The Crab Pot

Price: $$$
Thoughts: ☆☆☆
The Crab Pot: Menu (embedded flash on their site)

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The Crab Pot, while yes it is a tourist trap (so expect 30+ minute waits). It does prepare you for what you waited for, getting messy and devouring seafood. I thought it would be fun to take my friend here whom was visiting from Oregon for the weekend.


their signature mallet for shell crushing


The Pacific Clambake- steamed clams, mussels, dungeness crab, snow crab, oysters, shrimp in the shell, halibut & salmon skewers, andouille sausage, corn on the cob, and red potatoes in their jackets


A close up of the skewers

This would be what makes the dining experience the most fun. Given a hammer and some boiled and seasoned crustaceans is bound to be an adventure. Which also draws in tourists by the droves. However, with my personal experience with eating massive amounts of seafood, I knew the more effective way to crush these shells is to use your teeth (primarily because you can gauge the appropriate amount of bite pressure needed without creating a countless number of shards).

The halibut & salmon skewers were coated with plenty of cajun seasonings which felt just right, but not excessive. The waitress also brought out a tray full of butter for dipping the glorious mountain of food for extra flavoring (the worse it is for your body, the better it tastes --true story).


the Electric Watermelon and Crab Pot Iced Tea


almost there!




the aftermath

Washed down the food with a couple of drinks and continued our feast. I like to brag about how much I can shamelessly stuff my food without end, especially when it comes to seafood. However, I found myself slowing down a little bit past the halfway point of the remaining items while my friend continued eating and dipping the remains into the butter. Color me impressed!


rhubarb cake with a side of vanilla ice cream

Initially we both felt satisfied with the dinner alone, but we felt confident enough we could still add in dessert. The rhubarb cake was a lot larger than what the waitress had indicated (using gestures with her hands), and we were too intimidated to even eat more than two bites before surrendering and getting it boxed.

The Crab Pot, located right off the Waterfront with a nice view over Puget Sound. The interior sports a very casual atmosphere with it's checkered white/red plastic tablecloth and the chalkboards that pepper the walls and ceiling. Great place to take your friends and family for a very unique seafood experience, if you're the person that is afraid to get their fingers dirty, I do not suggest this place.

Plan in advance as no matter when you come you will be waiting in a line for at least 30 minutes.

Poppy

Price: $$$
Thoughts: ☆☆☆☆☆
Poppy: Menu

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My friend CJ recommended trying this place out, so I made a note of it in the back of my mind (which is filled with too many other places recommended to eat at) to try this place out. They were also featured on the Food Network, a channel that is a must have to give myself an excuse for calling myself a food enthusiast (or at least an eating enthusiast).

Located at the northern outskirts of Capitol Hill it could be easily passed over for it's very low-key exterior. However, the interior was very well furnished, and very clean with a very tall ceiling that exposed the ceiling beams. It was almost like the owner wanted to create this little dichotomy.

We arrived just around when the happy hour had started and seated ourselves at the bar. Glancing through the menu, we spotted oysters and knew we had to get them. Fresh kumomoto oysters from Willapa Bay and poached oysters served with bacon. The waiter was nice enough to add an extra oyster on both orders as they are normally served in sets of three.


half shell kumomoto oysters with anise hyssop ice

The heat outside may have also added to the appeal of this dish as well. Served over a bed of ice, and fresh cold oysters that went very well with the herbal taste from the side of ice.


poached oysters with sorrel sauce and bacon

I never imagined bacon and oysters, but this was quite a lethal combination. The smoky flavor from the bacon works wonders with the poached oyster. Both of the oyster dishes were flawless, and would be an unfair challenge for me to place one above the other.

We went for a duck salad and spiced pork ribs and debated on desserts.


duck confit, grilled radicchio, hazelnut and juneberry salad

A very light and easy to manage salad. My primary reasoning for choosing this dish was because I do not think I've ever had juneberry before. But it was long forgotten as I ate the duck.

I'll be putting up two pictures of the spiced pork ribs (as it was presented, and how large it was).




spiced berkshire pork ribs

If I could, I would even put a video up showing how tender it was. With the butter knife provided, it sliced through the meat like it literally was softened butter. The expression exchanged between us was a mixture of complete shock and awe. Without hesitation, this would be the first thing I'm ordering upon any and every future visit to Poppy.

Being unsure of whether to get dessert or not, we went with a yelper's suggestion of their eggplant fries:


eggplant fries with sea salt & honey

My friend does not like eggplant. But this was an exception. At a glance the dark skin from the slices of eggplant made it look like fried catfish. The fries were very fresh and fried in honey and sprinkled with coarse sea salt. This and the pork ribs would be the two things I would be getting to start before venturing further down the menu.

Everything was solid all around. The ambiance and the service was excellent. Definitely would like to try their after 9PM selection, like their naan sandwich.

Nishino

Price: $$$
Thoughts: ☆☆☆☆
Nishino: Menu

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Whenever I think of Japanese food, sushi is almost the first and only thing that comes to mind. While skimming menus to see where to eat next, Nishino's menu stood out in the sense that it had a much more diverse variety of dishes that I don't think I've seen at any Japanese restaurant. Here's their specials of the day when we went:



Located on the southern tip of the Arboretum in Madison Park, it was a nice drive through the lesser traveled roads winding around the large garden. The exterior of the building is very nondescript, I almost mistook it for the small fitness club that was in the same plaza had I not seen their shop sign. The inside however, was quite a contrast from what I was expecting.



We started off with two rolls, the Spicy Tuna and Arboretum Roll (yellowtail, jalapeño, and avocado). I ordered the foie gras and seared tuna and my friend, the dynamite.


Spicy Tuna Roll and the Arboretum Roll- yellowtail, jalapeño, and avocado)

It's really hard to go wrong with a spicy tuna roll, so that was a safe choice. The Arboretum roll was nice and sweet which tasted great. The jalapeño was mild like a bell pepper so it didn't provide an unnecessary spiciness for the roll.


foie gras and seared tuna- with shiitake mushroom and red wine soy reduction

This was their first time having foie gras which was the highlight of all the dishes eaten tonight. I was debating on another order of it as it melted in your mouth and just left such a savory taste lingering in your mouth.


dynamite- baked geoduck, scallop and mushrooms with creamy sauce

Both of us have never eaten geoduck so we were not sure what to expect, other than assumptions from what we know from the taste and texture of other mussels. The ratio between the mushrooms and geoduck (which looked almost like the mushrooms too) was pretty good; 60/40. My impression of the geoduck is it feels just like eating a mussel, but not as tough. The scallops hid under the creamy sauce which I could not separate the flavors other than mayonnaise, still very good. The scallops were cooked enough to sustain it's shape but still break apart very easily.


soft shell crab- served with ponzu sauce

Deep fried until crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, tasted exactly as I would have expected. Very simple, but it felt like it was missing something, but still tasted great.


shiso shrimp dumpling with spicy yuzu sauce

The minty kick from the shiso that was wrapped around all of the shrimp was very pleasant. The spicy [and sweet] yuzu sauce made an excellent compliment to the fresh taste. The dumpling skin was so fragile that the skin slid off a few of the shrimp, but it helped soak up a lot of the yuzu sauce.


grilled salmon skin with arugula

Normally when I eat salmon skin, it is deep fried and served in a roll. Having it grilled gave it a nice smoky taste to the salad. At first I was having a difficult time determining whether I was eating daikon or a pear. After a little bit of time, I concluded it was a daikon from the barely noticeable sour aftertaste, it was unusually sweet for a radish.


Green Tea 'Tiramisu'

There was no dessert menu, so I had to use my best guess as to what each of the layers were. The top of the cake was a matcha mousse, the dark layer in between would be a matcha-soaked ladyfinger, followed by more matcha mousse, and then another ladyfinger. It almost reminded me of the matcha cakes I used to eat at the Panama Hotel (before the lady who baked it moved back to Japan, taking the secret recipe with her). This would be the second best dessert (Ristorante Machiavelli holding the top place with their Mousse Tiramisu) I've had so far.

The restaurant is suitable for casual and formal (as the table behind us was filled with people in suits while a few tables across had people in causal wear and kids playing with their training chop sticks.

From what we have sampled, I am curious as to what the Omakase had (as we kind of created our own tasting menu). I'll save that for next time.

Etta's

Price: $$$
Thoughts: ☆☆☆☆
Etta's: Menu

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This is a first in a while; an early dinner. Etta's was a missed opportunity when my friend Gilbert came to visit from New York, as I had work to do. Anyways, this place is located on the northern side of the Pike Place Market, which is home of the first Starbucks ever; expect a lot of tourists standing around.

Parking is actually really easy if you know where to look. Past dates have left a good memory of where to find them, which came in handy. I had made a reservation using Open Table as suggested by their website, so there was no waiting for our 6:15 arrival.

We were promptly served a very crusty olive bread along with two dry beverages, kumquat and vanilla bean:


Artisan bread with and without olives

The last time we had olive bread I was not fortunate to find any pieces with any in them. After inspecting and a minor discussion about all the possible baking methods, we concluded that there were just two separate breads that were served. Primarily because they were separated on the plate each time we were given more bread.


Kumquat Dry Soda


Vanilla Bean Dry Soda

We had already pored over their SRW menu and knew what we were getting. The baby spinach salad, and sake cured salmon bites; which wasn't a regular menu item:


Baby spinach salad -curried cashews, sesame dressing, crispy bacon

The dressing tasted really good, and had a subtle sweet aftertaste to it. I did not find any of the cashews with the portion I forked but with or without it, the salad still tasted great.


Sake cured salmon bites -hot mustard, cucumber

I did not realize that they had put horseradish into the mustard so I took a nice deep breath after taking in a good bit of salmon covered in the mustard. It was a simple but very flavorful meal. The salmon itself was nice and firm, although I ran into a piece that was a bit tougher than the rest. The cucumbers give the whole dish something that feels fresh, and helps with the hot mustard.

Dinner we had Etta's rub with love wild Coho salmon and Seared Washington chicken breast which was also not listed on their regular menu:


Etta’s Rub with Love wild Coho salmon -shiitake relish, cornbread pudding

The cornbread pudding had more attention than the salmon itself. Soft and had a taste that reminded me of the stuffing you eat inside a Thanksgiving turkey. The salmon was flaky and soft and easy to split apart without anything more than the fork. Apparently one of the asparagus was a little old, or possibly improperly cooked, but was your typical blanched vegetables.


Seared Washington chicken breast -sugar snap pea succotash, easter egg radish salad

Again, the main attention was not the seared chicken breast but the succotash that was underneath it. Cooking chicken breast and preventing it from being dry is something that takes a little bit of work. The breast was very juicy and had a nice crusty skin. I found the radish salad to be a little on the bland side as eating it separately or with the rest of the meal produced nothing that I could taste. The succotash on the other hand had a nice curry taste to it that left me wishing they served more of it with the dish.

Dessert was going to be an adventure. A triple coconut cream pie and the vanilla and rhubarb crisp; I have an allergy to ginger but love the taste.


Triple coconut cream pie + white chocolate

At a glance I was expecting this to be as rich as the mud pie we had from 5 Spot. But it was very light and easy to eat even on a full stomach.


Vanilla and rhubarb crisp + ginger ice cream

Luckily there wasn't enough ginger in the ice cream to warrant an allergic reaction. The rhubarb has a very strong tart taste that overtakes the Vanilla crisp part of the dessert; I could not taste any vanilla at all in-between the helpings of rhubarb and ice cream. It was still a pleasant order and very hot. I think pear or a more subtle fruit would have worked better with the ginger ice cream.

Etta's is definitely a place I recommend grabbing reservations for; the place is not very big. The tall glass windows that look across the Puget Sound is great as it faces the sunset.

Possibly due to the fact that the place is small, it ensures that the waiter or sommelier will always be checking up on you throughout the meal. At the end of the meal, if you give them your email address and your birthday, they will send you a gift certificate as an incentive. I definitely will come back again, with or without a certificate in hand.