restaurant

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MBARNice Views and Fantastic Food

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MBAR is a very cool spot with views of Lake Union and the Space Needle (and cranes, a lot of them!). It is one of my favorite rooftop restaurants.

When you arrive, you are greeted on the first floor of the building. If you have a reservation, you will be accompanied into the elevator up to the 14th floor. Then, you still have to walk along a windowed hallway toward colorful fluorescent tubes. Listening to the pounding music, it feels like you are entering a club!

They have a beautiful patio but it was really too cold to dine al fresco. We were seated inside enjoying the views through large windows.

First, we ordered great craft cocktails. On the menu, every appetizer and entree looked delicious, and we had a hard time choosing. Our table shared 4 main dishes, all tasty!

  • Grilled trout with avocado, sumac, labneh & fenugreek
  • Rabbit braised with caramelized savoy cabbage, pancetta & caraway
  • Duck confit with khoresh of black eyed peas, chestnut & pomegranate
  • Root vegetable cassoulet with turnip, rutabaga, snowcap beans, chantenay carrot & pomegranate

MBAR and Mamnoon have the same owners. You can taste some Mediterranean influences but they mainly serve Pacific Northwest fusion food, if I can call it that… Check my previous post on Mon Petit Seattle about Mamnoon: I love everything at Mamnoon.

MBAR – 400 Fairview Ave N – Seattle   –  http://mbarseattle.com/

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Ursa Minor on Lopez Island

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It was a perfect day to go to Lopez Island and this jewel was a great way to end it.

After a long day of wandering on the Island, we were happy to stop at Ursa Minor for dinner.

We could have sat inside in a beautiful and unpretentious room (I love the wishbone chairs!) but we preferred to enjoy the sunset outside and watch the water and bikers riding along.

 

 

The whole experience was great and easygoing.

Ingredients at Ursa Minor are mostly locally-sourced and we started our meal with a refreshing local cider. Our party of three ordered almost everything on the menu!

Shishito peppers, peach and Ricotta – Heirloom tomato, new onion, plum – Summer squash, smoked roe, yogurt – Raw Albacore, shiitake, Nasturtiums – Chicken, sauerkraut, wild onion…

Each dish was delicious and made with flavorful ingredients.

This great experience ended our day trip to Lopez on an exceptional note.

— URSA MINOR 210 Lopez Road – Lopez Island – Washington – 98261

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Le Pichet

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I like this cozy nice little place, which really looks like a French Bistro. Le Pichet is a few blocks from Pike Market on First avenue. If you want to escape the touristy crowds of the Market, this is the place to go.

The lunch menu is quite short but you can start with some good baguette and butter.

Tuna Salad: House-made albacore tuna conserve, baby romaine, marinated Orca beans, red onion, oregano and spice-roasted Delicata squash. The tuna conserve was delicious, and the beans and squash were comforting.

The heavy French onion soup (caramelised onion soup with crouton and gruyère cheese): a perfect dish for a cold windy day.

Otherwise the Assiette de fromages or the Assiette de charcuterie is always a goo choice!

They have a good by the glass or pichet French wine list. Pichet is a small pitcher (pictured below).

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And last but not least, service was super nice.

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— Le Pichet   1933 1st Avenue