Tuesdays with Market

Cafe Yarmarka felt like a homecoming in more ways than one. It's not like we haven't eaten since this fall. Or even like we haven't been to the Market. But we'd clearly lost site of the original plan. To those few loyal readers who have been with us from the beginning (admittedly mostly family members), who know that Tuesdays with Market is supposed to be a weekly exploration of Pike Place Market's bounty, who have been disappointed by our complete and utter failure to blog about the Market since September, we are sorry. We will try to do better. We got too busy with work. We were out of town visiting many of you (And no, as much as we loved them, we will probably never post anything about the Common Grill, Venda Ravioli, Blue Hill, or the infamous chow mein sandwich. We simply don't have the time). And, on those rare occasions that we made it to the Market, we forgot our camera. So, although we very much enjoyed Matt's in the Market, the Alibi Room (happy hour 4-6!), and that Thai burrito (Yes, a Thai burrito, get them at the Thai food stall near the fish throwers, they involve peanut sauce, rice, and veggies in a tortilla, and are surprisingly delicious.), we will not be posting about those places.

Today, I returned to the Market. Sadly, Paul's work schedule is still not conducive to these outings. But, luckily, I have found a fellow Market explorer in the Frantic Foodie. She introduced me to Cafe Yarmarka, saying it was like homecooking. And right she was. Granted, I have never had Russian food at home. But the atmosphere is definitely homey. Watching the cook make piroshky by hand in the tiny open kitchen, I felt as if I had simply wandered into a friend's home for lunch. And the food is appropriately wholesome and warming, perfect for a cold Seattle day. We both got the cabbage rolls stuffed with meat and rice, which come with a bowl of any of the three daily soups. I had the mushroom soup and it was perfect, woodsy, warm, and comforting. Both come garnished with a healthy dollop of sour cream. As you can see from the picture, it's the same brand of sour cream my mother uses, which really added to the whole experience. And we got all of this for under $8. Almost as inexpensive as eating at home.

Tuesdays with Market

I wish I'd remembered the camera. It was one of those perfect late summer afternoons. The sun was sliding westward over the Olympics, turning Elliott Bay to gold. Actually, the camera probably couldn't have handled it. But I would have liked to try. It was a perfect afternoon for leaving work a little early and heading down to the Market in search of an outdoor happy hour. Or two. First we hit Kells, which serves a mean sausage roll and pint of lager for $3 each from 4-6pm. I wish I'd had the camera just for that sausage roll. It's a flakey golden pastry wrapped around perfectly seasoned sausage. Paul's idea of heaven and probably one of the best happy hour items we've tried. And, as those of you who read us regularly know, we've tried a lot. At 5pm, we moved on to meet up with our harder working friends at Maximilien, which not only has one of the best views in town but also some of the cheapest happy hour food. You can get mussels, frites, a pate tartine, merguez, and a delicious little melted brie and tomato appetizer, for less than $3 each. And we did. Plus, you can get a bucket of 6 Kronenbergs for $15. There's just something about installing oneself on a patio overlooking the water and ordering a bucket of beer. We highly recommend doing it while the sunshine lasts.

Tuesdays with Market

Jasmine bills itself as a Thai Moroccan restaurant, but there are really only two Moroccan dishes on the menu (couscous and something else). Taking our cue from the dearth of offerings, Paul and I ordered Thai, but our intrepid friend got the couscous. She was not rewarded for her bravery. Her first plate came with a hair. Her second was under-seasoned. I got the pad kee mow tofu, which was pleasing to the eye (pictured) but a bit over-seasoned (overly salty, overly spicy, and overly sweet all at the same time). Not inedible or even unpalatable, but not quite right. Actually, it was like the food you get at a lot of chain restaurants - it looks good but it makes up in sauce for what its ingredients lack in true flavor. Paul ordered the green curry salmon, which was the best item of the bunch, but not worth making a return trip for, even at less than $10 a plate.

Tuesdays with Market

Place Pigalle is the kind of place you go to celebrate or impress someone. It's classy, from the beautiful polished wood bar, to the black and white checkered floor, to the linens on the tables. And the view! There is nothing so pleasant as snagging a window table for a sunny, quiet, Tuesday lunch, watching the ferries and sailboats glide by and feeling that all is right with the world.
As often happens, I came here by accident. My parents were in town to see me get sworn into the Washington bar and wanted to go out for a celebratory lunch. I knew they'd want a place with a view, but I was expecting to take them for Lowell's rolls or all-day breakfast at the Athenian. So when my mother suggested this little French place they'd discovered behind the fish sellers while awaiting my arrival by Rachel the pig, I was glad I'd arrived a little late.
We'd been dying to try Place Pigalle, but it's a bit out of our typical Tuesdays with Market price range. The menu promises fresh, local ingredients and innovative (if not necessarily French) preparations. We were not disappointed. Given the number of delicious options on the menu and the festive mood, we decided to go all out, and polished off 3 courses and a nice bottle of Sancerre. My father, never one to pass up crab, ordered the chilled Dungeness served in its shell with herbed mayonnaise and cocktail sauce. The portion was bountiful, fresh, and messy. And my father, sheathed in protective bib, clearly enjoyed every last morsel. My mother got the soup of the day, a nice tomato and mushroom, well-seasoned, but nothing fancy. I had the roasted beet salad, which was perfect in its contrasts: bloody red sweet beets, slightly bitter spicy arugula, and creamy goat cheese, in a lemony mustard vinaigrette. I had heard that you have to have the fish at Place Pigalle, so I ordered the halibut in coconut broth, and urged my father to get the copper river salmon special. Both were delicious, but in retrospect, I'm not sure that the Asian style fish really went with the French wine, and the excessive use of cilantro stems marred the presentation without really enhancing the flavor, which was almost too delicate. A little more spice and a little less crunchy green garnish would have improved
the dish. Place Pigalle may be known for its fish, but my mother's spiced duck salad was probably one of the best entrees on the menu. Despite its Asian preparation and citrus and soy vinaigrette, it screamed French bistro, the wilted greens pairing perfectly with the rich, tender duck. We split the three desserts on the menu: a silky chocolate pot de creme, a classic creme brulee, and a dried-apricot-rehydrated-in-brandy tart served with a small pitcher of cream. Watching the sailboats, while licking the last bits of chocolate and custard from our spoons and sipping coffee, was the perfect end to a perfect celebratory lunch.

Tuesdays with Market

Copacabana - We had to try the only Bolivian restaurant in Seattle. But we picked the wrong time to try it. We foolishly believed it would be a good spot for a quick, inexpensive, alcohol-free lunch on a chilly day. And it was. But it became apparent to us immediately that we should have tried it for a sunny afternoon margarita on the balcony because this appears to be its real strength (judging by the crowd we saw sitting outside the following Saturday and the rows of margarita glasses lined up next to a station that appeared to serve only tequila-based joy). However, with a little careful menu selection we did manage to find something on the menu for under $10. We each ordered a bowl of soup. I had the black bean. Paul had the shrimp. We switched halfway through. Both were well seasoned and garnished (though the chunks of pork in the black beans suggest it is not for the herbivore or faint of heart) . The soup was also a great deal. It was under $6 and came with an endless supply of crusty rolls and service so attentive that we weren't made to feel cheap. We'll definitely have to make a return trip for the margaritas!

Tuesdays with Market

Beecher's Cheese - When we realized this gourmet cheese shop sold lunch items, we rushed to check it out. And we were not disappointed. We each had the simplest thing on the menu: the grilled cheese sandwich. It is the perfect vehicle for tasting the melty goodness of Beecher's Flagship and Jack cheeses. Pressed in a panini grill with minimal oil, the crusty bread is an excellent foil for the rich blend of cheeses and avoids the greasiness that can mar a nice grilled cheese. We washed it down with some Meyer lemon soda, which, while refreshing, tastes nothing like Meyer lemons (Paul should know. He used to have one in his back yard.). This is great spot for a quick, inexpensive, cheesey snack, but the seating is limited, so be prepared to take your sandwich al fresco.

Tuesdays with Market

Sound View Cafe - The name says it all. The only reason to go to this place is the view. The food was not bad. I had crab cakes. Paul had a veggie burger. But it wasn't anything special and you pay for the view ($7 for a previously frozen boca burger?!). To be fair, we were prepared to be let down. We had visions of $5 meatballs and ziti at the Pink Door. But it turns out they no longer have happy hour (damn you sevennites.com!). Then we waited 10 minutes outside Shea Lounge with visions of swanky cocktails and appetizers dancing in our heads, we heard a rustling inside, but eventually gave up on the doors ever opening. Thus, we found ourselves in an awkward position. It was 4:40. Too late for lunch. Too early for dinner. Our 2 attempts at happy hour had miserably failed, and we were stuck with a very limited number of open restaurants we'd never been to. So we grumpily made our way to Sound View Cafe. The view was fantastic and the beer was cheap. But service was extremely slow and almost everything on the menu cost at least $10 (the only explanation for Paul's momentary vegetarianism). We steered clear of the salad bar, which appears to be available 24/7 despite a distinct lack of foot traffic, and we suggest you do the same. In fact, unless you are trying to eat at every restaurant in the market, we suggest you steer clear of this place altogether.

Tuesdays with Market

Athenian Inn - This place was everything I'd hoped it would be and more. It was Saturday afternoon and I was looking for a place to take an out-of-town guest. She wanted breakfast. The Market was packed, despite the drizzle, and we had to fight the tourist hordes as we searched for sustenance. I've had my eye on the Athenian Inn for sometime. But I felt like I couldn't take a visitor to a restaurant featured in Sleepless in Seattle without feeling super cheesy. So first we tried a divey back of the market spot, but it had stopped serving breakfast. Then we went for the chi chi French bakery, but we couldn't get a table. Finally, I said, "Hey, how would you feel about a diner featured in Sleepless in Seattle?" "Great," she said, "I just want somewhere I can sit down." I worried the Athenian would be overrun with tourists but, instead, we were greeted by an extremely chipper server and a sign that said "Breakfast Served All Day." He immediately took us to an upstairs table overlooking Elliott Bay and handed us thick menus with pages of omelets and waffles. We thought we'd died and gone to heaven. My brunch companion ordered the waffle breakfast and I got the special Greek omelet. It was filled with feta cheese and gyro meat, accompanied by a generous serving of hashbrowns and sourdough toast. It was unbelievably fluffy and way more than I could eat. It was fantastic. The Athenian has it all: good food, good prices, a great view, and breakfast served all day. It doesn't even feel touristy, if you can ignore the picture of Tom Hanks in the front window.

Tuesdays with Market

Zig Zag Cafe - This place has a great atmosphere. It's in the hidden Hill Climb portion of the Market, right next to El Puerco Lloron, but much tastier and cleaner than its neighbor. It's dark, but not too dark, and you can tell just by looking at the well-stocked bar that they mix a mean cocktail. But it was happy hour, a good selection of draft microbrews could be had for a mere $3, and we just couldn't get past the Maritime IPA. We did, however, fully explore the food specials, ordering one of everything off the happy hour menu. The results were mixed. The calamari was tender and pleasantly unfried, served in a tasty marinade that likely had a bit of balsamic to it. The prawns were also pretty good and similarly prepared. The mixed olives were delicious and the pizza, while not the best we've ever had, was damn good for happy hour! But the bruschetta just didn't do it for us. First, no one should be serving bruschetta until some local tomatoes have ripened. These tomatoes had no taste. Second, who makes bruschetta with whole wheat bread? Third, if you're going to use whole wheat bread, at least have the decency to slather it with olive oil. There was something just too healthy about this dry wheaty bruschetta and no one really wants healthy happy hour food. But with everything on the menu at $5 or less, we really can't complain. We definitely recommend this place if your looking for a cheap but swanky happy hour location. And leading your date through the belly of the Market to get to this spot will make you look very in the know.

Tuesdays with Market

Pan Africa - Tuesdays with Market will actually be taking place on Wednesdays and Saturdays this quarter on account of Paul's teaching schedule, so don't assume this place is open Tuesday around 4. We have never before seen it open, so naturally we jumped at the opportunity. Pan Africa is a dark, sultry restaurant, complete with candles, wood, and draping fabric, that feels somewhat out of place so exposed on 1st Avenue under the Sanitary Market sign. Despite it's claim to be Pan African, most of the dishes are things people familiar with Ethiopian and Eritrean food will recognize, although there was a woman at the bar arguing that what she had been served was not, in fact, doro wat. Which may be true, given that the cook appeared to be latina. Paul had the chicken yassa, stewed with fruit and olives, and served over rice. In the spirit of trying as much as possible, I got the sampler platter (a bargain at $8), which involved red lentil curry, a carrot and green bean curry, stewed greens, something tasty involving chicken, and something yellow possibly made of chickpeas, all served on injera (that spongey sourdough flatbread that can also be used to scoop up tasty stewed goodies). Despite our inability to identify exactly what we were eating, we quite enjoyed ourselves. They were out of Kenyan beer, so nothing to report there, but the Alaskan Amber tasted fine.

Tuesdays with Market

Uli's Famous Sausage - This place is a lunchtime gem. You can order any of Uli's delicious mostly all natural (apparently some preservatives are required by law) sausages on a bun with your choice of condiments for only $4.50. The sausage selection is staggering. I waffled. Perhaps the pork bratwurst with apple? No, I think I want the cajun andouille. Then, on a whim, I ordered the rosemary chicken bratwurst with mustard. It was delicious, but the hot dijon wine mustartd, is pretty spicy and was probably not the right choice for my delicate chicken sausage. Paul, animal lover that he is, ordered the Thuringer Bratwurst (which contains veal) and was quite pleased, although he too questioned the need for such hot mustard and was nonplussed by the fact that Uli serves his sauerkraut cold. Paul was also disappointed at the lack of weisswurst and expressed this to the proprietor. Uli, a handlebar-mustachioed, German, master butcher, affably explained that while he would love to serve weisswurst, he simply does not have the space necessary to make it to his specifications. Alas, Paul will have to go to Bavaria to get his milky veal stuffed casings of animal cruelty. Don't worry, for those who, like me, maintain the compromise position that eating animals is ok, but eating baby cows is mean, Uli's has a wide selection of non-veal based products in a variety of tantalizing combinations.