As we moved right into our last full work week of 2015 the anticipation for Christmas and a nice long break started to build. But with knowing that we only have such little time left before leaving Seattle for several days, we tried to make the best of it in and around town.
Sunday:
Recovering from holiday party to a morning slaughtering of the Baltimore Ravens by the Seattle Seahawks was oh so nice. Bryan and I spent much of the day downtown. First, we got our hangover cure at Frolik for a very random but delicious chili cook-off among five chefs at top restaurants around Seattle. For the exchange of donation of two cans of soup Bryan and I each got a plethora of chili; ranging from ground boar and habanero to lamb and hominy to chipotle beef and pork to curry beef and lentil and even a disgusting oyster one.
Our favorite won; that being the chipotle beef and pork from The Old Sage. Bryan and I visited three suit shops for Bryan’s first try-on of wedding suits which was also an impromptu stop but pretty fun!
I kept busy Sunday rearranging our closet pantry so that I could make room for newly arrived wedding registry Christmas presents that we are both very excited and appreciative for and then we picked up Chicago deep dish pizza for a late night dinner with Billy and Valerie who stopped by.
Monday:
Bryan and I had an excellent dinner and movie date night to kick off the week. We met at Eastlake Bar and Grill for dinner before heading to Sundance Cinemas to finally (!) catch The Martian for their discount night. We both loved the movie, the plot, the acting, the action and of course our plush comfy seats. Dinner was delicious at Eastlake, like usual (holy delicious scallops special with potato parsnip puree, greens and a champagne butter sauce) and we finished the night with a quick trip to Yeti yogurt in the U District on our way home!
Tuesday:
Bryan and I took the week off of FareStart this week but landed prime volunteer spots for an annual event called Rising Stars, held at McCaw Hall at the Seattle Center and partnered with FareStart. For this one night only the city’s top young chefs were selected to showcase a dish or beverage at this gala and we were lucky enough to help out and experience the $85 event for ourselves. Oh my goodness was this a yummy experience. The highlights of the 17 dishes and 17 beverages that we got to try included: two types of wagyu beef (one a sirloin with potato apple puree and pickled rose petals and the other paired with a Thai cucumber salad and salsa verde), chocolate, peanut, banana and miso bomb shell dessert, poached spot prawns with a vermouth sauce, geoduck, Spanish iberico ham and sherry, single malt whiskey from Westland Distilleries, and a drink called the Anchor Clanker with rum, vanilla, cognic, china china, lime and bitters.
I seriously left with a tummy ache.
Wednesday:
I had the night off, woot woot, while Bryan and Philipp got together. But I did have a midday outing with some of my coworkers. I went with my office manager and secretary to show them the Pacific Tower for our next possible holiday party location. They were pretty impressed with the space and now weighing the space and the cost to see if it works well for our evergrowing group.
Thursday:
No FareStart means a rare free Thursday night. But I was SOAKED by the time that I got home. And what does a Thursday night off mean? Laundry, recycling, making dinner, and vegging out to our new fave; The Sopranos.
Friday:
We reciprocated dinner for friends Marika and Randy. I prepared my go-to dish of cider brined pork tenderloin with flambeed apples, roasted potatoes, green beans and salad. For the first time we were able to use our new wine glasses, new wine carafe, and new silverware. We felt so ridiculously mature.
Saturday:
The skies parted and sunshine broke out from the sky!!!! And I had to work from home 😦 But I got quite a bit done, Bryan bought us each Fit Bits, we went for a nice run along Lake Washington and around Seward Park, and Bryan got around to raking up the leaves. We met up with Polly at Pacific Place to exchange gifts and catch her girl’s choir perform and Santa come out during the snow falling from the “sky” of the mall. The holiday tunes and fake snow left us in jolly spirits as we made our way to our favorite restaurant in Seattle for a nice date night before holiday festivities really begin. We pulled up to the counter and immediately ordered a glass of Bodega wine from Rioja. For dinner we shared the roasted beet salad, the roasted eggplant with tomato sauce and a great salty cheese, seared venison with a rich sauce and oyster mushrooms, seared beef with a charred onion crust and potatoes, and a phyllo-wrapped lamb in a savory broth with broad beans and peppers. And we topped off our indulgent night with two desserts: the espresso flan with caramel sauce and chocolate and the super decadent chocolate tarta with caramel sauce and divine salted caramel ice cream.
Sunday:
We arose bright and early to pack up our sleigh Jeep and head to Mt Baker to go skiing. We got out the door before 7 am and were on the chair lift before 10 am. There was tons of snow and it just kept falling all day. Bryan and I skiied and skiied until our legs nearly gave out. We took an hour break at lunch to fill up and catch the first half of the Seahawks game before we were out again and enjoying it even more with everyone inside watching the game and fresh tracks to be made in the new snow. Marvelous!!! At 3:30 pm after the lifts closed we loaded up the Jeep again and headed back to Seattle. It poured buckets on us there and back and we were at Eastlake Bar and Grill by 7 pm. We enjoyed our favorite neighborhood grill for dinner before heading home after a superb weekend!
Two days of work left!!!
Chelsea
Evolving in the Emerald City 