Seattle Sunday

  

I heart Seattle.  The dreary weather invites me into their coffee culture and every visit tempts me to stay a while with delicious food and some of my favorite people in life.  This was a quick weekend getaway, but of course there was time to find a few new treats...

above: Ballard Coffee Works, cafe au lait

Dim sum on a Sunday morning has never done me wrong, and Din Tai Fung was no exception.   I filled myself with bite-sized morsels of dumpling goodness and walked out of there a better (or at least happier) person.

busy, busy...

 juicy pork and crab dumplings, fresh noodles with minced pork sauce

 shrimp and pork shao mai

very large shave ice with condensed milk, azuki beans, taro, boba, fruit jellies, mochi balls, and custard

We walked off brunch in the charming neighborhood of Ballard and visited their Sunday Farmers Market.  In contrast to the sunny, warm, and very "summer" weather still hanging out in San Diego, it was noticeably autumn at the market.  Balding trees wore leaves in all the same colors as the squash, boots and scarves strolled along the streets, and a patient dog shivered outside of a boutique store.  It was the one time I thought it would have been acceptable for a dog to wear a sweater.

One of the coolest things at the market: different varieties of garlic!

My present from the market: excellent handmade fleur de sel caramels, made just 2 days beforehand.
So soft and buttery... a little piece of Seattle in my San Diego pantry.

Babies and Calories

Babies and calories make me tired.
Normal life has been reinstituted after a week of tourist extravaganza and over-eating with my lovely cousin and her family.  San Diego was lucky and got to be this baby's first vacation destination!
We visited animals,  acted like animals, and ate like animals... while eating animals.

The dolphins and orcas at Sea World were incredibly impressive and clearly intelligent, but I couldn't help but feel sad for them.  An animal that large and beautiful is meant to swim in the big blue, not to perform a repetitive routine for hoards of overweight people eating fried foods in a venue that spews consumerism.  It's a nice place and I'm glad I checked it out, but I don't plan to go back anytime soon.

Despite all of the exciting creatures at Sea World, the San Diego Zoo, and at La Jolla Shores, no one was more elated than at mealtime.
Here's a glimpse at some of the food masses that dawned our tables:

Carnitas Snack Shack (North Park): beet/goat cheese terrine, Mexican coke, burger, seasoned fries, carnitas tacos, pork schnitzel sandwich, fresh corn salad

Extraordinary Desserts (Banker's Hill): vanilla bean creme brulee

Blind Lady Alehouse (Normal Heights): Assorted pizzas and mussels with fries.  SO GOOD.

Tajima (Kearny Mesa): fried squid legs, udon with shrimp tempura/poached egg, karaage chicken, vegetable tempura, yakisoba omelette, curry ramen

I'm happy to report that my visitors loved the food in San Diego!  As expected, the weather was sunny and beautiful the entire time... almost too hot sometimes, but nothing that a little popsicle from Viva Pops (top picture) couldn't cure.  On the last night of their trip, after saying my goodbyes and kissing tiny baby lips goodnight, I passed out on their hotel couch until I finally arose at 3am with the energy to drive home.  Babies and calories make me tired.