all about the bacon (west 5, west seattle)

For lunch, we ventured over to the West 5 Lounge & Restaurant in the Junction for our favorite BLT sandwich.

Inside West 5: 4539 California Ave. SW (Photo from The Stranger)

There's really no need to look at the menu at West 5 -- it's 100% BLT for me. I've wavered a few times in the past but always come back to this favorite. Generous slices of crispy-chewy honey-cured bacon, crunchy romaine lettuce, and sliced tomatoes sit atop golden, buttered slices of toasted Como bread from Grand Central Bakery. I added avocado to complement the sandwich's salty crunchiness with a rich and creamy texture. YUM.

BLTA served open-faced with a side of potato salad.

Ready to eat!

hhf says: As I've mentioned before, a BLT is an excellent excuse to eat mounds of delicious bacon for lunch, hopefully with good bread and a serving of veggies and fruit to give the impression that it might provide some healthy nutrition. West 5's version does not disappoint. (They also offer Chimay on tap for all you Belgian ale lovers.)


Shoes: Blustery, gray day + Vacation = Ugly Uggs. That's all you need to know!

picture-perfect market dining (matt's in the market, pike place market)

I'm not sure why I waited so long before trying Matt's in the Market. Well, that's not exactly true. A few prior attempts with wait times of 45 minutes or more may have been a deterrent, but I certainly could have tried harder to plan ahead and make a reservation. This week, Matt's was the first place that came to mind for a festive lunch with a friend, and alas we arrived with a reservation at arguably one of the most popular lunch spots in the Market.

You've likely unknowingly walked past Matt's on a past visit to Pike Place Market. It's located on the third floor of the Corner Market Building on Pike Street, just across from the main entrance and glowing red clock of the Market. There is no obvious restaurant signage from the street, but it's not hard to find if you know what you're looking for. As you're walking down Pike Street towards the Market, there will be an open stairwell on your right just before the large produce stand on the corner. Head up the stairs, and Matt's will be at the top.

Matt's in the Market: 94 Pike Street, Suite 32

I'm always surprised by the number of people waiting for a table inside this somewhat hidden location. Granted, Matt's readily comes up on internet searches and is nestled in several recommendation lists (check out the New York Times' "36 Hours in Seattle"), but it's not exactly the kind of place that you stumble upon while perusing the Market. Nevertheless, we walked in at 12:30 pm on a Wednesday afternoon to a room full of people (even the bar seats were full) and happily announced to the host that we had a reservation. We were even happier when we were promptly led to a coveted table next to the big, arched windows with a view overlooking the Market and Elliott Bay in the background.

View of the Market from our window-side table.

Our very animated server greeted us immediately and filled our water glasses while telling us about the daily specials. It was a sunny but cold day, so we decided to start with a cup of each of the two soups: warm borscht and lentil with Italian sausage. The borscht was a beautiful reddish-purple-pink color with chunks of beets and cabbage and topped with a creamy white dill sauce that gave the soup a nice depth of flavor. It was both sweet and savory, and hearty without being heavy.

Soup: Warm borscht with creamy dill sauce.

The lentil with Italian sausage soup consisted mostly of lentils with some onions and parsley sprinkled on top, but it imparted a deliciously rich Italian-herb and garlic sausage flavor despite the lack of any sizable chunks of sausage in the soup. Both soups were very good, but I would have appreciated them being served 5 degrees warmer -- so they would have been hot rather than warm, which in fact is what our server emphatically insisted they would be when we ordered them!

For entrées, we ordered the lamb burger and the "Cobb" salad. According to our server, Matt's has "the best lamb burger in town!" and I might have to agree. I've ordered a few lamb burgers around Seattle, and this one surpassed them all. The ground lamb was juicy and warm, and cooked with perfect grill markings. It was served atop a warmed, buttery-eggy and light brioche bun with greens, thick slices of bacon, creamy goat cheese, herbed aioli, and a sweet onion spread. All this delicious goodness that was so expertly placed in between the brioche bun oozed slowly out of the sides with each bite, but the mess was well worth the enjoyment of this burger.

Lamb burger with goat cheese, bacon, greens, herbed aioli,
and onion jam on a brioche bun. 

The lamb burger was served with a generous side of garbanzo bean-sultana salad -- basically a mixture of garbanzo beans, sweet golden sultana raisins, celery, and something resembling cabbage that was tossed together in a light dressing. It wasn't terrible, but not worth filling up on with a hearty lamb burger to enjoy instead.

Lamb burger served with garbanzo bean-sultana salad.

The "Cobb" salad was a slightly different but enjoyable take on a traditional Cobb salad. It consisted of butter lettuce, poached chicken breast, avocado, bacon, and bleu cheese crumble. It was tossed in a light bleu cheese and herb vinaigrette and served with two halves of a deviled egg. On appearance, the salad seemed overdressed, but the dressing was light in flavor and didn't overpower the other components of the salad. The poached chicken was also tossed in this dressing and was moist and tender. I didn't really understand the addition of deviled eggs other than the fact that Cobb salad traditionally has chopped hard boiled eggs, but they were good even if they didn't quite fit with the salad -- the egg whites were cooked to a good texture and the yolks were creamy and had a light, whipped consistency to them.

Matt's "Cobb" salad.

We considered dessert but our talkative server failed considerably at describing the menu options. When we inquired about the house-made ice cream and gelato flavors, he pretty much said that he wasn't sure but they might be out of the pumpkin. Pumpkin ice cream or sorbet? I never found out since he didn't seem too eager to check. Regardless, our stomachs were pretty full and content with our soups and entrées.

hhf says: If you haven't been to Matt's in the Market, make a reservation and try it now. With delectable food and trademark Seattle views, it's the perfect locale for entertaining out-of-town guests this winter. But be warned: your server may be a little quirky!

Holiday shoes: Manolo Blahnik bordeaux red suede heels with rosette detail.

Shoes: Manolo Blahnik bordeaux red suede heels with rosette detail above the pointed toe. Fancy and fun for the holidays!

twice baked and extra yummy (le rêve, queen anne)

Holiday shopping in Queen Anne wouldn't be complete without a stop into one my favorite French bakeries, Le Rêve Bakery & Café. Located next to Stuhlbergs (another one of my favorite places on the hill) near the corner of Queen Anne Avenue and West Blaine, Le Rêve offers a wonderful selection of freshly baked sweets and a mix of savory options (think: sandwiches on baguettes and croissants, soups, salads, and pizzas) for breakfast and lunch. This charming café also has a great selection of drinks including coffees (Olympia Coffee Roasting Company), teas (Harney & Sons), wine, and beer, so it's the kind of place you can visit any time of day and find something to enjoy.

Le Rêve Bakery and Café: 1805 Queen Anne Ave N.

On this particular visit, I skipped the pretense of "eating lunch" and went straight for the twice baked pain au chocolat croissant. Now, this isn't the type of thing a socially conscious lady typically orders in front of her friends when meeting up for lunch. Instead, she probably orders a nice salad or baguette sandwich (also delicious) while secretly coveting the decadent pastries on the other side of the glass. I once ran into a colleague here who was sitting alone at a table. Upon seeing me, she gave me a sheepish look and admitted to the guilty pleasure of an occasional twice baked chocolate croissant after her morning walk. It seemed she was caught in the act, and I completely understood. But today I was dining alone with no familiar faces in sight, and I was free to indulge without any social guilt. I approached the counter and without any hesitation declared, "One twice baked pain au chocolat croissant for here, please." (And an Earl Grey tea.)

Selection of freshly baked pastries.

Now, you may be wondering: What does it mean for a croissant to be twice baked? And why is it so delicious? First of all, have you ever had anything twice baked that wasn't delicious? Probably the most common twice baked food is a potato, and twice baked potatoes are amazing. A twice baked croissant is similar, but even better. At Le Rêve, they begin with their basic pain au chocolat croissant, cut it in half, and add almond paste to the filling. Then the croissant is put back together and loaded with almond slivers and baked again. Once it's done, it's topped with confectioners' sugar and a piece of chocolate to create a wonderfully flaky and flavorful croissant. It sounds over the top, and it is. The twice baked pain au chocolat croissant is a luxurious treat that one should probably only indulge in on special occasions.. like after a busy morning of Christmas shopping.

Twice baked pain au chocolat croissant.

If you don't want to miss out on this piece of heaven the next time you're out with friends for lunch in Queen Anne, forget your social consciousness and order the croissant in front of everyone you know. Tell them the high heeled foodie made you do it! But if you must order something more lunch-like, Le Rêve's savory options are sure to please. Two of my favorite sandwiches are the Croque Monsieur (ham, gruyère, and dijon served on a crusty baguette) and the BLT & G (BLT with goat cheese!). The mini pizzas are scrumptious, and I've never had a soup that I didn't enjoy (soup changes daily). I'm guessing the salads are equally delicious, too, but I wouldn't know since I'm usually too busy eating something less healthy :)

hhf says: Le Rêve offers a wonderful selection of food and drink for any time of day (except on Tuesdays or after 4pm, when they're closed). It's perfect for gathering with friends over lunch or mid-afternoon coffee / tea, and just right for a private afternoon of indulging in your favorite French pastry.


Update: Beginning March 1, 2012, Le Rêve will be open 7am-6pm daily!

Shoe preview: Prada mid-shaft boot.

No hhf shoe photo today since I was alone, but here's a preview of shoes to come (they're in the mail.. yippee!): Prada mid-shaft boot in brown goatskin with contrast stitching. I'm already in love. I hope they don't let me down!

a taste of paris (café campagne, post alley)

New Chanel shoes should be broken in with a taste of Paris, and thus we set off to Café Campagne for dinner last night. The younger sibling of the former restaurant Campagne (closed as of January 2011 and recently replaced by Marché, a bistro and wine bar), this charming bistro has been pleasing Seattle diners for years.

Café Campagne: 1600 Post Alley

Café Campagne is located in Post Alley at Pine Street, just up from the main entrance of Pike Place Market. At 8 pm on a Friday night, all the tables were full and service was in full swing  -- reservations are definitely recommended! The dining room has two areas: one to the right that faces towards Pine Street with views of the Market and the glowing Post Alley sign, and one to the left with windows looking out into Post Alley. There is some bar seating towards the back of the room, and there is a small area for outdoor seating during the summer months.

View of the dining room facing out towards Pine Street.

The restaurant has a casual, French bistro vibe with mid-priced food to match. We began with a country style paté of pork and chicken liver that was served on a plate with a small salad, cornichons, two mustards (yellow and whole grain), olives, and marinated onions. The paté had a smooth, rich texture and was pretty tasty with the mustards, but alone it was pretty muted in flavor.

Paté de Campagne: Country-style pork and chicken liver paté.

Next, we split a beet and hazelnut salad, or salade aux betteraves et noisettes. The butter lettuce leaves were drizzled with a hazelnut vinaigrette and fanned into a circle around the plate with a scattering of marinated beets peeking out from underneath. Atop the leaves were onion slivers, Roquefort cheese, and toasted hazelnuts. The Roquefort cheese was the star component of this salad, giving each bite an intense sweet and salty flavor with slight tanginess that nicely complemented the tangy beets and sweet, buttery lettuce.

Salade aux betteraves et noisettes: Butter lettuce with hazelnut vinaigrette,
marinated beets, Roquefort cheese, onions, and toasted hazelnuts.

For our entrées, we selected the cassoulet and duck confit. The cassoulet was brought to the table in a personal-size Le Creuset stoneware pot, or cocotte, and the server lifted the lid to reveal the fragrant, steaming white bean stew of lamb, pork, duck confit, and garlic sausage covered with a golden brown bread crumb topping. He served a portion of the cassoulet was ladled onto my plate, and then placed the lid back on the pot to keep warm. With my mouth watering, I took my first bite of the cassoulet and was not disappointed. Every piece of meat was fork-tender and delicious, and the white beans added a delicate, creamy flavor. I kept lifting the lid of the pot to scoop out more of this hearty cassoulet, and there was more than enough to satisfy my appetite.

Cassoulet served table-side in an individual stoneware cocotte.

White bean cassoulet with lamb, pork, duck confit, and garlic sausage.

Our second entrée was the confit de cuisse de canard -- crispy duck leg confit served with thyme skillet potatoes. It was served in an individual cast iron skillet, the duck leg hanging partially over the edge and three large potato slices next to it. The potatoes were perfectly cooked to be crispy on the outside and moist and fluffy on the inside; however, the duck was just your average duck. The skin was nicely browned and crisped, but the meat lacked the tender, juiciness expected from a duck leg confit. That's not to say it was bad, as it was certainly edible and tasty, but the flavors were almost too simple and the duck leg seemed to be cooked for a few minutes too long.

Confit de cuisse de canard: Crispy duck leg confit with thyme
skillet potatoes.

As French desserts are my favorite, we took the risk and ordered not one, but two desserts to complete our meal. The first, a lavender ice cream, was smooth and creamy with a fragrant, floral flavor. You could almost smell the lavender blossoms in each bite. The cardamom fennel crème brûlée was served warm and had a lovely glass-like burnt sugar topping. Both desserts were served with a classic French butter cookie, a breton sablé, that was generously covered in confectioner's sugar. The cookie was so light and buttery -- I could have eaten a plateful of them! It was a wonderful end to a (mostly) scrumptious meal.

Dessert: Lavender ice cream.

Dessert: Cardamom fennel crème brûlée.

hhf says: In general, Café Campagne offers good French bistro fare. However, while some dishes were outstanding, others were rather disappointing. I enjoy the atmosphere and would return again, but I would be very selective about what to order! 

Chanel CC logo black leather pumps with patent leather toes
and heel accents. 

Patent leather toes with CC logo.

New(!) shoes: Chanel CC logo black leather pumps with patent leather toes and silver ring accents on the heels.