Follow Me Foodie to 2 Days in Seattle!

Follow Me Foodie to 2 Days in Seattle!

And this was the closest I ever got to the iconic Space Needle. It helped that I’ve been to Seattle many times, but to be honest it is usually to use their airport. It has been a while since I’ve done a food trip there, and being from Vancouver, BC it is probably one of the most popular cities on the West Coast I get asked restaurant recommendations for. It is a short 2 hour road trip and there is a lot to do there even if it is just to eat, and that’s exactly what I did. Are you surprised? I hope not.

I was invited by Visit Seattle for their 2 Days in Seattle campaign which gave me the opportunity to explore and experience Seattle as I pleased – with no expectations. I obviously chose to do this through food though, which is how I got started blogging anyway, and I spent most my time in restaurants.

I’ve had an ongoing bucket list of places to eat in Seattle and I’ve been adding to it over the last few years. It was long enough to keep me busy for a month at least, so it was time to cross some off. Selection was key and the point wasn’t to cram in as many restaurants as possible, but to pick quality restaurants influencing the culinary scene. Things change so quickly too so I wanted to get some of the long time classics, as well as some of the current A-listers and hot spots for a broader perspective.

I had 2 days in Seattle which isn’t a lot of time to get to know a city, let alone really understand the culinary scene, but it gave me an idea. I know it is only 2 hours South of Vancouver, but a lot changes once you cross that border. Not only is the currency different, but the population, environment, immigration and mentality are different which influences their food and culture.

The portions are bigger, the food is more affordable, the Mexican food gets better, their local distilleries are worth exploring alone, and there is a quirky interest in Southern food which likely comes from Portland. There is a trickle up “copy cat” affect which Vancouver picks up on later on, but Seattle still had its own flavour. The Asian influence and emphasis on local isn’t as strong as they are in Vancouver, but I have yet to explore their Thai and Vietnamese food which they are somewhat known for.

In 48 hours I managed to try 10 eateries and restaurants and about 55 dishes, courses, baked goods and desserts. I’m not keen on trying 5% of the dishes at a restaurant and I like to make a respectable dent in a menu before writing about it. Sometimes a restaurant can nail everything on the menu, but often there are key things to order and avoid. I want to save you the time because 2 days in Seattle, or in any city is precious, and there is no time to waste.

This is a small highlight of how I experienced “2 Days in Seattle” from a Follow Me Foodie perspective. Hope you follow along my posts for a detailed account of all 55 things and how it went down. Stay tuned for the good, the bad, the “must tries” and the “skip its”.

Here is just a small taste of things you can expect from Follow Me Foodie to Seattle!

From a traditional croissant (from Crumble & Flake)…

… to an American style croissant with ham (from Sitka & Spruce)…

… to an innovative smoked paprika and cheddar croissant (from Crumble & Flake)…

… to a delectable pistachio croissant (from Crumble & Flake)…

… there is still something to be said about the beauty of a classic croissant (from Cafe Besalu).

From Caribbean roast pork sandwiches (from Paseo)…

… to Oaxacan mole roast pork.

From chicory salad…

… to cracked emmer and lentil salad.

From brunch time poached egg with eggplant and cherries…

… to dinner time sous vide duck egg with Tagliatelle (from Spur).

From sous vide quail eggs (from Canlis)…

… to passion fruit reverse spherification “quail eggs”.

From Sockeye Salmon crostini (from Spur)…

… to smoked salmon mousse in black olive cornet.

From apricot puff pastry (from Cafe Besalu)…

… to apricot, white chocolate and bourbon (from Spur).

From local Dinah’s Cheese and cherries…

… to off the Greek Coast Dorade fish and figs.

From Korean inspired octopus (from Joule)…

… to Korean inspired short rib (from Joule).

From braised lamb…

… to lamb saddle (from Canlis).

From coconut panna cotta with brûléed grapefruit (from Joule)…

… to sorrel panna cotta with szechuan pepper ice cream (from Spur).

From hazelnut gelato…

… to hazelnut twist (from Cafe Besalu)…

… to brown butter hazelnut cake with fenugreek cream (from Joule).

From iconic Seattle chocolate factories…

… to molten chocolate hot cakes.

From family run kitchens…

… to open community kitchens.

From multicultural kitchens…

to modernist kitchens.

Seattle is the home to some big players and culinary leaders on the West Coast. From food bloggers to food journalists, and AllRecipes.com to ChefSteps.com, they are pushing the culinary scene in all directions and for all markets. They have 23 restaurants by James Beard Award winners and it was an honour to meet a few of them.

Pictured above is the James Beard Award winning team and key members of Modernist Cuisine, arguably the bible for today’s professional chefs and serious home cooks. From left to right is co-author of Modernist Cuisine, Chris Young, chef Grant Lee Crilly, and photographer Ryan Matthew Smith.

The triple threat left Modernist Cuisine and started ChefSteps which is an interactive community based site featuring free online cooking demonstrations, recipes, and techniques using videos and photography. If you’re a follower of Modernist Cuisine than this is the next step.

My version of Seattle starts here!