Food Tour: Seattle

If you have ever spent a substantial amount of time with me, you know I love food. Not just any food, but good, rich, fresh and delicious food. I love to cook, I love restaurants I love wine and I love good company. Though Anacortes has a fairly large selection of restaurants, coffee shops and wine bars, it's not quite on par with the innovative and fresh style that a big city like Seattle can bring. After an hour in the gym this morning and the 90 minute drive, we were ravenous by the time we reached the city.

1st stop: Serious Pie

No ranch and Tapatio necessary. Chef Tyler Florence from the Food Network claimed it was the best pizza he ever ate (and he is from New York!) and after today, I must agree. We got the local wild mushroom and truffle cheese pizza to share, and Kim (Wills sister) got the yukon gold potato (potato!!) pizza with rosemary and pecorino cheese. Oh my god. Totally worth the wait! They fire roast their pizza with a thin crust (thin in a good way... still a good amount of doughy-ness but with an added crispy-ness) SO GOOD!!!!! All forthcoming pizzas will be compared to this.

2nd stop: Piroshky Piroshky

pi·rozh·ki also pi·rosh·ki (p-rôshk, -rsh-)

pl.n.

Small Russian pastries filled with finely chopped meat or vegetables, baked or fried

Need I say more? In all honesty, this is Kim's "must-see" in Seattle, mainly because they fill those little pastries with 100% comfort food... and the smell wafting down Pike Street is intoxicating and lures you to the guaranteed long line outside of the tiny shop.

They have sweet piroshkys, like the chocolate hazelnut and savory ones like mushroom onion... all of which boast a heavenly, soft, flakey crust. But we did not eat our little pies, we took them home for later.

3rd Stop: Lola

Dessert. This place is famous for its doughnuts. Yes. Doughnuts. But not the typical kind you find in a coffee shop, these little pastries are reminiscent of the beignets (ben_yay) found in New Orleans. They look like little pillows doused in cinnamon sugar. Lola serves theirs hot and in white paper bags filled with sugar that they shake right before they plate them. On the side is a ramekin of marzipan and a ramekin of pear butter to compliment your amazing doughnuts. Interestingly enough, Lola is owned by the same guys who owns Serious Pie, Tom Douglas.

4th Stop: Top Pot

We have been on a mission to find coffee like Kean in Costa Mesa and Noble in Ashland... you would think they would be easier to find? But no. Originally made famous for their old-fashioned doughnuts, Top Pot is scattered all over Seattle and their doughnuts are served in Starbucks! They also make a pretty good, semi-sweet Ovaltine Mocha, but their latte is still not quite up to par with Kean, sadly. I think what makes this coffee shop worth the trip, though, is its two story floor to celling, wall to wall, fully stocked book shelf. It's like a library. It's impressive. Like Beauty and the Beast.

***

Every time we go to Seattle, we fall more and more in love with the place. The architecture is so beautiful and the rain only seems to enhance its allure. It's hip, clean and so charming! But after trekking around the city all day, rich foods and the 90 minute drive home, our food tour turned into a food coma. I passed out as soon as I got home and have been in recovery mode ever since.