but I guess in Seattle, Starbucks is local. Oh well. Coffee and bagel. Done.

For lunch, we headed out to find some sushi (it’s a conference roommate tradition of mine to have sushi with the women I'm sharing a room with) and we found a place in the Union Square Mall that had a great "fast food" style sushi. I had the spicy salmon platter, with a spicy salmon roll and spicy salmon nigiri. It was very fresh and was nice and spicy, all for less than $12!

Outside of Ivar's (fat seagull)

For dinner that night, I met up with some friends from school to eat some local seafood, which Seattle is known for. Being right next to the Pacific, you can get so many fresh fish and shellfish, it would be terrible to not enjoy large quantities of it. We made our way down some very steep streets to go to Ivar's Acres of Clams on Alaska and Madison. Ivar's has two sections, one is a to-go clam shack, selling the typical fried goods, and then a very nice indoor restaurant. We sat at a table overlooking a ferry terminal and enjoyed some great seafood. The prices were a little high, but all the food is local (there is even a map on the back of the daily specials showing where each variety of their fish is from). Liking variety, I ordered the oysters rockefeller ($12 for 4 oysters), oysters with a topping of sausage, spinach, and parmesan cheese, baked until crispy. They were amazing! The flavors worked together really well but didn't overwhelm the oyster underneath. I also ordered their clams (after all, the place had "Acres of Clams" in their name) in white wine sauce ($13 for a bowl). The clams were good, if a little small, and everything else that I sampled off my friends plates was amazing and I waddled my way up 3+ flights of steps to get back to the hotel.

Clams in White Wine Sauce

Oysters Rockefeller

On Friday morning, my roommates and I managed to find the breakfast place we got lost trying to find the day before, Sweet Iron. Sweet Iron is a waffle place unlike another other! They serve "real Liege waffles" (more info here: http://sweetironwaffles.com/Real_Liege_Waffles.html) which are made from a risen dough, instead of batter. The waffles are small and you only get one but they are dense and with the toppings, they are very filling. I ordered their Bruleed Banana waffle with caramel and fresh whipped cream ($6). Amazing! The bananas were sweet and had a crisp topping from being bruleed with a torch. I also ordered a caramel latte, and that beat the pants off of anything from Starbucks.

Bruleed Banana Waffle

OMG this sandwich!

For lunch, I took my friends to the Specialty Bakery (where I got the cabbage soup), and I ordered a "Turkey, Bacon, Brie, and Apple on Ciabatta sandwich". Nuf' said. I also got a side order of the Thai coconut curry soup with herb focaccia bread. This soup was good, but not my favorite with the sandwich. Oh well. This bakery is so good and they make everything fresh in house (the smell on the street when we walked by in the morning stopped us in our tracks). It's kinda like Panera, but way better.

For dinner on Friday, my roommates and I met up with some friends and went out to Cheesecake Factory. I know, I know, I don't like to eat at chair restaurants when I'm in a new city, but I had never been there before, either had most of our group, and it was next door to the hotel. Anyways, the food was good, we drove the waiter crazy, and had some great cheesecake. To drink, I had a Georgia Peach (blended fruity girly drink), and for dinner I had two of their small plates: Chicken Samosas and Pot-stickers.

Samosas

Pot-stickers

Keep your eyes out for the second half of my Seattle Food Tour!

Sushi - Spicy Tuna Rolls

Growing up, I never thought I'd be a fan of sushi. Raw fish? Seaweed? Unidentifiable green goop on the side? No thank you.

But then I went to college. At Ohio State, our dining choices were pretty varied. Our meal plan consisted of the normal cafeteria foods, made-to-order subs, Starbucks, health food, smoothies, a la carte selections, two sit down restaurants, an open 'til 2am burrito place, and sushi. Yes, sushi.

I tried my first bites of sushi halfway through my freshman year at a local restaurant after my friend and her mom wanted to take me out for dinner. We went to a local Japanese place that way a little more pricey than I expected. The cheapest thing on the menu was an $18 sampler plate of sushi so that's what I ordered. I'd wanted to give sushi a try, as I was becoming a more adventurous eater, but this was kind of a sink or swim moment. I didn't want to hate it and seem ungrateful (and why would someone order sushi on someone else's dime without knowing beforehand if they liked it?) but I figured I'd tough through it at the worst. Turns out, it wasn't terrible. Some of it was pretty good!

I soon discovered the sushi trays at the various dining facilities around campus were pretty good. I really enjoyed the "buckeye roll" (eel with a sweet sauce) and spicy tuna rolls, and would regularly eat a tray for lunch.

I've now grown to love sushi and regularly crave it! I'm not a big fan of octopus or shrimp sushi (which is strange because I ordinarily love shrimp), but I'll eat pretty much anything else.

The only downside to my love of sushi is the price. I can eat several rolls myself, as can my hubby, so eating out at sushi restaurants (at least ones you'd trust to handle raw fish) can get very expensive very quickly. So, as I tend to do, I've learned how to make sushi rolls at home!

First, I found a local grocery store that sells sushi grade fish (I get yellow fin tuna). This is super important because for the fish to be sushi grade, I believe it has to be flash-frozen on the ship and then kept frozen until it is thawed for the buyer. This type of handling can lead to a steep price tag with Whole Foods type places selling their fish for ~$20 a pound! We have a local grocery store called Penn-Dutch that is known for their meats and seafood (they have frog legs!). A few times a year the put their sushi grade tuna on sale for $6.99-$9.99/lb. I get one large fillet (about .75 – 1 lb.) and I'm ready to go! If you want to use imitation crab, shrimp, or other less expensive fish, that will work too.

Rice is also extremely important to make good sushi. Regular, long grain rice is not the type of rice that will work for sushi. For sushi rolls, you need sticky, short grain rice, otherwise known as pearl grain rice. You can buy sushi rice at specialty grocery stores for a few bucks, but you can also get a bag of pearl grain rice (goya brand or something like that) for under a buck at the grocery store.

As for the seaweed wraps, or nori, I've been able to find packages at my local grocery store near the store-made sushi. The nori at the grocery store, while convenient, is a little pricey. If you have an Asian market nearby, stop in and find it there. It is usually much cheaper at the Asian grocer!

For other fillings, I usually get an avocado or two, cucumber, and grated carrots. This blend adds some color and nice texture (especially the cucumber). But you can add whatever you want, or just go with the straight fish. 

Wasabi is also an important part of sushi in my opinion! I love the hot bite it adds. I have bought my wasabi at Whole Foods, but that stuff was nuclear! I've also found tubes of wasabi at my grocery store, again near the store-made sushi section. It's pretty cheap and a little goes a long way!

If you enjoy spicy tuna rolls, you gotta have spicy mayo! Spicy mayo sauce is super easy to make… just mix a cup or so of mayo with a few tablespoons of sriracha (rooster sauce), depending on how spicy you want it.

Now, how to make and assemble!

Sticky rice:

1 bag (~2 cups) pearl grain rice

½ cup mirin (seasoned rice vinegar)

¼ sugar

Salt & pepper

Other Ingredients:

Sushi grade tuna (about 1 lb)

Cucumber

Carrots

Avocados

Nori (10 sheets)

Soy Sauce

Wasabi

Other Tools:

Bowl of ice water

Clean Sponge

Sharp Knife

Cutting Board

Sushi Mat (optional)

Sushi plate set with chopsticks (optional but super cute)

 First, rinse the rice until the water is clear. Then, cook the rice according to the package instructions (usually 4 cups of boiling water to 2 cups of rice, cook on low for 20 minutes). After, let the rice sit for 15 minutes with the lid on, add the mirin, sugar, and salt and pepper. Stir together until it gets nice and sticky. Let it cool with the lid off. Meanwhile, prep the rest of your ingredients.

Slice the cucumber, remove the seeds, and cut it into thick matchsticks. Grate 2 carrots, mash the avocados, and cut the fish into ½ in by ½ in matchsticks.

Now, importantly, prep your assembly space. Make sure you have a decent space of countertop that is clean and dry. On the side, place a medium bowl of ice water with a clean sponge. Also prep a sharp knife and a cutting board. If you have one, get out a bamboo mat (for rolling) or a piece of parchment. If you don't have these things, not a problem… you can roll the sushi without them.

Place a piece of nori on the countertop (on the mat or parchment) and then wet your hands in the cold water. Take about ½ cup of the rice and place it on the nori and spread it thinly around. Spread it down to the bottom on the nori about an inch from the bottom up to about 2 inches from the top. Smooth on some avocado, some carrot, add two slices of cucumber, then add the fish. Don't overdo it on the fillings because it will become hard to roll. Now, tightly roll up the sushi and use a finger to dab water on the top inch of the nori. Finish the roll and seal the damp end to the rest of the roll.

Move the roll onto your cutting board and wet your knife with the cold water. Slice the roll down the middle, then lay the two halves next to each other. Clean off your knife in the cold water with the sponge. This will allow your blade to cut through the sushi more easily. Again, slice the two roll pieces in half. Clean the knife, and repeat the cuts until you get 8 pieces from the roll. Place onto a serving platter.

Repeat the whole process of assembly until you use up all your ingredients. I can usually get between 8 and 10 rolls from my rice and fish. Top the rolls with the mayo and enjoy with your wasabi and soy sauce! Yum Yum!!!

This is a huge dinner for 2 people, but could easily serve 3 or 4 people with a side or two!

Making sushi takes patience (about 2 hours start to finish) and practice (you may have a roll or two fall apart the first time), but totally worth it. All of the supplies probably cost under $20, whereas 8 rolls like these would cost at least $50 at a restaurant.

I hope you feel inspired to try to make your own sushi, or at least explore your neighborhood sushi restaurant. Its not as scary as it looks!

Fancy sushi plates are optional

Kotobuki Turquoise Sky Glazed Sushi Plate (Google Affiliate Ad)