A Few of My Favorite Things...

Chad and I have done a lot of adventuring in the 18 months we've lived up here in the glorious northwest. In the process, we've discovered some really, really awesome places. And now I'm going to share them with you!

Saigon Rose.
I love this restaurant! It is in the same shopping center as Shari's and 24 hour fitness. Chad and I eat there at least twice a month and we always get the same order: beef brisket pho (pronounced like you're asking a question), spicy chicken wings, and crab rangoon. Oh my goodness. Just the thought of our regular order sends my salivary glands into overdrive. For those who haven't experienced the magic of pho, it is like the Vietnamese version of chicken noodle soup. Warm and savory, perfect on a cold, rainy northwest day. The spicy chicken wings are incredible. They are coated in this super flavorful but not too spicy goo. I literally have dreams about these wings. And the crab rangoon comes with a sweet and spicy dipping sauce that I could drink by the gallon. The service is great here too. They are always super kind and accommodating.

Catfish Corner.
This is a little restaurant on 104th in Kent. I saw an article in the Kent magazine about it opening awhile back. Chad served his mission in Louisiana and has a special place in his heart for real southern food, so we had to check it out. We got there a quarter to noon. To our dismay, the restaurant didn't open for another 15 minutes and people were already lining up outside the door. It's just that good! The service was incredibly fast and it took all of ten minutes to get to the front of the line, order and get our food. Their specialty is southern fried catfish. It's not like the greasy beer battered stuff that you get at most fish and chip places. This fish is bathed in a delicious corn meal batter and cooked to perfection. They serve it up with their homemade tarter sauce, which they sell by the tub. It's probably not good for you, but it is oh so tasty.

Full Tilt.
Here's their description on myspace: "Full Tilt Ice Cream. 9629 16th ave sw, the heart of White Center. 206-767-4811 The main focus is going to be ice cream (of course) and pinball. We 8 pinball machines and some vintage arcades. The ice cream is hand made. Twelve different flavors with six changing daily. In addition to that we got popsicles. The ingredients are local and organic when available. We always have a vegan selection as well as an array of vegan baked goods. Also we are looking to support local artists by having monthly art openings as well as bands on a semi regular basis. Our planed opening date is June 20th. Read our press! Seattle PI; West Seattle Blog; White Center News; NW Source; Seattle Conscious Choice; Seattle PI #2;"

This place is seriously so cool. The icecream is so unbelievably good!!! Oh my freaking heck. So good. And they make the waffle cones right in front of you when you order. And they are CHEAP! Our whole family got single scoop waffle cones (also a "single scoop" is really two scoops) for under $10. And the pinball machines are super fun. A bunch of them are only 25 cents to play. They even have little step stools all over the place so that the little guys can reach the buttons. A super fun place for your family home evening outings.

XXX Rootbeer.
I know it sounds a little naughty, but the "xxx" refers to the homemade brew (rootbeer). It's a 50's diner with the tastiest sandwiches and homemade rootbeer you're ever likely to find. Sure, it' terrible for you, but most good food is, right? They have vintage car shows there all the time too. Just be careful to type in the right web address or you're likely to come up with more than hamburgers.

Boehm's Chocolates.
This is right across the street from XXX Rootbeer. We usually hit up both in the same trip. It's a chocolate store started by some dude who literally skied across the Alps to escape Hitler. Someone told him that Issaquah looked the most like his hometown, so he built himself a chalet with a view of Mt. Rainier and started making chocolates. During the summer you can take a tour of his chalet, which I highly recommend. The guy's story is cool enough on its own to make me totally love the store, but the chocolate is also really, really good. It puts that See's junk to shame. My favorite is the "mt. rainier." It's like a cordial cherry on crack. So good.

Rat City Rollergirls.
Okay, so let me preface this by saying I have never actually been to a roller derby bout. But, I have watched a bunch on tv (tnt, or one of those kinds of channels, had a series where they followed a Texas team around for a season) and it is so rad. Seriously, chicks with super cute names (Anya Heels, Carmen Getsome, Darth Skater, Crash Gordon, etc.) beating each other up mercilessly whilst on old school four wheel skates? That is so fun. And, I've been told that at the real bouts, live bands play at half time. So it's a sporting event and a concert at the same time. Tami, I think you should start a LDS league...

As I'm writing this I keep thinking of more and more cool places that I'd love to share with you all! The Seattle area just has so many fun places and delicious restaurants and quirky hangouts. How could you not love living here? Alas, I am sure you are all terribly tired of this post already. The rest will have to wait for another time. Now I challenge you. What are your favorite NW haunts? Give me a new place to visit next date night!