The journey is more fun then the destination

One of the best parts about our short Durango trip was driving there! Utah is absolutely gorgeous right now with all of the snow, if you hadn't noticed, and made for one content car ride.

Durango Coffee Company not only made me a bomb 'shot in the dark', but is a home cooks dream!

Durango Bagels: Cinnamon sugar bagel with raspberry cream cheese

Fuzziwig's Candy Shop: Valentine display

Besides the railroad and steamworks brewery, Durango also has a fun main street scene. I was pleasantly surprised to find they had a Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory! They also have a small but kick ass candy store, an amazing culinary and coffee stop, and a really decent bagel shop.

Durango-Silverton Railroad

Really our whole point for going to Durango for a few days was to ride the railroad: one of Ziggy's Christmas present. It was also my first train ride. The train was built in the 1880's from Durango to Silverton for mining purposes. The station is still in its original location and has been open to the public for years and years. During the winter it only goes about halfway: to Cascade Canyon.

The train operates very slowly, it takes two hours each way and we got out in Cascade to eat lunch and explore a little bit. The river is completely frozen in some sports, but is starting to break, and as the train descends you can see it slowly melting more and more.

Delicious Steamworks brews and bites

You can refer to my explanation on the previous post about why you should visit steam-works brews, but of course I need to give examples of the food! So we ate three meals here, two for dinner and one for lunch why we left.

The first night I tried the plum infused Kolsh (cask beer). I wasn't too impressed. I don't get the whole cask thing: when they are trying to bring old school brewing back but this is a useless attempt because brewers have found much better techniques to store beer in modern day and age. There is a reason why they stopped storing in wooden barrels. Anyways, the Kolsh hardly had any plum flavor at all. Just a watery flat beer. The Lizard Head Red Ale was awesome though! It was so rounded with flavor and packed a punch.
That night I had the cornmeal crusted red trout with a cilantro-lime slaw and garlic mashed potatoes. I was stupid and thought it would be too dark to bring my camera along so no good pave photos, you just have to take my word.

Second night: I ordered the 3rd eye p.a. (very hoppy, almost some citrussy flavors, delicious also), and the gyro with a ceaser salad. The gyro was really good, the meat juicy and tender and the pita bread fresh. I know they had to have used pre-frozen meat because I've worked with it before. I still very much enjoyed it, and the salad was very different and inventive. The romaine was almost shredded because it was cut so thin. They garnished it with tiny roasted almonds that really gave it a nice texture and flavor element.

The third/last meal was probably the best. I ordered fish tacos that also had the cilantro-lime slaw and a Cuban aoili. Once again, I know there are slim chances of fish being fresh in Durango, but it still rocked. Two tacos and I was stuffed. Also, Thursdays are two dollar pint days! I had a different pale ale, and the steam engine lager which is very much like an amber ale in color and richness. Ziggy also enjoyed all of his meals, and actually ate almost everything. They serve the kids free ice cream as well, so he is the one who suggested we keep going back!

My tribute to Steamworks Brewery!

Zig and I took a mostly Zig vacation to Durango so we could ride the Durango-Silverton train. At first I was excited about trying some new restaurants, of course the center around almost all trips for us. After two disappointing meals, one at a supposive great pizzeria and another at the Irish embassy that has terrible Shepherd's Pie, we ended up having three meals at the Steamwork's Brewery in the 2 1/2 days we were there.

Durango has an exceptional brewer scene for such a small mountain town. These include Steamwork's which is by far the largest restaurant/brewery, Ska Brewing, Carver's, and Durango Brewery.

On our first night we headed over to Steamwork's, I really needed a awesome beer after driving three hours then swimming for a couple more hours at the Rec center. I wasn't expecting much as far as the experience. I know how the Brew Pub scene is, when food and service is usually an after thought to the beer. We were seated right away. There were many families, it was noisy, nothing I didn't expect, but when fifteen minutes floated by and we hadn't even been greeted by our server I'm thinking "Great, I knew it."

This is where I mentally put my foot in my mouth: The young woman who was our server came and apologized for our wait. This is usually good enough for me, I know how things get backed up without it being anyone fault really. I ordered a beer for myself and a milk for Zig. It took another ten minutes for her to come back with our drinks, and when they did she insisted she was would buy my beer that night. I'm thinking "Wow, that's awesome of her." It was about another ten-fifteen minutes for our food to arrive, and the supervisor personally brought us the food and apologized again for the wait and told us my entree was on the house as well. The server kept apologizing, and made sure we had everything we needed.

I have never really received this great of service when things started getting backed up for a restaurant, especially at my local brewery. I usually don't even get an apology for the wait, let alone for multiple employees to go out of their way to make sure my dining experience was turned around. Steamwork's has won me over not along with awesome service, but delicious food and beer. They have taken pub food to the next level, where you can have higher class meal at an exceptional price.

Seattle Day 3: Last Day of Vacation!

Today was the most excitable day of Seattle: Chinatown!
The International District in Seattle is a key point. There are many restaurants that serve amazing Dim Sum, and of course some awesome shopping goes along with it. We were going to go to the Jade Garden, the most popular, where they serve Dim Sum on a cart. I assumed they would be so busy and I knew we could still get some amazing Chinese and not have to wait for too long. So we went to 'Sichuanese Cuisine'.

Everything is cheaper in Chinatown, including parking thank god. We entered the restaurant and to a surprise and relief it was not packed at all (the advantages of eating lunch at 2 o clock). The menu was vast and very hard to decide what to order. I had heard that the 'boiled fish' was amazing there, so I decided on boiled beef since I was pretty fished out. The Chinese lady was super sweet, especially to that brat of mine. Another lady was at the table next to ours rolling egg rolls. I love that kind of shit! When our meal came I instantly regretted ordering so much damn food, we could have all shared two plates and been stuffed. The egg rolls were only so-so, but the rest of the meal made up of for it. Be prepared for some heavy greasy food if coming here, though this can be the style of Sichuanese.

Boiled Beef

d 













Dinner was nothing to write home about but I will mention it. We wanted to some good BBQ and let me tell you:Seattle is NOT the place to go to for BBQ. With all the research I did I found nothing. We decided to go to 'Bitterroot'- which was the highest ranked bbq on Urbanspoon. We ordered a pulled pork sandwich. They gave us a tiny as bun with a crap load of meat on it. The meat was dry and I had to add loads of bbq sauce for flavor, as you an see. I also ordered cornbread that was some of he worse cornbread. It was dry and much too crispy on the bottom. Someone needs to teach Seattlers about cornbread.You really don't have to hipster everything out! Us southerns have been doing it right for decades, and it does not need changed.


Goodbye Seattle! Keep your amazingly high gas prices, non-kid friendly restaurants, and stupid 5 way intersections to yourself. (No but really we had a good time)though the BBQ was a downfall, I love how this city has so many authentic cuisine options, cooked by people of the ethnicity. Sometimes Portland chefs cross that cultural boundary that has been set long ago for a reason.

Seattle Day 2

We got up and go ready right away so we could stop and get coffee and a little morning snack. I can't remember the bakery we went to but they had a great cappuccino and some pretty good french onion soup (all savory breakfast for me). Some girls that were behind the counter were bitches, so maybe that's why I didn't remember the name.

We were debating back and forth about going up the Space Needle, since tickets were 20 bucks an adult and I felt like you could stand up on a mountain top for the same effect. With some persistence from Danzig and the thought that we had already spent a shit load of money thus far so whats another 20 bucks, we decided for it. The space needle is a 5 minute walk from our hotel, which was awesome. It was busy but the line moved very fast.

Going up the elevator scared the crap out of me which I knew it would, since the elevator shaft is all clear glass. I was still freaked out walking around up top, but I am glad we went and experienced such an awesome view and can finally saw we've been to the space needle.

 We then went to 'Salumi' for lunch. Salumi is a very popular, small, crammed packed, line out the door, deli that serves only house cured meats. There menu of meats you can order to take home is intense. I ordered a Mole sandwich, which had salami and chocolate sauce and came on a homemade Italian bread. It was very delicious, but we did wait in line for an hour and I wish the sandwich was able to have had veggies on it because it seemed like I was eating mostly bread.

We then went to see Batman: Dark Knight Rises on the Imax. It would BADASS. I wanted to see it twice: the whole movie my eyes were glued to the screen.

For dinner we vouched for Mexican. Surprisingly we hadn't had it the whole trip. Mind you I've planned at least 75% of our vacations culinary experience around Urbanspoon, for the last time, and I came up with this restaurant called "La Carta de Oaxaca". The place was small like every other restaurant and the place was so loud you had to shout at the waiter who can hardly speak English....and I would definetly go back again. I ordered the carne asada. We had to order chips as extra but they had this neat little salsa bar on the opposite site of the 'line' that had at least 6 different salsas. They weren't just tex-mex or white people salsa either: they resembled much of what I've had my Hispanic cook bring into work to share. Since the kitchen was open and sort of the centerpiece for the restaurant, I was able to sit and watch a little Hispanic woman slap tortillas back and forth.

Carne Asada

My mouth is watering just thinking about the experience.This is how Mexican food is really cooked in the comfort of their homes, and there is usually a woman behind it. It is so customary for the man to be cooking in the restaurants and the woman at home. I see now that the culinary world has not only revolutionized to make room in the restaurants for woman to cook (okay, we might have shoved our way in a little bit), but done so for not only American born citizens but others with cultural barriers. Thumbs up Seattle!

Seattle Day 1

I've never been to Seattle before, I was not sure what to expect. The Interstate was so damn busy (and a little scary) while nearing two hours outside of the city. Once we arrived we decided to go strait to the waterfront and eat at The Crab Pot: a restaurant that was featured on The Travel Channel. I have been searching for the fresh-massive-served seafood the whole trip: and this was it! I spent 30 bucks on the shrimp and crab combo. They brought out a bib, mallet, large sheet of paper, and bashing bashing board before the meal arrived. We ate the crab stuffed jalapenos poppers. They weren't even deep fried but so damn good!!!

They brought of the fish in a large metal bowl and just dumped it in front of my on the table. They also gave me three sides of butter (smart people). I was a little creeped out pulling the heads off the shrimp but I am sure I will get used  to it. I don't have anything bad to say about my meal. It was so damn delicious and I would recommend for anyone to come here while in Seattle for the fresh seafood experience. I finally have had my fill of crab for awhile. I can't even believe I ate the entire meal besides a crab leg or two.

We walked to the Aquarium afterwards for Ziggy. I was not impressed. The small aquarium in Newport, OR was bigger then this one (and they charged us 20 bucks for each adult). They did have an awesome purple octopus that everyone was crowded around with their camera phones, and the seals were so beautiful.
Later we went to Pikes Market which overlooks the waterfront. All of the shops were closing at 6 which was right when we arrived. They have a huge fish market, and all these random little shops and it's difficult to figure out the directory. They had a disgusting gum wall that I guess is really popular. 

For dinner we went a little out of the way to Jai Thai, obviously a Thai restaurant. I can't remember the name of what I ordered. It was basically just a stir fry with beef, basil, pepper, onions, mushrooms, in a spicy sauce. It was very good and at an awesome price. It was nice to have a 12 dollar plate of food and not 30 dollars. I was jealous of Zach's drunken noodles though. I also had a Thailand Mudslide that I had to resist ordering another one. It was made with Thai tea, Bailey's, and some other alcohol. I must go home right away, get my hands on some Thai tea, and recreate this. Very inventive. 

Seaside, OR

This morning we packed up and checked out, getting ready to seaside where….the sea is….but first we had two make two last stops before leaving Portland.

It was the first day of our vacation that it was chilly and rainy. It actually felt great and I loved those kinds of days where you can really enjoy your hot cup of coffee. We went to screen door, a very popular southern restaurant somewhat similar to country cat. The food is cheap, wonderful, and they give you way more than you can handle. I ordered chicken and waffles and Zach got the biscuits and gravy so we could both share our plates. It was so hard just to choose one thing off the menu.

 The chicken and waffles were ridiculous. You need three very hungry people to be able to eat the whole plate. There were three large fried chicken breasts stacked on top of a giant sweet potato waffle, served with a side of syrup and a dash of powdered sugar. The biscuits and gravy were also delicious; I don’t know how else to describe it. The gravy was similar to the one I make from scratch (like any normal person should do), where you fry up the sausage then add the flour and milk to the remaining oil. 

 

We also stopped at the PSU farmers market which was mandatory. I was so incredibly stuffed from breakfast but everything looked good. I bought some fresh cheese, chilies, strawberries, and two different kinds of potatoes. I was able to sample cardamom cheesecake and pick up a gift or two.A cook's dream, especially one from rural Utah.

Where to start with seaside? Well it was packed, which I wasn’t so surprised but I was almost wondering if I had ended up in California if it hadn’t been for any sun. Our hotel was right on Broadway where the shopping strip was located. The beach was just a two minute walk down the street. It was also packed with people but we walked a little further and avoided a majority of the crowd. I can’t say anything horrible about the Ocean itself. I could spend days staring out at the Ocean and building sand castles so Ziggy can destroy them (which is what we did for two days).

The first night we ate at this restaurant called Maggie’s on the prom (named after a cat). It was okay. The view from the restaurant was beautiful but like just about everything I ate in Zeaside I was disappointed. It was fine dining, and I ordered the hazelnut crusted halibut. It was just all right, not really a thirty dollar plate of food. I had the clam chowder which was also okay.

The second day we visited Cannon Beach fifteen minutes from Seaside. It also had a big main strip of tourist shops. The access to the beach was a little crazy trying to park. The beach was crowded but not too bad. There was definitely more sand castle building going on. Cannon beach hold an annual sandcastle competition that hopefully one day I will have the pleasure of visiting. It is also known for haystack rock, a giant rock formation right off shore. 

We ate at long established restaurant called Driftwood in Cannon Beach. There clam chowder was really good, some of the best I've had. The fish and chips were okay: I'm not sure why I ordered it because it was too much. I should have just ordered a giant bowl of clam chowder and would have been happy. 

Cannon Beach: Haystack Rock

 Overall I am very disappointed in the culinary experience Seaside and Cannon had to offer. Everything is mediocre family dining for the price of a five star restaurant. It actually makes me appreciate Moab a lot more and how much I spend there. Every one complains how expensive it is (including myself), but there are a lot more crazier places! However, it was so difficult to turn my back to the ocean and leave.

Portland Day 5: Ziggy builds his first bear

Our amazing adventurous time in Portland is coming to a close. Today was our last day (besides a few hours tomorrow morning), before moving onto Seaside. Of course I wanted our last day to be amazing and memorable. I tried to rack my brain to think of last few things I just had to do before we left.

We went to sushi as a starter. I was going to go to the Portland famous 'Bamboo', but they were only open for dinner and I wanted to save that spot for something else. We ended up at Masu Sushi, a small but well established sushi bar at the beginning of Pearl District downtown. I ordered my favorites from sabaku: a spider roll (soft shell crab), and unagi maki (eel). I also decided to try the volcano roll, which has white fish, crab, in some sort of 'volcano' sauce that was sweet not spicy. The volcano roll was presented with a flame beside it, which was made by a cucumber pedestal holding ice and alcohol. Everything was also cooked, I think they must have used a blow torch on it. It was interesting because I have never had hot sushi. Sad to say, Sabaku back home in Moab still beats them in taste and presentation.

We did some shopping downtown again. Zach found a few used vinyls for a cheep price. I went into Penzey's spice store and entered heaven. They had so many different kinds of spice blends, dried herbs, etc. etc. I did not know what to get because there was so much i wanted. I decided on some that I could not find very well in Moab, including Szechuan peppercorns and anise seed.

Then we went into Cacoa, an amazing chocolate shop! I want one near us sooooo bad. They had a variety of fine chocolate bars, a case full of truffles, and a drink menu that included chocolate coffee drinks and drinking chocolate. I had a chocolate macchiato that was perfect. I want to go back and try the chocolate-cinnamon drink.

 We took Danzig out to Washington Square: a giant mall in beaverton about twenty minutes away so he could build his first bear. I've built a few bears in my time, so we were both super excited. He picked out the black bear, and dressed him up as a "ninja". He is confused about his name but assured us it was a boy bear.

O, and also I found my Rogue bacon maple ale!

Before dinner we stoppped by the tasting room at the Upright Brewery. They are a local and very small Portland Brewery that sells their beer in local bottle stores. I wanted badly to have a taste at the tasting room last time but couldn't obviously, I was only twenty. There is nothing bad to say about that place, the beer is amazing.

We went for Toro Bravo as our last dinner in Moab. It is a Spanish inspired tapas restaurant. It is not really ethnic food, but a very creative take on the culinary scene in Portland. I really loved having everything a la carte and being able to match my own food the way I wanted. We started with the fried potato salad w/peaches and arugula. That was definitely the best part of the meal. Then I had braised lamb w/ noodles which was also delicious. This was by far the best meal we have had in Portland, I was so impressed and I would love to cook for them.

Portland Day 4: Beer Beer Beer

At last, more beer consumption! We began with the Bridgeport Brewery for lunch located in the Pearl's historic brewing district. I ordered a seasonal spiced harvest ale, the Witch Hunt. Zach had some kind of ale similar to barley wine. I knew without a doubt I had to order the Cottage Pie made with stout braised beef. It was similar to Shepperd's Pie but only meat and potatoes. It was presented beautifully in miniature cast Iron and was super rich and delicious. I could not eat the whole thing though I tried.

Afterwards we his the Ground Kontrol Arcade, also in the Pearl. They have all these vintage arcade games and pinball machines. I was hurting for some Galager time, and was stoked to see they had Area 51, a first person shooter that I have played countless times through childhood restaurant visits.

 

I was craving some more food cart time, even though I was still stuff from cottage pie. I order not just a gyro, but a super gyro, from a Greek stand. Yes I only ate a few bites, It was a monster. Of course it was delicious. There was so much lamb in it! 

Another restaurant I've been wanting to try is Vindalho, a popular Indian restaurant on the hipster scene. This was the first time I did not feel stupid for making reservations-it was packed! Everyone was socializing, laughing, and genuinely having a good time (well not everyone but we won't go there). I started with a Mint Julep which was a very good size drink. I could do with a little less fresh mint floating around in the glass, it became hard to avoid swallowing most of it. We both got Honey Cumin chicken wings and I also ordered mussels steamed in coconut milk. Both plates were delicious. The mussels just melted in my mouth.