Datenight review: Toulouse Petit

Toulouse Petit, located on Queen Anne, is one of my new favorite restaurants. I had previously been there for a ladies lunch with BFFs Nikki and Kory. I knew Daring Hubby would love it! I've also heard they have a very good brunch..that's next on my list. The food is centered around the menus of the French Quarter and creole style.

Inside the restaurant is very lovely. Tea lights are lit all over the restaurant. I read on the menu that they use around 250 tea lights a day! Gorgeous Italian mosaic tiles make up the floor and many of the booths are rasied up and decorated with other glass tiles. It's a loud and bustling space and it's been packed both times I've been there. We had a cozy table for two next to the window with a view of the Space Needle!

I think this restaurant is great because everyone is bound to find something they like on the menu. The reason for this is that their menu is HUGE! Definitely lots of variety, but sometimes that makes it hard to choose. I appreciate options, but if I'm presented with too many, I can't make up my mind! Luckily, they had an option that allowed you to choose three different items for about $30. We both went with that option.

(Sorry, a lot of these photos turned out dark, due to the dark interior)

I started off with the cauliflower soup served with crab and a drizzle of truffle oil. (you may have noticed I love cauliflower dishes!)

I loved this soup and the crab was a nice addition.

Darling hubby started out with the Crispy Fried Chicken Gumbo.

He really enjoyed it. I had a bite, but it was way too spicy for me. If you like spicy food, I assume this dish would be for you! Darling hubby's review: the chicken was delicious, but he wished there was a bigger portion of it.

For my next item, Crispy Fried and Braised Bacon served with a syrah demi-glace. WOW!

Pretty classy eating bacon with a knife and fork. I really liked it.

However, Darling Hubby got this...

and I was instantly jealous.

Crab over fried green tomatoes.

Now, I had never had fried green tomatoes and I am wondering why not! They are delicious, and served with crab...it's a win-win. Needless, to say, Darling Hubby and I swapped our second courses.

Apparently, I had not met my max on bacon, because for my main dish I had, the duck confit with brussel sprouts and bacon lardons. (again, the theme of bacon and brussels!) It was great. The duck was prepared just right and I really enjoyed the vegetables.

(sorry, the photo was not for public consumption!)

My husband is a meat and potatoes lover, so for him

Steak frites.

Always a classic. It was a generous portion. Lucky for him because he has to share his frites with me! There's just something about those crispy, salty frites. I told myself so many times to stop! It's a bad addiction.

Obviously, with all this food we were pretty stuffed. However, they have a must eat dessert here. To be honest, I have a terrible, terrible sweet tooth, so many desserts are hard for me to resist. Honestly though, you must try these

Beignets with chicory anglaise dipping sauce.

The chicory has this delicious coffee-like flavor and it really makes this dessert. Our waitress suggested pouring a little in our coffee, great idea! The beignets are warm and fluffy and just a perfect treat. Definitely try them...you'll thank me!

I did notice an eye-catching dessert at the table next to me. A gigantic piece of banana cream pie, which is one of my favorite pies. The gentleman eating it said he gets it every time and really likes it. It is a big serving and he was eating it all by himself....my kind of guy.

I think I'll order it next time......

as a side dish to my beignets!

If you haven't been to Toulouse Petit, you must!

It's a fun atmosphere, great food, and a good value. I'll see you there!

Corson building

This past weekend we had a very special birthday celebration at the Corson building. The Corson Building is located in the Georgetown neighborhood. They have a very fun Farmer's Market there on the weekend. The guest of honor is my new cousin-in-law Heather. Heather is a special woman. She and I hit it off right away and I love spending time with her. She's smart, witty, kind, a good mother, friend and person. The party was filled with people who love her and I was honored to be invited.

I won't tell you her age (you wouldn't believe me anyway) but it was a special event and this location was just perfect. We had the whole restaurant reserved for the party. I think there were around 30 guests. Everyone dressed up, and you should have seen Heather's dress and shoes!

We started off the evening with cocktails and appetizers....I won't tell you how many cheese puffs I ate.......about 20.

The grounds are gorgeous, and we were able to walk around and really check the place out. I could imagine a couple having a really great, intimate wedding here. Very unique and charming.

The atmosphere inside is very homey. You just feel like you're having dinner at someone's house. The staff was friendly and knowledgeable. They definitely take pride in their food and restaurant.

Inside this wood fired oven our chicken dinner is cooking. The oven was outside in the courtyard area.

For dinner we sat at tables in groups of about ten. Food was served family style. I have to apologize for the lack of food photos, but I was just too engrossed with eating! We had at least 4 different courses, with several items served. All the food was served with perfectly paired wines.

Some of the food highlights for me: a smoked trout spread, leek salad...now this leek salad was delish! Darling husband and I cook with leeks quite frequently, but I've never eaten leeks like this. They were served more intact, in the stalk form. Fantastic, and something I would love to try at home. And that chicken I told you about, it was served with chickpeas, and it was perfectly cooked. I wish I could tell you more about the food, but even though I don't have a lot of details, I enjoyed every bite.

For dessert we had chocolate cake served with ice cream and a little shortbread cookie. I should let you now, it wasn't just any cake, it was a special chocolate cake from Bakery Nouveau. I only recently had my first visit to this special bakery, and I'm looking forward to many more trips out there.

I think the birthday girl enjoyed it!

I'm hoping I get a chance to go to the Corson Building again. It's a special place with really tasty food. Maybe when I go again, I'll get some photos of the awesome dishes they prepare. If you get the opportunity, check it out, you won't be disappointed.

Happy Birthday Heather, I hope all your birthday wishes come true!

Date night review: Steelhead Diner

The title of this post might make it seem like I am reviewing my actual date and not the restaurant. My date was charming and effervescent as always....but enough about me.

Hubby and I set out for our weekly date night. He surprised me and made reservations at Steelhead Diner, right in the heart of the Pike Place Market:

The restaurant was featured as one of the 30 restaurants doing a 3 course dinner for $30. Some locations also offer a lunch for $15. ( I can say that I have had lunch here for the $15 with BFF Nikki, and it was well worth it) This event happens twice a year as part of the Dine Around Seattle event. It's nice because you can check out some restaurants that you may have wanted to try, but were hesitant due to cost.

We had a 730 reservation on a Wednesday and the place was packed! Our server was friendly and greeted us very shortly. The restaurant was very loud, so I wouldn't recommend going there if you wanted to have a deep conversation. Hubby and I agreed that this wouldn't necessarily be a good first date place, but perhaps date 5 or 6?? It's dark inside, we sat in a comfy booth. If you are lucky enough to get a window seat, you get a nice view of the Market. I would say the crowd was mostly 30 and up. I particularly noticed two tables next to us: one was four women chatting a la Sex and the City, and next to them a group of about 8 men! Maybe they should have sat together??

I started off with a tasty drink. It featured ginger ale, pineapple juice, and a twist of lemon and lime juices. Very refreshing and something I would love to try and make at home!

First course arrived. I chose the cauliflower veloute with croutons.

The soup was good. Creamy and the croutons were a nice compliment. However, when hubby got his starter.....well......I wished I had ordered something else! He ordered the mixed organic greens salad. I guess it was popular because they were out. So for a substitution he got this.......

The Steelhead Diner House Salad!

Oh yes, that's bacon and bleu cheese...yes, you're interested! The salad was fantastic! Even though it was only iceberg lettuce, it had hard boiled eggs, avodaco, onions and as I previously mentioned...bacon and bleu cheese! The dressing was a Lorenzo dressing. Luckily, my hubby shared with me and we cleaned the plate! I would go back just for that salad. I have a particular friend in mind who I think would also love this salad..........

For the main course, I chose the salmon with potatoes:

It was a piece of sockeye salmon. The portion was large, especially for a dining deal. We both thought the fish was slightly overdone, but still had good flavor. The potatoes were delicious!

Hubby chose the tri-tip steak with a celery root puree:

His review, and I quote, "very tender, juicy." The celery root puree was very tasty. I helped myself to several bites, probably more than my share!

Of course, they saved the best for last. On my previous trip to Steelhead, I had a slice of their pecan pie. Pardon me, a slice of their Theo Chocolate Pecan Pie. oh...served with cocoa nibs and bourbon chantily cream. I'll wait while you wipe up the drool.........

I have remembered this piece of pie and thought of it very fondly. So I knew this was my only choice for dessert. Hubby agreed with me and I knew he wouldn't be disappointed. However, if for some reason he was....more for me!

Let me give you a visual:

Now I will say I remember the pie being delicious, just delicious. I would still say it was delicious, but my memory of the pie was better. I remember a very thick layer of chocolate along the bottom. There wasn't as much chocolate as I remember, but the chocolate that was there was tasty. The cream was delicious and a great compliment. We both really enjoyed the crust, it was almost like shortbread, flaky and delicious.

See, not a crumb left! I don't like to waste.

Even though the pie was different than I remember, I recommend you try it. Great piece of pecan pie!

Overall, we both really enjoyed our meals. The regular menu features several things we would like: mac and cheese, brussel sprouts, fried chicken. We'll definitely be back!