kickin boot

as mentioned here, i have a new favorite place.

it's called kickin boot and it was recommended to me

by my bff and her husband for dinner last saturday night.

it's located just off the main drag in ballard,

but i promise you, you'll feel like you're in the deep south :)

tip: plan to go about an hour before you want to sit down to eat.

hang out in the bar and scout out a bar table for some drinks and an appetizer or two.

it took us about an hour to get a table for 6, but this place doesn't slow down.

so best just go and wait it out :)

each table was graced with 5 different kinds of BBQ sauce

(yes i tried them all) :)

there wasn't one thing on the menu i didn't want to try.

we had fried green tomatoes, a BBQ trio, and kickin' shrimp as appetizers.

and we all got some variation of BBQ chicken, pork, or brisket 

for dinner with our choice of the most amazing sides.

did i mention they serve AMAZING cocktails?

hello. you guys must try this place out ASAP!

cupcake royale

i live about 4 blocks from the ballard cupcake royale.

now, i have to be honest. i used to consider myself a cupcake connoisseur.

and after taste testing nearly every shop in the city,

i had decided that trophy was my very favorite.

but, due to location, i decided to give cupcake royale another chance.

(especially now that they're serving ice cream!)

you know how i feel about cake pops!

these were not my fave. i'm a sucker for home-made!

but they were adorable :)

but, hello, this pumpkin spice cupcake was delightful!

can't decide which ice cream flavor to choose? 

try a flight! genius!

i got salted caramel and red velvet.

both were AMAZING!

happy saturday! :)

st. germain grapefruit cocktail

one night after i had been moving boxes all day,

i decided to go grab a quick bite to eat and 

some drinks at one of my go-to spots, the hi life.

i sat at the bar, and wanted to reward myself after a long day's work.

so i'm looking at the specialty cocktail list, 

and this st. germain cocktail jumps out at me.

it mostly caught my eye because it was a drink 'to share' (i.e. enough for two people)

i immediately had a better idea, and decided i would keep it all to myself :)

it was super refreshing and DELICIOUS! 

so i recreated it at home the following evening :)

the only special ingredient you'll need is st. germain,

which i actually already had on hand from my blueberry smash.

ingredients

2 parts champagne or sparkling wine

1.5 parts st. germain

2 parts club soda

1.5 part grapefruit juice

directions

1. stir all ingredients together, serve over ice

homegrown

if you haven't been to homegrown,

you are missing out.

with locations in fremont, capital hill & queen anne,

this local, sustainable sandwich shop just has everything going for it.

great marketing, cute signage, and amazing sandwiches to boot.

(and that is coming from someone who barely even likes sandwiches!)



turkey, avocado, bacon & roast beef.

DELICIOUS!

macrina bakery

this past weekend i had a morning all to myself.

i don't know about you, but sometimes i like to explore.

and recently i've been drawn to my old favorites places.

so macrina bakery it was :)

i think i first discovered macrina in college with one of my favorite people.

we used to hike up queen anne hill to drool over the gorgeous houses

and pick up a perfectly roasted espresso and a scone.

then, somewhere along the way i met the most amazing woman.

she was almost 30 years my senior, and lived down in california.

she was the mother of one of my classmates

and practically adopted me as her own daughter.

she would send emails of encouragement,

and never missed a holiday or a birthday

without something arriving at my doorstep.

she also loved macrina :)

and when she would visit seattle i distinctly remember

how she would recreate their 'rocket muffins' by the dozens

and freeze them for us to enjoy during our long weeks of studying.

a number of holidays later, she gave me a gift.

it was a macrina cookbook signed by the author herself

and you know what?

i haven't thought about that lady or that cookbook in quite sometime.

it's good to go back to those old places sometimes.

just to think back on old seasons of life.

i think i'm going to pull out that cookbook again.

and write a thank you note to that woman :)

la carta de oaxaca

if i had to eat mexican food every day for the rest of my life,

pretty sure i would be VERY happy (and large).

especially with amazing places like oaxaca.

located in ballard on the main drag,

you will fall in love with this place the moment you walk in the door.

it's a good sign when...

1. there are always people waiting outside for a table

2. the wait staff all speak english as a second language

reason? the food is AMAZING and super authentic.

read about the region of oaxaca here.

we enjoyed...

steak tacos

halibut tacos

check it out :)

hot cakes

this amazing little dessert shop just opened in ballard called hot cakes

they serve coffee, ice cream, cookies, treats and are famous for little

mason jars filled with a mini molten lava chocolate cake. YUM!

what else are they famous for?

these oatmeal raisin bacon cookies

that were featured in bon appetit magazine.

it's a pretty cute place.

you should go.

essential baking compnay

this weekend, i took a little adventure to enjoy the sunshine.

we walked through fremont, down to gasworks, 

and over to essential baking company.

i love this place.

they have coffee and pastries and sandwiches and sweets.

you order at the counter and then sit wherever you want.

perfect for a quick and easy coffee or brunch date! :)

i love my splenda :)

the reuben

 

a mini quiche

mmm :)

bluebird microcreamery

ya'll!

we have something VERY important to talk about.

how did i just try bluebird ice cream 3 nights ago,

and have wanted to go back every night since?

UM... anyone else obsessed?

i tried chocolate, vanilla, stout, and .... (wait for it)

SNICKERDOODLE and SALTED CARAMEL.

to die for.

like i might die.

locations in fremont, capital hill and phinney ridge.

brave horse tavern.

okay, yes, i frequent a lot of tom douglas restaurants. i can't help it! they never get old! :)

this week, i got to celebrate two major life events in one evening....

1. mr luke steere's 30th birthday. love it!

2. luke and marcy's engagement. HELLO! love it even more :)

so... to brave horse tavern we went!

(picture courtesy of seattle eater)

this super casual, pub style restaurant is located on south lake union at 310 terry ave north.

it's community style seating, so you'll have to squeeze in at any open table, and it's ALWAYS super busy. great atmosphere, fantastic comfort foods, and there's darts and shuffle board to boot!

recommendation: get there before about 8pm on the weekends,

there will be a line outside the door, so that they don't max out capacity.

AND, plan ahead for large parties, they don't take reservations, so maybe arrive at like 6pm.

things that you must enjoy:

brick over pretzels with all the dipping sauces,

like beer~cheddar fondue and smoked peanut butter and bacon

the best sweet potato fries!

onion rings

gooey chocolate chip cookies

and yes, they sell jello shots. LOL!

this place is a must. check it out this friday night. might just change your life.

whoop!