On Being Jealous of Mussels: My Honeymoon in Seattle

We got married in a small civil ceremony in Brooklyn, just two weeks after we told my parents. Perfectly happy to take a few days off from work and just enjoy our apartment and each other, my parents offered to send us someplace for a few days. It occurred to us after we found out that the Atlantis in the Bahamas was totally sold out, that we would be Honeymooning smack dab in the middle of Spring Break. Not wanting to spend our newly married bliss with drunk college students, we opted for Seattle.

This wasn’t a completely random choice, one of his best friends lives there, as well as a family friend, and I had always wanted to see Pike Market. Being a foodie of snob-tastic proportions, my first travel thought is always “Yeah, ok, so they have the last living Dodo Bird at the Zoo, but what’s the food like Downtown?” A snob-tastic foodie though I may be, I’ve never embraced the “foam” and “essence” food trends, preferring my foods to be solid rather than gracious form thank you very much. Happily, there is no such fear to be had in Seattle. The city, although definitely West Coast, has the common sense to be an East Coast friendly kind of town – no air bars, or Cuban-Vietnamese-African fusion joints, although if you looked hard enough, I’m sure you could find one.

Sparing you the gruesome plane food details, I fast forward to my first fabulous food encounter. While my husband and his friend were catching up, I went out to dinner with Sydney, the family friend. She’s a wonderful Seattle advocate and told me in highest confidence (sorry Sydney, confidence broken) that her goal was to make us to fall in love with Seattle, and convince us to stay. While Seattle would be a wonderful place to live no doubt about it, my heart belongs to Brooklyn.

Sydney’s dinner choice was The Tamarind Tree, a Vietnamese place that is so well hidden behind a non-descript Chinese market that I promise you would drive by it 12 times and not figure out where it was. You wouldn’t expect the bombardment of senses that greets you from the decrepit parking lot, an unfortunate location. The place itself is stunning; so beautifully designed and so perfectly lit, with a comforting smell of grilled meats wafting from the kitchen. The restaurant all spiced-colored and dim, has captured perfectly that trendy, yet not over the top feel that modern Vietnamese restaurants have adopted.

Whenever confronted with a new menu, I try my hardest to make sure that I order something I’ve never had before… that means no Pad Thai. I welcome you to join me in my firm belief of “the food adventure”. Be brave enough to try something new and have an experience, after all, as my Father always says, “you don’t have to like it, but you HAVE to try it.” So, we ordered stuffed Marinated Squid with Minced Pork, Fresh Lotus Root with Grilled Shrimp, and a Noodle Soup with Shrimp. The Squid was amazing. Almost BBQ in flavor, the Squid themselves were extremely fresh, and cooked to perfection making them tender and not chewy. The filling was balanced, and worked superbly with the Squid, neither one over powering the other. Fresh Lotus Root is a joy within itself, but add perfectly grilled Shrimp, Peanuts, shredded Veggies and a lovely Rice Vinegar Dressing… well it’s pretty divine. Fresh Lotus Root is not unlike Jicama in flavor: slightly sweet, with a watery satisfying crunch. The Noodle Soup was served traditionally with the noodles, broth, and other goodies served in separate bowls allowing you to customize it how ever you like -- and the noodles were very obviously made fresh that day.

It was all lovely, just truly a perfect blend of flavors, company, sights, and then I saw it… Durian Ice Cream. The Durian is an Asian Fruit that has the shape and size of a Green Melon, but covered in spiky-bumps – a clue as to what’s to come when you open it. The fruit gives off such a powerful odor, that you have to have been raised on the stuff to tolerate it, and even then I’m not so sure how it’s eaten happily. If however, one can get past the smell, the taste it is said to be aromatic, subtle, and the texture wonderfully creamy. How could I resist! I’m not sure what I was expecting, but it certainly wasn’t something as subtle, perfumed, and delicate as the ice cream in front of me. The natural creaminess of the fruit shone through, and made the texture almost coconut milk-rich. The flavor is hard to describe, but so lovely, and delicate… both creamy and rich, yet flowery and sweet. As it turned out, Father knows best.

My second foodie encounter happened at Pike Market and Food Markets are my Temples. A wholly religious experience that involves all the senses, nothing illustrates a society or community better than its Food Market. That being said, one could describe Seattle’s Pike Market as a food Mecca. Although somewhat lacking in the International foods (besides Asian), the produce was not to be believed fresh and outrageously varied. The Seafood is in a category unto itself -- so fresh, so beautifully cut and cleaned, it all made me smile in a giddy, child-like sort of way. My Husband’s friend and his wife graciously offered their kitchen over to me for the night, not being able to stop myself from buying every delectable thing I could see! So I made a ton of food… almost literally a ton.

A moment about Mussels before I give you the menu. Mussels are a favorite shellfish that give wonderful flavor, and make any meal special. However, I’m not sure I had ever had a Mussel until we ate them in Seattle. I’m used to a relatively small, sandy colored mussel, with a lovely flavor and not much substance. Seattle’s local Mussels are so large, so plump, so creamy, and its pastel orange color puts other varieties to shame. I can’t state enough how smooth and creamy they were in texture, and the flavor! So rich, such a treat, so cheap! Not that Mussels are ever terribly expensive, but a pound of these gorgeous Seattle Mussels at a mere $3.99 a pound, seemed like the deal of the millennium -- I’m jealous of Seattle’s Mussels.

The menu was simple, but huge. We started with West Coast style Smoked Salmon which is served as a slab instead of sliced like we’re used to here. It makes the fish flaky and tender, edible with a fork or spoon, and really very enjoyable. We also had a Bacon, Jarlsberg cheese, and mixed Mushroom Quiche with a homemade crust -- a go to favorite that’s hard to resist. Then we had the “jealous” Mussels in a Shallot and White Wine Broth, after which we greedily sopped up the broth with fresh baguette that we got at the French Bakery. After that, it was grilled Langoustines (a very large shrimp), roasted Heirloom Carrots in five different colors ranging from deep purple to pale yellow with Yukon Gold Potatoes with fresh Thyme, and a Red Leaf Lettuce Salad with vine ripened Tomatoes and fresh Vinaigrette. For desert I made a Tart with Chocolate, a Blueberry & Blackberry Coulis, Strawberries, and fresh Whipped Cream with vanilla. Nothing beats really fresh food cooked really simply. It was a joy to cook with new friends, and a greater joy to scarf it all down!

As if we hadn’t eaten enough, as a Wedding gift from my husband’s Boss and her husband, we were sent to Canlis. Canlis is a 57 year old family run restaurant that sits on a cliff with a 180 degree view of Seattle. A jacket and tie kind of place, all of Seattle’s Society were on display (indeed the only ones who could afford it). It’s won the best service award numerous times, and it shows. No sooner had a roll been eaten or a glass been emptied then someone was there with a “would you like another roll? Can I fill your glass for you?” It’s the sort of thing that Saturday Night Live would have pounced on, but it was actually quite the experience. Service aside, the food was amazing.

They are known for their steaks, so I had a Fillet Mignon, and he a Wagyu Steak (a Kobe and Angus mix). Needles to say, the steaks were cooked and rested to perfection. The added bonus of the Black Truffle French Fries were out of this world! The grilled Frois Gras, and the White Asparagus Soup we had to start with were delicate, rich, and perfectly presented. By the end of the meal you could have rolled us out like wine barrels, but the chef wouldn’t let us leave without dessert. Apparently everyone was told we were here celebrating our Honeymoon, and they went all out for us. Choosing Tea was like picking out a diamond, complete with smelling samples, history lessons, and full list of flowers, herbs, and teas used. The people next to us were having some kind of flaming brandy drink that involved three jugglers, a dog on a ball, and man on stilts. At the end of the night we could barely breathe, but we were full and happy, and won’t soon forget it.

You might be wondering if we did anything besides eat? Well yes of course, we went to the Space Needle (the sun came out while we were up there, very kind of it really because the view is gorgeous), went to some wonderful museums, and drove around to see how beautiful the area is, and it doesn’t disappoint. Cities on water always have a glow and vibrancy about them – they seem to sparkle. Seattle seamlessly combines the Nature-Lovers, Techie-Geeks, new and old money, and a wonderful blend of International residents that grow daily. For me though, what I’ll remember is the meals, because the cooking and sharing of food is love. Nothing is more intimate than breaking bread with friends and family. My Honeymoon was like my Wedding: quiet, small, precious, overflowing with love, with plenty of good food… as it should be.