Ahh... Fall

just had the most wonderful mid-day break. I left my office and walked over the hill into Fremont. The air has just a hint of coolness, the skies are overcast, and the leaves are all turning to yellow, orange, and red. I walked along the tree-lined sidewalk enjoying the fresh air and thinking how blessed I am to live in such a beautiful place.

I bought lunch at Homegrown. I think I may be in love. The menu looked amazing from top to bottom, but in the end I got grilled cheese. I know you're thinking I'm crazy, but it was Beacher's Flagship cheese, caramelized onions, and some kind of red pepper aoli sauce. It came with homemade potato chips with salt and pepper on them. The whole thing was so divine! I must return to try other things on the menu, but for now my tummy is very happy.

I took a different route to get back to the office and walked along the ship canal. While I was waiting for the light, a man walked up and made conversation with me about how perfect the weather is today. It made me think that I work around a lot of really nice and friendly people. Then I smiled and crossed the street. I think this day must just be making people happy. Several people said hello as I passed them on the sidewalk and it just felt really good to be out and about on a lovely Fall afternoon.

My New Favorite Pizza

I love this place! If you're in the area, you need to try Delancy in Ballard. I became enamored with the idea of the restaurant reading Orangette's blog. She has a great foody blog and then found out that she was opening a restaurant with her husband. They make their own yummy dough, have an amazing brick oven that the husband built himself, and bring in some of the best cheese ever.

They didn't have a sign up yet, so you have to know where you're going, but it was totally worth the taks of finding. When the DH and I went there, we shared an appatizer of copa and pickled peppers, and then had a wonderful pizza with a very simple sauce, fours kinds of cheese, and their homemade fennel sausage. We also sat at the bar and got to watch them making the pizza. I enjoyed every bite of the pizza and we had a lovely time.

Wishing I Had Taken Pictures

I really like food, so I like to talk about food. The DH and I had the most wonderful dinner last night that I just must share with you all. Our meal was at the Sumbling Goat Bistro in the Phinney Ridge neighborhood. We shared two appetizers and then each had our own main dish.

We started with a seasonal cheese plate. The cheeses were Bleu d’ Auvergne raw cow’ s milk from France, Isiguy Ste Mere Camembert pasteurized cow’s milk from France, Crottin Affine pasteurized goat milk from France, and Castelrosso pasteurized cow’s milk from Italy. It was served with Port glazed figs, pear, candied nuts, and house-made crackers with a sprinkling of sea salt. I know! It all sounds so complicated. A picture would have been so much nicer on all of you. The flavor of the Bleu was the favorite of both the DH and me. It was SO good! I really don't have the vocabulary to describe how the cheese tasted, but know that we both enjoyed it immensely.

The second appetizer was Wild Boar Rillettes with a chutney and two mustards. I'm sure you're asking yourself right now what Rillettes are. First off, it's singular. Second, according to dictionary.com, it's an appetizer made usually of pork or goose meat that is diced, seasoned, cooked, and then pounded or ground to the consistency of a spread. In other words, it's kind of like liverwurst, but it was made out of wild boar's meat instead of some goose liver. It sounds a little odd, but it was very good. The meat had been cooked with a variety of herbs, but had a distinct flavor of clove in the mix. It was served with bread to spread it on with the chutney and mustard. The flavor combinations were lovely.

The DH had pan-seered halibut and I had braised rabbit and papardelle with a tomato sauce. Both were prepared perfectly and we were so satisfied with the whole meal that we didn't even eat dessert at home.

The Restaurant in Review

For our anniversary, last night, we went to El Gaucho for dinner. The DH had heard about it and I had friends who recommended it as well. We had a wonderful time and really enjoyed our dinner, but I'm going to have to give it a thumbs-down as an overall recommendation.

First, the good: The restaurant looks very fancy and we had an easy time parking at the Belltown location. They also have valet parking for only $7, which is less than the lot accross the street. We had a wonderful waiter who was very attentive and friendly. There was a pianist playing during our dinner that added to the ambience. We also enjoyed the food. We both had steaks and I had a salad with both shrimp and lobster in it that was very tasty. They bring fruit, cheese, and nuts to every table after dinner. The cheese was fabulous! Plus, the company couldn't be beat!

Now for the not-so-good: The prices are insane. This was by far the most expensive meal I have ever eaten. Ever. When I think about the most expensive meal, I hope to have the most outstanding food. the food was good, but nowhere near outstanding. I have to say that I would not recommend El Gaucho simply because of the price. Also, to put things in perspective, we had one starter, one salad, two steaks, and two sides. All that for a price I can't even type because it's so astronomical. We have enjoyed Daniel's Broiler and Palisade, to outstanding restuarants, that have cost $100 less for the meal. We did not get an extra $100 worth out of this. My steak was OK. The DH's steak was good. We've had outstanding steaks at Daniel's for much less money.

The final breakdown:
Service 5/5
Ambiance 5/5
Price 1/5

Food 3/5

Total 3.5/5