Toulouse Twice

Twice during the past week, I have visited the newest addition to Lower Queen Anne, Toulouse Petit. I have to say it gets a resounding, meh.

What I didn’t like

- The service: My first experience was on a Friday night, the restaurant was busy but not packed. Supposedly we had reservations but we had to wait. Once we got seated our waiter was rude from the very beginning. During both of my visits it took an especially long time to bring the drinks we had ordered.

- The food: Two of the dishes the, the fried green tomatoes with crab and one of the shrimp appetizers, were drenched in mayo and didn’t have much flavor (I should note that it wasn’t even the app that we ordered).

What I liked

- The atmosphere: Much like its sister and neighbor Pesos lots of candle light, textured walls and deep U-shaped booths. The picture windows leading out to the street made for great people watching.

- The food: The French fries were amazing. My entre, a seasonal vegetarian special, gnocchi with mushrooms and truffle oil, was scrumptious. I could have licked the plate. And my companion’s order of the short ribs was amazing - rich and flavorful.

- The menu: It’s huge. If you can’t find something to like in the cook, then I’m not sure what to tell you.

- The drinks: One of their signature cocktails, the Katie Mae, was a favorite of mine. I love champagne cocktails so I’ll being coming back for another one of these.

So based off this list, I’m giving the place another shot. I’m hoping that with a little more time, some of the issues will get worked out, in particular between the servers and the bartender.

Violet in Paolo, green, peep-toe pumps

headed to the windy city. by orange

The husband and I are headed back to my hometown of Chicago this weekend.  We didn't get to see them over the holidays so we decided a February trip was in order.  The husband and I have been together for almost 4 years, but have never been to my parent's house together - kind of strange after all this time. 

I'm definitely excited to see my family but there are some things I'm not so thrilled about.  For example:

Leaving these guys behind

or packing...it always takes way too long and I always end up bringing too much.

I plan on taking lots of pictures...so more to come soon of our upcoming windy city adventures!

orange in burberry black patent leather flats.

Kah Kah! by violet

My love of all things Duck has been detailed on this blog. But sadly, and inexplicably, J. doesn’t share my passion for all things thunder green and lightening yellow. However, there was exciting college sports news in J.’s world this year. His alma mater Seattle University returned to Division 1 basketball this year. And they would be calling Key Area home.

Rudy the Redhawk

Alumni got a super sweet deal on season tickets, so J. and a couple of his buddies have been supporting the Redhawks all season. The team has had some ups and some downs but generally have been holding their own, especially considering this is the first full season back in D-1.

Over the weekend, two of the season ticket holders could not attend the game and Orange and I ended up tagging along with the boys for the Redhawks versus the Idaho Vandals.

Violet and Orange sporting Seattle U red and black

First off, the seats are amazing. Literally they are row 1 behind the seats that are actually on the court. We had a straight shot to the visiting team’s bench.

Sweet seats!

Second, we are next to the student section and a bunch of other young alumni, who probably got the same deal J. did. They were loud and rowdy without being obnoxious and rude. We called this guy Sideshow Bob the whole game.

Sideshow! Sideshow! Sideshow!

Next, J. and his friends are members of the Courtside club. Which basically means that at half time you can go to a room and get a free beer with a few snacks. Awesome.

The game was close. Seattle U was up big in the first half but let the Vandals back into the game. It came down to the wire but it wasn’t to be for the Redhawks, and they lost by two.

The next day my voice was horse. Could it possibly be that I’m now Redhawks fan? Yes. Unless they are playing my beloved Ducks. Then that’s a different story.

Fat Ladies and Bananafish. by violet

In the interest of full disclosure, I’m a lover of literature. I think it’s pretty easy to trace back to the beginning of my life when my parents would read to me. Then it was an addiction to The Baby-Sitters Club, and then it was the wonderful and amazing world of advanced placement English – where other people cared about books too. And we got to talk about them for an hour every day.

One of my favorite authors, J.D. Salinger died today. Much like everyone who went through high school, I was introduced to Salinger through Catcher in the Rye during sophomore year English - Miss Keenan one of my favorite teachers. While I liked the book, there was something I didn’t quite get.

While talking about the book with my dad as we often do, and how I didn’t really get Catcher. He recommended that I give some of Salinger’s other work a try particularly, Franny and Zooey. It quickly became one of my favorite books of all time. The character of Franny really spoke to me. In the book Franny is trying to find her way in the world. She is looking at all the different paths that life is presenting her I wondering which one she can authentically take. She’s a young girl on the brink of becoming who she is. Probably spoke to me at the time I read it. I had dreams of staging the book as a play – somewhere off Broadway; clearly not happening since apparently he’s turned down everyone who has asked included the likes of Spielberg for the right.

I came to respect a man who had published so little. Whose books were simple white covers with black type (at least my versions. There’s a new fangled Catcher cover out there now). Whose characters may wonder off into the depths of Eastern philosophy but who cut through it all in the end.

So if you haven’t already, pick up a book written by J.D. Salinger and give it a try. I know I will be rereading Franny and Zooey this weekend. Or maybe Nine Stories. Maybe both.

There isn’t anyone out there who isn’t Seymour’s Fat Lady.

new shoes. by violet

When your boyfriend is in “the business” it’s pretty easy to go a little crazy with the shoes. Most of the time I behave myself but every once in a while I just cannot resist the discount. The other day I stumbled across this pair of Guess sling backs. I hadn’t been looking for anything like it nor did I feel strongly that that they would fill some void in my wardrobe. Simply I wanted them and the price was right.

When I put my order in with J., he reminded that while clearance shoes have a $5 ground shipping cost but if I added and sale or regular price item it is free shipping. That opened the door to looking at some additional options. 

Well, I needed new black flats (I go through a pair every 9-12 months) and I hadn’t owned a pair of brown flats in a while and therefore I needed to have those as well. So the next thing I know, I have three pairs of shoes headed my way.

Over the past few days I have wore all three to varying degrees of success (don’t worry J. all this information is making its way on to the site in the form of customer reviews).

First, the Guess sling backs that caught my attention. I read the review that claimed they were comfortable enough to wear all day at work – not for my feet! The crisscross strap over the top rubbed my foot raw. I’m pretty sure that not everyone’s feet will have the same reaction to theses straps but mine sure did. They have been officially ruled out as a work shoe and will go promptly into my going out/dressing up category.

The Kenneth Cole black flats are simple and no fuss. Seriously, I don’t think you could get more boring but the leather is nice quality. And my Superfeet provide the needed arch support. The only problem is they are a little slick on the bottom. No biggie for regular around the office or on the street wear but I nearly ate it while walking over a slick plastic light fixture. Note to self, scuff them up a little bit.

The Jessica Simpson brown flats looked super cute and I was pumped to add them to my wardrobe. The buckle and the leopard print lining were icing on the cake. But after a full days worth of wear at the office the back of the heels were crying out for sweet mercy. I’m sort of hoping that they will stretch (there’s always hope). I would love to be able to rock there while running errands on weekends but for now they have been relegated to shorter trips.

Feeling under the weather today so it’s violet in UGG Classic Short in chocolate brown

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Photo from Online Shoes.com

The Red Mill. by violet

Sometimes a girl just needs a cheeseburger. And the good news is that Seattle has plenty of places to find delicious options. One of my personal favorites is Red Mill.

The Red Mill - Phinney Ridge

And people agree with me, Red Mill has won Seattle’s best burgers 10 years in a row, been featured in GQ and on Man vs. Food – though not during the eating challenge portion of the show (that was Beth’s 12 egg omelet).

It’s difficult to talk (or write) about what makes a burger great mostly because different people look for different things. So you know where I’m coming from, here’s what I like to see and taste in a burger:

Red Mill deliciousness

Quality Meat: You know it when you taste it. Beef should have flavor and not be a cardboard hockey puck.

Fresh veggies: Crispy lettuce and juicy tomatoes can make a world of difference.

Bun: A quality bun can go a long way – if they are homemade on site that’s even better. One of the reasons I love In n Out is the bread.

Spreads and special sauces: While I love ketchup and mustard it’s always nice when a place puts its own stamp on things.

French fries: One of my favorite foods on Earth – deep fried potatoes. It can really make or break a burger experience, nothing worse than a good burger served with frozen, soggy fries.

The fries and onion rings at Red Mill

Location: While a fancy steakhouse can most certainly make an excellent burger, my favorites tend to come from places much less pretentious. It’s preferable if the place have the name “shack” or “hut” in the title. The less seating in a place, the better the burger, don’t ask me why - it just is.

Red Mill lives up to these lofty standards. There are two locations in Seattle, one in Phinney Ridge and one in Interbay. Both are tiny, both are order at the counter and keep an eagle eye out for an open table. And for some reason, we always seem to go to Red Mill after I’ve gone running, and burgers always taste delicious after a run.

And let me tell you, the only thing that got me through the last mile was the thought of this waiting for me at the end.

What’s your favorite burger place? A Five Guys just moved into the greater Seattle area that I’m dying to try. 

A happy and full gang

Violet in copper Seychelles wedges

one blueberry press please. by orange

Even though I'm in my late twenties (sadly I think 27 counts as "late") I still drink like I just turned 21.  You might think from that statement I'm an acholic or have high tolerance.  Really what I mean is, I still like those really fruity and sweet drinks: Long Island Ice Tea, Black Opal, etc. 

Once you get into the working world and have 'classy' happy hours with friends, ordering a Black Opal doesn't seem quite right.  Especially when your friends are ordering the likes of a vodka soda or gin and tonic.  Just the name of the fruity drink ('washington watermelon' or 'blue karaoke') and/or seeing the drink (bright orange with a maraschino cherry and an umbrella) screams "can't handle the taste of alcohol/might have just turned 21." 

Recently, I went to a nice dinner with the husband and, per usual, asked the waitress what would be a good sweet drink to try.  She offered up a Bluebery Press. 

I heart this drink.

1) It's delicious!  It's not overly sweet but still sweet enough for me. It tastes almost like flavored seltzer water.
2) Much more sophisticated name then 'Black Opal" or "Purple Haze"
3) As all the liquids are clear that go into the drink...no one knows the difference between my sweet blueberry press and my girlfriend's vodka soda.

The magic:
In a vodka press, vodka is diluted with both a club soda or tonic and Sprite. You can order it with any flavor of vodka.  Hence, Blueberry vodka = Blueberry press.

Have I ordered this drink ever since that night out?  Yes.  Here is my most recent Blueberry Press at The Daily Grill in downtown Seattle.

Yum.

orange in Guess Lawri - gold leather wedges