Summer is finally here in the Emerald City (FINALLY! gosh it took a long time) and what better way to herald the arrival of the sun and a goodly dose of vitamin D than with sangria and tapas? Catching up with friends I haven't seen in awhile, I recently tried out two tapas bars and liked them both.
Txori in Belltown is a light and airy Basque-style tapas bar decorated with cute mod little bird paintings ("txori" means bird) and small tables and tiny tiny silverware so you feel like you're eating with a child's play tea set. They have a great outdoor side patio between the buildings which will be nice in the summer evenings. Their drinks are interesting and varied, from the fou-fou (I had a puesta del sol which was sweet and strong) to the homey, or you could even say it's bawdy: kalimotxo is red wine and coke mixed together with ice. Tapas are really authentic tasting, served as true one-bites, which might disappoint an American hunting for their mega-meal dinner, but is just right for having a chat and a snack. We had the sherried mushrooms (which weren't anything to wow about), the squid (inky and yummy!), the garbanzo beans, and the octopus with white beans (which came in what looked like a miniature paella pan, and was the yummiest tentacle ever!). We got there early on a Wednesday night after work and had no problem finding a table, but by 7pm it was loud and crowded. A great place for lunch or a quick stop in after work.
Ocho in Ballard is another tiny location with great little bites. In a space that used to be a hot dog corner (good riddance!), it's tiny and can easily fill up. I met a friend there at 6:30 on a Tuesday and claimed the last two bar stools. With a very very tall glass of sangria, we ate our way through chorizo with lemon, olives, and a fried egg on top (gorgeous and delicious), dates stuffed with blue cheese and wrapped in prosciutto (my favorite), fried peppers (zesty and surprisingly really tastey), and sherried mushrooms (I liked them better here than at Txori). The chorizo and egg one was fantastic. They had a good selection of vegetarian options here too, more so than at Txori. A little more Americanized than Txori's tapas though, but still very tastey. With such a tiny space though, you'll either have to come early or be willing to wait because Ocho has become one of Ballard's new favorites.
So many interesting food options cropping up in my neighborhood--the latest try was
Zayda Buddy's next to Caffe Fiori. Zayda Buddy's bills itself as "pizza and bar" but what really drew us in was the existence of tator tot hot dish on the menu. We called our Minnesotan pal K, and grabbed a booth. We indulged our American tastebuds with tator tots (which were hugely crunchy and incredibly satisfying) and tuna noodle casserole and a Fanta. Doesn't get more American than that. A very loud spot though, and enough carbs to weigh you down, but probably a comforting place in the fall or winter. It's way clean and swanky and kind of pricey for tator tots though which I totally wasn't expecting from a pizza joint, but that's Ballard for you. Ballard's becoming so shi-shi even I'm starting to grit my teeth against it. Oh and our servers were incredibly unattentive, but they do have a photo of Magnum PI in the women's bathroom which made me laugh.
And l just have to throw in that last night I succumbed to the call of the best burgers in Seattle:
Red Mill. I don't eat burgers very often, but when I do, I want a good one and feel guilty giving my money to the Dirty Bird (ie Red Robin), so I hie me up the hill to Phinney Ridge for a Red Mill Deluxe and onion rings. Apparently they have "one of the burgers you must try before you die" (according to Oprah). Happy times!
I've been eating out a lot lately--mostly because I've been lazy and don't want to deal with cleaning out my refrigerator which has accumulated some wrinkly produce which must be tossed. But I have mighty plans to get back into the cooking mood with hopes for enchiladas this weekend.
