*~*~*~*~*~*
In good ole vacation tradition, we got up bright and early to start our adventures. First order of business - breakfast! Our good friend, Van, told us about a lil pastry joint in Queen Anne that was to die for (Nielsen's Pastry), and
A brief 5 minute drive later, we found the shop. We carefully approached it as there wasn't a line out of the shop as we had anticipated. There wasn't even another person in sight! We double checked the address and the name of the shop just to make sure we were at the right place. Yup and yup. Hm! Nonchalantly, we entered the pastry shop and perused their display case of danishes and pastries (wish I had taken a picture of all their deliciousness). Unfortunately, their cooler display case was out of commission so all pastries requiring refrigeration remained hidden in the back. Since we couldn't locate the "potato", we told the employee behind the register we wanted 2 of them with a cup of latte. He gave us a concerned look and slowly announced that it was much too early for potatoes. We questioned the time they would be ready, and he responded with "10am". Current time - 8am. Well, damn!
We told him we came to the shop due to raving reviews from our friends and that sampling the potato was a must! Upon hearing this, the gentleman told us to hang tight while he talked to someone in the back. He returned seconds later and said they would make them for us! Yay!!
Potato (A custard and whipped cream filled pastry puff covered with a layer of marzipan, and dipped in dutch cocoa powder)
I'm a HUGE fan of whipped cream and theirs did not disappoint! However, I did occasionally choke on the cocoa powder due to inhaling while consuming. Oops! While enjoying our potato, numerous customers came through and ordered eclairs. One gentleman even ordered a dozen to go! Intrigued, I told the hubby to go order us one also. Yes, we were already stuffed from our potatoes, but I wanted to sample this raving eclair that everyone was ordering!
Once again the cream was divine, but after a rich breakfast already, it proved to be a bit too much for us!
With nothing in mind to purchase since the activity part of our vacation already over, we decided to pit stop to add the location to our "been there, done that" bucket list. Plus, we have a thing for perusing outdoor gear and clothing places. We checked out the place and left there within an hour (to ensure we got free parking!).
Next stop - back to Pike's Market to throw down some seafood! Since we were still a lil full from breakfast, we did some sightseeing first.
The famous bubble gum wall - ew! We didn't contribute if you're wondering...
Obligatory picture with Rachel the Pig (Pike Market's unofficial mascot) while touching her nose with our Dallas
hats gifted to us by our customer friends, Dale and Shirley.
Daily Dozen Doughnut Company. The line at this place was ridiculous! Made fresh right then and there, it's no wonder
there's always a line! However, the hubby and I think their batter might be made partly from funnel cake batter due to its
consistency. Regardless, this little joint was hopping and making some dough! HAHA! Get it? Okay, moving on...
These dried flowers were gorgeously made and for so cheap! $10 for a LARGE bouquet and only $15 for an XL bouquet?? Get out of here!!
It's the original Starbucks!
Jumbo sized everything at the market. Oh man... to have this in Dallas!
All the perusing got our appetites churning which means it's time to kick off the eating fest! First stop, Beecher's Handmade Cheese. Here, we observed them churning and making cheese while also sampling a variety of other cheeses. On the menu, World's Best/Oprah Winfrey's most favorite mac-n-cheese. I'm generally not a fan of mac-n-cheese, but I'm willing to try if it's the World's Best!
Extremely creamy. Delicious, but got overwhelming after a couple bites.
Next, we stopped at Emmet Watson's Oyster Bar for some shrimp n chips.
Battered and golden fried to deliciousness. Their tartare sauce was the bomb yo! Totally
thought about taking some home with us, but hubby said, "No." Sad face.
Then it was time for jumbo shrimp cocktails at City Fish Company.
These were by far the largest and most delicious shrimp cocktails I have ever had. I almost
wanted seconds, but with a big menu still ahead, I refrained.
Elliott the Otter outside of the candy shop
Self timer portrait near the Seattle Aquarium
3pm rolled around and we decided to hit up our first happy hour joint, Elliott's Oyster House, for $0.75 chef's choice oysters and half price appetizers. Yup, you read that right 75 CENTS an oyster starting at 3pm!! They go up $0.50 each hour until 6pm. Apparently, we were late to the party because there was already a line out the door. Well, crap! We decided against putting our names on a waiting list for a tabletop and hovered at the bar area for an open seat. A little less than an hour later, we snagged a pair of seats! Sweet! We made it for $0.75 oysters still! Let's grub!
2 dozen oysters (because that was the limit you could order. ha!) with champagne dipping sauce, fried
calamari, and tequila lime mussels
The oysters were a little small, but was delicious none the less. As for the champagne sauce, it was a little different at first, but I really liked it! Satisified, we went on to our next happy hour joint, Ivar's Acres of Clams.
While this was pretty much our dinner time now, we decided to pick off the happy hour menu instead to get more variety for more bang for our buck. It was a great decision by the way! While we'd love to try their full menu, after munching/eating all day, we decided not to.
Oyster shooters - these were the best oysters yet!
Ahi Tuna Duo with taro chips
Dungeness crab cake sandwich - sadly, the sandwich was too overwhelming for the crab cakes
Fish and chips - delightful batter and the fries were delish!
Ivar's also boasted a famous clam chowder, but the hubby and I were so in love with Pike Place's Chowder, that we were afraid to disturb the blissful taste we have captured and locked away in our mind. Therefore, we decided against ordering their clam chowder. Overall, the food at Ivar's was amazing! We would love to come back and try their full on menu (and maybe their chowder too). We also heard their brunch is to die for, but it's only hosted on Sunday. Bummer!
At this point, we were well beyond unbuttoning the top button of our jeans and looking about 5 months pregnant. However, it was well worth it. All 10lbs of seafood on our waistline and all. Fortunately, the walk back to the hotel was somewhat lengthy and hilly. Time to jiggle the food down and get ready for our last day in Seattle tomorrow, which also happens to be New Year's Eve!
*On Dec 29, 2011 on NBC DFW, it was announced that Dallas is receiving 3(!) TJ, one of which is a block from my house!! WOOHOO!
No comments:
Post a Comment