Family Time Finally!

I mentioned somewhat briefly before that my parents were here last weekend (Friday – Tuesday) and that we had a great time.  This was really just brushing over the entire weekend, which included a TON of eating at new places, hanging out with my mom and dad and Santana being adorably excited to see them.  I was waiting to post any details about the weekend until I got the pictures my dad took.  I wanted to share some of the great shots he got (luckily, we had mostly pretty nice weather).

When my folks got in on Friday, they were exhausted from flying across country all day, so we got lunch at Macaroni Grill and crashed at home and played with Santana until Matt got home.  After my parents went to their hotel in the U-district, Matt and I got a fast dinner and crashed for the night.  A very very uneventful first evening in Seattle.

Saturday was a completely different story! Since my parents’ hotel is located directly next to one of our favorite breakfast places, we splurged (way expensive and HUGE portions) on a fun Saturday breakfast/brunch. 

Portage Bay

Portage Bay is really amazingly wonderful, and it shows in their food.  Their philosophy “Eat like you give a damn”, is seen in their great local, organic, DELICIOUS breakfast choices (we’ve never been for lunch). My dad ordered Banana Foster French Toast, my mom went with a Pork and Apple stuffed omelet and Matt and I shared one of the best omelets I’ve had in a while: Greek Omelet. Pepper bacon, herb-roasted organic onions, organic baby spinach, Greek myzythra cheese, basil pistou. YUM!  It came with their roasted potatoes, which are addictingly wonderful.  We took Dori and her mom here when they were in town, and of course they loved it! We’ve actually only been a few times, since it is such a splurge (and a long wait on the weekends), but if you want to impress visitors in Seattle (or to be impressed if you’re visiting yourself), head to the U-district Portage Bay.  They have a 2nd location on South Lake Union, but we haven’t tried that one yet. 

After breakfast, we crashed at our apartment for a bit again, and I taught my mom and dad how to play Wii bowling.  This was probably one of my favorite parts of their visit because it felt a lot like being home as we got competitive and joking around with each other while we were playing.  Also, my dad is amazing at Wii bowling!! He is extremely particular and precise about things, so once he figured out how to line up the shot, he did really great! In his first time ever playing! Way to go dad!

After relaxing for a while, we headed to Woodinville to visit the Red Hook Ale Brewery.  So fun!  They have a tour there that costs $1 per person…it includes the tour (obviously), plus a mini taster glass, and the equivalent of at least 2 pints of beer samples! I don’t really drink beer (although I tasted all of them from Matt’s glass), but I know when I hear a good deal! $1 just for the little glass (which will be perfect for mini-cocktails) is a good deal, but we also got some fun info about Red Hook’s history and the making of beer in general.  The tour itself was held primarily in a large room with a bar and tap setup.  This is really the only feasible way for them to give the tour to 60-80 people at one time, and it worked pretty well.  Our tour guide (Valerie), was really funny and called some annoying people out for talking the whole time (they eventually snuck out).  Definitely another place to go when visiting the Seattle area, especially if you are a fan of beer!  

My dad got a picture of the outside of the tour/gift shop/restaurant entryway (and Matt and I waiting patiently for our tour)

After the tour, we sat down in The Forecasters Pub, located in the Brewery, for dinner.  My dad got a really yummy chili, my mom had a southwest-type salad, and Matt and I split a pasta dish we weren’t crazy about.  It’s bar food and if we had been in the mood for burgers or something, I probably would have been more impressed, but I was starving by this point, so anything was good. My dad got more pictures!

Sunday was GORGEOUS.  The sun was shining and it wasn’t raining…we took advantage of the weather and the four of us walked with Santana up to the 74th Street Ale House.  We weren’t planning on stopping there, but we were all getting hungry after poking our heads in little stores along the way and working up an appetite.  Since it was so nice, we grabbed two outdoor tables and tied Santana next to us.  She fussed the entire time, but I fed her some of my mom’s potato chips and she was pleased.  She loves to snack just like I do! 

My dad got the blackened salmon sandwich and my mom had a Reuben (there was an article taped to the window saying that this was the best Reuben in Seattle!). 

Matt and I split a soup and salad combo, with caesar salad and the 74th St Gumbo.  From their website:

Based on an old New Orleans recipe, we feel this is the best Gumbo anywhere. "Hot and Spicy", it consists of baby shrimp, roasted chicken, fresh Cascioppo Brothers andouille sausage, onions, tomatoes and green peppers. Served on a bed of "Dirty Rice" and garnished with pickled okra. Accompanied by freshed sliced Essential Bakery rustic white bread.

It was pretty yummy, with a nice spice to it.  I also stole a bunch of my mom chips (for me and Santana).  A great lunch!

My parents were really full, and still on East coast time.  So Matt and I were on our own for dinner and got a quickie rotisserie chicken and had macaroni AND potato salad on the side (my mom and I spent the afternoon making these…LOVE comfort food from home!)

While we were walking, my dad took some pictures of the area:

On Monday, Matt had to work and I took a vacation day to show my folks Pike Place Market.  Even though it was not as busy as it would have been on the weekend, it was still pretty packed.  We didn’t stay long, but my dad took lots of pictures and we ate at Lowell’s in the market, where all three of us had Lowell’s Famous Fish & Chips – 4 Pieces of Hand Breaded Alaskan Cod, Fried Golden and Served with Cole Slaw and French Fries, Tartar Sauce and Lemon Wedges.  Malt Vinegar on the Side. Very crunchy and tasty ! But a huge meal! 

The highway right next to the market.

Me glaring at and my mom ignoring my dad’s picture attempts.

Park sleepers                     

Lots of color in the market…  

            As you can see, my mom and I are not amused by the idea of standing in the middle of the road for a picture with the Pike Place sign.  I normally complain about people doing this when I’m down there!

Since their flight was leaving super early Tuesday morning, we took them to a hotel by the airport Monday after Matt got home, and Matt and I just had sandwiches for dinner later that night. 

Such a great weekend!  Santana was super excited to see them, and got just as excited each day when they came back over!  I hadn’t seen my mom since last June and my dad since August…the longest I’ve ever gone without being home, so it was such a nice, relaxing weekend to have them here.  I can’t wait until I get to head back to NY for a visit!

Click over to Santana’s blog post about the weekend to see the adorable puppy pictures my dad took!

This entry was posted on Saturday, May 9th, 2009 at 5:05 pm and is filed under Family, Fun, Life, Matthew, Puppy, Reviews, Seattle, Yum. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.