Happy Memorial Day!

I hope you all got a chance to grill today! I was fortunate enough to go to two great BBQs. One was hosted by my friend, Melissa, and the other was hosted by my brother.

Up there is his interpretation of an In-N-Out burger, animal style. I looked over his shoulder the whole time, so I'm hoping to attempt to recreate this at some point in Seattle over the summer because it was so freaking delicious. He pretty much got it down from the subtlety of the sauce to the texture of the grilled onions, and is well on his way towards surpassing the original with his New-York-strip-based meat patty. Now if Seattle would just get some consistently sunny weather...

We even did a round of protein-style burgers.

On a side note, sorry for the delay in posts. My last final of my second year of law school is due tomorrow at 4:30pm, so I'm sure I'll be doing plenty of posting in the next week.

Enjoy the last precious minutes of the first round of glorious holiday grilling this summer!

Pizzeria Bianco

Here lies the fort known as Pizzeria Bianco. Sure, this place looks like any other restaurant with its unassuming facade, welcoming outdoor seating, and smiling handful of patient patrons. But if you've heard anything about this place, you've probably heard about two things: the crazy good pizza and the crazy long wait time.

With both of these nuggets fresh in my mind, I waited anxiously in the backseat of my friend's car as we left the Grand Canyon behind schedule and entered Phoenix traffic. The plan was to get there at 4:30pm, wait for the doors to open at 5:00pm, and hopefully snag a spot in the first round of seating. Because we only had one night in Phoenix, we were ideally hoping to hit up a second dinner. Unfortunately, my phone already read 6:00pm.

At 6:10pm, we were close. The blue dot on my iPhone told me we were within a block. I frantically looked around for Pizzeria Bianco's iconic red brick structure. We kept driving down the road and I noticed the side of relatively small, red brick building. "This is it," I thought. We had already passed the entrances to any reasonable parking lots, and another loop around the block was probably going to take another fifteen minutes at the very least. As we slowed to a stop, I made a game day decision.

I jumped, or leapt, even, from the car through two lanes of traffic. After a brief glance back at my friends' jaws on the floor of the car, I beelined straight to the entrance of Pizzeria Bianco, passing several people walking and enjoying the Phoenix heat. I opened the door with a deep breath and the wonderful smell of brick oven pizza made me drunk with stupor. The hostess had to try to get my attention twice before taking down my name for a party of four.

Note: Pizzeria Bianco is now open from 11:00am to 10:00pm, Tuesdays through Saturdays, so hopefully nobody has to go all Jack Bauer on this pizza joint anymore.

"How long is the wait?" I asked.

Without a second's hesitation, the hostess casually remarked, "Five and a half hours."

"Will we make it before you guys close?"

"Probably. Just check in every half hour in person, and you can just hang out at Bar Bianco next door," she said.

"Cool."

As I took a step back outside, I noticed that the three parties that had amassed behind me were all people I had shamelessly sprinted by only minutes before. "In your face!" Okay, I didn't actually say that, but I would lying if I said that this game day decision wasn't one of my proudest moments as an eater.

I filled in my friends, we checked into our nearby hotel, and we moseyed on back for some beers at Bar Bianco, which was also equipped with plenty of outdoor lawn seating and casual strings of lights. We checked in every half hour, and in about two and a half hours, we were getting seated. Apparently, it's pretty normal for there to be an insanely overestimated wait time. Don't get me wrong, they're giving you the actual wait time based on how many people are on the list, but so many people don't show up or decide to eat elsewhere (poor decision-making on their part) that wait times get shortened more often than not.

We were finally in, and that same intoxicating smell of pizza dough, not to mention a few beers, made my stomach feel like a humungous, empty, cave. Thankfully, the food came out surprisingly fast.

Every meal starts off with a bright olive oil and some insane bread. The crust resounds with a beautiful crunch with every bite and every chew. I had to cut myself off at one piece because I knew I needed to save my carbs for the pizza.

In an attempt to feel somewhat health-conscious, the table ordered the Antipasto, a set of wood-roasted vegetables, soppressata, and a few slices of cheese. Everything on this plate was delicious, but the roasted squash was particularly memorable, as was the oily and rich soppressata. Delicious, but come on, let's get to the pizza.

First up was the classic that everyone raves about: the Margherita. With such simple ingredients (tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, and basil), this pizza was all about showcasing Pizzeria Bianco's heavenly crust. Crispy, resonant, and rustic on the outside, and soft, chewy, and welcoming on the inside. Most wood-fired pizza crusts only have these characteristics on the outside ring of the crust. The crusts at Pizzeria Bianco, however, had the same addictive crispiness with each bite, starting from the center of the pie to the outer, blistered crust. The tomato sauce was thick and satisfying, while the fresh mozzarella brightened up the pizza where there wasn't a minimal piece of basil. This Margherita reminded me of why margherita pizzas are such a standard.

Next up was the Wiseguy. This was my least favorite pizza, but that means nothing when it comes to Pizzeria Bianco's pizzas. The Wiseguy comes topped with wood-roasted onions, house smoked mozzarella, and fennel sausage. My experience with sausage pizzas tends to be bad only because they tend to have soggy crusts towards the middle of the pizza. At Pizzeria Bianco, this was not the case. The crust was still crispy in the center, and each bite of this pizza was packed with the aroma of charred wood and campfires. This made for a particularly hearty pizza, which was a perfect way to follow up the Margherita. The sausage was addictive, but not as addictive as the rustic mozzarella and the gooey wood-roasted onions. The next pizza did a great job of toning down the smokey intensity of the Wiseguy to round out the meal.

This is the one. The Biancoverde. This is the pizza that makes me toss and turn at night with insatiable cravings for one, single bite of this amazing pizza. This is the pizza that makes me search with complete futility for a pizza closer to home that comes somewhere, anywhere, close.

The Biancoverde is a simple concoction of fresh mozzarella, parmigiano reggiano, ricotta, and arugula. Basically, an elevated version of a four-cheese pizza, minus the fourth cheese and plus the awesomeness of arugula. This pizza combines the simplicity of a classic with a slight tweak of innovation. Just like the other two pizzas, the crust was perfect, and the gooey, perfect combination of the three cheeses enhanced the bitter appeal of the arugula. Each bite resembled the perfect relationship with a pizza: uncomplicated, rewarding, and moving. Things got emotional when I got to my last bite and had to say goodbye, leaving me with only burps to remind me of the Biancoverde's amazingness.

As we made our way out of the restaurant, I couldn't help but take one last look at the wood-fired furnace and the Pizzeria Bianco staff. A tear rolled down my cheek as I silently acknowledged one of pizza's greats.

The next day, my friend asked me a question that I will never be able to answer: "Pizzeria Bianco or Pizzeria Mozza?" Pitting the Bianocoverde against the Bianca with Fontina, Mozzarella, Sottocenere, and Sage is like asking me to choose between my left foot and my right foot, or yellowtail and uni. Both of these pizzas are by far my two favorite pizzas, ever, and both introduced me to an untouchable level of simplicity and deliciousness. Don't ever ask me to choose. If you do, I might have to backhand you for putting me in that situation.

Pizzeria Bianco

623 E Adams Street

Phoenix, AZ 85004

(602) 258-8300

http://www.pizzeriabianco.com/

GET: Biancoverde; Any Pizza, Really.

Alton Brown's Edamame Dip

No words can describe how delicious and simple this dip is, but I'll try. Courtesy of Alton Brown's recipe on the Food Network website, this one's is all about pumping out a quick party snack that's full of flavor. Or just a snack. All for yourself.

All you do is cook the edamame, chop some onions, get some parsley or cilantro, slice a little garlic, and scoop out the rest of the ingredients.

Blend to combine.

And that's it. Done. You can add more of any of the ingredients to your liking. I added a bit more chili paste and a final spritz of lemon at the end. All that minimal work results in what's essentially an Asian interpretation of hummus. This dip is packed, packed, packed with tons of flavor. Every bite of this dip lasts a good minute, with each ingredient revealing itself to you every few seconds. And each bite doesn't necessarily reveal the ingredients in the same order, which makes this dip deliciously unpredictable. This dip goes well on pita bread, baguettes, crackers, chips, and anything, really. I found myself scooping this stuff out by the spoonful and eating it straight at some point. And the best part about this is that it's ridiculously healthy and guilt-free.

I can't urge you enough. Make this. Now. Or soon.

Special props to my friend, Charizard, for suggesting this recipe.

Elote Cafe

Sedona's streets bleed tourism as much as its rock formations bleed red. Just from looking around the town's kitschy souvenir shops, I expected equally kitschy restaurants. You know, the ones with sombreros hanging on the walls and skeletons wearing headdresses and holding beer mugs. And that's not far from what I saw. The nice thing about a town that capitalizes on kitsch, however, is that the restaurants worth going to separate themselves from the pack as clearly as oil and water do.

Elote Cafe is not nearly as corny as its name suggests. Sharing a building with the Kings Ransom Sedona Hotel, Elote Cafe serves up inspiring, rich, and comforting Mexican fare in an equally comforting setting.

With wait times as long as three hours, plan to get there nice and early to put your name down. The good news is that the front of the house is equipped with a small bar featuring tequilas, local beers, and tasty margaritas. To top it all off, you can munch on unlimited bowls of their Popcorn generously seasoned with chipotle powder, ancho chile, salt, cumin, pepper, garlic powder, and a tap of sugar. Savory, barely sweet, and definitely satisfying, the popcorn disappeared as fast as it took for my friends and I to ask for more.

From left to right, and from least favorite to favorite, The Ginger, the Guava Pineapple Margarita, and the daily special Prickly Pear Margarita. They were all delicious in their own rights, but the prickly pear stood out because it was so vibrant and refreshing. The guava pineapple was predictably sweet and the ginger was a bit too literal. I love ginger-based cocktails, but this one just didn't do it for me as much as the prickly pear.

The last thing I was expecting to see in Sedona was local brews. Okay, obviously Deschutes is not an Arizonian local brew, but the other three we had were.

The Grand Canyon Brewing Company Sunset Apricot Ale was unimpressive and a bit too sweet. The Oak Creek Brewing Company Pale Ale and Hefeweizen, however, were both delicious. Both were relatively light, but both were full of flavor and body. Way to go, northern Arizona.

After a reasonable amount of booze and two relatively painless hours of waiting, we made our way into the main dining room. The whole room is smartly decorated and beautifully colored, all with a sense of casual dining with attentive service. Since we had plenty of time to make decisions while we were waiting, we cross-referenced our list with the waiter's suggestions and placed our order minutes after we sat down. We might have ordered a few more drinks as well.

Like any smart Mexican restaurant that serves people who might have been waiting to eat for hours on end, Elote Cafe starts off the meal right with a refillable basket of warm tortilla chips and a tasty bowl of housemade salsa. The salsa was fresh and a little bit smokey while the chips were perfectly crisp.

Our appetizers came out all together with guns a' blazing. First up, Flautas de Pato. I love flautas, and I loved the idea of putting duck in them. The duck was seasoned with adobo (another plus) and the flautas came topped with some veggies and cotija cheese. Underneath the flautas were green chile and crema, which worked really well together, in the same way jalapeños and cream cheese go really well together. The crispy shell cracked open to reveal slightly sweet and intensely savory duck meat. The green chile added a mild amount of heat that was easily tempered by the crema. The greens on top seemed a little bit unnecessary, but in a way, they were nice to eat after the heavy flauta. The scattered pico de gallo was a better way to brighten up the dish.

Next up was their signature dish: Elote. I love elotes, but there was something special about this bowl of corn. I could taste the char from the fire-roasting process, but the taste was never overwhelming. The spicy mayo, lime, and cotija all blended really well with the roasted corn to create a whirlwind mixture of spice, acidity, sweetness, creaminess, and overall satisfaction. The dust on top also contributed in making this bowl unbelievably addictive. I'm pretty positive it was the same seasoning that they put on the popcorn (chipotle powder, ancho chile, salt, cumin, pepper, garlic powder, and a tap of sugar).

I figured the elote woud be a hard act to follow, so just to be safe, I reserved a spoonful of the elote to eat after trying the last appetizer: Seafood Tacos. This was probably my least favorite appetizer, but it was still pretty darn tasty. Each taco came topped with acho glazed snapper, scallops, rock shrimp, spicy cabbage, lime aioli, and avocado. My favorite part of these tacos was the lime aioli. It's one of those things that just makes sense. Unfortunately, like most seafood medleys, the individual flavors of the scallop, fish, and shrimp got lost in the combination. Thank you, reserved spoonful of elote.

Because we didn't order the Tacos de Mole that I was eyeing, I asked for a small cup of their mole. It was very earthy, sweet, spicy, and rich. I could see this going really well with chicken, which, is exactly what they do. I wish the mole were thicker though.

After some really solid sides, we delved into our first main: Smoked Chicken Enchiladas. These were awesome. The chicken had just the right amount of smoke to it to not make it too overwhelming. The chicken was tender and juicy, and each bite of the enchiladas came smothered in a pulpy salsa verde and a relaxed chipotle crema. The mix of peppers added a ton of flavor to the chicken. Like some of the other dishes, I found the garnish on top unnecessary, though I think the pickled onions did go particularly well with this plate. I still wonder what some pickled radishes and pickled jalapeños would do to elevate this dish. Yum.

Our last main of the night was, by Yelp's and the waiter's suggestion, the Lamb Adobo. In a word, this dish was sweet. Too sweet. Overwhelmingly sweet. The kind of sweet you get when you get teriyaki chicken doused in teriyaki sauce, and then some. While the lamb was perfectly cooked and fell off the bone, the adobo made the meat tough to handle. With only a baby blanket of pickled onions, there was nothing else to balance out the heaviness of this dish. Because I know this is supposed to be one of their most famous dishes, I'm going to assume that this was just the one excessively sweet needle in a very large haystack of deliciousness.

Each main came with a side of Rice and Beans. The corn-laced rice was a nice touch, and black beans topped with cotija is never a bad idea.

A little random, but our meal also came with some Fresh Tortillas. Don't mind if I do. Light and fluffy, the fresh heat that emanated from these tortillas was intoxicating.

By the time we left, the place was nearly empty, signaling the end of another busy night.

Just as Elote Cafe is exceptional and distinguishable from a slew of uninteresting restaurants, I would imagine there are shops that have just as exceptional and distinguishable Mexican and Native American art. But souvenirs and food aside, Sedona is worth a visit. It's a popular destination for a reason, and you really can't beat some of its scenic landscapes, and at the very least, Elote Cafe's elote.

Elote Cafe

771 State Route 179

Sedona, AZ 86336

(928) 203-0105

http://www.elotecafe.com/

GET: Free Popcorn; Prickly Pear Margarita; Elote; Flautas de Pato; Smoked Chicken Enchiladas.

Happy Mother's Day!

If you have the luxury of living near your mom, take advantage of your close proximity to her and whip her up a nice dinner. If you completely forgot about Mother's Day, there's still hope! Get cracking on some quick, easy dishes in time for dinner, like a loving soup, a beautiful scallop over supportive quinoa, a hearty chicken, some sweet cookies, and some caring fruit. Top that with some tasteful wine and maybe an appreciative cake and you got yourself a simple, solid meal.

Worse comes to worst, take her somewhere, be it fine dining, fun and casual, or comfort food. Whatever it is, just do something, preferably over some delicious food!

Happy Mother's Day!

Grant Achatz's Roasted Chicken with Garlic-Thyme Butter (7/24)

Grant Achatz is undeniably at the top of the modern culinary world. When people think about Grant Achatz, they tend to think of (1) tongue cancer and/or (2) insanely creative cooking. His roast chicken recipe, thankfully, doesn't make you think of cancer and doesn't require the use of blowtorches, powders, dehydrators, liquid nitrogen, or immersion circulators. Similar to many other famous chefs, Grant Achatz uses his roast chicken recipe to express his love for comfort food and simple preparations.

His recipe begins with a garlic-thyme butter, similar to the butter used in Tyler Florence's Ultimate Roast Chicken.

The cavity mimics the butter with some crushed garlic, thyme sprigs, and a quartered lemon. You should already be smelling a heavy hand of garlic and thyme in the air.

For good measure, I added a line of garlic-thyme butter along the center of the chicken before sending it off to the oven because this recipe doesn't call for any basting. The other nice thing about this recipe is that it doesn't require a full truss. It just asks that you tie the legs together. Just like the recipe suggests, the chicken was ready in exactly one and a half hours, with no flipping, basting, or messing around in the interim.

I like to think of this recipe as a marriage between Thomas Keller's simplicity and Tyler Florence's overt use of fat. The aromas of garlic and thyme filled the kitchen and the skin crackled as I took the chicken out of the oven. I've always found the resting period after taking a chicken out of the oven to be therapeutic. It gives you a moment to appreciate your work, the process of cooking, and the animal you're about to eat. The aroma was so present in the kitchen after opening the oven door, however, that I found it particularly difficult to restrain myself from digging in right when it came out of the oven.

After ten minutes of sitting on my hands, I dug into the chicken with a few friends. The result was abnormally juicy, making the jus entirely unnecessary. The crusted bits of garlic and thyme gave each bite of the crispy skin a little bit of an extra pop. The meat closest to the cavity had a strong flavor of lemon, garlic, and thyme, but the whole chicken didn't have that same presence of lemon, like the meat from Marcella Hazan's chicken did. In a way, I liked how you could opt into having a lemon-flavored bite and I loved the simple, straightforward flavors of garlic and thyme. The butter was definitely there, but it never left me feeling bad about my bites.

Overall, I would definitely put this chicken high on my list. I expected nothing less from such a culinary giant. Oh, and Grant Achatz, thank you for sharing such a simple, comforting recipe that will now let me say, "Yeah, I've cooked a Grant Achatz recipe. No big deal."

Rick Bayless' Oaxacan-Style Peanuts with Chile and Garlic

Happy Cinco de Mayo!!! While Cinco de Mayo technically celebrates the Battle of Puebla, and is mostly celebrated by Mexicans from the state of Puebla, Cinco de Mayo has taken on much larger significance in the United States as a holiday to generally celebrate Mexican, and the much broader category of Latina/o, heritage and culture.

As an enthusiast of Latin American food and culture, I wanted to share my deep enthusiasm for this standby recipe of a standard in one of Puebla's neighboring states, Oaxaca.

Ingredients for 4 cups of Oaxacan-Style Peanuts

1 tbsp olive or vegetable oil

4 dried árbol chiles, stemmed and torn into 1-inch pieces

8 garlic cloves, peeled and halved

24 ounces of toasted Spanish peanuts

Salt

Recipes don't get much simpler than this. Throw in the garlic, chiles, and oil into a large skillet and toss the ingredients every so often for about three minutes to soften and brown the garlic and to toast the chiles. Don't cook them completely because they'll continue to cook with the peanuts.

Throw in the peanuts and stir constantly for about ten minutes. The aroma of toasted garlic, chiles, and peanuts should fill your nose with each stir. Keep stirring until the aroma intensifies. If necessary, add salt to taste. If your peanuts are already salted, go easy on the salt. Let the peanuts cool to room temperature and store them in an airtight container. The first time I made these, I didn't let them cool enough, and when I reached in for a handful of peanuts, everything was disturbingly damp. Please don't make the same mistake.

The recipe should yield a delicious batch of rich, oily, garlicky, salty, and spicy peanuts. This isn't the cleanest snack, but it'll go perfectly with a cold beer or a tangy margarita. The more peanuts you eat, the more you begin to enjoy how the spicy oil and thin peanut skins cling to your fingers and require some serious finger licking. And when you get your first hit of a chunk of toasted garlic or chile, you'll be shocked at first, but you'll soon find yourself sifting through the peanuts for more.

I've also tried this with dried chipotle peppers, but it just isn't the same. I love the smokiness that the chipotle introduces to the peanuts, but I'd rather not sacrifice the pureness and clean spice of árbol chiles.

If you're scrambling to find something to contribute to a Cinco de Mayo party without adding to the inevitable mountains of Corona, Pacifico, tortilla chips, and salsa, take a few minutes to whip up this exceptionally quick and easy snack.

Enjoy your Cinco de Mayo!

Elliot's Oyster House

After almost two years of living in Seattle, I still consider Elliot's Oyster House's happy hour to be the best in Seattle. Elliot's is great for a lot of other reasons, but when it comes down to it, their awesomeness stems from the fact that they let you get away with eating oysters at 50 cents a piece.

The first thing you see when you walk into Elliot's is their beautiful display of oysters, mainly from the Pacific. If you've ever wanted to compare what different species of oysters look like in real life, this is the place to do it.

To your left you'll see Elliot's wall of alcohol, their happy hour designated seating, and regular dining tables in the back. The space is minimal, open, and beautiful with large windows showcasing the Puget Sound, making Elliot's cozy on rainy days and bright on sunny days. There's also a great outdoor seating area for those beautiful, summer days.

Some people opt to have champagne or white wine with their oysters.

I prefer to have a tall, frosted glass of beer.

But please, do yourself a favor and never order the Pepper Vodka Oyster Shooter. Somehow, you'll try to convince yourself that this would be a fun idea, but don't waste your time, money, or tears on this one. It's gross, and it leaves your palate confused. The oyster in it is still delicious though.

You also get the option of having some rotating happy hour food with your oysters. If you're looking for this mid-afternoon happy hour to tide you over through dinner, then go ahead and order a few. None of the happy hour food stands out as amazing, but they're all delicious. The Rockfish Taco is always on the menu, and every time I get it, the fish is perfectly cooked and the salsa is regrettably bland. Still, it's worth ordering to get a sample of their ability to cook great fish.

They don't have this Sesame Crusted Seared Tuna all the time, but if it's on the menu, it's also worth getting. The sweet mango balances really well with the bed of cucumber, and this dish is especially delicious if you take the time to add a little bit of salt and some citric acidity to it.

The Steamed Mussels are generous, bright, and finger-lickin' fresh. I expected nothing less from a place with such stellar oysters.

The Calamari is surprisingly light and sometimes very crispy. Some people just need their fix of calamari at seafood joints, and those people shouldn't hesitate to get some here.

The only bad experience I've had with their happy hour food is their Seafood Ceviche. The unfocused medley of seafood and veggies arrives doused in an excessive amount of lime and lemon juice. It's enough to make your tongue bleed. I haven't seen it on the menu after the first time I tried it, so maybe they're reworking this one.

And then there are the oysters. Elliot's progressive happy hour starts at 3:00pm and ends at 6:00pm. At 3:00pm, you can order oysters for 50 cents each. The idea is that every half hour, the price bumps up 25 cents. This means that even if you get there at 5:30pm, you get oysters at $1.75 a piece, which is still a steal when it comes to Elliot's level of freshness. But the best time to come is for the 50 cent price, and sometimes it feels like everyone else in Seattle knows it too.

I've found that the best way to approach this happy hour is to arrive at 2:30pm or 2:45pm. Getting there early ensures seating at 3:00pm. I've gotten there right at 3:00pm plenty of times, and while some times I've been lucky enough to grab a seat by 3:25pm, why take the risk? Also, Fridays are always the toughest to grab a seat within a reasonable hour, so if you have the luxury of getting off work early or being free at 3:00pm on any other weekday, avoid Fridays.

Once you get a seat and place your first order of, say, three dozen oysters, you can't help but be all smiles for the rest of the day. I've mentioned this before, but these oysters are legit. They'll let you know what kind of oysters you're eating, but more often than not, they've been Kumamoto Oysters or Quillbay Quenchers. They serve what they have the most of, but every oyster I've had here has been fresh and delicious.

Oysters come out with their version of a mignonette, packed with a frozen mix of peppercorn, vinegar, lemon, champagne, and onion. I like to have my oysters straight with no distractions, but I will admit that a tiny bit of their addictive Champagne Mignonette Ice adds a refreshing, salty, and acidic depth to the bivalve.

And while I do appreciate the low happy hour prices at Elliot's, I can never leave without ordering up a few Kusshi Oysters. Elliot's introduced me to this oyster, and I've been a fan ever since. This variety falls less on the metallic side of the spectrum of oyster flavors, and more on the briny side. Its smooth, clean, and refreshing qualities keep me coming back for more.

I've also had the chance to eat here for a regular meal, and just like their oysters, everything was generally delicious and fresh.

The meal started off with the Canadian Pacific Sampler, a great way to try out a few different oysters and compare their flavors right next to each other. This sampler showcased two Chef's Creek oysters, two Fanny Bay oysters, and two Kusshi oysters. All delicious. No surprise there.

The meal progressed from fresh oysters to baked. The Blue Cheese Oysters had the perfect amount of blue cheese baked onto bread crumbs and fully maintained the presence of the oyster. Filling, yet surprisingly light.

The Oysters Rockefeller were even better. The recipe marries the flavors of bacon, spinach, and Pernod, all topped with a creamy and savory hollandaise sauce. I preferred this one over the Blue Cheese Oysters. I usually don't get baked oysters because I feel like most preparations kill the freshness of the oyster, but these were exceptional.

The Alaskan King Crab Turnover came out a little cold, but the separate flavors were still great. I was expecting it to have a heavier crab taste, but it was overpowered by the roasted flavors of the corn cream and red pepper sauces. Everything on the plate was good, but mixed together they became a pretty mushy mix of flavors.

The Spicy Crab is a great dish to get for a group of people at the table. It's one of their house specialties, and comes smothered in what tastes like a cleaner and less oily version of a Chinese chili sauce. But be wary that even though you get a bib, your hands will be covered in the chili sauce. Thankfully, they provide a bowl of lemon water to get rid of the stink and the gunk.

The Spicy Crab comes with perfectly fluffy mashed potatoes and deliciously roasted string beans.

If you're looking for some great seafood to complement a celebration, don't hesitate to go to Elliot's. Prices can stack up pretty quickly, but the quality of the seafood comes through with each bite and you never feel like you're getting entirely ripped off. If you're looking for a steal when it comes to Seattle happy hours, get over to Elliot's and indulge yourself with dozens upon dozens of oysters.

In the end, if you find yourself at Elliot's for any reason, you should doing a lot of this.

And this.

And just in case you haven't heard me say this before: Elliot's will always be an Oy-Star in my book.

Elliot's Oyster House

1201 Alaskan Way

Seattle, WA 98101

(206) 623-4340

http://www.elliottsoysterhouse.com/

GET: Happy Hour Oysters; Kusshi Oysters; Oyster Samplers; Oysters Rockefeller.