Goodbye Seattle, Hello California!

As you can probably guess from this post title, we made it to California! It's been a whirlwind past week, and I am still pinching myself to make sure that we are really here. Our new apartment is in a great location within walking distance of downtown San Luis Obispo, and now that we have internet set up I can finally get to work on this overdue post. I had planned to do a whole "wrap up" final post for Seattle, but somehow between packing, saying goodbyes, and driving for about 20 hours to reach our new home, it just didn't happen.

However, what I can give you is a rundown of our last few foodie moments in Seattle. Almost all the places we hit up as our last stops I have posted about previously: the pressure was on to have our "last breakfast" in Seattle (and "last dessert" and so on) and make it count. We started out our day at the crowd-pleasing favorite, Portage Bay Cafe. In summer, their berry bar piled high with fresh blackberries, blueberries, strawberries, and other toppings can't be beat.

After some furious packing of the moving truck, we were ready to eat lunch again so we walked down the street to Uneeda Burger, a Fremont joint with amazing burgers and milkshakes. I haven't posted about Uneeda yet, so here are a few photos to make your mouth water! Not pictured: the delicious strawberry milkshake made with Snoqualamie ice cream.

We ended the day with seafood at Ray's Boathouse Cafe, primarily because of its amazing views of Puget Sound. My king salmon entree was sooo good, I ate every single bite!! Instead of getting dessert at the restaurant, we stopped to indulge my never-ending ice cream addiction at Cupcake Royale. Their salted caramel cupcake ice cream is to die for.

While saying goodbye to Seattle was hard, Stuart and I are looking forward to our time on California's central coast. We have a crazy next month ahead before Stuart starts school, including a trip to my family cabin at Twin Lakes, Sacramento, the Bay Area, and even New York City! I can't wait to blog about all of it :)

Piroshky, Piroshky

Following the theme of my Pike's Market post on Sunday, I wanted to share the lovely little downtown pastry gem called Piroshky, Piroshky. This magical little Russian shop always smells amazing as you are walking down Pike Place. It's probably the tiniest shop in the market, with barely any space to squeeze up next to the counter and drool over your options. I don't know how they churn so many piroshkys out of that tiny kitchen space, but somehow they do!

Piroshky's are basically a miniature hand-held pie, similar to an English pasty. There are dozens of varieties sold here, both savory and sweet. The options range from spinach, egg & cheese to apple cinnamon to more traditional offerings like cream cheese vatrushkas. You can browse their menu online ahead of time, but when your turn comes at the counter, be ready to point at something and choose! The line can get quite long, especially in the busy summer months. 

 The shop is well-labeled, so you can't miss it.

 You can watch them hard at work...so many piroshkies!

 On my  most recent trip, I chose a sweet rhubarb piroshky

 

Rachel’s Ginger Beer

While the unofficial beverage of Seattle might be anything that contains caffeine, there is another drink that has made itself well-known in the city over the past two years. Rachel Marshall was traveling in Europe when she realized that soda tasted so much better there -- specifically the non-alcoholic ginger beer that could be purchased on tap at many European pubs. She made it her mission to re-create a quality ginger soda in Seattle, using fresh and local ingredients. The result was Rachel's Ginger Beer, which has been sold at high-quality eateries throughout Seattle. The company just opened its first storefront, located at Pike's Market in downtown.

The original ginger beer (the one in the photo above that looks like lemonade) is now sold side-by-side with seasonal flavors like strawberry, apricot, and peach. You can drink it as a soda, an ice cream float, or add alcohol in the form of a custom cocktails such as a Moscow Mule. Just look at those candy-colored bottles, available in classic growler sizes!

 

 

 I tried a glass of the apricot Ginger Beer. It was sweet yet tart, with a spicy aftertaste.

 

 

 Normally ginger isn't my favorite flavor, but I had to try some based on the beautiful colors alone!

Qazis Indian Curry House

Today marks the two-week countdown until our move back to California. I still can't believe how quickly time is flying by this summer--there is still so much to pack, cross off our moving checklist, and eat before we leave town! Not only do we want to visit a few favorite restaurants again, but we also need to eat our way through our fridge and freezer, so that not much goes to waste come August 21st. These are the things I think about and prioritize when moving...I guess the title of this blog does contain the word "budget," after all! However, moving is never cheap, in my experience: there's always the moving truck to rent, the new apartment deposit to pay, and things to buy once you arrive in your new location. Ah well, c'est la vie!

One type of cuisine that I love and have not posted about yet is Indian food. If I could marry garlic naan bread, I probably would. I know Indian food is rich, but there's something about all those spices that just hits the spot every time. Stuart and I like to go to Quazis Indian Curry House, in Fremont, to get our fix.When we can't go out, we subsist on the frozen Chicken Tikka Masala curry and frozen Garlic Naan sold at Trader Joe's.

 My favorite curry dish: Chicken Tikka Masala

 Lamb curry

 Garlic Naaaan! Yum.

 My second favorite curry dish: Navratan Korma with vegetables

 

 

The Sixgill

Did I ever mention that at this time of year, Seattle is amazing with a capital "A"? Seriously, it is almost enough to to make me and Stuart second guess our plans to move to California, because the water and the forests and the mountains and the food all come to center stage when the sun is out and it's 80 degrees. We constantly have to remind ourselves that 9 months out of the year, this place is gloomy and overcast and that California is sunny almost all year round. Yes. Ok. Bring on the U-haul.

Beautiful sunny days often go well with beer drinking, preferably complete with attractive outdoor seating at a place that also serves good food. Last week, we went to an awesome new spot called Sixgill that has been in Fremont for about 3 months. It has a fun outdoorsy theme and is owned by a couple who opened The Noble Fir in Ballard, another beer joint we love (but Sixgill has better food options). We shared the fingerling potato skins with goat cheese, and I had the most amazing grapefruit beer from 10 Barrel Brewing - I highly recommend it for those who like a sweeter, fruitier tasting beer.

PS: You may have noticed a few changes to my blog design that I hope will make navigating the site much easier. The top navigation bar now provides links to all of my recipe and restaurant posts, so that you can browse those categories to your heart's content. I hope you find something you missed seeing the first time around! 

 Salty and delicious fingerling potatoes, with bacon bits on top

 

 We love our beer! A sunny selfie to round out the post.