Posts Tagged ‘poutine’
- In: Capitol Hill | Eating | Seattle | USA | Washington
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I have a vivid mental image of poutine. Mr S had queued patiently for forty minutes at Skillet Street Food and sent me a photo of his lunch. The poutine was a gloopy mess. Brown food is ugly and being doused in gravy makes it difficult. Appearance can be deceptive and the Quebec specialty is a classic example.
The pioneering food truck has since expanded to a bricks and mortar eatery opposite the recently relocated Restaurant Zoë in Capitol Hill. On a leafy corner, the eponymous skillets are on the Skillet Diner sign.
Mint seating and lemon walls, the interior is reminiscent of a classic American diner.
Stainless steel tables and an exposed loft ceiling render an industrial feel.
The all day menu is categorised into breakfast, greens, burgers, sandwiches and sides.
A creamy blend in a mason jar, the seasonal shake was flecked with desiccated coconut. The beverage evoked tropical memories!
Shirley and I split two sandwiches. The daily special was a meatloaf sandwich with chipotle caramelised onion and cheese. A stout bun supported a thick slab of well seasoned meatloaf, a respectable homage to American cuisine. A generous mound of French fries were crunchy batons of starch.
The second was the fried chicken sandwich. Two squares of pillowy potato bread contrasted with the crispy fennel seed crusted chicken. Tender and herbaceous, the poultry was paired harmoniously with tangy jalapeño aioli and healthful kale. A salad of mixed greens was tossed with a vibrant vinaigrette.
Skillet Counter is under construction in the Seattle Center Armory, adding culinary gravitas to the ’food court’.
- In: Eating | Queen Anne | Seattle | USA | Washington
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Autumn has been deceptive. I’ve been struggling to wake up due to the gloomy mornings, the leaden sky casting a shadow over October. I feel sluggish and have a deep desire to cocoon myself in the warmth of home. I’ve been comforting myself with butter melting on toasted Macrina raisin brioche bread and steeping cups of hot tea.
I glance wistfully out the window, hoping for the day to transform into a brilliant afternoon with a splendid sunset. And thankfully Seattle has been generous this month, gifting us days to embrace the outdoors.
In contrast to the Mobile Food Rodeo, the Seattle Center Mobile Feast was free. Held at Fisher Pavilion and South Fountain Lawn, more than twenty food trucks gathered for ‘urban hops and harvest’.
We leisurely strolled the circular lawn at mid afternoon for a late lunch. Surrounded by leafy trees and with the Space Needle as guardian, it was a spectacular setting for an outdoor event.
Painted a royal blue, Damiana’s Blue Truck Special was plain compared to the other food trucks.
I ordered the curried chicken salad sandwich with apple coleslaw. The roll was overflowing with chunks of curried chicken, crisp apples and slivered almonds.
Next was Snout & Co., a black food truck with a distinctive red logo.
Mr S selected the barbecue pork sandwich. Tender pulled pork and coleslaw were wedged in a soft bun and drizzled with habanero honey.
Adjacent to Snout & Co. was the crimson coloured Charlie’s Buns N’ Stuff.
The Mutt was a teetering stack of beef patty, grilled onions, mushrooms and balsamic mayonnaise in a brioche bun.
I meandered over to the gleaming Skillet Street Food for poutine and luckily got the last serving.
A Québec specialty, poutine is French fries topped with cheese curds and gravy. In the Skillet version, crunchy French fries were covered with salty gravy and molten cheddar, and freshened with a scattering of chopped parsley.
Most of the items on the Street Treats menu had been crossed out and I was happy to find salted brown butter krispy last on the list and not struckthrough.
The salted brown butter krispy was a cube of sticky, chewy sweetness with a hint of nuttiness.
In search of a beverage, we joined the queue at Boyd’s Coffee.
We shared an apple cider. A little tart and fragrant with spices, it was a warming conclusion to the Mobile Feast.
It was a well organised event benefiting the Seattle Center Foundation.
- In: Eating | Food truck | Seattle | USA | Washington
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I had a question mark next to the Mobile Food Rodeo on my calendar as Mr S was returning from a three week work trip on the same day. I hesitated when the lovely Carol offered me a spare ticket but Mr S assured me he would be sleeping off jet lag so I happily accepted.
It was cool and cloudy as we joined the queue just before midday. VIP ticket holders were to have an extra hour before general admission but they were delayed by the fire marshal inspection and thus had a cascading effect on us. Hungry and windswept, we finally entered just before one o’clock.
A barren bitumen block enclosed by a barbwire fence, about a dozen food trucks ringed the perimeter and there were a couple of canopies with stacked hay bales for seating.
The bright graffiti on the Skillet Street Food van greeted us.
We spotted a retro Jeep Fleetvan painted in Whole Foods Market green selling cold beverages. It reminded me of the British television series Heartbeat!
Next to the petite Whole Foods truck was Maximus Minimus, a pig with attitude in sunglasses!
Our first food truck was Curry Now. By the time we got our wristbands, I was shivering and in need of sustenance.
We shared a small chicken curry with rice and topped with cilantro. We ate this quickly and appreciated the spiciness.
Street Treats was adjacent and we peeked at the menu. Although tempted by ice cream cookie sandwiches we opted to purchase a salted brown butter crispy bar for later. We split this in the car and it was a sticky treat of sweet nuttiness.
A regular at Queen Anne Farmers Market, Parfait Organic Artisan Ice Cream was another sweet truck present. Street Donuts was there too.
When we were outside the line was moving steadily until we paused at Fusion on the Run. We noticed a menu leaning against a window and were intrigued by the coconut ginger chicken bánh mì.
As we were waiting for our bánh mì, a guy picked up his tacos order. On the left is ono, kalua pork with mango salsa and surfer sauce. The other two are KV fusion, marinated short rib with cilantro and onions.
A crusty baguette was filled with julienned and pickled carrots and daikon, lettuce, cilantro, sesame seeds and coconut ginger chicken. Each bite of the bánh mì was crunchy and juicy, the sour vegetables tempered the richness of the marinated chicken. This was the highlight of the Mobile Food Rodeo!
By now the crowds have at least quadrupled since we got in. Groups were huddled together, balancing plates and trays while standing. Those perched on hay bales were elbow to elbow.
We continued our rotation and walked by Lumpia World, Where Ya At and Kaosamai. After the bánh mì, we skipped burgers, sliders and sandwiches at Bistro Box, Buns on Wheels and Charlie’s Buns N’ Stuff.
The pig shaped chalkboard at The Box caught our attention! A recent addition to the fleet of local food trucks, they’re based in Kirkland.
We ordered a pork belly hum bao each and these were speedily assembled. Slow braised in soy and mirin, a generous slice of pork belly with a scattering of coleslaw was wedged between a steamed bun. The fresh and zingy slaw was a textural contrast to the yielding pork belly and the soft bun soaked up the tasty marinade.
A band entertained the crowds and later, Mayor McGinn appeared on the stage and a cupcake eating contest was held.
The sun had emerged and the atmosphere had livened up. There were some long queues so Carol lined up at Bigfood and I went searching for fries.
I was keen to try poutine, the Québec specialty. Surprised by only a handful of people lingering at Skillet, I joined the short queue just in time for the announcement that they were sold out.
Disappointed, I returned to the area where Bigfood was parked and caught a glimpse of the Happy Grillmore menu. Yukon gold fries with garlic and Parmesan? Yes please!
Unfortunately I was defeated by the wait time. The two chefs were cooking at a frantic pace but they were limited by space. The size of the event overwhelmed the charm of food trucks.
A jungle themed food truck, Bigfood also had a long queue but we were determined to try their grilled flatbreads.
On the left is sasquatch, spicy pulled pork shoulder with green mango chutney and coleslaw. On the right is yeti, braised beef with curried fruit and coleslaw. Colourful ingredients rested on fluffy flatbreads with perfect grill marks! These were tender and luscious, the grilled flatbread was a sturdy utensil for the shredded meat and fruity condiments.
And finally, a red velvet muffin. We scraped off the buttercream and halved the dense and buttery muffin.
Another new food truck, Snout & Co. has ‘soulful food from Cuba to South Carolina’.
As we exited, we were thankful that we arrived early and mostly avoided queuing by the dozens. Hopefully the organisation will improve for next year but it is a fun event to sample the diverse food trucks of Seattle and Portland.
Mobile Food Rodeo was a fundraiser for Solid Ground.
