more eggplant!

since my trip to turkey this summer, i have been pretty much in love with eggplant. so happy i found the blog almostturkishrecipes.blogspot.com. i've been pretty happy with all the recipes i've tried from that site, and keeping me from missing turkey too much.

the other day i made an eggplant stew with lentils, a couple tomatoes, three chilies, fresh mint, onion, garlic, and pomegranate molasses. i used japanese eggplant, since the recipe called for narrow eggplant. great with some rice and yoghurt. my mother doesn't usually like eggplant, but she liked this dish!

best omelette.

i made the best omelette the other day. it was part influenced by stuff in the fridge, part influenced by Frank's Produce. I sauteed some minced shallot in butter, and then added crimini mushroom, chanterelle mushroom, a little anaheim pepper, and some other local green pepper. while veggies were cooking, i grated some cheddar, and cracked eggs. i stirred fresh sage and thyme in with the eggs. yum!

Lola

it's easy to take tom douglas for granted here in seattle, he's such an omniscient brand. however, i was curious about the food at lola, after a couple visits for drinks. my recent trip to turkey also made me curious about what passes for mediterranean fare here in seattle. i ended up quite pleased with the results....

i started my meal with their house red (don't quite remember the blend, i think it was made by chinook winery). i ended splitting a carafe of it with my father, so i definately enjoyed it. we had a garlic spread with pita (so good, drizzled with olive oil), and a chicken and a pork skewer. the pork had a honey harissa glaze, which did not disappoint.

for dinner, we ended up sharing two of the meze. 1) heirloom tomatoe salad with aragula. the heirlooms were perfect, and i enjoyed the dressing which had basil in it. one of the better salads ive had in a restaraunt. we also had mantı, a lamb ravioli with yoghurt, one of the dishes iate in turkey. this was different from the more basic turkish version, but really good. satisfied my mantı craving.

for dessert, we had baklava with pistachio ice cream. really good ice cream, the baklava was not quite up to gülluoğlu standards, but neyise. i left satisfied, but curious about the rest of the menu. next time.....

farther east

i am far from being tired of "turkish food", but a little variety is always pleasant. and when this variety takes the form of uighur manti and noodles, tant mieux. the restaurant we went to was located pretty close to sülemaniye camii, in the courtyard of a mosque. apparently there is a cultural institution dedicated to preserving uighur culture, a mission which i am now fully behind. the old man in the kitchen basically told us what we were getting, so we just sat in the courtyard (we were the only ones there) and waited for the magic to happen.

this really adorable, shy kid with glasses waited on us. first we each had a plate of what seemed like udon noodles, with veggies and meat. pretty tasty. then came the dumplings......i loooove dumplings. the only thing better than delciious things are delicious things wrapped in more carbs. these dumplings had some kind of meat in it, i was too blissed out.

after waddling around eminönu, looking at mosques, the caffeine craving hit hard. we stopped at a place off istiqlal, known for its thick coffee. i mean, look at the sludge in that cup. i drank it, and was a better person for it.

turkey! meat!

im in turkey for the first time, and as such, am taking note of all my food experiences. first of all, awesome yoghurt and yoghurty drinks. ive been going to a pastane for breakfast and eating bread with tomatoe and cheese, and drinking either turkish or nescafe. sometimes you just gotta get on the nescafe train.

went to a near restaurant for dinner, and had adana kebab. it was awesome. it was basically a meat stick with interesting spices and flavors, red onions on the side, roasted veggies, parsley, and kind of a rice or bulgur pilaf. next time, i promise to take some pictures!

Dairy, Oddfellows

i used to drink a lot of milk, but not so much anymore. however, the goat milk in my fridge was intriguing to me, so i decided to try it. definately more into that than the cow milk. its got a little sour taste, but creamier. the label claims its easier to digest. hopefully this proves to be the case. 

i went to oddfellows cafe the other day, to grab a pre-show drink and bite to eat. i ordered their aviation cocktail (named after aviation gin). it was a strange gray color, and i found the taste somewhat non-descript=(. my food was better, thankfully. i had pork with sautteed mushrooms. Definately the filling and flavorful dish i needed before a show, and the mushrooms were of an interesting variety. 

new restaraunt outing!

in my quest to visit every french restaurant in seattle ever, i decided to hit up place pigalle in the pike place market. i took my man there for his birthday, and though it was a little spendy, i thought it was totally worth it.
its a cute little place, with a great view of the water. i started off with a cocktail, and an appetizer of warm bitter greens, all of which was satisfactory. the main course, however, was really what made the meal. i had soy glazed duck, which came with fingerling potatoes. every bite was sheer joy. i enjoyed a delicious glass of syrah as i inhaled my duck.
for dessert, we shared a creme brulee, and the server brought us complimentary liqeur. yum!