Hey We Met The Traveling Man

One of the highlights of the year is when The Traveling Man(Steve) makes his annual visit to the Pacific Northwest. This year Trudy, Sam and i got to spend a little bit of time with TTM as he labored and it was a lot of fun.
Our first encounter was dinner at the Hawthorne Fish House, a place on trendy Hawthorne Avenue that features proudly gluten free offerings . Besides the west coast
halibut and salmon, the Wiscoinson-born owners also cook up perch and catfish. I am fond of their process which coats the fish in chiles and their jalapeno tartar sauce that makes the fish quite spicy and tasty. Steve had not slept well and was very tired. He did have halibut and a good microbrew and the rest of us had salmon fish and chips. We also had cheese curds, a midwestern treat not often featured on west coast menus. The Hawthorne Street Fish House is also the local Packer backers meeting spot during football season and it is a lot of fun to watch the local cheeseheads go native.
Steve departed for some much needed rest and the four of us met later at thr Random Order Coffeehouse and Bakery in the trendy Alberta Street Arts district. This bakery features what i believe to be the best pies in the city. Steve opted for brandied peach, I opted for Nectarine Cream with a jelly crust. I have never had a bad pie here but my nectarine was sensational, multiple pieces of fruit in a cream pie that was nad pleasingly sweet.. The place is decorated with work from local artists that is for sale and a print of Elvis as an astronaut.
Sam turned down a chance to meet with TTM in Seattle(he went go-kart racing with a friend) but Trudy and I headed up north to see him in Seattle. Our first stop was the Pacific Rim Bonsai Collection in Federal Way, Washington, just north of Tacoma. I had never seen Bonsai in person before and I was moved by their beauty. Some the pots they were grown in were of high artistic quality but the plants were the real stars; I could not believe how these plants mimicked the forms of larger plants so perfectly. I don't know much about bonsai but I know these plants were something to behold.

We lunched at the Red Mill Burger(reviewed on this site). I had a Bleu cheese burger with perfectly battered onion rings, a combination of flavors that sat well on the tongue. There was a wonderful mix of old folks, students and families enjoying themselves and savoring a non-chain burger experience.
Trudy and I met TTM at Ray's Boathouse, a seafood place in the Ballard section of Seattle that is right on Puget Sound. We dined on the outside deck as it was a rare sunny and very warm day. Dolphins played offshore and sea lions attempted to raid seafood nets for their lunch. Steve had an excellent salad, Trudy and I shared grilled oysters and an order of steamed clams. We gazed at the animals, the ships on the sound, and the distant Olympic mountains . I don't get to sit in the sun and dine on the water much and it was a wondrous time.
Ray's has been reviewed in the older Roadfood books and is kind of a schizophrenic place; by night it is a swanky, expensive restaurant wtih great formality and valet parking, during the day it is a casual place witha great view. Liked the food , loved the sights and the company.
Visited Ballard Locks with Steve and watch a harbor tour boat and a host of smaller craft go through the locks. Steve then went back to his official duties and Trudy and I went out for dinner.
Our stop was the Coastal Kitchen, a Capitol Hill spot that has been reviewed on this site. Trudy talked with our hostess and discovered that the dishes recommended on this site were no longer being served. The chef likes to go on what she calls "culinary cruises." She had been serving Moroccan food at the place when it was reviewed and she is now serving Mexican cuisine. My fish was served with a spicy sauce and the mashed yams were not sweetened but instead were served with a dollop of butter, savory rather than sweet. It was imaginative food served with flair, tasty but not roadfood.

Sounds great. Steve was through here a couple of weeks ago.

I would love to be with "chips" and "travelin'" at the same time. Two of my favorite people. They are both "talkers", while I am more of a "listener".

I think it would be great fun watching how they complete a conversation while both talking at the same time...

Steve's a great eating companion! I look forward to his visits to Dallas.

Come to think about it, Bushie is a great dinner companion too!

I have it on good authority (in other words, i95 told me) that this Travelin' Man of whom you speak is a royal jerk.

Mr. Chips, thanks for the report. I'm usually a fish/seafood frowner, but your report just made me hungry! Sounds like a beautiful area for those who love the outdoors and for foodies.

mr chips-
It is amazing how many Roadfooders you have managed to meet so far. You are obviously an excellent host and goodwill ambassador for Portland!

quote:

Originally posted by The Travelin Man

I have it on good authority (in other words, i95 told me) that this Travelin' Man of whom you speak is a royal jerk.

Please. I would never use the word "royal."

After Travelin Man blew me off in Florida, I am beginning to wonder! He used some poor excuse of how he is busy traveling around the country for work.

quote:

Originally posted by buffetbuster

After Travelin Man blew me off in Florida, I am beginning to wonder! He used some poor excuse of how he is busy traveling around the country for work.

Don't feel bad, as he said the same thing to me...

Yeah....but, I was only making it up once!

quote:

Originally posted by The Travelin Man

Yeah....but, I was only making it up once!

That's horrible,
How could you do that to poor Buffetbuster

Great report!

Just to clarify - upstairs at Ray's is casual, where they serve lunch. Downstairs is the formal evening restaurant.

Still waiting for Travellin Man to continue his Crisscrossing the Country Thread...he left us in Denver!

But he graced the Chicago area on whirlwind of Fried Seafood, Gooey Butter Cakes (imported, of course) and Diner fare!