Belles of the Sound

Hi all,

As I mentioned in my post last week, I will be leaving Belles of the Sound because I will be leaving Seattle for the beautiful mountains of Denver, Colorado.  I don’t actually move out of Seattle until mid August, but with finalizing school details, this seemed like a good time to transition out of posting.

I don’t have anything specific to review this week, I just wanted to say thanks to all that read the blog.  This site is still growing (and I hear may be getting a make over in the near future?) and I think it’s great that we have such different viewpoints from such dynamic and interesting ladies living in various parts of Seattle.

Many of you probably don’t know that part of my grad school program will include service in the Peace Corps (if all goes according to plan).  The reason I am sharing this is because I feel like the challenge and sense of adventure that I am craving and seeking out in my life is partly due to my upbringing in Seattle.  As you know by now, my family was constantly going on outdoor excursions when I was a kid, and I think that has really carried through into my adult life.

Additionally, since graduating from college and moving back to Seattle, I feel like I have “rediscovered” the city, or specifically the metropolitan aspect of the city, thanks almost entirely to friends that have moved to Seattle with me.  I still remember when Jeanine first moved to Seattle and would get excited when we drove over a bridge, being that she is from a small town in Montana that didn’t have bridges.  On that note, I remember as a child, being in an underground parking lot with my cousins who were also from Montana, and how cool they thought it was.

My friends introduced me to a lot of areas in Seattle (Fremont, Captiol Hill, Belltown) that I just didn’t go to as a kid.  I think the time I have spent here after college has really made me appreciate what a diverse area Seattle is.  I don’t know where I’ll end up, but I know Seattle will always be home to me, rain or shine.

I’m sure any of the other Belles would have an awesome quote or completely appropriate song lyric to insert right now, but I’m at a loss.  So I’ll just simply say, thanks for reading and wishing you all the best in life.

Brittney

I know that I wrote one of my first pieces on just how amazing Umi Sake House is, but there are other sushi places in Seattle that are worth mentioning. Umi focuses on the rolls themselves, and also on coming up with new and inventive things so it can remain a standout among sushi restaurants.

I have eaten quite a bit of sushi in Seattle because my Arizona upbringing wasn’t really conducive to raw fish. I have sung the praises of Umi (and rightfully so), but there are other sushi joints in Seattle, so I present to the masses Shiro’s.

If Umi focuses mostly on rolls (as I previously mentioned), Shiro’s focuses on traditional sashimi. Where sushi can consist of anything containing fish and rice, sashimi is just the fish itself. If a bit of fish is draped over a block of rice, it’s called “nigiri sushi,” rolls are called “maki sushi,” but rolls with rice on the outside are called “yukiwa-maki.” If your chef is creating a hand roll, which are usually larger, and not put together with the aid of bamboo (coincidentally, great at Shiro’s), it’s called “temaki sushi.”

It’s a relatively small place that feels like a local neighborhood joint. Even if you don’t sit at the sushi bar, you still feel like you’re a part of the process. The chefs are nice enough to explain everything you’d ever want to know about what they are preparing (and things they aren’t).

The last time I was a happy patron, the chefs were polite and wonderful and more than willing to talk me through the different dishes they were preparing. I was still too much of a scaredy cat to try the eel, but my aunt waxed poetic about how perfectly it was prepared.

I may love me some Umi, but when I’m feeling more traditional, I’ll head over to Shiro’s, which is much quieter, and only a few blocks away from Umi. While there, I enjoy food prepared by a two-time James Beard nominee, who trained with the finest chefs in Japan. It’s a stroke of luck that Master Chef Shiro decided to settle in Seattle, so you’d be wise to try his amazing preparations.

You’ve been waiting for it, and now it’s arrived. Call up your friends, family and out-of-town guests and entertain them with what will be one of the finest afternoons you’ll have brimming with Seattle adventure. There is no better way to introduce guests and feed your need for Seattle history and culture than to walk in Seattle’s shoes. Allow me to introduce you to The World’s Greatest Seattle Walking Tour (TWGSWT).

Jai Ferguson, Founder of TWGSWT

With some time to kill and a passion to tell a story, TWGSWT founder Jai Ferguson, created this tour after spending hours reading, walking Seattle’s streets and submerging himself in its history. He created a roughly two-hour traipse throughout downtown, Belltown and Pioneer Square summarizing Seattle’s past and present. It takes participants past many of the sites that make Seattle special and teaches about the characters and events that have transformed Seattle from fledgling backwater outpost to burgeoning 21st century metropolis.

Being a lover of this city as well, it’s worth pointing out that the tour has been created with both tourists and locals in mind, so the highlights will likely vary on the audience. Visitors will hit many sites in the downtown area including Pike Place Market, Westlake Center, SAM and the Hammering Man and Pioneer Square.  For locals who’ve likely seen most of the sites, the highlights are the stories of Seattle’s past that may not be very well-known.

“Seattle has over and over again throughout its history captured the world’s attention, said Jai. “The tour tells those stories.”

Besides obviously being the “World’s greatest” the tour differs from other Seattle tours in several ways.

• It is inexpensive ($10 per person).
• Rather on focusing on Seattle’s food scene or the great fire 1886, the tour captures the city from its beginning as a timber camp to today as one of the greatest cities in the world.
• No reservations necessary – The tour operates everyday during the week and twice on weekends.
• Personalization – the tour is conducive to conversation and questions without keeping up a bus load of people.

How it works: Meet at Westlake Park (corner of Pine Street and Fourth Avenue) at either 10:30am or 2pm Friday, Saturday or Sunday or 11am the rest of the week.  The tour guide will be carrying a The World’s Greatest Seattle Walking Tour sign.

For additional information on scheduling and directions to the meeting area, visit the website and become a fan of the tour’s Facebook page. To have immediate questions answered, send an e-mail to: info@theseattlewalkingtour.com

Shhh….

In honor of a dark time in American history (prohibition), a host of trendy speakeasy-esque bars have popped up all over the country. Seattle has a few of its own, and in the spirit of celebration of spring and new beginnings and trying new things, get out there and experience, you flat tire.

‘Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world,’ a good place to start would be Belltown’s Bathtub Gin & Co. They (quite rightfully) don’t have a Web site to let one canvass the place beforehand, and although the style is somewhat current and casual, it manages to have the feel of a true ‘juice joint.’ It’s located in the basement of Humphrey Apartments, and is only recognizable by the small brass plaque next to its alley entrance.

Next is Tavern Law on Capitol Hill. The bar itself isn’t the secret. It’s actually a charming place that serves classic cocktails, and fare described as “as good products prepared simply.” Seattle Magazine recently honored Tavern Law as Reader’s Choice for the Best New Bar of the year! And, bar manager David Nelson has earned his fair share of press due to his passion for recreating long-forgotten cocktails.  The hidden speakeasy element of Tavern Law is called Needle & Thread. Look for the telephone, and you’ll get access. I don’t want to get whacked, so I dare not reveal more at this time.

Last on the silent tour of places you didn’t hear about from me is Knee High Stocking Co. (also on Capitol Hill). A nondescript little place that doesn’t have the outward appearance of a bar, Knee High has embraced technology to regulate entrance. Send a text message to 206-979-7049 and they’ll text you back with your wait time or reservation confirmation. Your seating will be held for 15 minutes, and you need to retext a reservation if you’re running late. The house rules are simple:

1. Please Speak-Easy
2. Keep your seat & no standing at the bar
3. Moderate consumption makes for merriment
4. We may ask for your table 1-hour after your last drink is served
5. Don’t bring anyone here you wouldn’t take to your Grandmother’s house for dinner
6. No cell phones or cameras
7. Please exit briskly & quietly

If you want to embrace the fun and secretive aspects of the Roaring ’20s, you must try any of these underground gems. The era of blazing tommy guns and bawdy broads is a gas to commemorate, so get a wiggle on and enjoy some giggle water – just don’t tell ‘em who sent ya!

As much as I love the great state from which I hail, one of the numerous things that improved after I moved to the lush greenery of Washington was the quality of the seafood. Now, I am by no means a fish-lover. Oh, I’ll chow on some fish ‘n’ chips like a native Scotsman, and can kill a basket of fried calamari, but for the most part, keep your cursed fish away from me.

Sushi in the AZ isn’t as terrifying as most people may assume it is (you know what they say about people who assume…), but it’s also one of those things where ignorance plays into the equation. I hesitatingly tried sushi for the first time in high school because I was always up for a dare, and one of my more gastronomically-inclined friends goaded me into it. I liked the easy-peasy stuff she threw my way – California Rolls and other assorted items that were in no way raw. I was fine with my sushi that way for years.

Then I moved to Washington.

I’m sad to say that the first time I actually ate sushi up here was more than a year after I moved. My brother came to visit for 4th of July weekend, and we asked his friend (who LOVES to eat, and is extremely knowledgeable in the ways of raw fish) where we should go for sushi. My brother is a sushi fanatic, and we ended up eating it three times in his short visit. The first place we went – on his friend’s recommendation – was Umi Sake House.

Since that fateful day, I’ve eaten tons of raw fish, and other things I used to turn up my nose at – mainly under the careful tutelage of my brother’s (and now my) good friend. However, I still frequent Umi more than any other place in Seattle. Someone’s coming to visit? Go to Umi. Celebrating an event? Go to Umi. There’s always a good reason to suggest this prince among paupers.

The happy hour is pretty brilliant, although the food is fairly affordable at all times, especially considering how excellent it is. There is an extreme list of sake, and I am no connoisseur, but everything I’ve tried has tasted well enough for ignorant me.

Some of my personal favorites off the menu include the Seattle Roll (which is exactly like a California, but with salmon instead of crab), the Casino Royale or the 007 (which are BIG and hilarious to watch people try to eat), and the Blondie Roll (the aioli some of these are served with is OUT OF THIS WORLD).

So, if you want to have an amazing night out, head to Umi for dinner, walk a few blocks down the road for drinks and a movie at The Big Picture, then walk a few more blocks and hit some bars. Ok, maybe that’s just my perfect night out, but you have to admit, it does sound pretty fantastic. Am I right?