Dim Sum & Then Some

I took Juli back to Seattle yesterday, meeting Kerne at the wedding venue once more for another walk-through, then going back to their apartment, helping her try on her dress with the appropriate undergarments, and loading Kellie's coffee table in my car for a return to the Oly house.  

As I was driving out of Seattle, I decided to assuage my guilt over the neglected other child, and gave Alex a call, on the off chance that he might be free for lunch. I was already to Tukwilla before my cell phone decided to work, but he said to come on over to West Seattle! So I turned around and drove back into the city, then over the bridge to Alex's house.

After some discussion of what and where to eat, we both piled into Doug the Roommate's car with Christy the Roommate too, and went back over the bridge to Chinatown for dim sum dining. I have actually never had dim sum, but have heard about it for 30-years of mouth-watering anticipation.

Luckily, Doug had called ahead for a 2:15 pm reservation, and the place was packed--but we were whisked to a table right away. We began with a pot of tea, and then the servers started coming by with rolling carts piled high with bamboo steamer trays, each full of 3 or 4 mystery bites--dumplings, steamed buns, banana leaf-wrapped packets of sticky rice (stuffed with bits of pork and shrimp).  There were crispy things and flaky things, crunchy things and soft, melt-in-your-mouth things. Succulent shrimp, tasty pastry wrapped bundles, crab, barbequed pork. We would point, and the dish was placed on our table to share. 

We ate and ate and ate. Then we ate some more. Everything was fantastic, fresh and delicious. We sat back and groaned for awhile, while I anticipated the stupendous bill to follow, for all that food. When it came, it was only $36 for the four of us! It made me want to order another round of everything to go.

We staggered a long walk back to where Doug had found a parking place (I am not the only one with parking issues in Seattle, apparently), and then headed for Christy's favorite neighborhood hangout for dessert.

Bakery Nouveau has won the French Pastry Championships for the last 4 out of 5 years. The one they hold in France, mind you. (It really torques the French, too, an added bonus). Juli called them 6 months ago about a wedding cake, and was told that the waiting list for that was at least 18 months, too bad.

We marveled at the tiny bombes, pastries (Alex said "I had an eclair here once that changed my life!"), cakes, croissants, breads, muffins, baguettes, quiches, pizzas...well, you get the idea, it was a foodie's paradise. I chose a piece of carrot cake, and a caramel and chocolate mousse concoction called a Phoenix Cake, to take home to Jerry and Kellie.

And then back to Olympia.  If I couldn't spend my anniversary with my husband, spending it with my children was almost as good. I had a super day.