Monsoon Restaurant in Seattle: Delightful and Delicious

We ordered too much and then somehow ate it all. That sums up our first visit to Monsoon on Capitol Hill, a restaurant that describes itself as serving Vietnamese Food with Pacific Northwest innovation. I am not very familiar with Vietnamese dishes, but Dan found this restaurant online and knew we'd like it. 

The menu was loaded with options, so we chose a variety of dishes to try for fun. My salad (above) was a refreshing and crunchy mix of shredded green papaya and herbs with caramelized shallots and shrimp. It was bright, tasty and healthy. 

We had this fun weekday night because Dan decided to drive into Seattle with me to have an early dinner before I went to my sorority alum book club. While I was discussing books, he was buying some at Elliott Bay Book Company. Win-win.

Okay, back to Monsoon. Everything was presented so beautifully, I took a picture as each dish arrived. My safety net was the chicken dumplings. I thought that if everything was too spicy, I could rely on the dumplings. Well, they were stars on their own. Each bite was tender and satisfying, while the dipping sauce was salty and complex. I would definitely order this again and again. They really filled me up, though and I had just tried the Grilled Lemongrass Beef skewers.

Wow. The flavor of the beef was sweet and spicy and the tender meat pulled easily off of the lemongrass skewers. This dish definitely scored high in my mind.

But surprisingly, my all time favorite was the Asian Eggplant with spicy coconut sauce. It was silky and tender and rich and divine. Oh Monsoon, you have taken over my taste buds and made sure that I'll be back. Thank you.

#seattleblogger #monsoonseattle #seattle #vietnamese #pnw #datenight #capitolhill #seattlerestaurants #illbeback

Seattle: Vios Cafe in Capitol Hill

Vios Cafe is one of my favorite places to eat in Seattle and it is in the a great location in Capitol Hill. The style is Greek and everything we have had has been high quality, fresh and delicious. Look at the gorgeous Trio Sampler of Hommus, Tzatziki and Kopanisti (sheep’s milk feta cheese, roasted red pepper and red hot pepper) served with warm pita bread along with an order of marinated olives.

We met our friend, Shannon here and the three of us devoured these dips with glasses of wine and cold Pellegrino. 

My satisfying dinner was grilled chicken souvlaki with tzatziki, parsley, red onion and pita. I just love these flavors and it comes to the table this beautiful every time. Want to hear the best news? 

Vios Cafe accepts reservations through Open Table, my favorite app. Open Table allows me to make a plan with friends and know that we won't be standing around for an hour hoping to get into a great place. It's my own little concierge and I love it.

Seattle: Tallulah's Neighborhood Cafe in Capitol Hill

Talluhlah's is a great spot for a date. It is on the corner of Mercer and 19th Ave in Capitol Hill, just down from the Hello Robin cookies/Molly Moon ice cream dessert shop. The decor is black and white and has a Pottery Barn-meets-Great Gatsby feel to it. They have a large beautiful bar and an upscale menu, but the mood is relaxed enough to let the fresh air in, with walls that open up to the patio tables and beyond. The white twinkle lights remind you how close you are to dining under the stars.

We enjoyed their Three Dips with Crudités & Lavash Crackers, which includes a castelvetrano olive tapenade, walnut muhammara and a red pepper hummus (above). Nice sharp flavors that could stand up to the fizz of my sparkling water and the bite of Dan's ginger beer.

I ordered the Hanger Steak with fingerling potatoes, with a side of beets and goat yogurt. Dan had the Neah Bay King Salmon with corn and edamame and added a twice baked sweet potato with maple. We shared back and forth and everything was good, but my favorite dish was the sweet potato, which was whipped and almost souffle like. Note to self, this Thanksgiving, figure out how to make a sweet potato souffle! 

After dinner, hold hands and wander a few doors down for a sweet treat. It will be a lovely evening, I promise.

Seattle: Southern Comfort Food at the Kingfish Cafe

I couldn't wait to sit down and have dinner at a restaurant that cooks in a traditional southern recipes.  My friends had raved about the cooking at the Kingfish Cafe in the Capitol Hill area of Seattle and had brought me along on one of their frequent visits. I loved this charming restaurant and I will be back!

You know how I love to take pictures.  I can usually wait until I get to the table, but not here! The candlelit hostess area was too beautiful to pass up.

I ordered the buttermilk fried chicken and it was delicious - juicy, tender, flavorful.  Paired with mashed potatoes and collard greens, it was comforting and crave-worthy.  My friend had shrimp and grits (pictured, right) and I wanted that too! Every item on the menu sounded wonderful and I know that I'll have fun returning to try more their special dishes, especially the gumbo.

It was the beginning of strawberry season when we dined at the Kingfish Cafe. We knew that splurging on the homemade Strawberry Shortcake was the right thing to do; what we didn't know was that it would be as large as our head! 

We really should have put something in the picture to show scale - this dessert was enormous! And perfect.  Super sweet fresh berries, homemade whipped cream, fresh tender biscuits. Wow. This dish tasted like summer.

I ducked my head in their adjoining bluesy bar which boasts live music and a bevy of bourbon-based drinks.   Mint Julep, anyone?

Seattle: Remedy Tea House in Capitol Hill

I had the chance to visit Remedy Tea, a really great spot to have a restorative cup of tea as my favorite English author would say.  Remember how much I love Rosamunde Pilcher's The Shell Seekers? It's about time to reread it...

I love having tea. I love offering someone a cup of tea.  I even have a tea station (this is it at Christmas) in my dining room. So after many recommendations, I couldn't wait to visit Remedy Tea in Capitol Hill.

They offer over 150 organic teas to buy and brew at home or enjoy in their bright and happy tea room.  The entire selection is displayed in test tubes along the entry wall and patrons are welcome to open and smell each tea as part of their selection process. So smart - I think people forget how closely scent and taste relate.

The shop was very active at 1 o'clock on an overcast Wednesday.  Business people with laptops, two mothers taking time to catch up with their babies in tow, a mother-daughter duo.  Everyone deciding that things would be better with a pot of tea in front of them. Nice!

Seattle: Vios Cafe in Capitol Hill: The Clean Plate Club

Vios Cafe, in the Capitol Hill area of Seattle, is my kind of place - meals crafted with care and served in a casual atmosphere.  There are shared tables, kids romping in the play area and I promise you, this is a place where everyone cleans their plate!  We started with a Trio Dip Sampler (Babaganoush, Tzatziki and Hummus) served with warm pita bread and a Marinated Olive Mix. Our starters were so delicious I could have made that my meal, but...

I did order the Chicken Souvlaki (oregano and lemon marinated skewers with tzatziki, slow roasted tomatoes and pita) and you can see Dan's Moussaka (baked casserole layered with eggplant, spiced meat sauce and potato, topped with bechamel) in the background.  We both loved our dinners and can't wait to visit again.  To give you an idea, I am going to insist we order the exact same thing - dips to chicken. Yum!