Thursday, June 5, 2008

Restaurant #3- Elephant & Castle Pub and Restaurant

After having visited the Experience Music Project, the Sci-Fi Museum and Hall of Fame, shopped at the Westlake Center and explored downtown on foot, we were both hungry and exhausted so we ducked into the Elephant and Castle Pub located on the lower level of the Red Lion Grand Hotel.

This British-style pub and restaurant is dimly lit for a comfortable, homey feel, and we were seated next to a fireplace and a bookcase loaded with classics. The service was very classy, friendly and attentive without interrupting the flow of our meal. Ty and I started off the meal with a pint of on-tap Guinness. Ty had never had Guinness on tap before, but after this I think he knows why I sing its praises. With a thick foamy head and little black rings on your glass as you drink it down...heaven.

I was determined to have one of their authentic British pub meals so I opted for the Stuffed Yorkshire Pudding which was roast beef and caramelized onions stuffed into a Yorkshire pudding and topped with delicious gravy. It was absolutely delicious, as were the accompanying red skin garlic mashed potatoes and green beans.

Ty chose the Jameson's Chicken, probably just because he's a fan of the whiskey. He turned out to be an equal fan of this tasty chicken dish that consisted of a grilled chicken breast smothered in mushroom-whiskey cream sauce. Matt followed suit and ordered the Guinness Meatloaf with Guinness-braised vegetables.

The Elephant and Castle was one of the restaurants we enjoyed in Seattle. The atmosphere, service, and food was superb.

Restaurant #2- Bombay Wala Indian Cuisine

While I didn't actually eat here I definitely have to talk about this little restaurant in the Westlake Center Food Court. We visited the Westlake Center several times because we used the Monorail from Seattle Center to Westlake Center to get to the downtown area. Regrettably, every time we were there we had either just come from eating somewhere or we were on way to eat somewhere. But the ladies working at the Bombay Wala Indian Cuisine counter were always very friendly and offering samples. Up to this point I don't believe I've ever had Indian food, but when I put that mini-spoon of glorious Butter Chicken in my mouth it was if I'd died and gone to heaven. Amazing!! On our next trip to Seattle, forget the food court at the Center House, I'm going straight to the Westlake Center where I will eat Butter Chicken until my heart's content!

Restaurant #1- Steamer's Fish & Chips/Center House Deli

Just having arrived in Seattle, after checking into our hotel, we headed off to explore Seattle Center. We wanted to grab a quick bite to eat before going to the Experience Music Project and the Science Fiction Museum so we made the food court in the Center House our first stop. So many choices, and everything looked delicious!

My husband, Ty, and brother, Matt, decided to eat at Steamer's Fish and Chips. They had calamari and giant shrimp, respectively. For a food court-style restaurant we were surprised to see that Steamer's served beer and wine, and while we were tempted we decided to save the boozing for another time.

Let's just get this out in the open right now--I do not like seafood. Since seafood dishes are the main attraction of Pacific Northwest cuisine the guys reminded me the entire trip that, in their opinions, I was definitely missing out.

With seafood off the table and me not feeling the chicken and chips at Steamer's, I went around the corner to the Center House Deli. I was looking for something light that wasn't going to make me want to curl up for a nap so I chose the cranberry turkey wrap. It was turkey breast, cranberry sauce, lettuce, and tomato wrapped in a tortilla spread with cream cheese. It hit the spot and was exactly what I'd been looking for.

While we didn't go back to eat in the Center House during our time in Seattle we'll probably pop in again next time and try something new.

Restaurants!!

We ate at tons of tasty restaurants during our stay in Seattle. The number of delicious choices vs. occasions for meals was ridiculously lopsided, forcing us to make some tough decisions about where to eat and when. Fortunately, we chose wisely and enjoyed our meals everywhere we ate. I'm going to review the restaurants individually, in chronological order.