Went to a fab gig last night with the wife, her sister Colleen and brother-in-law Josh who’s been spearheading the Seattle Theatre Group’s revival of the Neptune Theatre in the U District.
Reviews
Fun Videos: Alaska Airlines & Seattle Sounders at Seafair Torchlight Parade 2011
We had a fantastic evening at Seattle’s Seafair Torchlight Parade last night.
Thousands lined 4th Avenue from The Seattle Center to Qwest Field and we found a spot on Washington that saw a lot of action from the 100 groups of participants that had come from from all over the Pacific Northwest.
Fabulous Cave B Inn and Winery
Last month, I took Ashley to the Cave B Inn on the Columbia River Gorge in Eastern Washington. I was determined we’d have one last hurrah (Ashley called it a baby-moon) before our child was born, so what better destination for a pregnant lady but a famous winery!
Pretty Standard New York Pork Chop
Pretty Chop from The Standard Hotel
Have a few Taste posts backed up now because of all the hectic travelling, but this was one of the best meals I had in NYC this month with the fabulous Kristen and Jamie from MediaVest.
New York’s Standard Hotel, Restaurant and Beer Garden down near Soho House does these enormous chops, with a delightful fruity (mango I think) accompaniment.
Look at the size of it!
Seriously the more I eat out in America, the more I realise how stingy UK eateries can be with their portions, especially when it comes to meat and seafood.
Thoroughly recommend going there. Don’t expect to be able to get the draft beer the beer garden patrons are sipping though, because they don’t serve it in the restaurant……which was the only shame about the place!
Mary Poppins at Paramount Theatre Seattle – Just the Medicine
Saturday night was an all singing, all dancing affair for me and Ashley as we were treated to tickets to Mary Poppins at the Paramount Theatre in Seattle.
I had the LP (remember those?) as a child so was looking forward to reliving some happy memories of precociously performing chimchimminy and supercala (not even going to try and spell it) etc for my family.
The mammoth set – 27 trucks were used in the “get in” – “load in” in America – was simply staggering for a touring production as buildings transformed into streets that transformed into parks – made me a little homesick too.
I’m writing this in a New York hotel room and don’t have the exact cast list with me, but I did have to ask how many of the Mary Poppins cast were English and I think we only counted one! So thumbs up for fooling everyone with the crisp cockney and received pronunciation.
Did you know the writer – P. L. Travers – actually wrote a series of books about the gifted nanny? That’s apparently where the musical drifts off script from the film and adds in a few more twists and turns.
The 2 1/2 hours simply flies by like an umbrella in the wind and we’ve been humming the tunes ever since.
If you’re thinking of heading downtown for a bit of foot-tapping nostalgia for all the family, then do. Mary Poppins is just the tonic for cheering Seattle up after the coldest April on record.
No spoonful of sugar for me though. I have the Paramount Club to thanks for my latest tipple. They were serving Mary Poppins-themed cocktails and I devoured two “Chim Chim Cheeroos” which are simply Jim Bean and ginger ale deliciousness.
A man has dreams…..
Chomping on Smokin’ Pete’s BBQ in Ballard
Yesterday was Julia’s 1st birthday, so we made the trip to Smokin’ Pete’s BBQ in Ballard to celebrate and listen to the fabulous bluegrass band Dysfunction Junction play, as my sister-in-law has booked them for her wedding this summer.
Cheap Eats – Sapporo Japanese Restaurant New York
There are some very fancy and lush restaurants in New York. I’m normally here for conferences and what not, so have ended up in a few over the years.
But I’m not so precious that I won’t eat in what might look like a dive to some.
I’m in NYC now for SES New York, and last night found Sapporo at 152 West 49th Street, just down from the Hilton Hotel where I’m staying.
For $20, including tip, I sat at the bar and watched the chefs do their thing while I munched on pork kare age, noodles and veg, while happily quaffing a bottle of Sapporo beer.
From the slurping to my right and behind me, this place was popular with local Japanese too which is always a good sign.
Every time I read about restaurants in New York, locals always say stay clear of Times Square because it’s too touristy.
Well in Sapporo last night, it looked like I was the only tourist in sight enjoying a quick, delicious meal that didn’t shatter my expense account!
Hurrah for cheap eats which turn out to be great experiences too!
Review: Pallagino B&B Flic En Flac Mauritius
Sunset at the Beach – which is not 50 yards from the Pallagino
Reposting our Tripadvisor review of Rajen and Sandy Daswani’s B&B FeastOfMauritius.com as we believe it’s a bit of a health hazard. Our fellow guests felt the same and more recently someone has posted about the filthy rooms and sick children.
It’s a real shame when businesses try and game the internet with false promises, attracting people from miles away only to deliver far below expectations when they’ve taken all your money.
Boot Inn Pub Berwick St James Off A303
With a hearty Christmas over and done with friends, it was off down to the West Country to visit family in Devon and Somerset.
The route from Richmond towards where the famous Cornish Pasty was invented is easiest via the M3 motorway and the long and winding A303 road that takes you through Hampshire, past Stonehenge in Wiltshire and beyond.
A typical trip might take 4 hours, so we decided to venture off the melting track and try and discover a local hostelry which served a decent lunch and, more importantly, a decent pint of real ale.
A couple of searches pointed to The Boot Inn, a beautiful pub snow-nestled in a quaintly named village called Berwick St James, just 7 miles from Salisbury.
We had booked a table as it was the holidays, and we did call twice on the way to say we were going to be late because of the damn traffic.
Fortunately they held the table, a snug one for the two of us right next to a crackling fire adorned with pottery beer mugs, and set about serving some cracking Wadworth 6X beer and pointing out all the different food choices they had on.
We could either choose from an extensive bar menu, or opt for a smorgasbord of British a la carte dishes all cooked to order.
Ashley went for the steak and cheese sarnie, while I plumped (literally) for the devilled chicken livers with mushrooms on toast AND slow-roasted duck and new potatoes with a glazed orange and watercress salad drizzled with truffle oil.
The liver and mushrooms was a kicksome creamy concoction; a pink-in-the-middle delight that simply oozed decadence (and I’m sure a large dollop of cholesterol too)!
I should have stopped there, but I had been intrigued as to what a glazed orange salad might turn out to be, and I wasn’t disappointed.
It appears the chef could be bothered to sprinkle the semi-tart orange slices with sugar and blow-torch them into a crispy sweet toffee that mixed with the duck, zesty orange and divine truffle flavour, created a taste bud sensation that I’m still fondly savouring 4 days later!
Ashley’s steak sandwich was gobbled up with some crispy potato wedges – consumed by way of defence from the cold I was told – and they even happily wrapped up half of the meaty/cheesy goo to be finished off by me the next day for lunch.
A quick double espresso set me up for the 2 hour drive ahead, and when Ashley paid the bill, the damage was a paltry £40 including tip.
I’m not sure what I was expecting when I picked Berwick St James off the map, but I was not expecting the best pub lunch I’ve had in years.
Now I kind of wish it was Christmas once a month so I’d have an excuse to visit family via The Boot Inn more often.
Well……I did say kind of….
