Jim B.'s Profile

When you walk into Fresh Bistro you think to yourself, "Man, I wish I lived within walking distance."  Fresh Bistro gracefully dances on the line between upscale and accessible.  You just want to walk here after work, sit down, relax, have a bottle of wine and enjoy your neighborhood.

Comfortable, relaxed and with expertly crafted flavors - what more can you ask?

Outdoor seating? got that too.  Fireplace? Yep.  Seafood, yeah.  Ox Tail .. like you wouldn't believe.

So, okay, I couldn't say no to Ox Tail.  Never can.  So I ordered up an Oxtail Bourguignon which was nothing short of awesome.  Nothing overdone, overcooked, or over seasoned.  It was perfect.  Flavorful, balanced, and pure comfort.

But before that came the appetizers.  We ordered several, but I was partial to the oysters.  Living up to the name, very fresh, well chosen, and delicious.

The pork bellies are nothing short of bliss. And I like bliss. A lot.

And Moules Frites - the menu says - mussels, mole salami, shallots, white wine butter broth, sea salt truffled fries, roasted garlic aioli.  Why do I need to say anything after that?

Finishing up ..

When dessert comes, just give up and order everything.

I'm serious. Just ... order .. everything.

Taste Spoon.

You know, when you make things that are on the edge, you don't please everyone.

Molly Moon's stuff is amazing.  

Truly.  It is ice cream on the edge.

And you need a taste spoon.  Just get a taste spoon first and you'll be fine.  There's no harm in it, just a little spoon.  Get some ice cream, slide it in your mouth, over your tongue.  And understand.  Know your ice cream.

I love the salted caramel ice cream.  It's awesome.  But my companion thought it's too salty.

She loves the Balsamic Strawberry.  But I think it's a bit overly dramatic.

If you don't taste spoon, you just aren't going to know until it's too late.  You're committed to your purchase.  So .. Taste Spoon.

Molly Moon's has very unique flavors and they come from a big drum of fresh ice cream (Balsamic Strawberry for god's sakes!).  You can't say "less salty please".  It's a drum of ice cream.

They were super cute and friendly with me.  Very efficient.  Not too pricey.  And it made an otherwise cranky-mooded Jim into a pretty happy one.

Molly Moon's is by far the best ice cream I've had in Seattle (read borderline erotic).  You need to go and try it.

They currently have an apple cider sorbet that I wanted to try, but I was too enticed by the salted caramel.   A not-to-be-missed on your Seattle list.

My good friend Don Anderson passed away late in 2007, well into his 80s.  I really loved Don.

Years ago, Don owned a gourmet hamburger place on Shilshole called The Turbulent Turtle.  If you google it, you'll see many people really miss it.

So I go to Lunchbox Laboratory and it's really amazing. I'm blown away by it. When chatting with the owners, I tell them how much I like it and about my friend Don owning a place on Shilshole that... "It wasn't called the Turbulent Turtle was it?"  "Yes." "That's what we based our restaurant on!"

They were recreating my friend's beloved restaurant.  I nearly cried.

So ... that's pretty damn cool.

Add to this that the place is run by real geeks.  Not the "do you prefer Python to Perl" kind. The science loving, lunchbox collecting, childhood recreating kind.  And this kind are now geeking on burgers and fries!

Sweet potato fries. Tater Tot fries.  French Fries.

They have burgers made of duck and pork, they have burgers with gorganzola, they have burgers made with real beef.

It's expensive.  Don't doubt it for a second.  It's not your "I'm gonna pop out for a burger".  But it's a meal and it's not loaded with chemicals.

The shakes are awesome and served in 400ml beakers.

Plan on a hike when you leave if you want to keep your figure.  But for god's sakes go to Lunchbox Laboratory now!

BONE SOUP BONE SOUP BONE SOUP BONE SOUP

Bone soup

bonesoupbonesoupbonesoupbonesoupbonesoupbonesoupbo nesoupbonesoupbonesoupbonesoupbonesoupbonesoupbone soupbonesoupbonesoupbonesoupbonesoupbonesoupboneso upbonesoupbonesoupbonesoup

Bone sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooup.

It's not even on the menu.  You have to ask for it.

It is excellent.  It's a huge massive chunk of pork falling off the bone (like half the spine, so think the porkly equivalent to a whole lot of ox tail) in a wonderful broth.  Bone Soup will change your life.  It will wake you up.  It will get you back on track.  

Bone soup, this sneaky, non-menued item is what you see the regulars eating.  It's awesome.

The duck is also very very good.  As is the fried tofu.

So, I really recommend that you take some time out of your busy and important schedule and get down to Phnom Penh and eat the Bone Soup.  

(No, you don't eat the bones).

These guys get three stars for having lunch specials that aren't all based on Phad Thai.  In fact, they may get my eternal gratitude as well.

On top of this though, the five stars are the perfect five white guy stars.  Which means perfectly three stars.  And while that may seem strange, recently I've hit a string of Thai restaurants where five stars constitutes waving a sealed bag of chili paste around in the next room.

I had their ginger chicken lunch special.  While it's not the high point of creative thai, it's totally solid.  The spices were balanced, the veggies fresh, the meat perfectly cooked.

The decor is nice, the restaurant comfortable and the prices are pretty keen as well.

So, I can't find anything snarky to say.  It's just good solid Thai food between the U District and Wallingford.

Solid American mexican by the Washington coast.  

The owner of this place is a really nice guy who spent about a half hour chatting with me on my first visit while I waited for a to go order.  He has an excellent little shop on the side of this place that sells mexican pottery.  I'm strongly considering some of them.

But the food - and why he gets 4 stars.

#1 - Seafood Chile Relleno - At last! Someone on the Washington coast that actually sells something with crab in it!  Excellent!

#2 - Chile Colorado - excellent spices, very consistent (had it three times now) highly recommended.

I really appreciate this place, Ocean Shores so needed another passable restaurant.

There's nothing quite a like a nice picnic.  Quiet, overlooking Puget Sound, in the middle of a forest, on a private overhang.

Cheese, crackers, good company and what have you.  Talk a little, then just fall into comfortable silence - letting nature and the view hold things together.  Secluded, like the world is just your little bubble.

Discovery Park is huge, with hiking trails, beach, and forest - right in the middle of Seattle.  Wonderful views.  Wonderful public and semi-private spaces.

A good place to go to relax, find peace, and just let go.

It's a unanimous five stars.

What happened with that video?

Good to meet several people I've not met before and see others I did.

Good job Katie and everyone on putting together a great evening.

I love Magnolia Park!  I walk through it almost every day.

There's something uniquely honest about Magnolia Park.  I can't say what it is.  The view, the size, the benches.  

You just feel calm and like you've arrived at a destination that makes you happy.

I've had some wonderful, serene moments at the park.  Standing at the cliff, looking out at the view, or sitting on a park bench and just focusing.

I love this little park.

Not changing my stars, just reiterating how important Saito's has been for me and urging more people to go.