Bottlehouse and Book Bindery

The title says it all. I think these two places are my favorites thus far in Seattle.

cheese, olives, and wine at Bottlehouse

Outside of the Book Bindery

On Friday Michael and I went to Bottlehouse, an urban winery in Madrona. We've been there a few times and continue to frequent the place just because of their amazing selection of wine. It's crazy, every glass I've drank there, I've never been disappointed.  They also have a cheese monger who pairs the cheese with the wine you order. This time around I wanted to buy a bottle of wine for Michael's family since we'll be away for Thanksgiving, but I didn't know what to get. Lucky for me, the staff was knowledgeable and recommended some great wines. They were so good I ended up buying two instead of just one.

For dinner Michael took me to Serious Pie in South Lake Union. I had never been there before and the last time he had gone was about four years ago. It was definitely a different experience pizza-wise. They have hand-tossed pizzas topped with pretty interesting toppings. I had a sweet fennel sausage pizza with red peppers and Michael had the soft egg, bacon, and arugula. It's funny, I ended up liking his more than mine and vice versa.

Did I mention I'm a lucky girl? Because on Saturday Michael took me out to Book Bindery which is located at the edge of the river in Queen Anne.

We were both first timers and upon entering, loved the atmosphere. It's split up into two sections, a bar and restaurant area. We were seated in the restaurant area which resembled a glass house/greenhouse that overlooked the canal. If I tried to describe it, I wouldn't be able to do the restaurant justice, so here is a link to their gallery: bookbinderygallery .

Our server recommended the 2009 Nebbiolo, which we loved. It was very light bodied, slightly floral, and opens up very nicely. There menus were really cute too since they were binded (get it? binded bindery?).

Sorry for the bad photo quality, I didn't want to put flash and annoy the other tables :P

To start we had butternut squash soup with vanilla oil and some bread. I'm usually not a fan of butternut squash soup, but this one was phenomenal.

For our starters Michael had the Salad of Pickled Hawaiian Hearts of Palm and I had the Maine Lobster Risotto.

Oven Roasted Beets, Asian Pear, Micro Herbs

Black Truffle, Parmesan Mousseline

Besides being absolutely delicious, the presentation of the food was beyond beautiful.

For our main, Michael had the Grilled Mishima Ranch "Flavor Curve" and I had the Pan Roasted Grimaud Farms Duck Breast.

Creamed Spinach, Yukon Gold Potatoes, Hen-of-the-Woods Mushrooms, Red Wine Sauce

Isn't he handsome?

Confit Leg Presse, Red Wine Poached Apple, Wheat Berries, Spicy Duck Jus

Such great food, great wine, great service, and such a great boyfriend!

And to top off our meal, we had the Valrhona Chocolate Decadence.

Feuilletine, Candied Walnuts, Banana Ice Cream

It was such a memorable night and another amazing date with my Paris Beau. I'm so thankful for another great experience.

And of course since my blog is also about writing, I thought it wise to do a little update. Though I had fallen behind last week, I hunkered down on Sunday and caught up! I am now officially at the halfway mark, and let me tell ya, it only gets harder the farther you go. So for some guidance and inspiration, I'm currently reading The Techniques on the Selling Writer. After finishing I'll post a review on it, but so far it's turning out to be such a great book and investment.