Seattle Food Tour, Part 1

A couple of weeks ago, we got to travel to Seattle for a 5-day weekend (did I hear an, 'Amen'?!).  A few of my dearest friends live in the area, and it was SO good to make the trip out to see them. My heart was full when I returned home.

Gorgeous dahlias at Pike Place. Only $5 a bunch!

If you know me at all, or if you've read the title of this blog, you'll know that my heart was not the only thing that was full when I left on that flight back to L.A. Yeah, my tummy left full too.

Shout out to Yakima! That's where we drove to see some of our friends.

What a great food town! And beverage town, while I'm at it. Good for coffee, wine, and beer lovers.

Here are the first 5 places we visited. Yes, I said, "first five."

Note: Calories were not counted in the making of this post.
Pike Place Fish Market. Young, burly guys throwing fish and yelling at each other. It is strangely entertaining. And world famous. And the products they sell are good too. We bought 2 lbs of smoked salmon on our way home (but it wasn't cheap).

Piroshky, Piroshky. Russian pastry pockets filled with combos like potato, cheese, and onion or beef and onion. There are sweet ones too, like the Coffee Cinnamon Roll, that actually has ground coffee bits in it. Genius. The dough on these things is awesome. Don't miss this hole-in-the-wall.

It's worth every penny of the $3-5 you'll spend on a little snack for the road. Anthony Bourdain thought so too.

Gourmet Dog Japon. Japanese hot dogs?!? Oh yes. Think sushi flavors combined with a juicy sausage on a soft bun. It's a-maz-ing. We had the Matsuri, a kielbasa sausage topped with seaweed, mayo, shredded carrots and green onions. I was skeptical...

 ...but then I saw the trusty photo of a celebrity chef guy, Andrew Zimmern, of Bizarre Foods on the Travel Channel. If he visited, it's probably pretty good. And it was. Really, surprisingly good.

Starbucks. The first one. The one you're supposed to take your picture in front of. Is this one of the 1,001 places to visit before you die? Maybe. Well, I can check that one off my list. Though super crowded, it does, however, get kudos for having one of the quirkiest, nicest baristas I've met. It was a pleasant experience for a tourist trap.

Lastly...
Uli's Famous Sausage. This stand in the middle of the Pike Place Market could easily be passed by. I mean, seriously, I didn't even take a picture. What was I thinking? However, it should not be missed. If you like meat, you'll find something you like here. We bought 5 varieties and had them packed with ice to take home on the plane with us. So far we've tried two. They are excellent, especially the Bacon Sausage. Tastes just like bacon, but it's in sausage form. So when you wake up on Sunday morning and can't decide whether you want a side of bacon or sausage, you can just reach for the bacon sausage. Easy peasy.

This is only the start. More to come on this food tour. Stay tuned.