Dot’s Delicatessen – A Review

By Iron Chef Leftovers

The stretch of Fremont Avenue between 41st and 43rd in Fremont is becoming a dining hotspot – you have old stalwarts Paseo and The Swingside Café (although the Buckaroo Tavern is missed) and newcomers Via Tribunali, Hunger, Uneeda Burger, Pecado Bueno and Dots Deli. On top of this, we now have the food centric bookstore, The Book Larder located here. This stretch of road has always been a good spot to eat, but it is starting to rival downtown Fremont for the best places in the neighborhood.

I took advantage of a day off to visit Dot’s Deli for the first time. Dot’s is located next to the Fremont Abbey, in a space which I believe used to be home to a bookstore and was empty for quite a while before Dot’s came along. Dot’s menu is small and consists mostly of meat dishes, predominately house made sausages and charcuterie. The prices are relatively good for lunch, with nothing really coming in at over $10. They also have a small dinner menu with about 5 items that mostly consists of comfort food items such as coq au vin and mac and cheese. Those entrees were priced in the $15 range.

The place is small – 4 tables that will seat maybe 10 people and six counter stools, so if you are thinking about going, you might have to plan on taking your food elsewhere to eat it. Everything is cooked to order, so it will take you a few minutes to get your order. I was there at 1:30 in the afternoon and the place was relatively crowded and the line was about 5 people deep when I arrived. I placed my order and had my food ready in a little less than 10 minutes and I was able to grab a counter seat (warning – the counter seat chairs are not comfortable). There were also a number of choices that were completely sold out (the Reuben, the Braised Ox Tail Sandwich).

I ordered the spicy polish sausage with sauerkraut ($8) and mustard and a small order of frites ($3.50). The sausage was a generous link (guessing somewhere between 1/2 and 3/4 lbs.) grilled on what looks like it may be a specially made baguette like roll (it definitely was not a supermarket bought hotdog bun) topped with a nice amount of sauerkraut with caraway (not sure if this was house made or not). On its own, the sauerkraut was nothing to write home about and was very acidic with overpowering caraway, but the sausage had a nice heat and spice flavor to it and I could have eaten it by itself. The roll was a nice combination of soft and chewy. When you put all of the elements together, you got what may have been the perfect sausage sandwich – the acidity of the sauerkraut balanced the spiciness of the sausage and married well, but still allowed you to taste the individual components with the mustard playing a supporting role in boosting the flavor (it was yellow mustard – not an Iron Chef favorite, but that is for another show).

The frites were good – hand cut potatoes, which seemed to be only fried once, but not great. They were hot and well seasoned, but not as crispy as I would like. Texture aside, they were tasty and the small portion could easily be split between 2 people and I would order them again. My only other complaint about the frites was the lack of aioli. Can they really be called frites without aioli?

Dot’s will also sell you their sausages to bring home (they run about $8/lb) as well as their house made pates (at varying prices). They had a nice selection of both when I was in and I had to resist the temptation to bring home one of everything in the deli case. My only other complaint – no website (but here is their Facebook page). I really hate this trend of places not having websites.

A return trip to Dot’s is definitely in order for both lunch to sample more of their lunch choices and for dinner to get some potentially tasty comfort food on a grey Seattle winter day. Dot’s gets 4 polka(dots) out of 5 for the killer spicy Polish sandwich.

Calozzi’s – A Review

By Iron Chef Leftovers

A few weeks ago, I wrote a post about cheese steaks in Seattle. Today, I began my quest to find out if there are any good ones with a trip to Calozzi’s in Pioneer Square (they don’t have a website, but here is the yelp page).

Calozzi’s is nothing to look at – it is a pretty big space filled with a bunch of tables and a small counter. I am fine with that. Eating a steak isn’t exactly fine dining and the two best in Philly don’t even have indoor seating, so the large indoor dining area is a plus.

The menu is pretty bare bones, about 5 or six different steaks and one or two other sandwiches and your sides are pretty much limited to fries and cheese fries, pretty standard for a Philly joint. I ordered a stake, wiz, without (that would be a cheese steak with cheese wiz without onions – the Philly equivalent of a cheese pizza), the cheese fries and a bottle of water. The total with tax was $15.

The Steak – I am not a big fan of chopped steak on my cheese steaks. I think they tend to be much greasier than sliced steak, but that is really just a matter of preference. The sandwich is large for $8 and could easily be split between 2 people, and are served in a paper wrapper, just as you would get in Philly. That, unfortunately, is the nicest thing I can say about the steak. The steak itself was nicely cooked, but really wasn’t seasoned well and actually tasted like it was cooked with green peppers. The wiz, while the right amount, was put on top of the steak and I ended up with more wiz on the paper than I did on my sandwich. This lead to a handful of bites that involved all 3 components of the sandwich while most of the bites were just soggy bread and mediocre meat. The roll was also not up to the task. Despite being no more than a minute from the grill to my table, the bread was already falling apart from the grease. Sadly, this is not the worst steak I have had in Seattle, but I probably wouldn’t order it again.

The Cheese Fries – A healthy portion of nicely cooked fries and cheese wiz served in a paper bag. They were tasty, although a bit salty, but were difficult to eat because the ~~bad~~ bag was essentially breaking down from the heat and the grease. I would however get these again.

If it was just about the food, I would give Calozzi’s 2 out of 5 Amaroso Rolls and I would say that Calozzi’s is probably fine if you are really jonesing for a cheese steak, but I wouldn’t make a special trip to go there. I, however, am grading it 1/2 out of 5 and will not be returning for a reason unrelated to the food. The reason – the bathroom in there was disgustingly dirty and the sink had been ripped from the wall and was not functioning. I seriously wonder if the bathroom had been cleaned recently anyway and it made me wonder about proper hand washing facilities in the restaurant for the staff. I understand that it is an old building, but I have been in portapotties at beer festivals that were cleaner and nicer at the end of the festival than the bathroom at Calozzi’s.

Road Trip Review – Hungry Mother – Cambridge, MA

By Iron Chef Leftovers

If you find yourself in Boston, as I have been a lot lately, and you live in a city with an ahead of the curve dining scene, as I am blessed with in Seattle, you find yourself stuck in a rut in choosing restaurants. Don’t get me wrong, Boston has some fantastic places at the higher end of the price range and some great places at the lower end (inset plug for Sunset Grill and Tap in Allston – great burgers and entrees and a killer beer selection), but there isn’t a ton in the moderately priced sit-down category that is worth writing about. One of those places is Hungry Mother, located in Kendall Square in Cambridge, right near the Kendall Square Cinema.

870is101-1 — On an unassuming corner near Kendall Square lies what may be the best restaurant in Boston.

Hungry Mother is the kind of place I have been looking for in Boston – small bites run around $5, apps run around $10 and entrees from $20 – $25 on a small and ever changing seasonal menu. While small, the menu really does cover something for everyone, including the vegetable inclined. Most of the dishes are “southern influenced”, but are really updated versions of southern home cooking – the kind of things that your southern grandmother would easily recognize and would order and probably say, “Damn, that is better than I used to make.” Meat is really the focus here though and that is where I went with my menu selections. They source locally as much as possible

I started with the Warm Beef Tongue on Toast and was just blown away. If you don’t like beef tongue or have never tried it, try this one. What came out was essentially an open-faced steak sandwich in a small bite. On a thick slice of lightly toasted baguette, you get perfectly tender, thinly sliced beef tongue, slathered with Dijon mustard and quite possibly the best gravy ever and topped with melted Swiss. I honestly could have eaten this all night and been happy, it was that good. I don’t know how particularly southern it was, but hell, I would kill for one right now.

I then moved on to what was called Lamb Pancetta. I was both skeptical and intrigued by it and after a recommendation by the waiter (and passing up the Green Tomato Gazpacho), I went for it. They took a lamb neck, de-boned it, flattened it, cured it as you would pancetta, rolled it and cooked it. This lead to a perfectly seasoned piece of meat with crispy exterior and a melt in your mouth unctuous interior that could not have a better contrast – and a very mild lamb flavor. Coupled with hominy and an out of this world jus, I found myself practically licking the plate clean as I devoured the dish.

In a delirious state from the deliciousness of the first 2 courses, I eagerly awaited my main course – the fried chicken. As I couldn’t decide between 4 out of the 5 entrees (I ruled out the catfish as it is really not one of my favorites to eat), my waiter steered me toward the fried chicken. He told me it is their most popular dish and it is not on the menu all the time and when it is, it usually sells out quickly. I am particular about my fried chicken, but with a glowing recommendation like that, I had to try it. What I received was one of the best fried chicken meals ever – a half chicken perfectly with a perfectly crispy breading on the outside and mouthwateringly tender and juicy on the inside. The chicken had obviously been given a long soak in buttermilk and you can taste it, adding a slight tang to the salty, crunchy, tender chicken. This bird needed no additional seasoning. My common complaint about buttermilk soaked chicken is that you never taste the buttermilk – not a problem here. The dish came with some simply cooked greens topped with a house made pepper vinegar which could not have been better.

Sadly, I was stuffed and did not try any additional sides or deserts.

I would be amiss if I didn’t talk about the service. Hungry Mother has the kind of service you would expect in a much higher end restaurant; the attentive wait staff (I didn’t see any table who ordered a bottle of wine one have to fill their own glasses) with a great knowledge of the menu (and pairing drinks with the food) without being too intrusive, were stellar and paid attention to the little things – changing the silverware between courses, clearing plates, filling glasses, etc., all while handling a small but packed dining room; it was a true team effort on their part. Dining solo can lead to lousy service and that was definitely not the case here – I never once felt rushed or like they didn’t want me there despite a line out the door when I left the restaurant at 9:30 (I was there for nearly 2 hours). This was probably one of the 10 best services that I have had at a meal.

In addition to the food, Hungry Mother also has a full bar with a small specialty cocktail list and a small but solid beer and wine by the glass selection as well as a nice wine list covering both new and old world at just about every price point. You are going to want to make a reservation in advanced – this place is always packed.

Overall, I was floored by how good this meal was, so good that I will honestly say that, in 12 years of living in Boston and 8 years of traveling back there, this was the single best meal I have had in the city. Hungry Mother would fit right in with the Seattle dining scene and I would highly recommend going to Hungry Mother as hungry as possible, with as many people as possible and order as much as possible. You won’t be disappointed.

North Sound Beer Tour – Tip-Toeing Through the Tulips to North Sound Brewing

By Iron Chef Leftovers

Stop 5 – North Sound Brewing In Mount Vernon

Just inside the city limits of Mount Vernon lies a very non-descript warehouse looking building that houses the fairly new facilities of North Sound Brewing. North Sound has been open for roughly a year and was an unknown quantity to all those on the trip, making this a must stop location.

The Beer – North Sound had 8 beers on tap when we got there, a sort of something for everyone lineup of the usual suspects – Blonde, Brown, Hefe, IPA, Stout, etc., so we got a couple of samplers to try. Overall, I would say the beers are above average – some of my favorites were the IPA, which had a nice, balanced hoppiness, the Brown, which was a refreshing malty beverage and the Stout , which had a rich, chocolatly presence with a smooth finish. The true standout here, however, was the Cherry Wheat. This beer was not a “beat you over the head with cherry flavor” beer, but a much more restrained, very good Wheat beer with a tease of cherries on the back of the palate. This beer was a huge surprise. You drink it expecting cherries but what you get is a crisp and refreshing, easy to drink Wheat up front with the faintest hit of cherries at the end, giving you a happy ”wow” sensation. This beer was consensus the favorite beer on the trip and really made me wonder why more Northwest brewers are not doing something like this. The distribution for North Sound is keg only and I can honestly say I can’t think of a single place in Seattle where I have seen their beers, so you need to get some growlers to go. Heck, you should drive to Mount Vernon just to get a growler of the Cherry Wheat. Their beers gain a prestigious 5 tulips out of 5.

The Atmosphere – unlike every other place we visited which were brewpubs, North Sound is a tasting room, so there is no real pub feel here. Located in a converted warehouse, the indoor seating contains several tables and a counter and the outdoor patio has a number of picnic tables for your imbibing enjoyment. It is a really straight forward, pleasant location but nothing to really right home about. You can bring in your own food and they have someone selling BBQ in the parking lot frequently, so there is no reason you couldn’t spend a few hour enjoying the fine beers that North Sound produces. Overall North Sound blows in at a 3.5 (out of 5) on the Beaufort Scale.

Dog Friendliness – Having a big patio meant we could bring the pooch to sit with us, which was a huge plus. North Sound has an enclosed parking lot, so it gives you a chance to stretch Rover’s legs without having to deal with the busy street out front. There is no real covered space outside if you wanted to leave the pup outside when you went in for a beer, but that is a minor quibble. North Sound is a great spot to bring your four legged friend and enjoy a beer – 4.5 chases of the tail out of 5.

North Sound Beer Tour – On Final Approach to Flyer’s Brewing

By Iron Chef Leftovers

After a brief hiatus, we are back with the continuation of the North Sound Brewery Tour.

Stop 4 – Flyer’s Brewing in Oak Harbor

A winding drive from Anacortes down SR20, across Deception Pass, brings you to Whidbey Island and the sleepy little hollow of Oak Harbor, best known for being the home of Naval Air Station Whidbey. Lesser known is that there is also a brewpub in Oak Harbor right on Route 20 – Flyer’s Brewing.

The Beer – Back when Flyer’s first opened, they made great beers – innovative, tasty and worth seeking out. That was not the Flyer’s we experienced. They listed only 6 beers on tap – Blonde, Hefe, IPA, Amber, Brown and Porter, not exactly a killer lineup, but liking their beers, I was ok with that. We found out they only had 4 of the 6 – the Blonde and IPA were not available (I remember the IPA being pretty good). After ordering a sampler, none of the beers were particularly memorable. Sure they were all drinkable, but I wouldn’t run out to find any of them. The Porter was the best of the bunch and it was pretty mild with faint hints of chocolate. The Brown and Amber were so subdued that you could have had them interchangeably without missing a beat (or being able to tell which was which). The hefe had slight citrus overtones, and considering it was a warm, sunny afternoon, was the beer of choice when we ordered the pitchers. Flyer’s has their beers available in 22 oz. bottles at most better bottle shops, but I am not sure if I would go out of my way to seek them out. The lack of selection and lackluster beer made me think that they might be on their way out of the brewing business. As a whole, the beer was not well received by the group – 2 propellers out of 5.

The Atmosphere – Flyer’s from the outside looks like a converted Pizza Hut – right on the corner of a major intersection. Don’t let the outside fool you. The inside has a nice bar area and the dining area is quite sizeable. The restaurant is decorated with an aviation theme (as you would expect), but restrained enough that you don’t feel like you are at TGI McFunster’s. The real highlight was the outdoor patio, which was nearly as large as the dining area and completely packed (as was the dining area, but not as crowded). On a warm, sunny day, being outside was a big bonus – 5 Warm Fronts out of 5.

Dog Friendliness – Flyer’s is a dog’s perfect spot to enjoy a brew with her people. The big outdoor deck is spacious and has plenty of places you can hitch up Fido and with a separate entrance; you can bring the pooch right to the table with you. There were plenty of dogs in the outdoor space and the staff was very happy to bring a water bowl. Flyer’s fetches a score of 5 squeaky toys out of 5. Good girl. Stay.

Road Trip Review – Skagway Brewing – Skagway, AK

By Iron Chef Leftovers

Usually when I am on vacation, I like to sample any local beverage I can get, whether it is beer, wine or spirits. Generally, when you go to an area not known for the particular drink you are tasting, it usually ends in disappointment.

Recently, Mrs. Iron Chef and I took off to the Great White North (well actually it was Alaska, not Canada) for a vacation. We found ourselves in a dinky little tourist town called Skagway. Skagway’s claims to fame are that it was a starting point for prospectors during the Yukon Gold Rush and it is the town farthest south on the southeastern coast of Alaska that you can reach by car (everything further south is only accessible by boat or plane). Skagway also has a brewery, conveniently enough named Skagway Brewing. There was a nice little write up in NW Brewing News recently about Skagway Brewing and how they can’t meet demand and their beers are only available at the brewery (the article is on page 25).

Skagway Brewing is located at the very end of the main strip in Skagway, a few minute walk from the docks. The bar is small and crowded, there aren’t many options in Skagway, but the pub has a lot of wood and feels like a brewpub rather than a tourist trap. They have a decent pub food menu and a small tap list – 5 beers brewed in the brewery, a couple of Alaskan Brewing Taps, PBR and a draught Root Beer. The 5 home brewed beers were Spruce Tip Blonde, Prospector Pale, Chilikoot Trail IPA, Boom Town Brown and Blue Top Porter.

All of their beers were good; a couple were exceptional. I liked the Pale, Brown and IPA – the IPA being surprisingly hoppy and full bodied. The Pale and the Brown were both drinkable and I would not turn down a pint of either if someone put one in front of me. The two standouts were the Blonde and the Porter. I was absolutely in love with the Porter and drank that the entire time I was there. It was a cool cloudy day and the Porter provided the right amount of malty smoothness with a hint of chocolate that came with each sip but did not linger, even after 4 pints of the stuff. The beer lacks the heaviness of a stout and I felt like I could keep drinking it all day without getting a feeling of being full. The Blue Top Porter was easily one of the 5 best porters I have ever consumed.

The Blonde would be my second choice of beers from Skagway. The NW Brewing Article quotes the brewer that the Spruce Tip outsells their other beer 5 to 1 when it is available. I am always skeptical about beers that have strange ingredients – they can go from interesting to cloying in a hurry. Spruce Tip Blonde is not one of those. When you first smell this beer, you get a light aroma of being in the forest on a nice summer day – not a smell of a pine scented air freshener, despite 300 pounds of hand-picked spruce tips being included in the batch. Tasting the beer provided a second level of enjoyment – I didn’t taste pine at all, but subtle fruity (almost raspberry) hit on the front of the palate which gave way to a crisp and refreshing sensation from the beer itself. You could definitely taste what was a very nice blonde on the back of the palate.

Sadly, since we were 4 days from returning home and the beer is only available on tap, growlers were not an option, otherwise we would have come home with the world’s biggest 6 pack. If Skagway ever gets the ability to expand and can distribute their beers to a wider audience, try them; otherwise you will need to make the almost 1,100 mile trip by boat (or 2,000+ mile trip by car) to Skagway to sample the beers. Heck, I would probably make the trip again just to drink the Porter that I am sitting here thinking about longingly.

North Sound Brewery Tour – Casting a Line to Anacortes/Rock Fish

By Iron Chef Leftovers

Stop 3 – Anacortes Brewing/Rock Fish Grill in Anacortes

A hop, skip and a jump down winding Chuckanut Drive (and after an emergency bathroom break), lies Anacortes, Washington – a sleepy little waterside community known for Whale Watching, its ferry terminal, the Tesoro refinery and Anacortes Brewing, possibly the best top to bottom brewery in the state of Washington. Rock Fish Grill is the restaurant attached to Anacortes Brewing and they serve up some tasty food as well as all of Anacortes’s beers and are located right in the heart of downtown Anacortes on Commercial Street.

The Beer – OK, so this is going to be a slightly biased review. I REALLY like pretty much anything that Anacortes makes and they have a pretty extensive lineup of beers – they were pouring somewhere in the neighborhood of 15 beers when we were there, with styles ranging from Maibock to IPA to Belgians. I am a big supporter of Anacortes IPA – I consider this to be the best IPA in the Northwest and quite possibly the world. Their IPA is a tremendously balanced beer with just the right amounts of hoppiness, bitterness and flora aromas. Strangely enough, I did not actually order the IPA (although that is what came home with me in the growler). I indulged in my second favorite beer in the Anacortes lineup – their seasonal Mai Oh Maibock. The Maibock is the kind of beer I look for on a warm summer day – malty and refreshing with a bit of hops on the back of the palate. The one beer they had on tap, which I had not tried before, was the Bourbon Barrel Aged Blonde (say that one three times fast). I am really not at fan of barrel-aged beers – they tend to be overly oaked and remind me of chewing on wood. It is the same reason why I tend not to like oaked chardonnay; all you taste is wood. The Blonde was surprisingly well done. Don’t get me wrong, there is no mistaking that this beer ended up in a Bourbon barrel, but it didn’t whack you over the head with that flavor and you could surprisingly taste the beer (Blonde isn’t exactly a heavy style), making it more than just a one dimensional beverage. With a alcohol level approaching 9%, you probably wouldn’t want more than one, but you are not exactly going to chug it either. Alas, Anacortes’s beers are available on tap only and don’t make appearances in Seattle in any great quantity (you will usually find a handful of places with it on tap), so I would recommend taking home as many as you can before you leave. Overall, I would give their beers 5 Sebastidae out of 5. Heck, the only thing keeping the beer from being 6 Rock Fish out of 5 is that you can only get it on tap, and most of the beers are only available in Anacortes.

The Atmosphere – Rock Fish is a big space, plenty of tables and a large outdoor space (although not large enough to accommodate 8 people on a beautiful sunny Saturday). It feels like a brewpub – inside has plenty of wood, a nice, long bar, the current selections hanging on panels over the bar. Having been to Rockfish several time to eat, I tend to think of it more as a restaurant, and it is a comfortable and homey place to have a meal o go with your beers. Outside there are 2 outdoor areas, one on the side of the building with a few tables and the other in the back. One of these days I am going to have to go back just to have beers and judge it from that perspective, but until then, Rock Fish gets 4 Trophospheres out of 5.

Dog Friendliness – This is a tough one to judge since we couldn’t be seated as a group outside. I am not sure what the Rock Fish policy on dogs is on the back patio, but you can have them on the side patio, which will allow you to indulge in your beer with Spot by your side. The drawback here is I believe the side patio does not have any waiter service, so you have to get your own beers. Rock Fish scores and incomplete 3.5 belly rubs out of 5 due to lack of information on their policy (and I didn’t think to ask).

North Sound Beer Tour – Crossing the Pond to Chuckanut

By Iron Chef Leftovers

Continuing on the North Sound Beer Tour with our next stop, Chuckanut Brewing.

Stop 2 – Chuckanut Brewing in Bellingham.

Just down the street from Boundary Bay, about 10 minutes on foot, lies Chuckanut Brewing, sort of the antithesis of Northwest brewing. Owned by Wil Kemper (the same guy who created the Thomas Kemper brand years ago) and brewing with a high malt, low hop European style, Chuckanut has cleaned up with several GABF medals and high praise.

The Beer – I get the sense that this was not the group’s favorite place, but I personally loved the beer. They had 6 beers on tap – all very summer appropriate, but not the kind of range that you are going to please a large group with. My favorites were the pilsner, brewed in a traditional Bohemian style with refreshing maltiness and just a hint of hops; it give the consumer a sense of what Budweiser probably tasted like in the early days. The Session Blonde was smooth and easy drinking; I could have easily knocked off several pints of that one. If I had to pick one overall, it would be the Kolsch. Probably my favorite style of beer for sitting outside on a sunny day, Chuckanut’s Kolsch was refreshing with a nice maltiness and a hint of flora overtones to it. Chuckanut also makes an English Style IPA. Coming in at a whopping 45 IBU, it is an IPA for non-IPA drinkers. While I am not a fan of the British IPA style anymore, it was a solid beer, reminding me more of an amber ale than an IPA. Chuckanut’s beers are available on tap only, so I would recommend taking home a growler or six of your favorites. Overall, I would give their beers 4 Lederhosen out of 5.

The Atmosphere – Chuckanut sits just outside of downtown Bellingham in a converted warehouse. The space is large and has the brewery on one side and the taproom on another. Inside is nice – high ceilings, minimal decorations, not too fancy; a nice place to kick back and quaff a few brews. Outside there is a spacious patio with tons of room overlooking the water. The only drawback is the lack of shade – it can get pretty toasty out there on a sunny day. They lose a half point for lack of shade; otherwise they would have gotten a perfect score – the atmosphere rates as 4.5 Cumulonimbus clouds out of 5.

Dog Friendliness – It doesn’t get much dog friendlier than Chuckanut. Dogs are allowed on the patio, right at the table with you. The staff was nice and brought out a bowl and water for the pooch. I am pretty sure that they would have brought out beer for the dog if we asked. Chuckanut scores 5 chew toys out of 5.

North Sound Beer Tour – Sailing to Boundary Bay

By Iron Chef Leftovers

Recently, 8 people and 1 dog made a trek up north to participate in the inaugural “North Sound Beer Tour” sponsored by no one. Starting in Bellingham, we tackled 6 breweries over 12 hours on a spectacularly beautiful day. I was going to originally write one long review of the tour and then realized that it would be an epic tome rather than a blog post, so I have since decided to make it a series. The breweries that we visited were (in order of appearance) Boundary Bay, Chuckanut, Anacortes, Flyers, North Sound and Skagit River. I am rating all of the breweries on a 5-point (five being the highest score) scale in 3 categories: Beer, Atmosphere and Dog Friendliness. So without further delay, I give you the 2011 North Sound Beer Tour:

Stop 1 – Boundary Bay Brewing in Bellingham

Bellingham is a nice little town and is blessed to have two pretty great breweries, located within walking distance of each other. Boundary Bay is one of my favorite NW breweries; they have a solid beer lineup and one of the better IPA’s in the region.

The Beer – My personal favorites were the IPA (no brainier) – a nicely hoppy, northwest style IPA and the Imperial Oatmeal Stout, which had a wonderful maltiness with overtones of coffee and chocolate. The Scotch Ale, not one of my favorite styles, was immensely drinkable and not that cloyingly sweet/syrupy beer that I usually associate with Scotch Ale. I thought that Scotch Ale was a strange selection for a summer beer lineup, but what do I know. There really wasn’t anything in the sampler that I didn’t like or wouldn’t order a pint of. They have a nice, 10 tap selection, but definitely weighted to the heavier NW style beers you would expect from a Washington brewer. They sell growlers to go and they do sell several styles in bottles, which can be found in the Seattle area. Overall, I would give their beers 4.5 out of 5 Flying Dutchmen.

The Atmosphere – I really like Boundary Bay’s setup. They are located on a main street, right across from the Bellingham farmers market, so there is plenty of street parking and paid lots if needed. The bar area is a converted garage with doors that will open and they have a sizeable deck for your outdoor seating pleasure. It really feels like a brewery with lots of wood and mismatched furniture. The atmosphere rates as 5 millibars out of 5.

Dog Friendliness – For a city that seems to be very dog friendly, BB is not. Dogs are not allowed on the outside deck and the deck is located on the side of the pub, so there is no good place to hitch up the pooch and keep an eye on her. Your best bet in the summer is to tie the dog to a tree in front and sit in one of the tables in the bar that are close to the doors. Not the best place in the NW to bring a dog – 2 tail wags out of 5.

Revel in Fremont

By Iron Chef Leftover

Revel is the new “Korean Street Food” joint in Fremont from the folks that brought us the wonderful Joule in Wallingford. Since I am a big fan of Joule, I had to check out the spot.

Revel is located on the corner of 36th and Phinney, just up the block from Brouwer’s and Theo Chocolate. It is a wide-open space with about 15 tables and a counter that overlooks the open kitchen. I was there right before noon, so I had the choice of sitting anywhere – naturally I opted for the counter overlooking the kitchen.

The menu is pretty simple – small bites, salads, dumplings, noodle dishes and desserts – each with 3-4 choices, one of which was vegetarian, all of which are heavily Korean influenced. My only real criticism of the menu was the price. The salads and dumplings ranged in the 8-10 dollar range while the noodle bowls were 13-15, not exactly the kind of place you are going to hit for a regular lunch. Maybe it is me, but when I think street food, I think of an inexpensive and quality meal. They also have a full bar.

Being the sucker for dumplings that I am, I went with one order of the short rib dumplings and one order of the chorizo dumplings. The short rib was amazing – wonderfully flavorful and beefy, server with pickled shallots, which I could have eaten on their own. The wrappers however were falling apart and made them a bit of a mess to eat. The chorizo dumplings were excellent also, not overly spicy with a hint of smokiness. They did not suffer from the issue of falling apart that the short ribs did. Each plate was $9 for 5 dumplings.

The service was hard to judge, as there were only 3 other customers in the restaurant when I arrived, but was about 65% full when I left. Overall I really liked Revel, but I do question how many $24 lunches after tax and tip I can really afford. Revel is definitely a place I would recommend for dinner or possibly an occasional or special occasion lunch, despite being a bit spendy.