
When we first read about [Fuji Bakery](http://www.fujibakeryinc.com/index.html)— a Japanese-French fusion bakery— we thought the concept sounded like a radical culture clash. But apparently French bakeries are really popular in Japan, where the Japanese have added their own flair and created some unique treats. We decided to give this suburban Bellevue bakery a try and were pleasantly surprised by how well the concept worked. Being the impulse buyers we are we picked up a lot of yummy things far beyond what we needed to eat. We walked out with sweet and buttery brioche sel, a creamy-filled milk stick, a caramel banana croissant, and some savory dishes as well. We were stuffed with plenty of excellent food for breakfast (and snacks for later in the day).

These photos actually represent our second trip to Fuji Bakery where we intended to buy a full lunch. This first dish below is what really brought us back— spicy curry buns. These buns contain a delicious beef curry, which is then covered in bread crumbs and fried. We think these buns are the highlight of Fuji Bakery's menu. Dustin has been craving these treats, and we've been meaning to stop by when we head to Bonnie's dog park since it is nearby. Unfortunately they are closed on Sundays, which seems to be the only day that the weather cooperates and we manage to make it out to the park. We finally made it one Saturday afternoon and walked out with a bunch more treats and the much sought after curry buns.

![](/photos/2011/11/DSC_00342-584x446.jpg "DSC_0034")

I personally really enjoyed this olive focaccia sprinkled with thyme. The bread was pillowy and perfectly salty which paired so nicely with the two types of olives.

![](/photos/2011/11/DSC_00373-584x384.jpg "DSC_0037")

We picked up two quiches. The first had shrimp and mushroom. Neither of us were huge fans. We probably should have gone with the more traditional Quiche Lorraine. This purchase was our only slight disappointment from the bakery. On the other hand, the other quiche with salmon, cream cheese, kabocha squash and dill was the perfect Northwest quiche with its fresh fish. We really enjoyed this one.

![](/photos/2011/11/DSC_00402-584x386.jpg "DSC_0040")

Next came our desserts. This is a brioche dough with cream cheese and lemon— light, refreshing, and oh so good.

![](/photos/2011/11/DSC_00431-584x369.jpg "DSC_0043")

Our last purchase was a total impulse buy. This cute little thing below is called Caramel Sel, a sweet-tasting but savory-looking sandwich made with caramel slathered on their original [levain](http://www.fujibakeryinc.com/breads.html#levain) (bread with yeast made from rye flour with a slightly sour and chewy taste according to their website) and little pieces of chocolate that resemble cheese. It was too adorable to pass up even though we already had a ton of food.

![](/photos/2011/11/DSC_0044-584x493.jpg "DSC_0044")

We still want to try a bunch of other things like this amazing looking cheese bread, the other focaccia breads, the little sweet, chocolate sandwich (similar to the caramel one above) we saw after we had already filled up our basket with one too many items, and pretty much every other dessert they make. The best strategy for this place is to walk around once before you grab your basket, or else you might find yourself with too much food or unable to get that one delicious pastry you see and yearn for without making yourself sick. And this place has generous samples by the cash register. Score!


Fuji Bakery

fuji-bakery


[John Howie Steak](http://www.johnhowiesteak.com/index.php) knows how to do a steak right. After last year's indulgent, steak filled eating fest courtesy of the birthday dinner from Dustin's parents at [Bohanan's](http://www.bohanans.com/) in San Antonio, Dustin was itching for a well cooked steak from an actual steakhouse. We've been there once for a delicious Happy Hour, and ever since Dustin has been talking about going back for an actual dinner. Since we live within walking distance, it was a perfect and convenient birthday gift for Dustin.

We sat down to attentive, but not overbearing service, an assortment of freshly baked breads with whipped butter. The kitchen served us a tasting of a tender, thinly sliced cut of sirloin with a mint chimichurri with an interesting flavor, topped with a pea. We really love going to nice restaurants where the kitchen sends out nice little mini tastings with interesting flavors that we'd probably overlook on the menu.

As an appetizer we split an heirloom tomato salad. We are absolutely tomato salad people. It was a delicious salad of tomatoes, grilled onions, bleu cheese, and Russian dressing. It was quite a tasty salad we really enjoyed and would definitely recommend.

Both of us ordered the 8 ounce American Wagyu "Kobe Style" Beef Filet Mignons grilled to medium rare perfection over mesquite coals as our main course. The steaks were served with a trio of delicious salts from around the world, the best of which was a black colored salt from Hawaii that complemented the meat perfectly. The steaks were nice a juicy with a perfectly red center. Each bite of steak was tender and moist, popping with flavor in our mouths. I'm not a huge steak person, but I have to say a great steak, cooked perfectly is one of the best things ever. This might be what I would order if I was having to choose my last dinner. Although it would have to be accompanied by an awesome dessert...

On the side we ordered sautéed spinach with garlic and preserved lemons and Yukon Gold potato cakes with crème fraîch. The spinach was simple and perfectly done, which is surprisingly hard to do well. The potato cakes were a more sophisticated version of hash browns. I thought they were good, but not all that special. Dustin really enjoyed them, and since he is a more a fan on fried potatoes while I'm a mashed kind of girl, he might be a better judge. Either way, both sides accompanied our meal nicely.

By the way, the mashed potatoes served to the next table looked creamy and delicious as well. Based on our experience, I think you can't go wrong with any of the sides, or the steaks for that matter.

We had signed up for John Howie's email list awhile back, and lucky for us, they sent a free dessert coupon for use during Dustin's birthday month. Picking a dessert was tough. They had an extensive and delicious sounding menu. We debated for a long time, and finally narrowed it down to two choices— the macadamia nut pie with semi-sweet chocolate, toasted macadamia nuts, macadamia nut brittle and dehydrated pineapple OR tempura fried carrot cake served with sides of white chocolate, maple icing, and orange marscarpone. Which would you choose in that dilemma?

In the end we went the tempura fried carrot cake. The notion of fried cake was too interesting and unique for us to pass up. Let me just say, this dessert did not disappoint. John Howie also knows how to fry; they also serve tempura fried bacon that is apparently delicious as well according to the discussions on this Downtown Bellevue Network [post](http://www.downtownbellevue.com/2011/07/29/the-better-bacon-battle-lot-no-3-vs-john-howie-steak/).

The carrot cake, or should I say four fairly large pieces of carrot cake, was soft and moist on the outside, and nice and crunchy on the outside. It was slightly difficult to cut through considering we only had spoons, causing quite the mess on our plates. The sauces were incredible. The orange marscarpone was the most unique and the first bite was an explosion of flavor. The other two sauces, particularly the maple icing, were much sweeter and began to overpower the marscarpone as we ate through the dish. I'm not sure if this was such a bad thing though, the other sauces went perfectly with the carrot cake flavor. We felt pretty guilty after consuming so much of this dessert, and nearly sick to our stomachs. It was so rich and done so well, it was hard to stop. This dessert is best to be shared among four individuals.

A really nice touch that John Howie offered was a little wrapped up box of salted chocolate caramels to take home as we left. Still stuffed after our decadent dinner, we didn't tap into them for two days, possibly a record for us. We seriously woke up the next morning not wanting any breakfast whatsoever, quite the unusual experience for foodies like us. I guess that's the sign of a enormous, quality meal.

![](/photos/2011/11/DSC_0270-2048x1630.jpg "DSC_0270")

And yes, the caramels were good— a perfect mix of sweet, salty, and chocolate goodness.


John Howie Steak

john-howie-steak


We tried [Purple Cafe— Bellevue](http://www.thepurplecafe.com/) once when we first moved here and had a pretty good experience. We got some calamari as an appetizer, and we each got sandwiches with a glass of wine. We also left with a pretty big bill. The food was great, but we didn't feel our casual meal justified the price.

That's why when we saw Purple Cafe was participating in Restaurant Week, we thought we could try some of Purple's more upscale dishes, so we a met a friend and set out to continue our Restaurant Week adventure with good food and a bottle of wine. We really liked that we didn't have to drive into Seattle to eat a nice meal since the traffic getting into the city always seems to be awful. Instead we were able to stroll there from our apartment, incredibly convenient for a week night.

We arrived in the dimly lit Purple dining room where the ambiance is nice but has a slight industrial feel to it, something that seems to be pretty trendy in the Seattle/Bellevue area. We browsed the prix frixe menu from which we both decided to start with the bruschetta.

The bruschetta was traditional– a crispy bread layered with tomato, Mozzarella, basil, and a drizzle of high-quality, aged balsamic vinegar. It was solid, and seeing as how much we love those flavor combinations, it was perfect for us. But it wasn't special enough to go back to Purple specifically for that appetizer.

Our entree on the other hand, a seasonal and daily changing risotto with creamy goat cheese, balsamic vinegar, and veggies among other thing, was very unique. We didn't hear all of what went in the dish because our waitress mumbled and the restaurant was a little loud. What we did hear of it sounded pretty good, so we went with our guts and ordered the risotto. It turns out that we really enjoyed our selection. The risotto was cooked to perfection, and the flavors melded together beautifully.

Although up until this point we ordered the same dishes, for dessert we were divided. I love bread pudding, never passing up a chance for the usually sweet and gooey bread-y delight, so I ordered the seasonal bread pudding. When it came out the flavor of the bread was nice, and there were delicious and tart cherries throughout. The major issue with the bread pudding was that the bread itself was, dry and there was no sweet syrup drenching it, a hallmark of the best bread puddings. Thus I was a little disappointed with my dessert.

Fortunately, Dustin let me snag a little of his chocolate chai truffles. These, on the other hand, were scrumptious. They were delicious dark chocolate morsels filled with a lovely chai spice, rolled in perfectly bitter, unsweetened cocoa powder. Along with the risotto, the truffles were a true highlight of the meal.

Overall, Purple Cafe was a mixed bag with our foods ranging from slightly disappointing to unique and richly flavorful, but the good definitely outweighed the bad. I'd order the risotto and those chocolate chai truffles again in a heartbeat.


Seattle Restaurant Week— Purple Cafe

seattle-restaurant-week-purple-cafe


The phenomenon has been spreading. We first saw it in Austin, TX. But it's everywhere, and Brunchbox really [sold us on the idea](/blog/2011/10/i-got-vd-in-portland/). Mobile food trucks! God, I wish all the mobile food trucks in Seattle were all in the same place. My wish came true Saturday at the Seattle Center right next to the Space Needle for the first ever [Seattle Center Mobile Feast](http://www.seattlecenter.com/mobilefeast/). Erin told me the event was occurring last Saturday, so when we discovered it was actually a week later, I had to last a full seven days in desperate anticipation. Was it worth it? Short answer: yes. Long answer: see photos.

![](/photos/2011/10/DSC_0388-2048x718.jpg "DSC_0388")

The toughest part about these kind of things is deciding where to go. We set out saying we'll make a full circle around before we decide. Yeah, that worked well. A few carts in, we spotted these:

![](/photos/2011/10/DSC_0370-2048x1234.jpg "DSC_0370")

You can't blame us. [Skillet](http://www.skilletstreetfood.com/) serves up some amazing Poutine, or in other words, super cheese fries with herbs and gravy. These take Dustin's Festival Gold prize. This place was such a killer street joint that they actually started a diner. I don't know if in the community, that's considered selling out, but I can see why Skillet was so popular.

![](/photos/2011/10/DSC_0369-1356x2048.jpg "DSC_0369")

Next up, cajun. Neither of us are huge cajun fans, but most of the streetcars were burgers, BBQ, or tacos (and our personal rule is to stay away from BBQ and Mexican outside Texas), so this car stood out. And anyway, you won't be disappointed ordering jambalaya or beignets.

![](/photos/2011/10/DSC_0379-2048x1932.jpg "DSC_0379")

Especially not at [Where Ya At Matt](http://whereyaatmatt.com/), where the jambalaya comes smokey and sweet and served with fried oysters. You could taste that spice with every bite, but it was never overpowering, and we were really satisfied.

![](/photos/2011/10/DSC_0378-2048x1550.jpg "DSC_0378")

And then Erin shook the bag filled with three beignets and probably a whole cup of powdered sugar to cover those suckas.

![](/photos/2011/10/DSC_0381-2048x1590.jpg "DSC_0381")

Nothing needs to be said. Just look at the picture:

![](/photos/2011/10/DSC_0382-2048x1130.jpg "DSC_0382")

They're melt in your mouth good, and one little pointer– "accidentally" drop the beignet back in the bag after each bite and throw your hands up in disgust as it gets recovered in powdered sugar. These take Erin's Festival Gold prize. We're just about ready for a trip to [Cafe Du Monde](http://www.cafedumonde.com/beignet.html) in New Orleans for the original (although we'd still hit this place up again).

![](/photos/2011/10/DSC_0376-1356x2048.jpg "DSC_0376")

The great thing about this festival, is that you can just keep going. So on to [The Bistro Box](http://bistrobox.net/). This street cart serves up sandwiches and sliders and caught our eye with the Purple Caprese.

![](/photos/2011/10/DSC_0389-1356x2048.jpg "DSC_0389")

The Purple Caprese is a slider made with grilled eggplant, mozzarella, and pesto. Sign me up. It was really tasty, but you don't get a lot of bang for your (4) buck(s) because it's gone in four bites.

![](/photos/2011/10/DSC_0391-2048x1356.jpg "DSC_0391")

Finally, it was dessert time (if you don't include beignets). Our last stop had been piquing Erin's interest since the list of vendors came out. [Street Treats](http://streettreatswa.com/) fills the much needed gap in American dining between the cookies and ice cream. They typically serve up your choice of homemade cookies with your selection of various ice creams squished in between. Erin has been dreaming about peanut butter ice cream between two snicker doodles. Unfortunately this is Seattle. And it was about 50°, not ice cream weather for us. Instead, we got the carrot cake cookie sandwich filled with icing instead of ice cream.

![](/photos/2011/10/DSC_0392-2048x1356.jpg "DSC_0392")

The cookie was good, but didn't knock our socks off. I think they must have had to prepare a ton of cookies for the event, so they just weren't as fresh as they could have been (we'll go back during the summer and re-review Street Treats for their ice cream sandwiches). Nonetheless, it put a smile on her face.

![](/photos/2011/10/DSC_0396-2048x1356.jpg "DSC_0396")

Seattle, consider this two votes for another festival next year, or next week if you'd like.


Mobile Feast

mobile-feast


Striking red walls lined with modern art greeted our entry into north Seattle's [Stumbling Goat Bistro](http://www.stumblinggoatbistro.com/). Seattle Restaurant Week was upon us, and we chose to venture over to the west side to get a taste of another talked-about Seattle restaurant with a special prix fixe menu. The joint is cozy, busy, crowded but not in a bad way. A tall bar with a large selection of liquors sits next to the open window kitchen giving you just a glimpse into the preparation of your dish. We sat by the window, which gave us a view onto a rainy Greenwood Ave.

The menu offered a choice of appetizers, entrees, and desserts, so we chose different ones in each category so we could get a taste of six different things. We started with a mushroom bisque, creamy and elegantly delicious, and a small cheese plate with three well chosen cheeses, sweet roasted nuts, pomegranates and fantastic home made crackers. The cheeses were great, but these small salty, with a hint of sweet, crackers that crumbled with every bite took the dish to the next level.

Our entrees were a sweet pumpkin risotto with fried sage, balsamic, and pumpkin seeds, and a daily special of trout served beside corn and a spicy red pepper sauce.  The trout was cooked adequately, not dry nor uncooked, but it was simple, plain. Not in a particularly good way though, just uninteresting. The sauce on the other hand was fantastic, and was able to transform the lightly flavored trout into a flavorful, exciting dish. And we can’t forget to mention the corn, cooked wonderfully with a sweet kick, and a roasted texture for a lively pop every few bites.

The risotto turned out to be a great seasonal dish, especially when you scooped up a bit of the cheese that was conservatively portioned on top of the risotto. That combination really showed the best that the risotto had to offer. Unfortunately, there just wasn’t enough, which led most of the dish to feel a bit lacking.

And finally, we were served our dessert of a pumpkin pie sundae and a rosemary vanilla panna cotta. Both were a great finish to the meal. The sundae was made with pumpkin pie ice cream, which is reason enough to dive in right away. On top were large walnuts with a maple glaze, small pieces of pie crust, and finally a healthy serving of whipped cream. It’s not listed on the menu, but it tasted like the entire dish was drizzled with maple syrup, because every taste was filled with a strikingly maple sweetness, leading us to give this dish obvious and well deserved approval.

It’s hard to pair any other dessert with such a sweet explosive sundae, but the panna cotta held its own quite surprisingly. The dessert was significantly less sweet, instead focusing on its wonderful texture and hint of vanilla and rosemary, which we both thought was a fantastic combination giving this dessert just enough of a unique touch.

Overall, our meal was very enjoyable, and we cannot be disappointed with all the dishes we were able to try. Stumbling goat has all the ingredients of a great meal, but just couldn’t quite capture our desires. It’s one of those places we wouldn’t be disappointed to go to again. I just don’t think we’ll be seeking it out specifically. We never tasted that one extra tweak on a dish, which takes it from enjoyable to memorable. We hope they find it, because they are definitely on the right track.


Seattle Restaurant Week— Stumbling Goat Bistro

stumbling-goat-bistro


[Seattle Restaurant Week](http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/seattlerestaurantweek/) is pretty much the greatest thing ever. We have gotten to try some of the nicer restaurants we've been wanting to try around Seattle for pretty reasonable prices. You can get a three-course dinner for $28 ($15 for lunch), which I know Dustin loves because I normally get full too fast to eat a three-course meal.

We are planning on trying three new restaurants on Seattle Restaurant Adventure Tour. First up— [The Georgian](http://www.fairmont.com/seattle/guestservices/restaurants/thegeorgian.htm).

This fall's restaurant week happens to coincide with our anniversary, so we took that as an excuse to try one of the fanciest restaurants. We had a really great experience at The Georgian. The restaurant is located inside the ritzy Fairmont Olympic Hotel, and the ambiance is incredibly romantic. The restaurant felt more like a dimly lit ballroom with ornate chandeliers and elegantly decorated floor length windows. The cuisine is described as Northwest-inspired French, and the restaurant is a AAA 4 Diamond restaurant. Not too shabby for our date.

Before our meal the kitchen sent out a mini-dish of goat cheese, balsamic vinegar, and nuts followed by freshly baked bread with a quad of creamy butters—one was simple sweet cream, another was infused with saffron, another with balsamic vinegar, and my favorite was basil infused. For my first course I had a pumpkin bisque that was just my cup of tea, and Dustin had a jazzed up Caesar salad that he said was the best he had ever tried.

My second course was seared scallops (probably my favorite seafood) with a side of potatoes that tasted like German Fried Potatoes covered in a bacon butter sauce. While the scallops might not have the best I'd ever had (the simply prepared scallops I had from DaMarco's in Houston were a tinier bit tastier), they were absolutely delicious. Dustin got a dish of chicken wrapped in chorizo, which really surprised me since I've never seen Dustin order a chicken entree at a restaurant like that. His side dish was served with an incredibly flavorful red-wine risotto that I really enjoyed.

For dessert Dustin had some sort of apple tart with a cinnamon sorbet that was reminiscent of a fancy apple pie. It was a nice dessert that wasn't too sweet or rich. My dessert on the other hand was incredibly rich and indulgent— caramel fleur de sel beignets drenched in spiced Mexican hot chocolate with a raspberry sorbet on the side. Eating that chocolate was sinful and delicious, but I think my favorite part might have been the ridiculously flavorful sorbet. Trust me—I'm never the type to order the ice cream or sorbet from a dessert menu over cakes and such, but this sorbet was awesome.

We really enjoyed our meal at The Georgian. It wasn't the best food we've ever had, but it was solidly delicious, and the ambiance of the restaurant was fabulously romantic. We probably won't be going back there outside of Restaurant Week given the price, but for what we paid, it was a great deal and the perfect anniversary dinner.


Seattle Restaurant Week— The Georgian

seattle-restaurant-week-part-1


Bonnie is normally a really good dog. But when she gets bored and there's no one to tell her to stop doing something naughty, havoc upon our household can ensue.

Case in point— when Bonnie was left alone outside of her crate one day when I was in Texas and Dustin was at work, she decided to eat the remote control to our television. Yes, she actually ate the entire part of the remote that contained the number pad. Given this misbehavior, Bonnie is no longer allowed free range of the house when we are gone.

Yes, we are suckers for the sweet face of our dog, and whenever we see her sadly shrink down and walk into her kennel our hearts pang with guilt. Thus we eat at home more (good for the wallets and great for portion control), and when we want someone else to cook for us, we often do takeout to hang out with our little Bonster.

One of our favorite things to do is takeout sushi. There is something about eating with chopsticks on your living room floor that is really fun. I think this may have something to do with watching The Big Bang Theory every Thursday, as they eat from paper cartons with chopsticks. We love sushi and pretty much HAVE to get that since we live in an area with the freshest fish in the country. It's practically a sign.

Lucky for us there is a restaurant with fresh sushi in the building across from us, so when it's wet and cold, which let's face it, it will be for the next seven months, we don't have to go far for our sushi fix.

![](/photos/2011/10/DSC_0588_2-2048x1356.jpg "DSC_0588_2")

We used this takeout opportunity to try the Muscat Canelli from Chateau Ste. Michele we bought on our trip to the wineries on Labor Day. The wine was ridiculously sweet (i.e. perfect for my sweet tooth), and we were told it paired well with sushi. This pairing is never something we had thought about, so we decided to give it a shot. The wine definitely went with the sushi, but I don't think this is a combination we'll be going to regularly on sushi night. I think Dustin would prefer hot sake, which is fine now that he has an awesome sake set courtesy of our anniversary.

Still this at-home date was a lot of fun, plus it was a great opportunity to use (and photograph) another part of his gift— a cool blue sushi plate set with chopsticks!


Sushiya!

sushiya


Our chocolate factory adventure started off on a good premise. A fun six dollar tour with plenty of free chocolate and a lesson on chocolate making from bean to bar promised to be an affordable and tasty afternoon. But like the manipulable foodies we are, we ended up going home with a fat stack of chocolate and a lighter pocket. Ah the wonders of impulse buying.

![](/photos/2011/09/DSC_0897-2048x1606.jpg "DSC_0897")

[Theo Chocolate](http://www.theochocolate.com/) is the only organic, fair trade, bean to bar chocolate factory in the United States, and it is located right in our backyard— lucky for our taste buds, unlucky for our pants and wallets. Theo makes all of their own chocolate, controlling every step of the chocolate making process. They are proud of their fair trade status and are committed to changing the way business is conducted in the often nefarious cocoa industry. We got a first hand glimpse at the behind the scenes processes of chocolate production, and a plenty of samples. Following our tour, we loaded up on their delicious chocolates. It was so hard to pick what we should buy. If we had the money, I'm sure we would have walked out with the entire store quite literally!

![](/photos/2011/09/DSC_0914-2048x1356.jpg "DSC_0914")

One of our purchases from the Fremont-based chocolatier was the Taste of Washington Caramel Collection, which we sampled from tonight. The flavors in this box included apple cider, [Caffé Vita](http://www.caffevita.com/) (a Seattle-based coffee roasting company), cherry, and lavender. All of the decadent caramels were buttery smooth and packed full of their respective flavor. The cherry brought the most interesting texture and taste to the table and takes first place in both of our minds. That's not to say that any of the others weren't delectable, and it's definitely worth trying some of Theo's more unique flavors like the lavender one we bought or the basil caramel, which we tried in the store. Who would have thought that a pesto-y chocolate candy could taste so delicious?

![](/photos/2011/09/DSC_0917-2048x1356.jpg "DSC_0917")

Unfortunately, the little puppy could not indulge in this treat. She makes a sad face.

![](/photos/2011/09/DSC_0945-2048x1356.jpg "DSC_0945")


#seattle