Dilettante Mocha Cafe & Chocolate Martini Bar

Price: $$
Thoughts: ☆☆☆½
Dilettante Mocha Cafe & Chocolate Martini Bar: Menu

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Their cake of the day: Mint Ice Cream Cake (slightly to the left of the center)

After burning our stomach with the spicy and salty Laotian food we needed something cold and sweet to finish off the night. I opted to try someplace else rather than going for the "easy win" with B & O Espresso's Chocolate Pot.

Broadway always has lots of places to try and almost has a similar feel to Robson Street up in Vancouver (except not as large). Chocolate was still the target theme and a mocha cafe is as close as it gets.


Our little booth

We seated ourselves inside a cozy little booth and hunted for what would best suit our cravings. I got a quick glance at their hot chocolate section and felt compelled to get one (next best thing to chocolate soy milk).

We were torn between several options between the Strawberry Chantilly and Chocolate Rendezvous from their Patisseries as well as their Dilettante Coupe and their special Mint Chocolate Brownie from their Ice Cream section (the menu provided in the link appears to be out of season as Huckleberry was not available but instead Salted Caramel was). We settled for the Rendezvous and Coupe in the end.


Hot Dark Chocolate with whipped cream


Dilettante Coupe served with mint, strawberry, and salted caramel ice cream


Chocolate Rendezvous

This is probably the thickest whipped cream I have ever had in my life. It definitely helped cool down the hot chocolate which had a nice very light bitter taste (I like my chocolate dark). I will probably pass on the whipped cream next time or ask for half the portion of it. The rendezvous was fluffy with a nice layer of frosting that tasted sweet but not exceeding my low level of tolerance to sweets. The coupe however was the highlight of the three items. The ice cream showed little resistance to my casual prodding with my fork and the salted caramel ice cream was simply sublime.

Sometimes our eyes are bigger than our stomachs, as in this case we definitely over-ordered but we agreed to finish the coupe and hot chocolate and just box up the rest of the cake.

The atmosphere makes it a great place to spend time with someone without worries of distractions or feeling rushed at all.

Palomino

Price: $$
Thoughts: ☆☆☆½
Palomino: Menu

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the Happy Hour menu

I have always been a fan of the thin crust pizzas over the typical rolled crusts. With that being said it is safe to assume that I have not ever ventured outside of Palomino's Happy Hour selection (namely their flat bread and pizzas) primarily due to the fact that $6.00 for a whole pizza is hard to pass on.


Incredible Pepperoni Pizza


Sicillian Meatball Flat bread

We started with two pizzas, their Incredible Pepperoni Pizza and the Sicilian Meatball flat bread. Both which we had them divide the cheese onto only half of each of them. There also was a miscommunication on the meatball order and we ended up with just their Sicilian Meatball appetizer. Which I deeply regret letting them take away.


Sicilian Meatball Appetizer

Between the two pizzas the Sicilian Meatballs won without a contest. Juicy and just the right amount of spiciness that left a pleasant feeling lingering after each bite. I'm surprised I had missed this one before. The pepperoni was just as you expected, your ordinary pepperoni pizza.


Rotisserie Chicken Flatbread, Watercress pesto + roasted peppers + romano cheese

We ended up sharing one more pizza, the Rotisserie Chicken Flatbread, which we could not finish. I initially had mistook the watercress for baby spinach but the taste was different. Very flavorful and almost looked like a salad, but the Sicilian pizza was still the winner for the night.

A great place for a quick fix after work or just to unwind with friends. The restaurant itself takes up the entire top floor (save for the restrooms) of the shopping plaza.

Park Chow

Price: $$
Thoughts: ☆☆☆½
Park Chow: Menu

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The Dinner Menu

After dinner at the Bistro 9 we went to Park Chow, which was only a few steps away. The entrance to the place sported a rather thick looking curtain which opened into their entrance which was well-heated with many heat lamps.

This place was very packed when we came in. Seating did not take long at all which was surprising, or convenient that a table just opened up as we came in. I was told that she only gets one thing here, which was a dessert. Their ginger cake. I was a bit scared since I am mildly allergic to ginger. I took the plunge and went along with it.


ginger cake with pumpkin ice cream and whipped cream

Thankfully there was not a lot of ginger inside the cake so I was able to enjoy the cake without any reaction that I could notice. I really enjoyed the unusual combination of a ginger cake coupled with pumpkin ice cream. Definitely a good pair. We split one order and it disappeared as quickly as it came.


fin

A great way to end the night with a non-heavy dessert. I would like to try their food sometime as well. There were lots of pleasant smells all over the air. I should have eaten more slowly to enjoy the atmosphere and good company. But habits are hard to break, especially when it comes to eating slower.

Quinn's

Price: $$
Thoughts: ☆☆☆☆½
Quinn's: Menu

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Today would be what felt like the hottest day since the heat wave we had last month and resorted to taking cold showers (three of them over the course of six hours) to keep myself from perishing under the heat. Having a condo on the third floor will continue to haunt me during my summer days.

After looking through possible places to eat out at we settled for this gastropub which told us that they had air conditioning; something I wish all homes in Seattle were equipped with. What made this place stand out from the typical bar was they served foie gras, which was praised by several customers as being worth trying.

Quinn's is located at the Southern end of Broadway about a block south of Cal Anderson Park in Capitol Hill, one of the most difficult places to find parking. As we drove past it we could see it was packed full, with a small line leading to it. We were told the wait time was about 15 minutes.

We both already settled initially for something light, and their Wild Boar sloppy joe was apparently the hot item amongst previous eaters. I also got their home made cherry-orange soda but did not take a photo of it (as I downed it a bit too fast).


Wild Boar Sloppy Joe, crispy sage leaves

This was served with a roasted jalapeño which literally broke apart on contact and only added to the flavors of the joe. Be warned it is extremely messy, but it didn't slow us down.

This only led us to ordering more food instead of going for dessert.


Oxtail gnocchi with crispy marrow

I found the oxtail to bit more on the salty side but the gnocci helped disperse some of the saltiness from the marrow and the oxtail. Other than that, it was still nothing compared to the joe.


Wagyu beef cheek Philly, with sweet peppers and manchego

My friend told me the beef cheek was a little on the chewy side, which would make sense considering the texture of a cow's cheek. However, still juicy and tasty otherwise.

Next time I would probably get the Sam Smith's organic apple cider to go with the meal. It was the other drink on the menu that caught my eye, and may have been better suited than the soda, which tasted more like a cross between juice and Italian cream soda.

The service was pretty fast. The air conditioning was actually just a bunch of ceiling fans, but the place was still very ventilated considering the amount of people packed into here. If it's your first time eating here, I would highly recommend going with the joes without hesitation.

Forgive the quality of the pictures degrading as the night went on. Camera phones aren't meant to work well in darker rooms :(

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.

5 Spot

Price: $$
Thoughts: ☆☆☆
5 Spot: Menu

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Another sandwich and burger craving this week. I've been meaning to eat at 5 Spot for a little while now with my craving for some good American food. This would be the first time visiting the heart of Queen Anne, and I definitely would never have run by this part of town without knowing about this restaurant. It felt like a small oasis in the middle of a huge hill. Finding parking without a zone-permit restricts you to 2-hour street parking; there is literally no space to build a parking lot in this area.

5 Spot boasts a diverse menu that rotates between different parts of America. The featured theme was Mississippi Delta Blues. It looks like when doing a theme, they include restaurant decorations; steam boats, paintings, some nice catchy southern blues. The drinking cups were glass jars printed with a fish logo and the word MASON, which I found really cool.


The menu cover and the drinking jars

We started with their fried green tomatoes because it was something new and sounded simple:


Fried Green Tomatoes with a side of salad

I really enjoyed the tomatoes, firm unripe tomatoes dredged in cornmeal works well with their Tabasco tartar. My friend seemed to enjoy the salad more, which was lettuce, dijon mustard and a vinaigrette.

For the main course I went with their Memphis Blues BBQ Pork Sandwich after finding out that it was pulled pork.


Slow hickory smoked pork smothered in sweet Tennessee BBQ & served with fries and slaw.

I would say the pulled pork was unbelievable, one bite and you could taste the smokiness from the meat. However their choice of using a hoagie bun wasn't appealing. I would've preferred something like a kaiser roll or something with a little more firmness. They seemed to have perfected the formula for the perfect fries to me, crispy but not crunchy.

My friend got the Longhorn Burger, which was quite large:


Big country Painted Hills ground chuck with roasted Anaheim pepper, bacon, pepper jack cheese & frizzled onions. Served with ancho dusted fries.

The Anaheim pepper that laid on top of the patty looked like it would give a nice kick to the whole burger.

For dessert, two orders of their mud pie to finish off the meal, which was also part of the Mississippi theme as well. The waitress double checked with us to make sure we really wanted two slices. In the past, several restaurants I've been to would question my judgement on how much I am capable of eating:


Vanilla fudge swirl ice cream with chocolate espresso chips layered with chocolate sauce & topped with homemade marshmallow creme.

I'm not huge on sweets, but this was very rich. The layer of toasted marshmallow was a little over 1" in thickness. After the fifth bite it became a painful struggle to finish it alone; my friend refused to assist! I managed to eat all but a small portion of it before conceding defeat. It left me with the painfully full feeling, rather than just full. But it was still quite good.

The atmosphere was nice and hip, the waiters were very attentive and added to the pleasant atmosphere and made the meal really enjoyable. At no point in the meal did I feel rushed or dissatisfied with what I was eating (in fact I think the waitress can gauge my stomach better than myself for dessert).

Even though this place has a wide variety of Dinner entrées, it feels like their breakfast/brunch dishes would be their true strengths. I'll have to find time to try it! This place is worth giving a shot.