FoodTrek: Good Food for Good Times at Black Bottle Postern

I did a little Snoopy-Dance when I heard one of my favorite Seattle gastropubs, Black Bottle, was heading East and opening in Bellevue. Why? A simple answer, it's really good. I like a watering hole within reasonable distance from my already far-away house to enjoy quality food with good drinks, and to be totally honest, a place without the distractions of televisions or loud music to get in the way of sitting at a table with friends and just eating and drinking the night away. Black Bottle, the Wasabi has come home to roost.

This one's mine... where's yours? - Photo by Wasabi Prime

Technically, it's full name is Black Bottle Postern in Bellevue, the "Postern" part just a nicer-sounding description for side or back entrance, but it's no hidden away speakeasy. Big tall windows surround the main wall facing the street and the interior is kind of a funky mix of Danish modern using natural materials, and a little Steampunk/industrial funk thrown in with the custom hanging light fixtures and lamps. It's larger, with a more open floorplan than the Seattle Black Bottle, which has a cozier neighborhood pub feel. Postern's larger space is probably due to the fact that it's right below a residential building and close walking distance to the main retail square of the city. I kind of like that it's not right in the nexus of Bellevue/Lincoln Square, which tends to have more glitzy chains or a club-type atmosphere. I have a bit of a Granny Confessional moment here, but to quoth the sage Detective Murtaugh of the Lethal Weapon movies (portrayed by the fabulous actor Danny Glover): "I'm too old for this s#@!." Just give me plenty of tables, a well-made cocktail, and familiar food favorites prepared with quality ingredients.

Cocktails with Danger as their middle name... or their first - Photos by Wasabi Prime

It's a real question when it comes down to the issue of going out to eat or not. While I'm all about being frugal and money-conscious, I don't want to skimp on the food. Going to a restaurant or bar is a treat, so I don't want to just go to the place that has the cheapest plate of soggy, greasy fries and flavorless beer. When I do decide to go out, I try to go to places that make things that I just don't have the patience to prepare, or if they make the simple comforts, they're done in a way that's successful beyond any chance I could have to recreate it at home. I know flatbreads are just the bar food equivalent for pizzas, but Black Bottle's flatbreads earn their gastropub keep. The dough is crispy and chewy, piled high with fresh, interesting ingredients. The pear gorgonzola flatbread with caramelized onions was one of the newer, Postern-only menu items, and I'm not ashamed to say, I ate the whole dang thing. And despite the odd pairing, I had their take on tuna poke, a platter of thinly sliced, delicate yellowfin spread out like petals of a flower, sitting in a sesame-soy sauce littered with finely chopped peppers and aromatics. It seems spicy upon first glance, but it's surprisingly mild, with just a pleasant warming sensation of the chilis to compliment the sesame flavor. They respect the food, which I appreciate. It's not oversauced or seasoned so heavily that you can't recognize what went into the dish.

The closest way to Hawaii without jumping on a plane, Postern's tuna poke - Photo by Wasabi Prime

I didn't try nearly as much as I wanted to on Black Bottle Postern's menu, thanks to my glutton-filled affair with the flatbread, but it just gives me more to look forward to, the next time I visit. Since I don't have to battle the traffic over the 520 bridge to get to the original in Seattle, I'll definitely make it a point to visit this one more often when I want the good food that is most certainly good to eat.

FoodTrek: Monsoon East - the Raw and the Cooked

What, no one appreciates silly Britpop late 80s album titles? Well, this Fine Young Cannibal went with a partial gathering of the Happy Hour Martini Mafia to explore a bit of Ye Olde Main Street of Bellevue. It was a pleasant evening, the clouds parted ways to reveal the beginnings of a rosy sunset, and we had the pleasure of experiencing the Vietnamese cuisine of Monsoon East.

What lies behind door number one? Papaya salad, please. - Photos by Wasabi Prime

With all the excitement over new food/retail metropolis The Bravern opening this week, and the crowds that usually gather around the Lincoln Square hub, Old Bellevue's Main Street, with its independent boutiques, family-run restaurants, and general quaintness, is often forgotten. Better known to Eastsiders and Bellevueites living close to the downtown area, it's an easy walk from the many residential buildings nearby. It's a stretch of road that encourages meandering, with window displays and inviting storefronts on both sides of the street. One of my favorite restaurants, Bis on Main, is there, as well as local haunt, 520 Bar and Grill. Even though it's since closed down, one of the best dive bars, The Mustard Seed, had also once called Main Street its home.

New things in Old Bellevue - Photos by Wasabi Prime

A new Main Street/Martini Mafia favorite is most definitely Monsoon East, the Eastside sibling to the Monsoon located in Capitol Hill. Approaching the entrance, the thick, heavy door feels like a gateway to a holy temple. A hefty pull and you enter into a serene, open space full of delicious smells and an icy display of fresh shellfish for their raw seafood bar. Monsoon East took over a space that had once been a high end market. The area where the deli counter once was, now sits a cozy bar. Small sitting areas are scattered in front of their large windows, creating a friendly lounge space. When the weather is nice, it's an easy place to sit, eat, and people watch.

Go on, be shellfish and have some. - Photo by Wasabi Prime

We set straight to business, ordering a flurry of dishes, both raw and cooked, from the happy hour menu. Trying a bite of this and a smidge of that, we enjoyed a variety of flavors and textures. Sweet, spicy, sour, fragrant -- all descriptions that are synonymous with Vietnamese dishes. Fresh ingredients with a mix of preserved morsels made their papaya salad a refreshing start. We were expecting a strong hit of spice typical to this dish, but they kept the heat to a minimum, letting the punch of the vinegar dressing punctuate the freshness of the salad ingredients. A string of raw dishes followed: a spicy albacore mixed with a citrus aioli and nestled in a tower of taro chips; poke tuna with a swirling nest of ogo (seaweed); a tart and fragrant carpaccio with the beef sliced paper-thin and sprinkled with crunchy peanuts -- everything had delicious, clean flavors that left one wanting to order second helpings or at least figure out when another visit was in order.

Any more raw and it'd be wriggling. And still delicious. - Photo by Wasabi Prime

The cooked items were just as enjoyable, as we nibbled on familiar bar food fare like their sweetly spiced crispy chicken appetizers and shared a dinner menu serving of the drunken chicken in a savory, sweet sauce. I think my personal favorites were the raw bar items, as they struck the perfect balance of flavor and texture. I noticed on their menu that they have a mangalitsa pork fried rice, which sounds like heaven -- I'm making a mental note to return for just that reason, and maybe a bit of the caramelized kurobuta pork belly. You know it's a good place when you're already making menu plans for the next visit.

It's been said that the people and culture of Vietnam conjure an enchanting spell over visitors, leading them to cast their Westernized lives aside and become fully immersed in the natural beauty that surrounds the region. With the inspiration of an expatriated (and hungry) character from a Graham Greene novel, Monsoon East made me feel like I never needed to return home.

I feel like spicy-chicken-wings-tonight, like spicy-chicken-wings-tonight! - Photo by Wasabi Prime

*Post Script - Big thanks to Foodie View for making the poke tuna their Foodie View of the Day! Thanks also to Serious Eats' Photograzing for also posting this photo!

FoodTrek: STIR-red, Not Shaken

Yeah, yeah, I know -- couldn't think of a better pun, eh Ms. W? Well, let's see you come up with something better after a few strong pulls of vodka from the icy taps of Stir Martini + Raw Bar. Amid the impressive growth rate of downtown Bellevue's food and drink wonderland, Stir is the latest to set down its flag in the massive landgrab of the Eastside. I went with a few stalwart members of the Happy Hour Martini Mafia to investigate this post-work cocktail wonderland, and see what was stirring. Heh, heh.

Vodka on the rocks, freshly squeezed from an icy tap - Photo by Wasabi Prime

When I first heard the announcement that a vodka-favored martini and raw bar would be opening in Bellevue, I thought, you had me at vodka. I know it's not the most flavorful of hard liquors, but I do like a clean, crisp and refreshing kick in the pants at the end of a long day, so usually a Grey Goose or Belvedere on the rocks with a twist is the tipsy bee's knees for me. Stir had the good sense to put in a tap of top shelf vodkas, including Belvedere, as well as Bombay Sapphire gin. They may change these out periodically, but to my mind, what they had on tap was good as-is.

Create your own drink -- no fancy bottle juggling required. Calamari is squiddly-delicious - Photos by Wasabi Prime

One of Stir's specialties is their "deconstructed martinis," where you are presented with a chilled vial of vodka and a choice of sweet, herbal or savory ingredients to mix your own custom cocktail. We tried the herbal selection, where a few wedges of fresh lime and a chilled, sweetened cucumber puree were paired with the vodka. I think it's a nice, tactile thing to do if you're on a date, interacting with the drink and making the experience more about the preparation of the cocktail, and it allows the individual to flavor their drink to their choosing.

In terms of the food pairings they offer, we nibbled on a few different items, both cooked and raw. The appetizer menu has what's becoming familiar nouvelle bar cuisine, befitting of a sleek, urbane cocktail lounge. Gone are the days of greasy potato skins and chicken strips, as they are being traded out for more delicate items like lightly fried calamari, steak tartare, and poke tuna. These items in particular I would order again, as they were nicely prepared, not too heavily seasoned, and they let the flavor of the ingredients shine through.

Cooked food is *so* five years ago - Photos by Wasabi Prime

Seeing that Stir is a place that emphasizes its attention to beverages, I think it could benefit from presenting itself as a connoisseur of libations, similar to Seattle locales like Tini Bigs or Marcus' Martini Heaven. Vodka is one of those buzzworthy liquors that has been getting a lot of attention from spirit makers, as -- for better or worse -- they turn out more flavored variations into the market. Patrons have gotten used to watering their liquors down with sweet, syrupy mixers and sticking a "tini" at the end of the drink, when I think they would instead glean insight from a willing teacher who could shine light upon the finer points of nuance and flavor behind the mixed drink, much like the way wine drinkers appreciate their food and drink playing nice together. I think if Stir wants to be that Cocktail-Fu master offering barhoppers everywhere to take the rock from their hand, they could have the opportunity to distinguish themselves as something truly boutique. I will keep my eye on this martini hotspot, and look forward to seeing how they continue to present themselves to Bellevue's Brave New Food/Drink World.

* Post Script - Big boozy thanks to Liqurious for posting the photo of the icy Belvedere on the rocks with a twist. Cheers to you!