Eating the Weekend Away

Last weekend I decided to take a much needed to trip to beautiful Seattle, Washington. Having lived there for nearly 5 years, I have many friends in the gorgeous Emerald City and usually am packed with plans when I head north. However, when last weekend rolled around, I looked at my usually crammed Google calendar and noticed something quite peculiar. I had pretty much nothing planned. To some, this would feel like a complete and utter social faux-pas. Not me. I was pleased as punch and decided to indulge in some restaurants that I either hadn't been to in ages or had yet to try. Here is where the culinary road took me.

Stop 1: Ohana

Ohana can easily be considered one of my favorite restaurants in Seattle. However, do to it's location in the Belltown neighborhood, I don't get over there quite as often as I would like. An old friend and I decided to head down there and try their happy hour menu. This friend is from Hawaii so I knew she would adore the original and insanely kitchsy Hawaiian decor Ohana offers.

In the past I remember thinking Ohana was on the expensive side. But, being the recessionista I have been forced to become, I learned that happy hour is the perfect time to eat heartily, drink well and still have a happy pocket book. Ohana boosts a $3 happy hour menu featuring sizable portions of gyoza, salads and various handrolls and sushi rolls. My Hawaiian roommate insisted I try the Spam Musubi, a Hawaiian "delicacy" if you will. Although rather salty (I suppose that's what I get for eating spam), it was a surprisingly tasty and filling treat. I never knew spam could be so cool!

Stop 2: McMenamin's Six Arms

Sarah and I had it all planned out. A relaxing and mindless Friday evening filled with food, shopping and the new chick flick He's Just Not That Into You. Well, our plan was faltered when we arrived at the movie theater only to find that our ideal chick flick was sold out. I guess every 20-something gal in the Seattle metropolitan area had the same game plan as we did.

After some bitching and moaning, we retreated from downtown Seattle. Walking back up Pike Street towards my old Capitol Hill 'hood, we decided it was a Friday night after all. We might as well stop for a good brew somewhere. Being the true Portland native that I am, I suggested Six Arms. Not only does it serve fantastic and refreshing McMenamin's beer, but we were also standing right in front of it. 'Twas meant to be!

Once inside and one Ruby Ale down, we decided to try a Tasting Tray which features all the McMenamin Standard Ales. I am usually a sucker for the extremes in the beer tasting spectrum. I love lighter hefs, but can always guzzle down a dark, hearty porter. I adored Black Rabbit Porter, a toasty ale with hints of chocolate and espresso. It's a little softer than you would expect. To be honest, on a cold winter day, I would rather sip on this than tea, mulled wine or hot chocolate! Delicious!

Stop 3: Monsoon

I have been hearing and reading about Monsoon for months. At one point, I even lived four blocks away, so it has been on my radar. Nonetheless, nothing had prompted me to try this Vietnamese inspired eatery until a friend invited me to join her there for Sunday brunch. She had been the week before and raved to no end about their dim sum. I hadn't had dim sum since I was in New York over a year ago, so I had to say yes.

I am pretty adventurous when it comes to eating (obviously?), so I decided to just order the dim sum sampler. They just brought me what they felt like. And wow was I blown away. Not only was the food simply beautiful to admire, but the ingredients were incredibly fresh. My favorite plate was the shrimp dumpling as well as the steamed BBQ pork buns. The shrimp dumplings, especially when paired with the pork sticky rice, was simply to-die-for. From the exterior, one might imagine Monsoon as being pretentious, especially due to its small size and modern decor. However, after taking one bite I knew that it simply served some of the best Asian food I had eaten since moving to Seattle. And isn't that what restaurants are all about? Bravo!