A Pinteresting Fool

Yes, I used it as a verb. For more delicious finds follow me on the ever growing Pinterest. I have found tons of workouts, healthy foods and pretty much money saving tips and can dos.

Whiskey, smoke, BBQ...

Well who could ask for more? A sister restaurant to my ever favorite Casa del Matador and the Kickin' Boot up in Seattle, up on the ever so popular NW 23rd. Southland Whiskey gives wafts of smoked meats and spicy sauces from blocks away. I waited months for this place to open.

The interior is decorated with the unfurnished wood panels and vintage handles and fixtures in the bathrooms. The bar and tables are thick panels of wood, some with huge benches and tall metal stools. At night it's a bit dark but the large sliding windows let in tons of natural light to see all of the neat interiors. The bar is a gem on its own. Hundreds of bottles line the shelves behind the bar with a plethora of lights behind them. It's a whiskey lovers heaven.

The bartenders are all personal and are willing to please with different mixtures and friendly conversation. A few servers really go above and beyond and seem to really enjoy their work. There are few places that I can go and can have a conversation with the general manager. Southland is one of these places.

The food is always delicious. I have gone several times and have only ever had one complaint. Let's start with the awesome: I go back specifically for their onion rings. They're huge, crispy nicely seasoned rings that you could eat as a meal in itself. It's served with the house barbecue sauce but I usually get it with the chipotle ranch. Like I said- one of my favorites and I've yet to find anyone who thinks otherwise. Their fork tender and smokey. The catfish po-boy is tasty even the next day for lunch (I couldn't finish the whole thing so had to bring it home). The mac n cheese has four gooey, thick cheeses and a side itself could be its own meal. 

My one complaint? I had the wings- full of flavor and soaked in sauce (yum yum!) but they were a little on the cold side. When I asked about why they were not very hot, I was told that they were trying to not over cook them. Fair enough, but I'll take crispy and over cooked for wings. And in all honesty, I've asked other people who have had the wings and they were nice and hot. So maybe it was a slip in the kitchen. In general there is no sexy way of eating wings and these are definitely no exception making them all the more delicious I am sure for my next time. But regardless of one slightly disappointing experience, it has not deterred me from returning- little will truth be told.

Southland is a place that everyone should try at least once. I could go on and on but you should come check it out for yourself...

Tip for the Day: Everyone always claim to be the best. "The Best Cup of Joe", "The Best BBQ in the South", "The Best blah blah"- you'll never know the best unless you try it for yourself. So eat up buttercup, life's too short to not enjoy the best!

http://www.southlandwhiskeykitchen.com/

In the mood for some Asian?

Steamers: Asian Street Bistro. This little shop opened up sometime last year right next to the SW Madison Street Starbucks. I've passed by several times and never given it a second thought. When I decided to meet a friend downtown for a quick lunch we thought we'd try Steamers.

As we approached we weren't sure if it was open because you couldn't actually see inside. The windows were all steamy. A neat trick given the name :) When we walked in I was instantly excited because I saw steam baskets and bao on the menu. It was a dumpling and tea joint!

My friend picked out the ever classy pad thai noodles. It came in a small bowl enough for one packed with rice noodles with your choice of chicken or tofu. The mild spicy peanut sauce was abundant and it smelled delicious. I ordered the 6 dumplings, 2 of each flavor- ginger pork (classic), szechuan chicken (wrapped in a carrot-juice infused wheat wrapper) and spinach (wrapped in a spinach-infused wheat wrapper), a roasted pork bao and a side of jasmine rice.

I can't speak for the pad thai, but I'm sure it was just like the classic. You can also have your pick of additional sauces- soy ponzu, chili garlic, hoison peanut, sesame ginger and spicy peanut. My dumplings were full of flavor; however, were a bit dry and seemed to have the taste of sitting in a bamboo steamer for a little too long. The ginger pork was yummy and the szechuan chicken was great with the sesame ginger sauce. The spinach was on the stringy side with bean thread noodles and spinach inside and is a great veggie alternative for the dumplings.

The rice was a typical sticky rice and I used the leftovers in a breakfast fried rice later. I was thoroughly disappointed with the bao. My childhood memories of what pork sticky buns are supposed to taste like put a high expectation on every one I try now. This pork is marinated in a sweet and tangy asian barbecue sauce making the bao more of a savory dessert than an entree. And even then the sauce was overpowering and completely turned me off of the bun.

Overall, for the price I paid for all that food was pretty good. It is a good spot for a quick, cheap bite but not if you're looking for quality Asian street food. Filling and satisfying but not my first pick for a quality Asian meal. And I love dumplings.

Tip of the day: Fresh is always better.