Giving new meaning to the word “restroom” at Emma’s Kitchen in Laurel, Montana
On a month-long road food research trip, I might visit more than 100 eateries and coffee shops. Which means that, because of my t.b. (tiny bladder), I visit about the same number of bathrooms, or restrooms as they call them in the States. So after awhile, I get a pretty good sense of what makes a good restaurant washroom, to introduce a third term (I promise, I won’t add “water closet”).
It’s shoulder-to-shoulder cozy in Seattle’s Pacific Inn Pub
The Pacific Inn Pub has been called a dive bar. I consider it merely comfortable, with a low stucco ceiling and comfy blue vinyl booths and counter stools. Rubbing shoulders with regulars at the counter offers me a good vantage point for keeping an eye on the ball games, while watching a friendly, efficient server pour pints and relay food orders to the cook at the end of the bar. It’s evidence that a small, well-run joint with a simple menu can be run by just two people.
I order a Mac and Jack’s amber ale and a two-piece order of fish and chips, the thin slices of cod lightly breaded and crispy, the mountain of fries hot and crunchy. If this is a dive bar, I’m ready to dive in.
The cod fish and chips are thin, crispy and tasty
Pacific Inn Pub
3501 Stone Way North, Seattle
Daily 11 am-2 am
It’s cozy by the hearth in Seattle’s Delancey
As usual, I’ve grabbed a front-row seat at a pizza joint, this time the heralded Delancey, a casual, friendly spot in Seattle’s trendy Ballard district. I get to watch smoke curling from the brick, wood-fired oven as thin, sparingly adorned pizzas are carefully lifted out with a long-handled paddle. I also get to see passing starters I wish I’d ordered: gorgeous mounds of romaine, red cabbage and shaved-grana salads or small plates of local tomatoes with sheep milk’s feta and preserved Meyer lemons.
The toppings are simple but fresh in this bacon, mozza and argula pizza
But I’ve saved myself for a Zoe’s bacon and onion pie, with fresh and aged mozza and scattered arugula. It’s simple, and simply delicious, with most of the ingredients locally sourced. All the pizzas are reasonably priced, ranging from $12 to $15 for a pie that can easily be shared by two.
Delancey
1415 NW 70 Street, Seattle
Wednesday to Saturday 5 pm-10 pm, Sunday 5 pm-9 pm. Closed Monday and Tuesday
Don’t you want to just run down to Calgary’s River Cafe and dive into this divine tuna dish? (Photos by Helen Corbett)
Really, is there a nicer, cozier place to have lunch on a winter’s day than *River Café, in Calgary’s Prince’s Island Park? The imaginative and immaculately prepared food is usually beyond my road tripper’s budget. But during downtown Calgary’s Big Taste week (on until March 16), I can savour a three-course, scratch-made lunch for the bargain price of $15.
Think there’s a few calories in this delectable chicken and biscuit and gravy…. and bacon and egger at Seattle’s Serious Biscuit?
Serious Biscuit, in central Seattle, is a simple concept, done well and with almost industrial efficiency (delicious, mind you). It’s just house-made buttermilk biscuits, topped with your choice of everything from fried green tomatoes or catfish to ham hock and collards.
But, really, you have to order the fried chicken—the buttermilk-dredged skin is wonderfully crispy—smothered in Tabasco black pepper gravy ($9). It’s a fine, filling morning wakeup, delivered in minutes and devoured almost as fast at one of the few, small, high tables. For a couple of extra bucks, you can add bacon and egg to the caloric load.
Serious Biscuit is part of the Tom Douglas dining empire, scattered throughout Seattle. The sister Serious Pie is just up the stairs; check out the $6 happy-hour pizzas on weekdays. The production bakery for all the famed chef’s restaurants is in the back.
Serious Biscuit
401 Westlake Avenue North, Seattle
Weekdays 7 am-3 pm, weekends 9 am-3 pm
Bottoms up! Charlie about to embrace a “stinky” Durian shake at Phnom Penh in Seattle
When you’re road-trip dining, it helps to be open to surprises that can lead to some great culinary discoveries. So, when a friend takes me to a Seattle food truck festival in the city’s International District, the crowds are so thick, we’re happy to follow a friend of his to Phnom Penh Noodle House.
I’m thus introduced to Cambodian cuisine and such wonderfully exotic dishes as crispy shrimp rolls, garlic-marinated steak wok tossed with whisky and a bowl of endlessly long sate noodles. My friend orders a yellow durian fruit shake despite warnings that it tastes musky; instead, it’s quite delightful.
Think you’ve tried it all? How about crispy shrimp rolls in a bean wrap?
All these recipes have been passed down through three generations of owner Sam Ung’s family, who emigrated to the U.S. in 1980 after fleeing the Khmer Rouge regime. The restaurant’s Cambodian heritage is also evident in plenty of bamboo, metal figurines and paintings.
Or garlic-marinated steak tossed with whisky?
Phnom Penh Noodle House
660 South King Street, Seattle
Monday, Tuesday and Thursday 9 am-8 pm, Friday 9 am-8:30 pm, Saturday 8:30 am-8:30 pm, Sunday 8:30 am-8 pm. Closed Wednesday
Want a satisfying, filling lunch for $3, within the shadow of downtown Seattle’s office towers? Just head over to Saigon Deli, one of the best banh mi shops in town.
Banh mi is a Vietnamese-style sub, a foot-long, fresh roll that’s stuffed, in my case, with barbecued pork, slivered carrots and peppers, onions, cilantro and a slightly spicy mayo sauce. It adds up to a hearty, delicious sandwich for no more than the change in my pocket.
Can you believe it? A foot-long, yummy Vietnamese sub, near downtown Seattle, for only $3
Saigon Deli
1237 South Jackson Street
Daily 7 am-6 pm
Marathon Mouth 