savor every second of sunlight

Hunting down Seattle coffee shops has become something of a weekend hobby for me lately, and I stumbled upon a great one this past Sunday. Well, I shouldn't say stumbled - I actually did a quick Bing (shameless company plug) search for "Seattle coffee shops," which led me to Fremont Coffee. It passed with flying colors on Yelp, so we headed off to Fremont to check it out. Ah, the beauty of the internet.

Fremont Coffee is one of the more unique coffee shops that I have seen here. I felt less like I was walking into a coffee shop, and more like I was just stopping by my friendly neighbor's house who happened to make awesome coffee and have plenty of open rooms to hang out in. The weather was cooperating that day too, and I loved the effect of the winter sunlight falling on the rustic wraparound porch. Very Seattle country chic, if such a thing exists. It must be a great place to spend a summer afternoon.

Another unique bit - their latte art! I'm used to seeing pretty flowers and hearts, but this was definitely the first time I had seen a skull in my macchiato...a bit spooky perhaps (a little death with your coffee?), but I appreciated the creativity :)  

I also got to see another bit of local Seattle culture, the so-called "Fremont Troll" that sits under the Aurora Bridge. I almost missed it since I was driving, but luckily Andrew spotted it as we were going by. The conversation went something like this: "What the hell is that thing??" "Oh, that's the Fremont troll!" "Wha?" 

It's been a good photo/coffee weekend for me, but that may go on pause in the post-Thanksgiving crunch. Sigh. I've certainly enjoyed my week off from work...back to the grind!

Fremont Coffee

459 36th St.

afternoon at the cafe

I love cafes that let you linger for hours at a time, with no pressure to evacuate your seat just because you've stopped ordering. Cafe Presse in Capitol Hill is one such cafe - we got there for a late lunch and stayed there til dusk, with nary a person bothering us other than to occasionally ask if we needed anything. They have a limited menu, but I have yet to be disappointed by anything I've ordered. Even their plain baguettes with butter are delicious.  It's great for a cheap weekend meal (brunch dishes for $5!) or a cozy afternoon of reading/working alongside a good cup of coffee (and cookies!). They have a great selection of reading material for sale too, if you find yourself without a book. As an added bonus, they are connected to Stumptown Coffee next door if you need a change of ambience or want to caffeinate further :)

Cafe Presse
1117 12th Ave
Seattle
website

Down to Din Tai Fung

Din Tai Fung is probably the most highly anticipated restaurant opening that Seattle has ever witnessed. The name alone inspires cultish levels of adoration among soup dumpling loving Asians and non-Asians alike. Combine that with a lack of existing soup dumpling offerings in the area, a massive Asian population (thanks Microsoft), and long-awaited opening, and you have all the makings for ridiculous waits and inevitably, some disappointment.

You need a well-thought out game plan if you actually plan to eat here. Waits are generally 2.5 hours - maybe 1.5 hours if you go at a non-peak time. Ridiculous, you say? I agree. Luckily, the restaurant is located right next to the movie theater, so our plan was to put our names down at 2, watch 127 Hours, do some shopping, and then be just in time to eat dinner. The 2.5 hour wait actually turned out to be just an hour, but with a large party, they're nice enough to leave you at the top of the list if you're not around when your table is ready.

I've had my fair share of excellent xiao long bao at DTF in Taiwan and LA, Joe's Shanghai and Shanghai Cafe in NYC, as well as one of the famous stores in Shanghai, so I must say that I was let down by the soup dumplings. The dumpling skin wasn't as delicate and the soup filling wasn't as flavorful (or hot). There was definitely no risk of getting scalded by the soupy contents, which is really one of the fun parts of eating soup dumplings. Luckily, the other dishes we ordered more than made up for those failings. My favorites were the stir fried rice cakes, shrimp fried rice, sweet taro dumplings and eight treasure rice. Other solid bets were the pickled cucumbers, chicken soup and beef noodle soup.

I would like to make a return visit because I'm curious if they can work out the kinks, or at least increase their efficiency. Their dumpling makers look a little on the slow side right now, but I'm willing to give them another chance. But I'm going to let the chaos subside a little before I venture back, especially since there are other solid choices for Taiwanese food in Bellevue.

rainy day comforts

As winter sets in, I'm struggling to get used to Seattle's early sunsets and gloomy skies. A cozy coffee shop and a well-made espresso go a long way towards warding off the winter blues though. I found this great guide to Seattle shops & restaurants the other day, and with a quiet Sunday afternoon ahead of us, the roommate & I decided to check out one of the coffee shops on the list.

Muse Coffee is tucked away on a quiet house-lined street in Queen Anne. The owners clearly have an eye for design - there are unique little pieces scattered unexpectedly around the shop, like a golden buddha by the coffee cups, a plaster moose head mounted on the wall, and hanging lamps with inspirational/random paper messages. And my drink - a mocha with orange zest - was the perfect thing to get me through the gray day.

out of print

I always appreciate interesting packaging and good design, so I was quite taken with the tags on a shirt I recently ordered from Out of Print Clothing. Their t-shirts feature great vintage book covers (I bought the 1984 one), and keeping with the theme, their labels are designed to look like old-fashioned library book slips. How cute!

sleepless in seattle

I have never been able to just lie in bed after I waking up - I keep thinking about all the things I could be doing - so when I woke up at the ridiculous hour of 5:30 am on Friday, my restless feet took me to Kerry Park to catch the sunrise. With daylights savings, the sun rises at about 7:10 these days (and sets at 4:40...), so when I got there at 6, it was still pitch black. I set up my camera on a conveniently located cable box, and started clicking away. While the day before had dawned with  beautiful colors, unfortunately the one I witnessed was fairly overcast.

Nevertheless, I appreciated the tranquility of the city before sunrise. There is also something very soothing about watching the night transition into day, with the sunlight gradually stealing over the horizon. The whole city really takes on a new look in the span of just an hour. Winter sunrises are supposedly quite beautiful, so I may be making a return trip :)

Empire State of Mind

While Seattle is beautiful, I must admit I miss many things about NYC. There is truly no other city like it.