The incredible “scout mint” ice cream at Molly Moon’s!
This weekend, I took a quick trip to Seattle to visit my best friend Emily – and eat my weight in delicious things to report back to you all, of course. I’m so excited to share my favorite eats in Seattle with you guys – well, my favorite eats I could pack into 48 hours, at least!
Seattle is a very cool city – it reminds me of LA in that it feels very urban, but also spread out and spacious at the same time. It’s filled with fun neighborhoods that each have their own vibe to them, and there are parks and open green spaces, bike trails along the water, and all kinds of nature everywhere. Plus, the emphasis on locally grown, healthy sustainable food is found everywhere you look and is incredibly admirable – the excitement around Pacific Northwest food culture in Seattle is totally infectious. Emily and I ate a lot this weekend, and she was the best kind of tour guide (food-focused, that is). Here are some of my favorite things we ate!
Our first fun stop was Din Tai Fung in University Village. This restaurant has a few locations in the Seattle area, and we were greeted with a looooooong wait when we arrived for a late lunch on Saturday. It was totally worth it though – we managed to snag a seat at the bar after not too long, and quickly ordered up a smorgasborg of Asian goodies.
My favorite was for sure the pork soup dumplings – they were filled with flavor and were just the perfect savory bite. We also ordered fried noodles, spicy pork dumplings, vegetable steamed buns (my fave!!), and this incredible spicy cucumber side dish that was spicy and flavorful but still the perfect cold, fresh counterpart to all of our noodles and dumplings. Din Tai Fung showed me that I need more soup dumplings in my life, man.
Another highlight was dinner Saturday night at Local 360 in the Belltown area. Belltown is a cool neighborhood near downtown Seattle, with lots of nightlife and busy restaurants, so it was a great place for Saturday night dinner. In addition to having a great “date night” ambiance, Local 360 had some awesome food as well. 90% of their ingredients come from within 360 miles from Seattle, so sustainability and local eating are their core values. Most importantly (in my opinion) the food was really delicious! Em and I split the root beer glazed pork belly (SWOON), the pear and endive salad, and the wood-grilled sourdough bread with whipped butter and sea salt to start (DOUBLE SWOON).
Everything was delicious, but the pork belly totally stole the show. The glaze was sticky without being overly sweet, and more reminiscent of the deep savory flavors of root beer than a can of soda. It was cooked perfectly with a crunchy exterior – we loved it! I also loved the pear and endive salad, but the big chunks of candied ginger were a bit much for Emily (and likely a lot of other diners, too, I would imagine). For our main dish, we split the fried chicken with cheesy grits, collard greens, and a sunny-side up egg, which was also fantastic (and seriously fancy for a fried chicken dish). The chicken was super moist with a crunchy panko crust, the grits were smooth and cheesy, and there was major bacon throughout the whole thing – add a runny egg on top and it was basically the definition of decadence!
Last but not least – for brunch on Sunday, we made our way to the artsy/hippie area of Fremont to Restaurant Roux. We sipped mimosas and both chose a “classic” breakfast – eggs, meat, toast, and potatoes/fruit – but it could not have been done better.
Emily got the Andouille sausage (always a good idea at a Cajun restaurant), and I got sliced ham, and both were excellent – the Andouille sausage was spicy and flavorful, and the ham was sweet and thin-shaved. It was the perfect easy but well-executed brunch after a long weekend of decadent eating. And P.S. – we saw some pancakes go by, and something tells me those are not to be missed, either!
Other amazing eats and foodie things around Seattle:
Molly Moon’s – A Seattle ice cream institution with a few locations around the city, this artisan ice cream shop also sources all of its ingredients locally and sustainably is not to be missed while visiting Seattle. Emily and I went for ice cream last time I visited a few years ago, and I was all-too-happy to go again. My go-to order? A scoop of their Scout Mint, which has a light natural minty flavor with Thin Mint chunks stirred in. Heaven!!
The Fremont Sunday Market – Pike’s Place is obviously a must-see if you’ve never done it before, but I visited Pike’s the past few times I came to Seattle so we mixed it up a bit this time. This market in the artsy Fremont area is filled with artisans, vintage shopping, and great street food. I nommed this falafel sandwich after a few hours of browsing and it was seriously awesome.
Theo Chocolate Factory Tour – An incredible artisan chocolate company committed to sustainable practices and high-quality ingredients. (Noticing a theme here? You go Seattle!) We took one of their factory tours, and it was super fun and informative – plus, you get to sample A LOT of chocolate! Their chocolate is truly phenomenal, and I learned a lot about the making (and most importantly, tasting) of chocolate. Plus, it’s the gift that keeps on giving – I brought a box of their incredible confections home for us to enjoy for days (uh, I mean weeks)! Definitely a great Seattle stop.
That’s it for this round-up of my food loves in Seattle! Every time I visit this awesome city, I can’t wait to go back. Can’t wait for my next trip!
Contact Info:
Din Tai Fung University Village
2621 NE 46th St
Seattle, WA 98105
http://dintaifungusa.com/
Local 360
2234 1st Ave.
Seattle, WA 98121
http://www.local360.org/
Restaurant Roux
4201 Fremont Ave N.
Seattle, WA 98103
http://restaurantroux.com/
